Ch 4 - It's Time To Recreate Yourself
"I looked for you", Chicho said with a grim expression and looked Kelly Anne in the eyes: "For a long time…as I feared Finch's goons had gotten to you at the motel…and when I couldn't find any trace…", his voice trailed off as he fell silent.
She let her face show the sadness that took over her and her hand gently covered his: "I'm sorry…the plan was risky and…ah…" she didn't finish and that gave him the opportunity to add: "I know…you couldn't involve everyone…or take everyone with you…I know…Teresa explained to me…and I had a girlfriend then…I wouldn't have followed you, guys."
She exhaled deeply. Chicho and her had gotten quite close since he had been assigned to be her guard right after she had found out she was pregnant. They had weathered several nasty situations together when the rest of the team had been in Berlin.
"But the important thing is that everything worked out…and James obviously got to you on time", to which she smiled and added: "I owe him my life…more than once…and my child's life…he is …like a brother to me!"
"That's why you've come real fast, " Chicho smiled widely now: "…to ensure his skiing skills improve dramatically…right?"
"Yeah!" Kelly Anne smiled too and waived at the waiter for a coffee refill: "And to see if I can get Teresa to venture in the snow…and as she may have told you to go over the legal matters of Marcel's and your company's issues…ah…with the bank."
"Oh?" Chicho seemed surprised. "If la Jefa expressed an interest in our business…she must have only told Marcel!"
The land was contaminated, Marcel's lawyer in Bangkok, a man by the name of Dupont, had been advised. It had not passed the government inspections and as such no permits for construction could be issued. The lawyer had been on a call with Marcel, Chicho, Kelly Anne and Teresa for more than an hour providing details of his painstaking journey for information in that beautiful but corrupt country, a fact that sounded to Teresa like someone was talking about doing business in her homeland.
The land was not a site contaminated by improper handling of materials because it had never been developed, and there was no facility of any sort close to it that could have resulted in a release of hazardous wastes that would affect the piece of pristine land.
Dupont had engaged a consulting company to assist in the determination of the reasons and was himself convinced that it could only be toxic materials deposited as a result of mishandled natural disaster or an act of environmental terror. According to him only some developed countries tracked such contamination and very few actually provided funds for cleanup. Marcel's hope for an easy resolution to the permit issue, so that construction could commence, had quickly evaporated. The mood had been more despondent than ever. There was nothing positive that they could bring to the meeting with the Swiss bank.
"I have made enough mistakes in relation to Marcel and I need to do it right this time!" Teresa looked at Kelly Anne expectantly and waited for her friend to say something…anything.
It was clear Marcel and Chicho would need not only financial help to get out of the swamp this deal had put them in, and it all looked and sounded sketchy and risky. The preliminary dollar amounts that would be involved, if Teresa's ValCap venture fund was to jump in, were substantial, and her exposure could only get higher if the Swiss bank pulled out because of the actions of the Thai authorities. No one had even dared mention the other three properties, but they knew Marcel had sent an investigator to each place to dig and scout for information.
Teresa felt on edge because helping Marcel would be risky and she expected that it would only be right to make commitments once the whole family had been informed and had agreed. But her whole being sensed she had been presented with a chance to really redeem herself this time and she knew that she would have to try. So far it was only Kelly Anne who had heard the facts, hence Teresa was burning to hear her opinion.
"Once you told me that everyone made mistakes….Remember?...But that not everyone survived them?" Kelly Anne took a sip of her latte and smiled.
"Does this mean you believe I can survive this…we can survive this…even if it turns out to be a mistake?" Teresa felt encouraged.
Kelly Anne sighed: "Yes…but it won't be easy…if that land is at all able to be cleaned…and for that we need to find out who and what has polluted it…how dangerous it is…and it will be expensive…"
"I think we need to accompany Marcel when he meets the banker the day after tomorrow…as ValCap's representatives…not as friends", Teresa's mind was churning. She needed to 'recreate herself' again, the words of her crazy delusional supplier in the Bolivian jungle coming back to her. The thought had not given her respite ever since they had parted with Marcel and Chicho. She had switched courses many times in her life, she had practically recreated herself into a criminal, then back into a normal person, she had sought redemption, she had sought revenge, but the feeling that her journey was not complete had never left her.
"Of course," Kelly Anne agreed: "Maybe we'll have some better news from Dupont by then!"
As they put their coats and hats on and headed towards the exit, Kelly Anne suggested that Teresa use the next day to try skiing out with her, a girlie outing, no kids and no men! No pressure, just fun that she herself hadn't had in a long while. Teresa had no plans for the day and unwillingly agreed as the conversation moved to the type of gear, they would need to rent…or maybe buy…
James was surprised that Teresa had agreed to venture on the ski run. She had been very hesitant when he had suggested it a second time the other day. However, he had never underestimated Kelly Anne's influence and as usual let things be. The vague information they had shared about Marcel's problems had made him more concerned than interested until Teresa point blank said as they were sipping their morning coffee: "I will not abandon Marcel a second time!"
"I know", he responded: "Because this time you have a choice…trust me…I know…I just wish we knew more because I'm not prepared to take huge risks at this stage of our lives!" It didn't sound good but they knew little and she decided to let it pass.
Instead, she just cocked her head and eyed him directly: "Hah...so you believed me … that I really had no choice…when I had to hand him in to the cops?"
