For Renata
Page 23
§
A long silence followed, after which Mark stood from the kitchen table, and addressed the two Renatas. "I don't know if I've done the right thing or not, but I can promise you both that I will never repeat what I've heard here today, and that I won't ever bother you again."
Renata Raposo smiled kindly. "But you must come back, Mark, you are family. You see, I have two daughters: My youngest was born after Inacio's death. People assumed that God had blessed me with a miracle baby to honor Inacio. She has luxuriant, black hair like Renie's...and like mine when I was young. But her eyes are not like ours, they are the deep blue of the sea—the eyes of her father. She is called Pedra. In Portuguese this is the feminine form of Peter."
Renata's smile slowly evaporated. She stood very erect and locked hers eyes with Mark's.
"Take me to him."
Chapter 60
RENATA, RENIE, AND MARK walked the hallway of the Soldiers' Home toward Peter's room. Renata stopped short when a familiar figure approached from the opposite direction.
"Padre Abade?" Renata said.
The priest stopped and answered sheepishly. "Hello, Renata."
"Why are you here, Padre?" she asked in a tone that said I already know your answer but I want to hear you say it.
"I came to visit an old friend," the priest said.
"Is this friend known to me, Padre?"
The priest's eyes sought the floor.
"You said you didn't know where he was, Padre. It was you who brought him here."
"No, Renata, I've never lied to you."
"Then how..." she regarded the priest, and then darted her eyes around as she thought. Her expression changed when the truth came to her. "You can't say. You're bound by the seal. He confessed to you long ago, he confessed to you when he gave you the money for me."
She turned her eyes back to the priest. "But you heard my confession too, Padre, and you never told Peter? I would have released you from the seal of the confessional."
The priest looked into her eyes. "Sometimes, one's sacred vow and one's heart can be at cross-purposes.
"Go to him, Renata. He needs you." With that, the priest went on his way.
The three continued down the long hallway until they reached Peter's room and stood just inside the doorway. The image of Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood filled the muted television screen. Peter sat in the same chair beside his bed that he had been in every time Mark visited. An orderly was changing the bed linen.
Renie addressed the orderly while staring at Peter's profile. "I understand Mr. Ahearn speaks sometimes."
"Yeah, if you can call it that. Doc says it might be Vietnamese, or it might be just plain nonsense."
Renata moved in front of Peter and slowly knelt down before him. Around Peter's neck hung a piece of cobalt glass, held in place by a rawhide shoelace. Peter turned his gaze from the television to the caramel eyes before him.
"Mee nall may soo ah," Peter said softly, a smile lit his face.
"See? I told you," said the orderly.
But to everyone's astonishment, Renata answered him, tears streaming from her eyes.
Renie gasped and raised her hand to her mouth. "My God," she breathed.
"What?" Mark said. "What is it?"
Renie shook her head slowly from side to side. "It's not Vietnamese and it's not nonsense. It's Portuguese."
Without moving her eyes from Peter's, Renata repeated the words softly. Minha alma é sua...e meu corpo também. Amo-te com todo meu coração. These are the words of love I spoke to him the first time...and every time."
Renata's voice choked with emotion, "The words mean, My soul is yours...and my body too. I love you with all my heart."
Peter stroked Renata's tear-streaked cheek with the back of his hand. "Minha alma é sua...e meu corpo também. Amo-te com todo meu coração."
"Yes, meu amor. You made me whisper those words to you over and over again, So that I will never forget, you said."
Renata fingered the deep-blue sea glass that hung from Peter's neck. "You must be that brave cabin boy I met a lifetime ago." She cupped Peter's face in her hands and searched it with her eyes.
Peter spoke. "And you're that beautiful princess."
Renata wept. Her voice shook. "You remember."
A single tear rolled from Peter's eye. "Forgive me."
"Forgive you, meu amor? Forgive you for saving my life and the life of my daughter? For your kindness? For loving me? You have no need of forgiveness from me. You need only do what you taught me so long ago: Forgive yourself."
Chapter 61
RENIE AND MARK FELL back several paces and watched as Peter, Renata, and their daughter, Pedra, strolled arm-in-arm on Rose Hip Point.
Like so many things in life, the lighthouse had been modernized and was automated now. It had been since 1989.
"I hope your mother hasn't taken on more than she can handle," Mark said.
Renie shook her head. "Mamãe is a very strong woman. I wouldn't underestimate her. And Pedra and I will help her. We all realize that Pete will never get better. And when the time comes when we aren't able to care for him anymore, I suppose he will return to the Soldiers' Home. But until then: Just look at how happy they are."
Mark breathed in a large dose of salt air and turned to face Renie. "Nervous about your trip?"
"Maybe a little," she said. "It's not every day you meet your biological father. But I've always wanted to see Portugal and the Azores, where Mamãe grew up."
"Does Mateus still live in Horta?"
"No. He's an artist, and for more than forty years he's been living very happily in Lisbon with his partner, a retired lawyer named Donato."
Still arm-in-arm, Renata, Peter, and Pedra stopped at the lighthouse to admire three mature lilac bushes in full bloom: one purple, one pink, and one white.
"I'd like to talk to you when you get back. Maybe we could have dinner?" Mark asked.
Renie looked into his eyes and smiled. "I'd like that."
Acknowledgements
Many family and friends have given encouragement for which I will be eternally grateful.
A special thanks to my longtime friend, Paul G. O'Connor, a gifted and award winning writer, for countless hours of inspiration, invaluable suggestions, and great advice.
UQTT