“He isn’t blond, Mamá. His hair is a golden brown.”
“Brown, gold, what’s the difference? I like dark hair better. At least he’s got a good tan. Will he eat this takeout?”
“Mamá, relax. Justin is not from another planet and he’ll eat anything you serve him.”
“Even dog meat?” Her mother could not help laughing.
Leilani laughed. “We don’t eat dogs.”
“Some people think so.” Her mother wiped the moisture in one eye, induced by her laughter.
“Your cooking is better than any of these, Mamá.”
Her mother shrugged. “If Justin stays around long enough, he’ll get a taste of it.”
Leilani scowled at her mother’s remark. She doesn’t expect Justin and me to last.
She said, “After all these years trying to set me up with one guy after another, aren’t you happy I’ve found someone?”
“I’m happy for you, Lani, but I do worry. From what I see on television, I think Americans have trouble staying in relationships. One irritating problem and they run.”
“I’m sure they’re not all that way, Mamá. Justin’s parents have been together forty years, more or less.”
Her mother stared at her. “Hah! Maybe, there’s hope for him, then.”
*****
A quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Torres and her guests sat around her dining table helping themselves to the dishes laid out in the center.
Leilani watched her mother watching the dishes Justin chose. He looked at what everyone was doing and heaped his plate with a portion of everything on the table. Her mother should be happy. If Justin finished all he had on his plate, she would cook next time he came over.
Everyone concentrated on eating. Once, Justin tried to say something about the dishes, but except for Leilani, everyone else continued eating as if they didn’t hear him.
General Huang hardly looked up from his plate, serving himself several times until every platter was clean. Leilani felt sorry for him. He had been sallow, thin and haggard, maybe from years of near starvation in prison. He had put on some weight since then, but he still devoured his food as if he could not get enough. She thought about her father: Would Papá seem as sad a figure as the General is to me now?
After dinner, Leilani and Mrs. Torres cleared up the table and the men returned to the living room. It gratified Leilani to see Rudy and Justin talking as they left the dining room.
When Leilani and her mother joined the men, Rudy said, “We’ve filled Justin in on details about Papá. He knew a lot already, from what Leilani told him.”
Rudy looked at everyone and added, “I’m anxious for us to get this show going, give Mamá what she wants and needs. That’s why we’re here.”
Justin said, “From what you said, you need my opinion on how to get information that might help you find Dr. Torres.”
Leilani protested. “Wait. There’s something here that everyone else, but me, knows. Can someone clue me in on what’s going on and what exactly this is all about?”
Rudy said, “Mamá didn’t say anything to you about what we recently learned and what she and I agreed on?”
“No, Mamá and I haven’t said anything more about Papá until she called me last week to ask Justin over.”
Her mother said, “You’ve been so upset about your father that I didn’t want to bring up anything about him, especially after you told me about Justin. You seemed so happy and I didn’t want to spoil that.”
“Oh, Mamá. That may be. But I would have liked to know anything about Papá as soon as you found out. Why does everyone think they’re protecting me by keeping things from me?”
“We care a lot about you Lani, that’s why.”
She sighed. “I know, Mamá. But, please, let me know everything as soon as you know.”
Rudy said, “Lani, we’ve had this information for only a week.”
“Okay. I see. Why don’t we go ahead?” She scowled, twined her arms across her chest, and leaned back on her chair.
“Good. Anyway, Lani, I think you’ll find out what happened as we talk, because we also need to bring Justin on board if we expect him to help us.”
“No, that’s not acceptable. I mean, why must you bring him into this and why are you assuming he’d want to be involved?”
Leilani turned to Justin. “Are you okay with this, Justin? This is a family problem, our problem, and you can refuse to be part of it.”
“It’s okay, Leilani. I’d like to help. Not only for your sake, but for your family.”
Rudy said, “Thank you, Justin. But Lani is right. We shouldn’t have assumed you’ll want to get involved.”
“Really, it’s all right. I love to dig for facts and this sounds intriguing.”
“I’m glad. Thanks again. So, shall I proceed?”
Mrs. Torres said, “Let’s get on with it. I don’t want to lose any time to bring Papá here.”
Rudy said, “After Thanksgiving, General Huang contacted people who helped him escape to see if they can find anything about Papá. Well, last week, they sent him the names of two facilities. They think Papá is in one of them. Both places keep records of who they have detained. And they’re supposed to have computerized those records for the last five years. If Papá’s in one of those facilities, he’ll be on one of those rosters. We need to get a hold of them.”
Justin said, “Do you know if they’re online, accessible through the internet?”
Rudy said, “I don’t know. General Huang, do you know anything about these facilities?
General Huang said, “The facilities are a hundred miles apart, but they are under the same department.”
Justin said, “Then, their records should be in the same database, so they can send them and other data through cyberspace. Anything else you know about this department?”
“They should have a Central Office, like any of the other departments. That is where top administrators and other staff should be if they are not directly in charge of detainees. That office should have access to all records from both facilities.”
