Summer on Cape May

Chapter Two - Lu

Chapter Two

Lu

Three Weeks Later

L u heard the voice on the other end of the phone, but she needed a minute to gather herself. To remember where she was, or better yet who she was. When he’d called a few minutes before, she’d hung up, figuring it was just a prank. She’d only answered in the first place because she thought it was someone calling to make a reservation at the inn. But here he was, calling again, disturbing her peace. This time she listened closely, especially because the voice was familiar. She’d heard it before, though she couldn’t place when or where.

“Are you there?”

She stood on the veranda barefoot, facing the ocean, a ceramic mug in her hand filled with a rich brew of coffee, watching as the waves moved swiftly back and forth. Usually in the mornings the waves were gentle, moving with a nice peaceful rhythm. She would have her coffee while she planned her day and reveled in the calmness of the ocean. The calmness reminded her of why she lived on Cape May, why she’d traded the fast life for a more peaceful and tranquil existence. Today the waves were downright aggressive, as if they sensed the conflict around her. Not just the conflict from her conversation with Nic a few weeks before, but now this.

“Hello? Lualhati?”

No one called her by that name but her mother. To almost everyone else, she was simply Lu.

“Lualhati?”

“I’m here,” she managed to say. “I’m still here.”

“I know this is a lot for you to take in. And I’m sorry it had to be by phone instead of in person. But you see, I’m dying—”

She steadied herself by grabbing the arm of the wrought-iron chair she’d picked up at one of the antique shops on the island before cutting him off. “Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You called to tell me that you’re my father and you’re dying? What kind of game are you playing? My father is dead.” She sat— more like fell into the chair —and rested her head against the seat back, shutting her eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of it all.

“I’m sure your mother had her reasons for not being truthful with you.”

“How do I know that you’re being truthful?” She breathed deeply from her diaphragm to manage the quiver in her voice before speaking again. She didn’t even realize she was shaking.

“About being your father or about dying?”

Her father . Yana Abalos, her mother, had always been the only parent she’d ever known, yet here was this stranger who knew things—intimate things about her—and she wasn’t quite ready for it. She was so confused. Her heart felt as if it was going to explode inside her chest. She needed to wrap her mind around all of this.

“About all of it.” The word dying was the reason for that awful lump she was suddenly feeling in her throat.

“I don’t know anyone who would lie about dying, especially if they had nothing to gain. As for being your father, well, you were born at Mercy General Hospital here in Sacramento. April 2, 1978, around six o’clock in the evening. You weighed six pounds, seven ounces, and you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on. You had big, bright eyes like your mother’s.” There was no denying he’d been infatuated with both Yana and the baby he spoke about, voice dripping with pride. “You had a minor respiratory issue when you were born. They kept you in the hospital for a few days for observation.”

The fact that he knew about her respiratory issues sent her emotions into overdrive.

“I grew out of it.”

“You didn’t have any other problems, at least until the age of two.”

By the time she was two, he’d vanished.

“Why did you vanish after I turned two?” she asked, almost in a whisper. Lu frowned and then sighed deeply. She was alternating between wanting to shout a few expletives and slam down the phone and wanting to ask more questions to find out the truth. Her patience was wearing thin.

“I didn’t vanish. Your mother took you away. She left California and moved to New Jersey with you. She cut all ties. When I found out where she was living, I flew there, wanting to see you, but Yana wouldn’t allow it.”

She’d somewhat resolved that this man on the other end of her phone, this stranger who had interrupted her usually calm morning, this person who had suddenly turned her world upside down with a simple phone call, quite possibly might be who he claimed to be— her father .

“How did you find me this time?”

“I called your old law firm and got a hold of your former assistant. She told me about the inn.”

“What prompted you to call my old law firm?”

“I’ve followed you over the years, Lualhati. I knew when you graduated high school, college, and law school. The Press of Atlantic City did a spotlight on your law firm. That’s where I learned that you were one of their up-and-coming attorneys. You’d interned with them, came highly recommended. I was quite proud.” He was silent for a moment. “Yana warned me to stay away. She didn’t want me complicating your life, so I watched from a distance, until now. It was imperative that I find you now.”

