Chapter 6
Carmen
Monday mornings weren’t usually a big deal in the Ruiz household. Mateo left for the boutique around 8:30 a.m. and Carmen would set up her laptop in the kitchen at nine. Few people would think Carmen owned two successful graphic design companies, not with the way she operated. Most of the time, she left the running of both companies up to her VPs. They were a solid and reliable bunch of people who enjoyed the freedom Carmen gave.
Before her success, Carmen’s motivation had always been Mateo and providing a life they both deserved. When she became financially stable, Carmen took a step back from the stress of running two businesses, much preferring the design side of things than the management. Carmen was the owner on paper only, if she were being honest. Which suited her fine.
Carmen’s goal was never to have wealth for wealth’s sake. As long as she had money for Mateo’s retirement, she was satisfied. Everything she earned went into savings. The house they lived in was rented. The car she drove was pre-owned, and she never spent recklessly. Carmen knew how things could change in an instant and she would never find herself compromised financially. Not for the sake of a fancy car or house.
With Faith in their lives, Carmen had to think a little differently. Faith needed help financially, at least until they could track down her aunt. That begged a few questions. Did Faith have a bank account? What about medical insurance? Carmen guessed Faith had neither.
Now the weekend was over and Faith was a little more settled, they needed to talk. Discuss the next steps and how Carmen could help Faith begin her new life. Clothes and a makeover were all good fun, but there was a serious side to starting over, a side that Faith probably didn’t know how to navigate.
After shooting a few emails off to her VPs, Carmen set about creating a spreadsheet for Faith. One that would help her check off important tasks that needed to be done ASAP, as well as planning for her future.
Satisfied with her work so far, Carmen thought back to the conversation she’d had with Rachel yesterday. There wasn’t much that Rachel could offer apart from advice, which was to talk to the neighbors, like Carmen already planned to do. Molly wasn’t a missing person, therefore Rachel couldn’t get involved. The detective said she’d poke around a little, but Carmen felt uneasy about that. Rachel getting into trouble with her boss wasn’t what she wanted.
Pouring herself another cup of coffee, Carmen heard Faith’s bedroom door open. It was almost 10:30 a.m., later than expected. Faith shuffled into the room wearing unicorn sleep trousers—courtesy of Mateo—and a faded black t-shirt. Faith’s newly shortened hair stuck out in different directions. “Hey,” the young woman yawned.
“Morning, sleep well?”
“Like a baby. That bed has magical powers, I swear.”
Carmen chuckled. It was more likely that Faith’s body needed rest after such a turbulent time. “Want some?” she asked, holding up the coffee pot.
“Mmm, please.”
Setting about preparing another mug of coffee and turning on the stove ready to make some scrambled eggs, Carmen realized how regular the whole setup seemed. Like Faith had been in the house for months rather than hours. “Here, get that down you. I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“Thank you,” Faith mumbled, her eyes almost closing again. The kitchen fell into a comfortable silence as Carmen made eggs and Faith sipped on her coffee. Only when Faith finished demolishing her breakfast did the girl seem to wake up fully.
“Do you have a lot of work today?”
Carmen scanned her laptop, noting a couple of new emails. Nothing that couldn’t wait. “Some, nothing crazy. I wanted to talk to you, if that’s cool.”
Faith sat up straight, a flicker of fear washed across her face causing Carmen to feel bad. It seemed Faith didn’t feel completely safe just yet. “Do you have a bank account?”
The question took Faith a second to answer. Probably not the conversation Faith thought they were going to have. “Um, no.”
“I’ll go out on a limb and say you don’t have any savings then.”
“No, nothing.” Faith began fiddling with the handle of her coffee cup.
“Hey, relax. I’m not asking because I want you to pay us,” Carmen chuckled, hoping to relieve some of Faith’s tension. “I’ve just been thinking about where we go from here. You need a bank account and you need spending money.”
“I can get a job,” Faith blurted. This wasn’t going the way Carmen hoped. Instead of reassuring Faith, she was making the girl panic.