“Good. If we have names of facilities or the department that runs them, we can do a search. If they’re online, their website should come up. From there, you’ll need a hacker to get into their system.”
Leilani said, “Isn’t that illegal?”
“If you get caught. And, depending on certain factors like national security, someone from here hacking into a foreign database can cause an international incident. But we can take steps that we’re not detected. Besides, what we’re after is fairly simple—the name of your father in their detainee database. We’re not interested in accessing records, although to be sure that name refers to your father, we’ll need, at least, year of imprisonment.”
Leilani said, “But how do we find a hacker and how do we even convince one to help us do something illegal?”
“You’re looking at one, my darling, and I’m not going to be hard to convince.”
Leilani looked alarmed, “Is that what you do?”
“Not at work, no. What I do for money is as legal as any other job. But I have the know-how you need. To be frank, though, as much as I love the challenge, I hope you find some other way to get what you need.”
Justin turned to General Huang. “General, do your informants know anyone who works in that department?”
“They might. I can ask, but it will take about a week to get an answer.”
Rudy said, “What are you thinking, Justin?”
“Other ways you can get information. The old way. It’s simple and unlikely to cause an international incident. Find someone who works in the records office. Those who enter data would have access to the database. Or maybe those who analyze them. Departments usually gather all kinds of statistics, and employ statisticians or researchers for that purpose.”
General Huang said, “I can ask my informant about people like that.”
Justin said, “You might try simply asking one of them if the name Dr. Renato Torres is on their list of inmates. I don’t know how common that name is, so if you can get data about age or year of incarceration, you can be more sure that inmate is your father.”
Rudy said, “We can offer money. Corruption in the government continues to be rampant in the country and people are so hard-up that finding an employee to bribe would be easy. Isn’t that so, General Huang?”
“Yes and it will not take much money to bribe these people. American dollars go a very long way. For $500, which is double the average monthly salary, you will get someone to check that name out for you, and for $10,000, they may help you get him out of there and put him on a plane to this country.”
“We can get the money to bring him to us,” Mrs. Torres said, her excited voice full of hope. “I’ll mortgage this house to full value. If I have to, I’ll sell it. All I want is to have him home with me.”
Tears began to well up in her eyes. She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. Leilani put an arm around her mother’s shoulders.
XVII. Again, the Past
“What a night,” Justin said, as he turned the engine on in his car. “Your place or mine?”
Leilani said, “Mine. No need to get across the bay.”
“Who would have predicted that before this night’s over, I’d be involved in the intrigue surrounding the search for your father.”
“I had no idea that’s what Mamá and Rudy had in mind.”
“I think Rudy is looking into every possible way to find your father—increasing the odds of success, so to speak.”
“You can back out, if you want. It makes me nervous to push you into doing something that might be illegal.”
Justin shook his head. “No one pushed me. I was asked and I agreed. Besides, all I’ll do is poke around the Net, see what it would yield on the names General Huang gave Rudy, of the two prisons in Costa Mora. All I could possibly do for you is find out where your father is being held.”
“But you’ve already helped. You suggested directly contacting someone who worked for the department.”
“I was surprised they hadn’t thought about that. Anyway, Rudy ran with it. You may end up not needing my help at all.”
Leilani said, her eyes pensive, “I knew Mamá wants my father back, but I hadn’t realized how much until this evening.”
“Yes, that was very touching how your mother reacted. Your parents must have had a very good thing going.”
“So it seems. I couldn’t tell or couldn’t care as a child.”
“Are you excited at the prospect of seeing your father again?”
“I was, before Mamá told us about the assassination attempt. Now, I’m not so sure. I also wonder if I’ll recognize him. It’s been nearly twenty years. He might have changed a lot.”
Justin smiled in sympathy. He turned the radio on and for a couple of miles, they listened to a moving Italian aria.
“It’s about star-crossed lovers,” he said.
“Aren’t all operas?”
“A lot of them, yes.”
When the aria finished, Leilani said, “What do you think of General Huang?”
“I was trying to get your mind away from your father.”
“It’s beautiful music, but I can’t. I need some kind of closure. Until then, this thing will keep bugging me.”
“I think I know why you’re uneasy about the General. He’s got shifty eyes. He never looks at you when he talks. I couldn’t help wondering what he’s getting from helping. What’s in it for him? As far as I can tell, nothing. Of course, he may be eager to help because he’s been through the same experience. So it could be pure and true altruism.”
Leilani frowned. “I’m a little more suspicious of his motivation. I think he does have something to gain.”
“Let’s say he does. What does it matter if he can help you find your father?”
“Maybe it doesn’t, but he gives me the creeps.”
Justin said, “The thing is, right now, no one else has access to a direct source of information.”
They reached Leilani’s apartment ten minutes later, a few minutes after midnight.
“I’m exhausted.” Leilani said, as she slipped off her shoes at the entryway and changed into her slippers.
