Epilogue
EPILOGUE
MARI
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Are you sure you want to do this, baby? We can turn back at any moment. "He has no idea how many times I have had that same thought over and over for the last month that we have been planning this.
Currently we are in Santa Monica, California driving a rental car to go and visit my biological father. I know what you’re thinking: ‘is she popping up on him?’ that answer is no.
We began communicating about 2 months ago when I got the courage to call him. I will never forget that first phone call.
“ Thank you for calling Hoffman Industries. How can I assist you?”
“Uh yes. Can I speak to Mr. Hoffman?”
“I’m not sure he is available. Who may I say is calling?”
“My name is Mari Madison.”
“Hold please while I see if he is free.” I am sitting on this phone freaking out; not sure I want to do this. I mean how do you tell a man that you are his long-lost daughter that he may or may not know exists? I am just about to hang up when a man with the deepest voice I have ever heard answers.
“This is Mario.” Holy hell. Oh my gosh. I can’t do this. What was I thinking? “Hello.” Royce puts his hand on my knee and nods.
“Yes I’m sorry. My name is Mari Madison. You don’t know me, but I believe you knew my mom about eighteen years ago.” He says nothing at first and then clears his throat.
“Was your mother by any chance Riel?” My heart begins to go crazy. He remembers her.
“Yes. She is.”
“May I ask why you are calling me?” Shit. A frog is caught in my throat, and I think I am about to vomit, but I have come this far so…
“Well, I have been searching for my birth father and the DNA results say it is you.” I am not going to bore him with the details unless he asks me for them.
“And how would DNA tell you anything when you don’t have my blood sample?” Well, I guess we are talking about this.
“My husband hired a private investigator and well, he retrieved your DNA somehow and here we are.” He takes a breath and says nothing which makes the regret in my stomach prevalent and alive. Realizing I made a mistake doing this, I immediately apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump this on you. It’s obvious you didn’t know I existed. Please forget about this call. I wish you all the best.” Removing the phone from my ear I am about to turn it off when I hear his voice call out.
“Wait a minute.” Trepidatiously, I bring the phone back up to my ear. “I most definitely didn’t know you existed. There is no way I would have left my flesh and blood out there in the world without my protection. Thing is she knew how to reach me. So why didn’t she?” My skin begins to singe at his words. She knew all this time? She knew where he was?
“I really can’t tell you why she did anything she did. When her father found out she was pregnant at sixteen…”
“Sixteen?! She told me she was nineteen.” Figures she would lie. “What the fuck?“ he whispers.
“Yeah. He asked her who the father was, and she said she didn't know. He forced her to marry another man and well… there you have it.” He is eerily quiet which sends chills up my spine.
“Why the fuck would she lie? I would have provided for you and her. She knows this. She kept you from me because I wouldn't take her with me and marry her?” Okay now it is all making sense.
“Maybe. Anyway, I don’t want anything from you. I just… I have been searching for you in a way my entire life and I just wanted to talk to you at least once and see if you knew about me. Now that I know you didn't, I can move on. It was nice to speak with you. Have a nice day.”
With that I was done. I spoke with him. I found out he didn’t abandon me and now I can let it go. However, a few days later he called me. He apologized for allowing me to hang up that way, but he said he was shocked and asked me if he could call me every day. I told him sure and that is how our relationship began.
A week ago he asked me if he sent for me and my family if we would come to him. I spoke with Royce about it, and he said it was up to me. So that is how we are driving to his home. From what I know he is engaged to a woman named Fleur and he is impatient to be married.
“Are you alright baby?” Turning I smile to my husband and nod.
“Yeah, just nervous but also grateful our daughter loves cars.” I turn and check on her and she is sound asleep. She didn’t sleep on the private plane, but she also didn’t cry. She played cooing games with her daddy and came to me only to eat.
We have yet to see one another my father and me. We decided early on to not exchange photos, both of us wanting to wait until we could meet in person. I could have googled him and trust me the temptation was there. In the end I respected the decision we both made.
“Do you think you look like him?” Royce asks, looking at the GPS which says we are pulling into the right subdivision. He squeezes my hand as we pull into the driveway.
“I don’t know. I never thought I looked like my mom.” He nods and stops the car. I look around and only one word comes to mind.
“Whoa!”
“Yeah. seriously,” Royce agrees. We both get out of the car once he turns it off. I lean over the back, unbuckle Rae while Royce grabs the diaper bag. We barely make it up the spiral stairs when the door opens, and he steps outside. The air is taken from my lungs. I could be looking at the male version of myself.
“Wow. You look just like my mother,” he says walking closer to me. “May I hug you?” I swallow and take a second to get myself together before nodding my head. He wraps me in his wide embrace, and I can’t help but drop a few tears. Sniffling, I close my eyes and imagine what it would have been like to have this growing up. Finally, he pulls back and cradles my face in his hands. “My first born. How much I have missed.” Smiling, I lean into his touch before stepping back.
“Speaking of first born’s, this is my husband, Royce, and our daughter, Rae." He and Royce shake hands and then he rubs Rae’s cheeks.
“I’m a grandpa. May I hold her?” he asks Royce. My husband looks at me for permission and I nod my hand. I watch my father hold my daughter and my chest tightens. He smiles at Rae rubbing her chubby cheeks before looking up at us. “Oh god, please come in. I have lost my manners.” We enter his home both of us gasping at how beautiful and vast and open it is. It is quite simply put, beautiful and huge. I try to peek at the pictures on the walls, but we move so fast. He ushers us into his living room I presume and gestures for us to sit before handing Rae back to me. Just as I am about to ask him a question, this young woman, who looks about my age, maybe a few years older, walks into the room. The first thing I notice is her swollen belly.
“Hello,” she says, sort of shy. Standing, I hold out my hand and she takes it, and we shake.
“Mari, this is my love, Fleur. Darling, this is my daughter, Mariella.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say taking my seat once more. I study the interaction between them, and they remind me of Royce and me. My husband must be thinking the same thing because he leans over and kisses my neck.
“My flower, are you going to join us?” Mario asks her. He holds her belly on both sides and kisses and rubs it before standing and pulling her to his side. She glances at me before shaking her head.
“No. You enjoy your visit with your daughter. I am going to take a nap.” She bites her lip and drops her head like I used to. He lifts her chin and whispers something in her ear making her blush before excusing himself from the room.
“I wonder if he has to fuck her into following instructions like I have to do you.” I look over at him, shocked he said that here, but he gives me the look letting me know, anytime any place.
“I apologize. She is shy around new people. I am still working on her confidence.”
“You're not the only one,” Royce mumbles. I elbow him and my father laughs.
“I see you found one who likes to…lead.” He is putting it delicately, but I get his meaning, and it makes me blush.
The rest of the meeting goes great and by the time it is over, I feel blessed. Who knew falling in love would change everything for me?