It was only seventy-two degrees on the veranda, but she could barely breathe from the heat that burned so deeply within her. At the age of forty-five, she was experiencing personal hot flashes more often than she could count. She exercised—did the treadmill every morning—watched her sugar intake, and tried to stay fit to minimize them, but they were persistent. The things women endured . She was grateful that neither she nor Zach wanted children because she didn’t know if she’d survive a nine-month bout with pregnancy.

“I need some time to digest all of this.”

“I understand, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that. You’ve not earned the right to call me anything endearing.”

“I’m sorry. Take your time. It’s a lot to take in all at once. I would like for you to fly out here to Sacramento. I’d like to see you, talk with you. But more importantly, I would like to discuss my will, and I would like for you to meet my children, your siblings—Milan, Jess, and John Jr. I’ll take care of all your expenses. Just come. Please think about it and let me know.”

It was happening too fast. Just a moment ago, he was dead to her. Then he was alive and knew details that only a parent would know. Now he was trying to interject himself into her life, and suddenly there were all these other moving pieces—death, a will, and siblings. Siblings?

“I will. I’ll think about it.” Because, clearly, thinking was not something she could do right now. She needed time to sort out this kaleidoscope of new emotions, time to stop her head from spinning, and her heart from feeling like it might explode. Time to get a grasp on reality. “That’s all I can promise. It’s not the best time, though. I’m getting married soon and I—”

“You’re getting married? When?”

“In September.”

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” The awkwardness of the moment was so thick, and so present, she was sure he felt it, too. She felt she needed to say something, explain something. Fathers walked their daughters down the aisle at weddings. But her mother, Yana, would be escorting her in his stead. Because he was dead, right? And speaking of Yana—she needed to get her on the phone. Immediately! “I will let you know what I decide.”

“I will be waiting patiently for your call, Lualhati. Bye for now.”

And with that, John Samuels was gone, and she instantly felt his absence. She wanted to talk to him again. The thought that she might have a living, breathing father intrigued her. Having a father in her life would certainly add value. He’d be the piece that she’d always felt was missing. Hearing his voice on the other end of her phone felt surreal. She’d thought about him so often over the years.

All she’d had was a black-and-white photo of him taken with Yana in the Philippines, he in his military uniform and her with an orchid in her hair. He was tall and handsome, dark-skinned. He had a military crew cut and a thick mustache. He held on to Yana’s small waist, and her mother looked happy.

Lu kept the photo tucked away in a small treasure chest where she kept all sorts of things that were important to her. Yana had given her John Samuels’s dog tags and an old military identification card. Also in her treasure chest was a letter that he’d written to Yana, promising her the world. There was no doubt he had loved her.

She dialed Yana’s number, pacing back and forth. There was no answer, so she walked to the wraparound veranda. The porch had been what first attracted her to this property, that and the gorgeous chef’s kitchen, and the view of the ocean from almost every room in the house. She loved Cape May and all its surrounding beauty.

She was caught up in her feelings, so anxious to get her mother on the phone that she hadn’t even noticed Zach standing in the doorway, observing her.

“You okay?”

So much had happened during her conversation with John. She didn’t know if she could even put it into words because there was still some doubt in her mind as to whether it was real or not. Zach’s concern for her was the thing that made her love him so much, though. She loved him with everything in her, which was why she was marrying him in a few weeks. But this—she needed to absorb this for a while before she brought him into the fold. She needed to not only understand but accept what she had just been told. She needed to reach Yana. Most of all, she needed to compose herself, think fast, because Zach wasn’t leaving until he knew she was okay.

“I’m fine. Some craziness surrounding Yana.” She waved her hand in a sweeping motion, hoping that would deter any more of his questions.

“What has she done this time?”

