Ch 22, Life Is a Box of Chocolates
Langebaan, South Africa
Teresa almost jumped with joy: "I was right, James! He stole from his wife's estate and that's why he got into this scheme…to hide it!"
"Yeah…I see that angle now," James said and swung his legs over their bed and went in the bathroom. They had been back in their house for almost a week now, the jet lag was gone, and the guests were making plans to leave soon.
When he came out Teresa kept smiling at him: "It's my favorite crime show, you know that…and I so enjoy watching it with you…but I have seen the previous episodes a few more times than you and…", she didn't finish as he said:
"And you know the details by heart!". He laughed. The truth was that he enjoyed their watching crime shows together; her head on his shoulder, or their hands competing for the popcorn. Most of all he enjoyed their betting on the outcome because it always amazed him to observe the way her brain worked when solving mysteries.
"What did I win?" Teresa giggled.
"What would you like?" James responded with the same playful tone and got on the bed pulling her to him.
At that moment there was a knock on the door and as they both said 'come in' simultaneously, they both laughed simultaneously. The door swung open and Pote and George walked in.
"What's the matter?" Teresa said as she saw their surly faces.
George exhaled guiltily and tried to speak. Pote nudged his shoulder and the boy finally said: "I screwed up big time!"
Teresa was next to her son in the next second, her hand on his shoulder: "Que paso, querido?" She sounded worried.
"Tell them or I will!" Pote said with a low menacing voice. James's heart fluttered with the recollection that George had some girlfriend he had found out about just as his son mumbled, eyes on his toes: "My girlfriend…was…ahh…pregnant!"
"Que?" Teresa was stunned, Pote looked shocked while James squeezed his eyes, then dragged his hand over his face and said to Pote: "I guess I was late…"
"Que?" This time Teresa turned to James; eyes wide open.
He briefly told Teresa what Tony had told him, how he had asked Pote to talk to George about being careful and how he now felt that he had been late with the needed father - son conversation.
"You're only 15! What were you thinking?" Teresa was beside herself.
"He wasn't!" Pote grumbled. "Teen boys don't think. They act!"
Then George was able to interject: "I was thinking…it was a faulty…condom…I love her, and I wanted to …ahh…protect her!"
"Well, you wanna have a career in soccer or wanna have a girlfriend and responsibilities just now?" Pote sounded madder than Teresa.
"She took care of it!" The boy mumbled and everyone turned to him briskly.
James spoke first: "You mean she had an abortion?" His face was unreadable.
"Yes…I paid for it, but now I have no cash left in my fund for this season's equipment and…" George was stuttering as Teresa said: "Who is she?"
"A cheerleader from the team", George kept staring at his feet.
"Did her family know?" Teresa was simmering but seemed relieved.
"I don't think so…that's why she couldn't charge the insurance and we had to pay cash…we didn't go alone…one of Lena's horseback riding trainers…she helped us find a clinic…it was all safe…but now I'm penniless…my fund is empty!" This seemed to be the boy's main concern, so Pote finally said:
"You didn't tell me she dealt with it! I vowed to stop smoking and now I need one so bad, carajo!" He had trouble with the concept of abortion, but the boy's soccer future was his project and he wanted him to play, no matter what!
"It's my business, Tio!" George mumbled.
The conversation stalled as the boy smiled politely, then uncomfortably looked at everyone. He was biting his lip like he always did when he was nervous, no doubt trying to come up with some reason beyond the blanket ego-protecting 'it's my business', but James could see he was drawing a blank despite having worked up the nerve to drop the hammer on his parents that he too had rights to privacy.
"I'm sorry, we've put you on the spot!", James said. Crap! He was speechless. It was one thing to get shot down by a stranger, another entirely to crash into your own son when he had been doing the same things as you had at this age! It was so multifaceted of a situation!
Pote was way more direct as he swung his finger at George: "Listen to me, mijo! You be careful where you put your pecker...'cause your mama is too young to be a grandma! Me escuchas? (Do you hear me?)" and he smacked him on the neck, then turned and left as Teresa exhaled trying to keep it together while James looked down to stifle a smirk.
George mumbled: "Si, Tio!", and hurried after Pote.
James and Teresa looked at each other and James said: "Hell, I need a smoke!"
"Me too…and a drink, carajo!" Teresa added. "I'm too young to be abuela…that is true!"
James rummaged in the desk drawer for smokes and said: "He is like …ahh…Pote's son!"
Teresa grumbled a 'hmm' in agreement and then added: "The other one though...is like you…top to bottom!"
James signaled her to follow him on the balcony: "Oh yeah...Why's that?"
"Always doing the right thing…always protecting someone…", Teresa said after she exhaled smoke.
James squinted at her and exhaled himself: "Sounds very familiar to me...like a girl I knew once…who took a maid to Mexico to save her…or ruined her six months' biz in Malta to save a few Russian chicks, or...crossed the most wanted Russian gangster on the CIA list to help a friend...or recently risked half her family's fortune to help another friend...Just like me...Sure!" and he sucked on the cigarette again.