"I know you didn't...I just hoped your ingenious mind would come up with something…" he stood up and squeezed her shoulder before heading to the room to get in his skiing gear. Then he stopped and turned around: "Watch out on the run today, okay? Don't take crazy risks…you don't wanna break a limb…Kelly Anne…she knows how to ski…no matter how good the instructor is, you can't compare with her…"
"Okay", Teresa nodded.
"Try to have fun…if it's not fun, it ain't worth it!", he smiled and disappeared in the room just as Tony and Suzie appeared on the second floor and started shuffling in their snow suits down the stairs.
Teresa did not enjoy the snow, the cold, the wind, the ice, the instructor who was so enthusiastic that his accent totally killed his English! She started to get annoyed by Kelly Anne's constant chirping as she struggled to get up again…and again, clutching her poles and worrying if she wouldn't damage her ankles trying to get up without removing the pinche skis!
Her mind was anywhere but on her balance; actually the thought of her black and blue bruised behind…because it already hurt bad and she was certain it would be of different colors by the end of the day…that thought sneaked in her head and killed whatever concentration she had managed to master. Until she refused to go up on the pinche magic carpet beginner lift and headed back to the chalet huffing and puffing.
"I'm sorry, sister!" Kelly Anne said faking being sorry, Teresa was certain! "Sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reason…I mean we all wanted you to have fun…relax, enjoy yourself because you've been stressed…but it was the wrong thing for you...obviously!"
I knew it was the wrong thing for me, and I said so, but neither you prancing around in these tight snowpants, nor James, Mr. let's- try- all- sports, listened to me! Teresa held her tongue though as venting usually didn't help, and the truth was that neither of them had really pushed her. They had suggested it and because she never admitted defeat, she had pushed herself. So, she only said: " I saw a brochure about a wine pairing event at the main lodge tonight…I'd rather we go there!" Kelly Anne was the ultimate wine person, who owned and ran a winery and a wine club. Of course, she would say 'yes'!
James's cell rang and he put the TV on mute and picked up: "What's up?"
Kelly Anne sounded overly out of breath: "Sorry…you gotta come pick us up…I ain't drivin' in this weather and this ice!"
He looked through the window and saw it had started to snow again, the white powder falling slowly and peacefully like in a winter wonderland.
"Sure…did you have too much to drink?" he knew they must have, else Teresa would drive from the center of the village to their chalet, no questions asked. They had rented a 4x4 mountain range SUV that she had picked herself. Now he had to take the superintendant's car and walk to the center on foot in the morning to get the SUV back.
"Yep", Kelly Anne said with a giggle. Then he heard Teresa's voice in the background talking in Spanish to someone about the 'huge' difference between white and dark chicken meat and what wine was best with each. He hung up and sighed deeply as he would miss the end of the CNN program he had been watching; then he yelled to Tony in the other room that he was stepping out and went to the door to put on his boots.
The ride back was noisy as the women talked about all the wines, all the foods, giggled and then argued. By the time they got back James had a headache.
Teresa threw her jacket on the couch, boots to the side and stood in front of the fire place holding her bum and then telling both of them in a very serious tone that if she would not be able to sit tomorrow, they would be to blame.
Kelly Anne went about putting ice on it, which suggestion was adamantly refused while James who had been experimenting with the espresso machine in the chalet, made them each a frothy cappuccino and put a little heart of foam on both.
"How cute, mi amor!" Teresa smiled a tipsy smile to him: "..but that wouldn't make you any less guilty for my suffering tomorrow!" Then she took her cup and headed to the bathroom with an unsteady gait.
Kelly Anne looked at James, then at her coffee, then back at James: "Mamacita needs an Apres-ski!" and she smiled at her own ingenuity.
James shrugged: "What's this?"
"You don't know?" she sipped from her cup and then wiped the froth from her mouth.
James shook his head.
"Well…let me see…it's what people do 'after skiing'…that's what it means in French!" she said and smiled provocatively. James was feeling his headache coming back, so he only waited for her to go on.
"They have a few drinks…bourbon goes best in the cold weather…one can mix it with hot chocolate…in front of the fireplace…watching the snowfall…then they …ahh…relax and enjoy a bunch of other activities…intimately!" this time she cocked her head at him as if saying 'how come you don't get it?'
"I see," James realized that being with Teresa alone in the huge fireplace heated chalet would be great…and it would definitely be beneficial to her state of mind…but there were the kids to consider.
Just as he was about to comment after having shaken his head thoughtfully at Kelly Anne and having hardly contained a smile, she said: "I will entertain your kids tomorrow…leave the baby sitting…no, the teen sitting…to me! How's that for a plan?"
"I'm glad you decided to join us" he heard himself say: "Because she wasn't doing that well... she needed her friend!"
Kelly Anne got up to head upstairs to her room: "I thought… you were the best at helping her deal with issues from the past...like fears...memories...you know!"
"I sure am...but I can't do everything…" he said.
"Like what?" she was almost at the stairs.
"Can't do girls night out, for instance!" James smiled.
"Well…you got me…living with guilt is a bitch…I know the feeling …and am talking from experience...and she will move mountains to help Marcel…and it all will weigh on her…no way around it!" Kelly Anne slowly took the steps up balancing her coffee.
James sat back in front of the TV thinking that Teresa was like a clock's pendulum: swinging from side to side, taking every idea with utmost enthusiasm, and after getting out of the crime life, after him having stopped her from buying a diamond mine or opening a casino, she had finally found her place as a legitimate business woman. Yes, it was his job to keep her centered! And he wondered what Marcel and his issues would bring around.