“You know she’s always up to something. That mother of mine is so extra.” She forced a nervous laugh and then changed the subject. “Is everyone having breakfast in the dining room?”

Her staff had been inherited from the previous owners of the inn but came with a good sense of the business and invaluable expertise. She couldn’t have asked for a better group of professionals. Marissa, her housekeeper, assisted with chores and the run of the house, while Max, her morning chef, prepared breakfast and lunch daily for her guests. Lorenzo was her evening chef, who, with his exotic dinners, offered her guests something more than just a regular meal. He took them on culinary adventures.

Her regular guests at the inn deserved to be pampered and she went out of her way to make sure they were. They were loyal to her and her business. Most enjoyed a short stay-cation or two throughout the year. Some spent the entire summer or holiday. All were equally important to Lu.

“Most are, except the Thompsons. I think they’re sleeping in today.”

“Good for them. That’s what vacations are for.”

“Can I replenish your coffee?” he asked, his fingers stroking the few little hairs on his chin.

A beautiful chocolate man with just a tad bit of gray in his hair, Zach stood at almost six feet tall. It was his perfect smile that had first attracted her to him. That is, once she woke up after fainting right in the middle of the Asian supermarket. He had revived her and then stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, even rode in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. An off-duty physician, he had been her angel in disguise that day. He was still her angel.

“No, I’ll be in soon.”

“What is it, sweetheart? What’s going on?” He stepped out onto the porch. “I know when something is bothering you. You start being weird and your eyes get all shifty.”

“My eyes aren’t shifty.” She laughed.

“Your eyes are shifty, babe.” His smile was like the sunshine.

He knew there was something she wasn’t saying. She was terrible at hiding things from him, especially something that had her emotions in a whirl, like the conversation she’d had with Nic a few weeks earlier about Natalia and the whole baby thing. She hadn’t told him about that. It was something that she’d wanted to forget happened, hoping it would dissipate. She certainly didn’t want to tell him about this John Samuels thing either, not yet at least. Not until she’d had time to make sense of it herself, and not until she’d had time to speak to Yana. But he wasn’t going to leave until she gave him something. She hadn’t wanted to spring it on him in passing, but he left her no choice.

“I just received the oddest phone call from a man claiming to be my father.” She took a long, deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment.

“What?” A wrinkle formed in the middle of his forehead, the one he always got whenever he was thinking too hard. He tried to make sense of what she’d just said. “Was it a prank phone call?”

“I thought it was at first. But I’m not so sure now.”

“But your father is dead. Remember? Yana told you so.”

“I don’t know that Yana has been truthful with me. I mean, he has these . . . details, intimate details about my life. He said things that only someone close would know; for instance, where I was born and all of it.” Lu hadn’t realized just how shaken she was until she began to describe her conversation with John Samuels.

“Wow,” he said.

“I know! Exactly what I said. Now I just need to get Yana on the phone.”

“After all this time, what does he want?”

“He’s dying.

“What?” Genuine concern flooded his face.

“Yes. And he wants me to come to Sacramento to discuss his will, among other things. He also wants me to meet my siblings.” She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the thought of siblings. She had been a badass attorney once upon a time, who had represented some unsavory characters. She could handle most anything and was able to go toe-to-toe with the best of them, but this— the thought of meeting John and siblings—spooked her.

“You have siblings? Wow. That’s a good thing, right?” Zach smiled, trying to read her.

“I don’t know how good it is. I need to validate his claims first. I’ve got to get a hold of Yana. She needs to give me some answers.” She didn’t want him to know her fears. He’d worry. And she didn’t need him worrying about her.

“Well, you know, I’m here for you, right?” he asked. “For whatever you need.”

“I know.” His words calmed her a bit.

“We can talk more later.”

“Yes, I know you have to go.” It was for this reason she hadn’t wanted to bring it up, didn’t want to discuss it in passing. She needed him to help her figure things out, talk it through, make sense of it.

“And Lu, if you need me to go with you to California, I’m there. You won’t have to do this alone.”