In a week after the Lancaster accounts were frozen and Marcel was ensured by Castel Fioto that his company would be reimbursed as she intended to employ her associates' influence, Teresa took over the venture capital portion of the project and the Swiss bank jumped back on board.
She slept way better after having signed the necessary paperwork, having toasted it with both Chicho and Marcel, whose wife and daughter had been enjoying the big house in Langebaan for some more time now. She felt redeemed despite having put the family in danger multiple times and she knew a long overdue conversation with Pote was in the works, but the issues around George seemed to have projected that he was still her old loyal friend.
She told herself she had given herself the chance of a lifetime by rushing to Marcel's rescue. Besides she had wanted to taste expansion if things would resolve and allow her to invest. She had wanted a shot at the path not taken. And why wouldn't she? The risks had been high, and she knew this was the way for a good person to work themselves to do a terrible thing, but she had done it. It was Human Behavior 101! And it had paid off!
Chicho clanged his glass to Teresa's and said interrupting her thoughts: "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow for Tel Aviv…and I'm going back to the US…only to pack my stuff and put my condo on the market!"
"Yay, man!", James, who obviously knew more about Chicho's life than anyone else, applauded. "Are you gonna work for Mossad?"
Chicho smiled and said: "You mean it as a joke …but Anat has convinced Avi to put me in a training program!"
Marcel and Louise looked at each other and Marcel said: "I will miss you, old friend! But we will for sure pay your dividends on time".
James cleared his throat and looked directly at Marcel: "Knowing where you're going …and who you'll be working for…I can tell you exactly the same…that we'll miss you and will wire you the dividends quarterly!" As Marcel nodded, James added: "Be careful, man!"
"I will…I would like to talk to you about it…later!" he said, and James agreed.
Teresa' life was getting back to normal as she and her nephew Bobby were pouring over numbers for the land cleanup and the hotel builds, when her older son Tony surprised her tremendously.
He had waited to get both his parents together in the room: "I figured out what I want to do".
As they both waited, he continued nervously: "I'm sure it's expensive…but I want to register in a naval academy…there's the Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy…in Greece….it's one of the best…the entry tests for my age are mostly physical …and I want to start the preparatory program … in one month!"
"You want to leave school here?!" Teresa sat in the chair, full of dismay, for the second time this week.
"The education there is way better than at the school here, Mom!" he said, then turned to James: "I'm ready, Dad. I will pass the entry test like it's nothing…I want to be at sea…I want to be captain of a ship like the one we sailed on…or of an even bigger one someday!" His eyes sparkled and his voice was full of excitement.
James ruffled his hair and said: "I'm not surprised you want that!"
"Why?" the boy asked.
"'Cause…we made you at sea…and it seems to be drawing you back!" James laughed, pulled wide eyed Teresa across the shoulders to him and said: "I'm glad you have found what you want, son! It's not an easy thing…finding one's vocation!"
Teresa stared at the monitor as James came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She had the bank screen open, and a wire was loaded, payable to the Hellenic Naval Academy. She looked up at him, squeezed his hand and then pushed the 'Send' button. The screen flickered and a message that the money had been sent appeared.
"Is it selfish for me not to want him to leave?" She asked James.
"No", because you are working through it. "Your apprehension is normal, but you love him, so you won't attempt to alter the course of his life just because you wanna be with him!" He sounded re-assuring.
Teresa sighed deeply and said: "I read that …a mother's job was to teach her children not to need her anymore…and that the hardest part of this job was …accepting success!" James just kissed the top of her head and told her she would love visiting Greece.
Then as an image of his son after the recent incident with the bomb sprang to his mind, he heard himself say: "When the car exploded in Goa, I was so afraid…but I wasn't thinking straight…because I knew he was behind me and couldn't have been hurt! Being a parent isn't an easy job, you got that right!"
"I have no regrets!" Teresa looked up at him.
"Life is a box of chocolates, love….You never know what you're gonna get…and I'm very happy with what I got!" James said, obviously quoting Forest Gump, one of the movies he often re-watched, to which Teresa smiled again.
Then he added shaking his head: "With this skillset…someone might take a keen interest in him!"
Teresa thought for a second to make sure she understood and then shook her head: "He isn't an American…and our friend Castel has a new recruit!"
"Technically...he is an American!", James mused although none of his children had applied for a US citizenship.
"He has no American passport!" Teresa did not like the direction of the conversation. She knew organizations like the CIA recruited only US citizens. "He is South African… el otro que no se te occure, James, me escuchas?" (Don't even think about the other, James, do you hear me?)
As James said nothing, she got up and stood in front of him, then slowly lay her head on his shoulder and his arms came around her: "They'll all go away some day, right? The kids, I mean?" she whispered.
"Yes, love!" he caressed her hair: "It's just gonna be you and I again...as in the beginning...kids are temporary!" Then he took her by the hand and led her downstairs, where their guests were gathered around the pool.
