THE PRICE SHE'LL PAY: For the secret she never knew she had...
Page 69
“The Rose and the Amaranth,” Sid said answering the phone, downstairs. Sid listened then replied, “Thank you.” He hung up.
Charles and Elise were listening. He motioned ‘follow me,’ up to Dez’s office.
“Check the shop’s email love,” Sid said as the three of them entered the office and saw her sad mood.
She didn’t move.
“Please, Dez?”
Dez sighed. She crossed to her desk, then opened her email.
A new email waited entitled, “For you, Dear.”
The message was blank, but…
There was an attachment.
Dez opened it.
It was a video of…
Shanti is in her lecture hall, playing her drums and her students are dancing. Her drum song finished now, the video focuses on Shanti descending the stage, her face breaking with emotion, walking toward the camera into someone’s hand.
The cameraman came around, revealing his face.
“My God! Ivan! It’s Ivan! You old genius!! He’s alive! Dear Shanti, look at her,” Dez cried.
Sid hugged Dez.
Elise and Charles were behind her, crying.
The reunion of these two old friends, Ivan and Shanti was so touching.
The cameraman moved again, now he was in front of Ivan. Ivan embraced her tightly as Shanti cried in his arms.
“Emaye,” a shy, voice said.
A shy African girl age sixteen, appeared from behind Ivan’s tall thin frame. Ivan joined their hands, as Peder looked on crying.
Shanti was unprepared, frozen in shock. She was looking the girl over, her face, her body, her eyes. Realization was hitting home.
“Emaye,” Sela said again. Shanti embraced her and together they broke down crying.
“Yes. My daughter. It is me, your mother. At long last my Sela. At long last.”
“Oh My God! Oh My God! Sid! It’s Sela! It’s Sela!! Thank you Ivy, thank you!” Desiree broke down and cried.
Charles and Elise cried as they hugged and kissed her.
Desiree stepped into Sid’s arms.
Her tears cleansed away any despair. The joy of this extraordinary miracle, the reunion of Ivan, Shanti, and her precious Sela healed Desiree’s battle worn heart.
Charles and Elise had slipped downstairs, returning with French Champagne and four glasses, which Charles promptly filled.
“Perfect Charles. Thank you,” Dez said touched by his gesture.
They were smiling and crying and laughing and wiping tears of great joy.
They each took a glass.
Charles offered a toast.
“To life,” Charles said smiling, holding his glass high.
“To liberty,” Desiree said.
Sid nodded, “to the Sultans,” raising his glass to Dez and Charles.
They looked at Elise and waited.
“And… to the pursuit of happiness,” Elise said raising her glass.
They clinked their glasses, and drank celebrating their life long philosophies.
Desiree toasted Winston and turned to Charles. He raised his glass to the companion photograph next to Mr. Churchill’s.
Desiree and Charles toasted the photograph of Mrs. Roosevelt strolling with General Eisenhower, taken a lifetime ago.
The stove timer called Dez down to the kitchen.
“Our feast is calling,” Dez kissed Charles’ cheek and went down to her kitchen.
“Yum coming up,” Sid said smiling, followed her.
‘Job well done son,’ Charles heard Ike say from somewhere close by as he looked at the photograph and sighed.
Charles smiled as Elise walked over to join him. They put their arms around each other.
New photos of Tom, Lara and Boogie had been added to their Wall of Honor. Chris, Hal, Mango and all of his Avalanche Team buddies with Deedee and her pack were there, too.
All of them together, as the new Metaphor 2.0. with T and Kate, Kenny, Dennis and Larry, Sam, Mac and Iain, Eamon and John, and Elise and Dave with Deedee, were all smiling proudly.
Elise looked at Dave in the photo. His face had softened. His arm was around her in the photo, Deedee at their feet. She missed them.
Charles toasted them as he kissed the top of Elise’s head and drew her close.
Together they toasted the newest photo of President Obama and The First Lady, Shasha and Malia in their new African gifts posing with Joseph and Shanti at the White House.
“She’s finally free, and so very happy,” Charles said.
“Yes, she is,” Elise agreed.
Sid entered. He had a new frame in his hand. They watched as he hung it on their Wall of Honor. Sid shook Charles’ hand then kissed Elise’s cheek.
“Welcome home sir,” Sid said.
“It’s so good to be home, Sid. Thank you for saving my daughter.”
“She saved herself,” Sid smiled and left the room.
Elise smiled. She stepped toward the new document hanging with the other honorees.