His words made her heart soar, allowed her to completely release some of her fearfulness. He would be there, and that meant the world. Zach had a knack for calming everyone’s anxiety, which was why he was such a great physician.

“I love you, sweet man.” She placed the palm of her hand against his cheek.

He pulled her into an embrace, held her as if he knew she’d needed it. He’d read her mind. “We’ll navigate this together, I promise.”

“Thank you.” She looked up at him, her chin resting against his chest.

His arms squeezed her a bit tighter. He said, “I’ll make sure Marissa has started the laundry for the day and then I’m off to the hospital. But if you need me, call me. Even if it’s just to talk things through.”

“Okay,” she said.

“I mean it, Lu.”

He knew she was terrible at asking for help, careful to never impose. But she said, “I promise, I’ll call you if I need you.”

“Okay, babe. I love you.” He pulled up her chin and gently kissed her lips. “Even with your shifty eyes.”

“Oh my God.” She shook her head and giggled. “Love you more.”

He released her from his embrace and went back inside, leaving her to her roller-coaster ride of emotions. As she stood on the porch, she dialed Yana’s number one more time. When she received her voicemail again , she decided that Yana was probably stuck in front of a penny slot machine at one of those Atlantic City casinos. Or perhaps she’d gone gallivanting about in New York City again with one of her gentleman callers. Men clamored for her attention. She wasn’t quite the young Filipina girl in the photo with John Samuels, but she was still very beautiful even at sixty-seven years old. Yana was a ball of energy, too. She never met a stranger and was always quick to give everyone a piece of her mind.

“Hello, Ina,” she said, calling her mother. “It’s your favorite daughter. I need to speak with you before the sun sets over the Atlantic Ocean.” That was their code phrase to let each other know the matter was urgent.

She hung up and held the phone against her chest. She had so many questions that she needed answers to and only her ina could provide them.

* * *

After placing vases of freshly picked pink and lavender petunias in each of the guest rooms, Lu pulled freshly washed towels from the dryer, folded them, and put them away. Then she headed to the chef’s kitchen to pour herself a glass of Chardonnay. She played soft music on the Bluetooth speaker and stepped out onto the veranda before collapsing into one of the easy chairs. Her mind had raced all day long.

The sun had already begun to set by the time her phone rang. She answered on the first ring when she saw it was Yana. “Where are you, Ina?”

“Playing a game of bridge with Margaret, Ernestine, and Lorraine. We’ve been at it all day and I forgot to charge this silly little phone. So I didn’t realize you were trying to call.” Yana giggled; she sounded tipsy. “What’s so urgent, sweetheart? And be careful what you say, you’re on speaker phone.”

The ladies all giggled and shouted hellos to Lu.

“Hello ladies.” Lu loved her mother’s friends, but she had other things on her mind today, so she couldn’t entertain them like she usually did. “You should take me off speakerphone, and maybe step out for a minute. I need a word with you.”

“Oh, this sounds important, ladies. My daughter needs a word with me,” Yana chuckled. “I swear, sometimes she thinks she’s the mother and I’m the daughter. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t be long, Yana. We need to finish this game,” Margaret warned.

Impatience almost consumed her. Waiting for most of the day for Yana to return the call had been grueling.

“Okay, my darling. What’s going on?”

Lu wasn’t up for any song and dance. She started her inquisition once she confirmed Yana was alone. “I received a phone call today from a man claiming to be my father. It seems that John Samuels is very much alive.”

The ensuing pause seemed like a lifetime. The woman who had never been at a loss for words was completely quiet for a lot longer than Lu had anticipated.

“How is that possible?” Yana asked. “John Samuels died years ago.”

Her lackadaisical tone didn’t sound convincing. The lack of passion in her voice made Lu wish like hell she could scrutinize her mother’s face, to see if there was something reflected there that would help her understand Yana’s position. As much as she wanted to believe that her mother hadn’t lied, the odds weren’t in her favor at all .

