The Weaver's Daughter

by Geraldine Solon

  While inside the taxi, I stare at the trees as we drive through the long and winding road. A lot has changed since I’ve been gone. Although Ricardo had made arrangements with the doctor for my clearance to leave, I didn’t wait for him to pick me up. I needed to do this on my own―I hoped for clarity.

  The gates of Hacienda Hermosa flung open like they are expecting me. Floods of childhood memories beckon me. I close my eyes remembering how Isabel, Ricardo and I would stay outdoors. I don’t recognize the staff working there but they welcome me inside the house. I could almost hear Doña Maria’s voice ordering the maids to tidy up and clean the place before Isabel’s arrival. It seems like no matter how much you fix the place, the memories will always haunt you. If only this mansion could talk, the secrets it will tell.

  The ranch still exists but there are no horses and the grass in the cascading hills need to be mowed. Doña Maria would never have allowed this to happen.

  I head to the factory aware it’s a Sunday and I can have the place all to myself. If I’m lucky, a spare key would be underneath the mat where Leticia always left it.

  My stars seem to be aligned. I grasp the key, unlock the door and step inside the factory. My hair stands and tears trickle down my cheeks. I examine the hem of dresses displayed on the rack. Hmm, they have managed to maintain the quality.

  I remember Doña Maria’s exact words, “If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.”

  Waves of nostalgia unfold before me. It’s like time has stopped and I wonder if I could go back again to that night of the engagement party. I wish I could turn back time and not have meddled with Isabel and Carlos’ relationship. Our lives would have been different and we wouldn’t be where we are now.

  Ricardo had informed me that my daughter is beautiful, intelligent and kind like me. He was hesitant to mention how lonely she was sheltered in the mansion all these years and how she recently tried to kill herself and slipped into a coma. This is the reason they only came to see me. If this didn’t happen to Lotus, I would never have the courage to come and see her. I’m afraid to face my daughter. What do I tell her? That I tried to kill us both when I was pregnant? That she has a crazy mother? No . . . this can’t be right. Something must have triggered Lotus to act that way. I may not know her, but she is very much my daughter.

  I remove all the papier maché from the box and decorate the factory. My hair stands. The place looks like Christmas with all the various colors and I’m lost in a trance. I pick up a cloth made with Piña leaves and begin to weave. This is where it all begun and where it will also end.

  Lotus

  I’m back in the hospital room with my parents. Learning that I’m pregnant is quite a revelation to me. My father has his arms folded while my mom flips through a magazine. Nobody dares to say a word to me. I bet they’re both wondering who the father is, but don’t have the courage to ask me.

  I don’t know what to do at this point. No sooner, the door opens and my Uncle Ricardo pops in.

  “How’s my favorite girl?” He scuttles to my side with a big bag of chocolates.

  I embrace him tight. “Still your favorite girl. Thank you.”

  He pinches my nose. “You overslept and the chocolates melted.”

  That’s why I love about Uncle Ricardo. He’s always so positive no matter what the circumstance is.

  My mother clears her throat. “So?” She eyes my uncle.

  Uncle Ricardo approaches her and they speak in a hushed tone.

  My father looks away, not wanting to partake in their conversation.

  Something isn’t right. I could barely hear what they’re saying, but then I hear a name which makes me think twice. Uncle Ricardo blurts out, Marisol and my father is quick to glance at him. They shift their gaze at me and shut their mouth.

  Hmmm. The mysterious Marisol.

  My father rises from the chair and abruptly punches Uncle Ricardo. My mother shrieks and tries to stop the commotion but she’s too weak to handle the situation. Uncle Ricardo kicks my father and engages into a ramble.

  Without hesitation, I jump off my bed, slip into my shoes and exit the door. Nobody notices I’m gone. The nurses are busy looking at patient’s charts and answering the phones. I tiptoe to the elevator and slowly escape.

  Upon arrival at the hacienda, I head directly to the factory. For some reason I need to get my hands busy so I can stop thinking about the pain I’ve been through with my parents, the dull ache of losing Mr. Florentino and the fear of raising a child on my own.

  As I twist the knob, I notice it’s unlocked. Upon opening the door, I glance at the ceiling and spot vibrant colors of stars, hearts, and flowers. Suddenly, I feel like it’s Christmas and it uplifts my mood and triggers a distant memory.