An idea struck her. Faith wouldn’t accept money for nothing. That was clear. “I have a job for you.”
“What job?”
“I need a personal assistant.”
“Did you just make that up?” Faith asked regarding Carmen suspiciously.
“Yes, and no. I only thought of it now, but actually I could have done with some help a while ago. It’s basic. Answering certain emails. Organizing my schedule, that sort of thing.”
“Carmen, I don’t know how to do any of that.”
“You can learn and it’s good experience for you. Plus, you can earn some money.”
“I can’t take your money, Carmen.” The flush in Faith’s cheeks rose with the tone of her voice.
“Shit, I’m not doing a very good job of this at all,” Carmen chuckled. “Faith, you wouldn’t be taking money from me, you would earn it, legitimately. You can go into the office and shadow an experienced PA. When you feel ready, you can then take up the role of my PA.”
“Carmen—”
“Faith, you’ve made the choice to start out on your own. Getting a job and earning money needs to be your priority.”
“What about finding Molly?”
“Absolutely, that’s one thing that should be at the top of your list, but neither of us know how long that will take. And, when you find her, you will still need money and a job. Why not take advantage of the time you have now to get a head start? There are other things to consider as well. You need an I.D. Have you got a driver’s license or a passport?”
“No, neither. I have my birth certificate though.”
“Okay good. Let me help you organize the basics. Please, Faith, it makes me uncomfortable knowing you have nothing set up.”
Carmen sat waiting for Faith to decide. She could understand Faith’s reticence at accepting help. Faith was proud and wanted to make her own way, without others interfering. She’d clearly had enough of that at home and needed control.
After a few more minutes of silent contemplation, Faith inhaled deeply. “Thank you, Carmen. I would really appreciate your help.”
“Excellent. Let’s get started.”
◆◆◆
Carmen was exhausted. Who knew setting up someone’s life would be so draining. Thank God for Mateo, who strolled in at 5:30 p.m. armed to the teeth with food and beer—and soda for Faith.
“You are my hero,” Carmen gushed. Hours on the phone trying to help Faith had seriously depleted her batteries.
“How was your day? You look terrible.”
“Mateo. We need to work on this. You telling me I look like crap every five minutes is not cool.”
“Carmen, you need to get out of the house once in a while. You’re turning white. It’s summer in Seattle and you have zero tan.”
“It’s my fault,” Faith interjected. “Carmen has been helping me sort out a few things that took nearly all day.”
“How about we take dinner outside?” Carmen suggested. Mateo was right, she needed some Vitamin D.
With the outside table set up, Carmen, Mateo and Faith ate, drank and chatted about their day. Everything seemed fine until she noticed Faith squirming in her seat.
“Hey, what’s going on with you?”
“I called Alice last night,” Faith began. Carmen set her beer down on the table. “She told me my parents left the house looking for me.”
“Okay, but you expected that, right?” Mateo asked softly.
“Yeah, I did. But now it’s happening, I’m scared. Guys, if he finds me, I don’t know what he’ll do.”
“How would he know where you are, though? Even if he traced you to Seattle, how would he get this address?”
Faith pinched the bridge of her nose. “The same way I did.”
“Faith?”
“I found a letter in his office. Molly wrote to him several times over the years, updating him of her whereabouts. Clearly she is a better person than him, because he was awful to her, yet she still wanted to keep in touch with her brother.”
“So he has the address?”
“I think we should presume he does.”
“But he doesn’t know for sure you were heading this way?” Carmen asked, needing clarification.
“No.”
“We should prepare for the worst,” Mateo added.
Carmen hated this. “What do you want to do?” Faith had to take the lead. If it were up to Carmen, well… what she had in mind wouldn’t help anyone, but it might make her feel better. There seemed to be no justice in this world for assholes like Faith’s father.
“I don’t know. I thought I would be with Aunt Molly and she’d know what to do. You two shouldn’t be in the middle of this.”
“We’re in it with you. You might not have Molly, but you have us. I’m going to call Rachel back and ask her for advice. If he turns up, we will deal with it. You’re safe here, Faith. We will keep you safe.”