“Are you sure about that?”

“Well, what did he say—this man who claimed to be your father?”

“What did he say? Seriously, Ina?”

“Lualhati, let me explain . . .”

“I’m listening.” Her ear was glued to the phone.

She analyzed every single word, every pause, every single syllable that came out of her mother’s mouth.

“John Samuels is not the man you think he is.” Yana became defensive.

“Tell me, then, who I think he is. Better yet, tell me who you think he is. Because he had a hell of a lot to say about you.” Lu stood up and began to pace back and forth along the stretch of the wraparound veranda.

“Like what? What could he possibly have to say about me?”

Lu could just imagine a hand on the hip of that four-foot-nine frame at that moment. Her mother’s offhanded tone had suddenly become sassy.

“Like how you left California with his child, didn’t look back or leave a forwarding address. He searched for you and once found you. But you wouldn’t allow him to see me. Is that true?” She felt like an attorney in that moment, going after a witness to get to the truth.

Yana deflected from the question. “There’s so much you don’t understand.”

“Fill me in on the details. I’m old enough to understand now. Why did you allow me to go all these years believing that my father was dead?” Lu pressed on relentlessly.

“It was better that way.”

“Better for whom? For me or for you?” She had no intentions of letting Yana off the hook. She wanted real answers. She had hoped to hear something that would make her believe that Yana was being forthright.

“Better for you. I didn’t want him complicating your life. You’re my child. I was the one who worked two jobs to keep a roof over your head, raised you, fed you, took care of you. It was me who put you through college. He did nothing.”

“I’m forever grateful for what you did for me. You were a wonderful mother, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you lied to me, kept him from me, denied me a relationship with him. Good, bad, or otherwise, he was still my parent, and you took that away. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I say that I did what I had to do. And it sounds like you’re taking his side.”

Yana was notorious for playing the loyalty card. Always wanting Lu to choose a side, to prove that she loved her more than anything or anyone else.

“He’s dying.”

There was that long pause again, this time more uncomfortable than the first one.

“What did you say?” Yana’s voice shook a bit, and for a split second there was real concern in her voice.

“I said that he’s dying. And he wants me to come to California to see him. To meet his other children. I’m considering it,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I think it’s a mistake to go there. You would be opening up old wounds that are best left unopened. I’m sorry to hear that John is dying, but I think you should leave well enough alone.”

“He’s my father and I deserve to know him, just like you knew your father.” Lu’s voice became escalated. She could feel her heart beating fast, could hear it thumping. She was hurt by Yana’s selfishness. “You knew your father all your life. You even flew to the Philippines to be with him when he was ill. You were able to say your goodbyes to him before he died. You had no right to keep my father from me, especially when you had yours.”

“I had every right to protect you.”

“You were protecting yourself. From what? I am not quite sure yet, but I’m going to find out. There’s more to this story.” Lu breathed in through her nose and then let out a long sigh. “I love you, Ina, but I’m angry with you right now. And I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.”

“Give an old woman some grace, my darling. It was for your own good. You know, I would never do anything to hurt you.”

Lu could hear the women in the background, calling on Yana to finish their card game.

“You should go finish playing cards,” Lu told her.

“I’ll call you later tonight and we can talk more, huh?” Yana asked.

“It’s Friday. You know I have dinner with the girls on Friday. I need some time to absorb all of this. For years you lied to me, and I need to understand why.” She didn’t like being upset with Yana, but she was.

“I’m sorry for lying. I pray that you’ll forgive me,” said Yana. She attempted to lighten the conversation. “Will you give Kenya and Natalia my love?”

“I’ll tell them you said hello,” Lu said. “I have to go now, Ina. Goodbye.”

Lu hung up before her mother could respond and sat there for a moment with her back against the chair, stiff, unmoving. Tears threatened to fill her eyes, and she fought them back unsuccessfully. Her life had changed drastically in less than twenty-four hours and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. But she could allow herself a good cry.