Justin took off his shoes and his socks and walked in on his bare feet. He said, “Does that mean you won’t join me in the shower?”
“And miss out on a soapy back rub? I’ll put on a shower cap and do my hair tomorrow.”
In the shower, as Justin was lathering soap over Leilani, he said, “Why don’t we get married, Lani? Can I call you that? Like your mother and Rudy do?”
“I do like Leilani better, but sure, if you want.”
“Marry me, Leilani. We’re both at a very good age to marry. Mature adults who know what they’re doing. Every day I see you convinces me more that you’re precisely who I’d like to spend my life with.”
“Is that because I bring some intrigue into your life?”
Justin scowled and feigned taking offense. “No. I’ve kind of proposed to you at least twice before tonight, but you’ve always managed to steer the conversation away from the subject.”
Leilani closed her eyes and pretended to be in deep thought. “Let me think. Do I love you enough to want to marry you and have your children? You do want kids, don’t you?”
“Yes, and you’re the mother I want for them.”
“Okay. On that question, then, the answer is ‘yes.’”
“There’s more? I say that answer is enough.”
Leilani shook her head. “Not for me, it isn’t. Why the hurry, anyway?”
Justin nudged her neck and enclosed her in his arms from behind. “I like waking up to see your face in the morning, and I want that every day, not just the weekend. And, of course, because I’m not getting any younger and I want to be vigorous enough to keep up with rambunctious kids.”
Leilani rubbed her cheek against his. “We can do all those if we move in together. We’ve only known each other six months.”
“I did that with Megan, without thinking. With you, I want to do this the legit way, start our life together with you as my wife. Besides, your mother would probably raise hell if you lived in sin with someone.”
Leilani turned around to face him. “Yeah, she would. I wasn’t willing to admit, until recently, how great Mamá’s hold is on me.”
“Well, she was all you had the last two decades. But can we get back to my proposal? Do I have to go down on my knees to ask you?”
“That’d be nice. But wait until we get out of the shower.”
Justin handed Leilani the soap. “My turn. Do you want a ring, too?”
“That’s even better, and while you’re at it, what about flowers and a candlelight dinner?”
“I can see where you’re going with this. I’m game. I can make something out of all this. How about if I set it up next weekend? And if you wish, after you’ve officially said ‘yes,’ we’ll celebrate with a party to announce our engagement. Get our families in on the action.”
“I’d like that. Thank you, Justin. I waited twenty-seven years for you. So, yeah, I’d like to milk this engagement thing as much as I can.”
Justin turned up the faucet for their final rinse. The blast of water forced him to wait to speak until they stepped outside the shower.
“What about the wedding? I’m sure you’ll want the full ceremony, too—sponsors, bridesmaid, church, etc., etc.,” he said, handing Leilani her bathrobe.”
“Why not?”
He dried himself with a towel that he wrapped around his waist, then, he put his fingers under Leilani’s chin and tilted her face up to his. “I want one concession.”
She smiled sweetly. “After indulging my whims, how can I say ‘no’ to anything you ask?”
“Can we not wait for a traditional June wedding? How
about if we get married as early as possible? If you say ‘yes’ next week, we can have a small engagement party two weeks after that. Maybe, we can have a wedding ceremony a month later.”
“So impatient, but okay. I guess if we’ve decided to do this, early is as good as later.”
Justin grinned. “Better. Why lose time for happiness? I wouldn’t mind driving to Reno and be done with it.”
“Well, I don’t need an elaborate church wedding, and I don’t have too many friends to invite. My mother will ask all her neighbors, for sure.”
“I hope there aren’t a hundred of them. I’m thinking—a ceremony and reception in Greg and Elise’s backyard. It’s spacious, can accommodate tables for a hundred—give or take—plus a small chamber quartet to entertain guests.”
He lifted Leilani up in his arms. “I’m practicing for our wedding night. I plan to carry you over the threshold to my apartment, I mean our apartment.”
“Aren’t you making a premature assumption that that’s where we’ll live?”
“Well, it’s bigger and you get a view of … .” He stopped. “Oh, yeah, I get it. Where shall we live, my darling? Your place or mine?”
Leilani giggled. “How about your place, sweetheart? It’s bigger and has a view of the city and the bay.”
“So it shall be,” Justin grinned, as he laid her down on the bed.
*****
Leilani woke up, alone in bed. She picked up the cell phone lying on her night table. It was a few minutes past nine, not unusual for her on a Sunday. She had slept a full eight hours despite a stressful night at her mother’s place.
The talking and planning had again stirred up her mixed feelings about her father and his crucial role in the plot to kill a Costa Mora president. Since she and Justin had been lovers, they’d spent every minute together when they weren’t working—minutes full of the wonder of being in love, hours that made it easier to push the reality about her father so far back in her consciousness that it hardly bothered her.
But this morning, her mixed feelings came back in full force. Alone with her recollections of the evening before, she realized that reuniting with her father had become more real, truly within her reach. And it scared her.
Welcome Reluctant Stranger Page 17