“What she said, chica,” Mateo added. Faith pulled them both in for a hug.
“Let’s finish our evening and get some rest. We still have a life to lead, and unfortunately, that means work.”
With the evening drawing to a close, Carmen made a call to Rachel. There wasn’t much that could be done until Faith’s father turned up, but at least Rachel was aware of the situation.
The next morning, Carmen found Faith subdued. Determined to turn the girl’s mood around, she suggested they go knock on a few doors and inquire about Faith’s aunt.
“Where are you going?” Mateo asked, just as Carmen and Faith were about to leave the house. It was still early and Mateo hadn’t left for work yet.
“To knock on some doors, we told you that.”
“You’re going to introduce yourself to our neighbors dressed like that?” Mateo screeched. Carmen looked herself up and down. Not seeing an issue, she looked back to Mateo, who had his face screwed up in disgust.
“What’s the problem?”
“Carmen, you cannot speak to these people in your lounge pants.”
“Lounge pants, really?” Carmen laughed. “The rest of the world call them sweat pants, Mateo.”
“That word is offensive to me now. I’m banishing it from the house. In fact, I’m banishing the offending item too.”
“Mateo, you can’t banish my sweatpants.”
“Oh yes, I can.”
“Mateo, come on,” Carmen whined.
“This is for your own good.” Mateo scooped Carmen by the elbow and dragged her towards her bedroom.
“Alright, alright, I can dress myself, thanks.”
“That is highly debatable. All I’m asking is for you to put on some jeans, maybe a fresh t-shirt.”
Grumbling the entire time, Carmen sifted through her closet. An unease crept its way over her shoulders as she skimmed through the rail of clothing. Power suits, jeans, slacks, dresses. Carmen certainly wasn’t in need of a new wardrobe. Mateo’s concerned look played over and over in her mind. At first, Carmen thought he was just busting her ass because that’s what he did, especially where fashion was concerned, but now, a different thought invaded her mind. Carmen had let herself slip. Boxer briefs and sweatpants had replaced skinny jeans. Baggy tank tops replaced slim fit t-shirts. Mateo was right, Carmen was hiding herself. But why? And when was the last time she could honestly say she’d made an effort with herself?
Selecting a pair of tight-fitting black jeans and a white short-sleeved t-shirt, Carmen changed. Just the act of putting something more fitting on made her feel different, made her feel… more.
“Now that’s more like it, Hermana,” Mateo gushed when she exited her bedroom. A slight blush settled on her cheeks.
“Let’s go, Faith,” Carmen mumbled, ushering the girl out the front door. Heat from the sun licked Carmen’s skin. Taking a moment to bask, she turned her face to the sky and soaked in the warmth.
“Which neighbor do you want to try first?” Faith asked, hands on hips, looking from one neighbor’s house to the next.
Carmen mimicked Faith’s stance. Unfortunately, in the six months Carmen and Mateo had lived in the rental, neither of them had introduced themselves to the neighbors. They’d meant to, obviously, but life took over. Mateo was busy with the boutique and Carmen, well, Carmen didn’t want to interact with anyone if she didn’t have to.
Shaking her head in annoyance with herself, Carmen gestured to the house on her left. They had to start somewhere, and that neighbor had a car in the driveway, meaning they were hopefully home. “Let’s start there.”
Faith nodded and set off towards the neighbors’ house, keen to get their search for Molly underway. The house was a well-kept two-story, unlike Carmen and Mateo’s bungalow. Carmen peeked back towards her house and noted it could do with a bit of a spruce up. The landlord wouldn’t mind if she added a fresh coat of paint.
Faith was already on the front porch before Carmen had stepped a foot in the yard. Knocking loudly, Faith rocked on her heels, looking back over her shoulder at Carmen. A nervous energy buzzed around them. Carmen was equally impatient. Not because she wanted the girl gone, but because she wanted Faith to have one more person in her corner.
A loud banging noise echoed from inside the house followed by a string of curse words. Carmen and Faith looked at each other, both sets of eyebrows reaching for the sky. Whoever was behind the door had a mouth like a sailor.