  I was five years old when my parents let me ride a pony they bought for my birthday. I named him Jet because he traversed the hills as fast as lightning. My riding boots were quite big but I hopped into the pony like a pro with my mother behind me. My father reached for my tiny hands.

  “You need to hold on tight, Lotus,” he had said.

  I shrieked in delight as the Jet galloped navigating in circles like he was fearless. My heart bounced away in pure bliss. My parents exploded into laughter as we circled the ranch.

  That was the happiest day of my life and the last time I saw my parents share laughter. The memory is stored in my heart.

  The sound of the sewing machine disrupts my thoughts. I lean my head forward and spot a woman weaving. I’m not alone. I don’t recognize her as any of our workers. What is she doing here? Inching forward to get a closer look, I freeze. What in the world is going on? It’s like I caught a glimpse of an older me . . .

  Isabel

  Ricardo and I reach Hacienda Hermosa in no time. I must have lost my voice after screaming at Carlos and Ricardo. Carlos walked out on me and sped away.

  “I’m so worried, Ricardo. What if we don’t find Lotus? What about Marisol?”

  Ricardo and I step out of the car and search the mansion. They are nowhere in sight. “We can’t give up hope.”

  “Where can they be? How could we have missed Lotus escaping hospital room?”

  “Let’s not focus on how that happened.” Ricardo breaks into a sprint headed to the factory. “Just keep looking.”

  I trail behind him, my heart pounding. What have our lives turned into.

  The helper approaches me, “Señora, nasa factory si Señorita Lotus.”

  I heave a sigh of relief and dash ahead.

  Ricardo reaches the factory before me.

  I take a deep breath and enter the premises.

  Marisol

  I lift my chin and standing right in front of me is the person I’ve waited eighteen years to see. Our eyes lock and we are frozen in time. She’s beautiful with her auburn wavy hair, pink supple lips, brown eyes and glowing skin. I can’t deny she’s a splitting image of me and remember the youth that was once taken away.

  This wasn’t how our lives were supposed to be. I had dreams, a bright future and hopes of winning Ricardo.

  She’s about to open her mouth to say something, when the door swings wide open.

  Isabel and Ricardo pop in with eyes open wide. Isabel hasn’t aged one bit, she’s still a woman filled with grace, but I witness deep sadness in her eyes.

  Lotus turns around and faces them, then glances back at my direction.

  “Lotus . . . Marisol. Let me explain.”

  Lotus

  We lock eyes, the woman and I. It’s like I can read her thoughts and feel a magnetic pull toward her. I’m about to say a word, but my mother and Uncle Ricardo appear.

  My mother stops in her tracks and says, “Lotus . . . Marisol. Let me explain.”

  Marisol? So this is Marisol. Why is she here? Why is she weaving? I feel as if spiders are crawling on my back
.

  Isabel

  I don’t know how to handle this situation. I’ve always been a coward and nothing seems to have changed. I owe this to Marisol and to Lotus. My heart aches for Marisol and I can’t seem to look at her. I betrayed her, yet she’s here right where we started.

  I’m going to make this right for all of us.

  Ricardo nods, signaling me to reveal the painful tragedy that broke us apart. Marisol stares at me and I recognize the gold bracelet in her arm. I double over and fall into bended knees, my sobs taking over, knowing she is the sister I lost. My daughter flashes me a confused look. This is what failure feels because I have indeed failed them both.

  Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and count to five, but before I’m done, sounds of gun shots startle me.

  “Papa,” Lotus screams.

  Marisol

  Seeing Isabel after all these years, taps into buried emotions that begin to unfold. She drops down on her knees and wails. Wanting to rush to her side, my ears perk when gun shots fill the air. Carlos dashes inside with a machete pointed at my direction. He didn’t have the courage to kill me back then, so I suppose he wants to finish this now.

  “Papa,” Lotus screams.

  “Carlos, please,” Isabel pleads.

  Ricardo squeezes in between us. “Carlos, you’ll have to go through me to kill Marisol.”

  Carlos doesn’t budge.

  Everyone is nervous except for me. I’m ready to die. Maybe it’s better for Lotus not to know the truth. I could have escaped the institution to see her years ago, but I never did. I didn’t want to destroy her life and believed she was better off not knowing about me.

  “Why does Papa want to shoot her, Mama? What is it you’re not telling me?” Lotus cries.

  My heart breaks for her. All these years, she’s lived a lie.