“One minute, just gotta re-attach my fucking leg.” A woman’s voice shouted.
“Did she just say…”
“Yup.”
The door finally opened, revealing a woman, Carmen would put close to seventy, leaning on a cane. “If you’re here to sell Jesus, don’t bother. That fucker gave up on me years ago.”
Carmen and Faith were stunned into silence. Whoever this woman was, she was intimidating, which was a little ridiculous. At a maximum of five feet in height, dressed in a neon pink tracksuit, with short, permed hair, the woman looked as if she should be power walking in Florida not living in the suburbs of Seattle.
“Did you want something, or are you just gonna stand there looking like a pair of stunned fish all day?”
Clearing her throat, Carmen willed herself to speak. “Sorry, yes, hello. I’m Carmen Ruiz, I live next door to you.”
“Ah yeah, with that gay fella, right?”
“Um… yeah.”
“That man can strut in a pair of heels. I might invite him over for some lessons,” the woman said to herself. “Although he needs to lay off the manscaping. He’s smoother than a Ken doll.” Faith guffawed, quickly hiding her mouth behind her hand. Carmen found it hard not to titter. “Anyway, you were saying, dear.”
“Right,” Carmen inhaled, trying to calm herself down. “So, I’m Carmen and this is Faith.”
“Hello, dears, I’m Enid Butcher. I know it’s a fucking terrible name, but what can ya do? Well, maybe not marry a man with a surname like Butcher I suppose. Well, that’s by the by. What are your last names?”
The rate at which Enid spoke was making Carmen’s head spin. “I’m Carmen Ruiz and this is Faith Parsons.”
“Parsons, you say?” The flicker of recognition in Enid’s eyes was unmistakable. Faith noticed too, her body instinctively moving forward, her hand reaching out to Enid’s arm.
“Do you know the name?”
“I know a Molly Parsons,” Enid supplied. “Huh. Actually, you look just like her, although your hair is a little more honey-colored, whereas she is on the brown side of blonde, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh my God, you know Molly, that’s excellent,” Faith cried. Her excitement was palpable.
“Of course I know her. She was my neighbor for a couple of years. Such a shame she moved away. That woman was a godsend to me. After Ernie died, I didn’t have anyone to open my cans. Molly always came over for a coffee and a can opening session.”
“Do you know where she moved to?” Carmen asked.
Enid scratched her chin. “Vermont, I think. Hang on, I’m sure I have an address somewhere. Molly left it with me in case I needed her. I’m not sure what she thought she could do from the other side of the country but, the offer was nice.”
Enid pushed off the door and hobbled inside her house. Carmen and Faith shot a quick look of triumph at each other. “Are you coming in or what?” Enid called.
“I can’t wait to rib Mateo,” Carmen whispered to Faith as they went inside. Faith snickered.
“Wow,” Faith breathed as she took in Enid’s house.
“Do you feel she would rather be somewhere tropical?” Carmen asked. Enid’s house was adorned with bright colors, plastic flamingos and pineapple pictures. It was an interesting choice of decor, that’s for sure.
“Ernie made me move to Seattle, when I wanted to move to Hawaii,” Enid shouted from another room. Jesus, did the woman have bionic hearing? “The old bastard made me live in a rainy state, so I made him live in a tropical nightmare,” Enid chuckled.
Carmen laughed, thinking how she would have done the same to Mateo. “Did you not think of moving after Ernie passed?” Carmen asked. Not sure if that was an inappropriate thing to ask a stranger.
“I thought about it. I still do to be honest, but I’m used to this place now.”
“I like it,” Faith beamed.
“Here we go,” Enid said, handing over a piece of paper to Faith. “That’s the address she gave me.”
Faith clutched the paper to her chest as tears welled up in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“She didn’t mention a daughter.” Clearly Enid was out to get some gossip.
“I’m Molly’s niece.”
“She didn’t mention a niece either.”
“I doubt she knows I exist,” Faith sighed.