  Ricardo speaks up. “If you kill Marisol, it’s not going to erase the truth. We will tell Lotus.”

  “What is going on? Please tell me?” Lotus pleads.

  Carlos inches closer to me Ricardo with his blood shoot eyes. His cold stare sends shivers down my spine. I’m no longer scared of him. He took away my innocence years ago and I’ve been numb all along. What’s the worst thing he can do to me? I’m not afraid to die.

  I smile at him and close my eyes. Peace transcends upon me. I may die today, but I will never be forgotten. The memory of me will continue to torment Isabel and Carlos.

  Opening my eyes, I spot Lotus in front of me. “You’re not going to kill my mother.” She squeezes my hand tight. “If you shoot now, you will have to go through me and your grandchild.

  Lotus is pregnant? I’m going to be a grandmother? Oh my gosh! This gets more complicated now. I have every reason to live. We have to make things right, not just for Lotus, but for my grandchild.

  Carlos breaks into a sweat. “Shut up! All of you!”

  Isabel buries her head on the ground as a sign of defeat. “Kill me instead, Carlos. You never really loved me anyway. The only person you love is yourself.”

  “I’m so sorry for all I’ve done to hurt each one of you.” Carlos takes a step back and glances at each one of us and before we know it, he aims the gun at his throat and blows the trigger.

  Isabel screams. Ricardo ducks and Lotus squeezes my hand so tight and breaks into tears. Blood spurts out and he exhales one last breath before collapsing into the ground. None of us say a word. Isabel bolts upright and runs to Lotus and I. We embrace so tight that I can hardly breathe. Ricardo joins in and each of us cry and never let go. On that day, I learned that the blood lost is the blood that binds us.

  Part Iv

  Lotus

  Epilogue

  2 years later

  Rene Jude was born a healthy baby with a prominent cleft chin like his father and expressive eyes like me. I could swear he was the most handsome baby in the nursery. I named him Rene because it means reborn and Jude after the patron saint for lost causes. I believe my son is what saved our family and washed away all our sins. Rene Jude is pure and has given all of us a second chance in life.

  After my father shot himself, I had never seen so much blood in my life. My mother didn’t need to explain to me who Marisol was . . . I knew right when I saw her. My mother kept telling me they were only protecting me from the dark secret they wished to banish from this world. In the end, it was my father who decided to kill himself knowing he couldn’t face the truth of what he did to Marisol.

  I have forgiven my parents for the big lie they kept from me. Giving birth to my child only made me realize, I would do anything for him. My parents only wanted what’s best for me. They are human and flawed in every way. But today is a special day, because this is when Rene Jude will meet his father. I promised my son on the day he was born that there will be no secrets nor lies between us. Although, he’s too early to even understand that, I know I needed to make that commitment to break the curse in our family. It stops with Rene Jude.

  Mama and Mama Marisol are both taking turns carrying the baby. They dote on him like a prince. Rene Jude is dressed in a perfectly woven Piña jumper which Mama Marisol sewed for him.

  Uncle Ricardo arrives with fresh flowers for Mama Marisol and I witness the giant smile on her face. I know wedding bells are coming soon. They deserve one another after all the time lost and pain they’ve been through. I’m waiting for the announcement so I can weave a dress for her.

  Mama Marisol and I made up for lost time and our priceless moments are spent at the factory weaving and working with our hands. I’m back in school pursuing a Pre-Law degree and for once I get to choose what I want in life.

  I miss Papa and I wish he was here to meet his grandson. I know he caused my family pain, but he loved me in his own special way. Choosing to remember the good things in him, proved to be helpful. People call it a defense mechanism, but I call it love. He will always be my father.

  The doorbell rings, Mama checks her watch and nods at me.

  I spot him, still dashing as when I met him on my first day of class. He is cautious as he enters the mansion. I may have grown wiser through the years, but as of now, all I can think of is what’s best for Rene. His father and I may never be together, but I want Rene to know he has a whole family that loves him. Like his father once asked in Philosophy class, “Define normal.”

  We will never be normal, but where there is love, we will always thrive.

  About the Author

  Geraldine Solon is the award-winning, bestselling author of nine novels and a marketing guidebook for authors. She worked for ten years at Stanford University and served as Vice President for the Fremont Area Writers club. Her books have been translated into four languages. www.geraldinesolon.com