“Dad? It’s a flight record with your signature on it. Do you recognize this?”
“Oh, yes…” Charles said, still amazed by it.
“Where were you all this time, Dad?”
“In a gulag. In the Ural Mountains. Teaching English. Ivan found me there when he visited the warden, the son of an old friend. And to restore my memory, Dez began with that flight record. Now I’m finally home. With you and Sam and our new family. We have miracles on our side, honey.”
“Yes, we do, Dad. Yes, we do.” Elise kissed his cheek and sighed.
Charles refilled their glasses. He raised his glass to his daughter, “to my miracle, now a beautiful brilliant woman.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
Charles then raised his glass to his Commander in Chief, President Eisenhower. Elise raised hers.
Ike had left Charles a message inscribed on his photo:
For Charles,
“As our heart summons our strength, our wisdom must direct it.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower, 9 December 1959
“I love you, honey. I’m so proud of you,” Charles told her as he kissed her forehead.
“It is I, who am proud of you, Dad. Without you, there would be none of this, and the happiness to follow. Ike would have told you so himself, if he could. To you and to Ike…”
“To Ike,” Charles toasted Ike as memories came flooding back of the day they toasted the beginning of a new world finally at peace, in France, so long ago.
Elise kissed her Dad’s cheek then they emptied their glasses.
From the kitchen, Dez attached the video to a text to CHICAGO PIZZA.
“A very Happy New Year, CP! When you feel it is safe, you may share this with Mama Bear. All the best, sir. You made all this joy possible. — Dear.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Dez called to them.
“Coming.”
EPILOGUE
On the afternoon of January 21, 2017, private citizens Barack and Michelle Obama were on their way to a much needed vacation, their duty to the Nation, complete. They wanted to be somewhere warm and tropical… beautiful… remote and very, very private.
Hours later with their Secret Service detail at a discreet but safe distance, the Obamas were finally alone. Just the two of them were on a stroll, holding hands on a secluded beach somewhere on a private Caribbean island, surrounded by nothing but an artist’s blue sky, swaying palms, welcoming birds, caressing warm air, a hypnotic blue-green sea, and each other.
Michelle dropped Barack’s hand and waded farther into the clear turquoise water.
“Ah… dreams do come true,” she sighed wading in farther still. The view, the warm breeze, and the caressing water were soothing.
Citizen Barack Obama slowly joined her. Angling his hip toward the ocean to shield his actions from his detail and Michelle who was relishing everything, from the pocket of his khaki board shorts he pulled out a ring box and placed it on top of his special cell phone, then joined her as th
e warm water swam around their legs.
Barack put his arm around his beloved wife and whispered, “My Love? I’ve got something very private to show you in a second, but first…”
Barack opened the ring box and placed an exquisite, blue sapphire ring surrounded by eight diamonds in yellow gold on her right ring finger.
“Oh Honey…” Michelle was so touched.
“For all you’ve done for me, our family, our nation and the world, a diamond for every year full of amazing memories and accomplishments. But all that they are, in their own poignant beauty will never be as precious as you are to me…”
Barack kissed her.
“Oh Honey! It’s so amazingly beautiful and so thoughtful and perfect. Thank you, my Love. Thank you so much for being you! You’ll never know how precious you are to me!”
Tears welled up in Michelle’s eyes as she kissed him tenderly.
He whispered, “There’s one more thing… a private, ‘for your eyes only’ thing… watch this…”
Barack played the muted video on the phone in his hand.
Michelle watched the poignant reunion of an old friend, Shanti and her daughter…
“Shanti’s long lost daughter. Found by this old friend and many others…” Barack whispered.
Michelle whispered, “Did you help them, too?”
“It wasn’t me. But it is a beautiful story. I’ll tell you later, when we’re safely alone. Maybe tonight… during our midnight swim.”
The Obamas kissed then continued down the beach, holding hands as the former President returned the phone and the ring box to his pocket.
“Hero…” Michelle whispered, swinging his hand.
He smiled at her knowing that look, well. He turned to look out over the world.
“There are so many unsung heroes out there we will never meet,” her President said…
But his First Lady knew in her heart, her man was simply being modest.
‘So like him…’
AFTERWORD
April 22, 2017
Dearest Readers:
MANY THANKS for reading the book of my heart, the “love child” of my long creative life. This book ironically began and ended with the extraordinary times of the Obama Presidency.
Maybe history will call Barack and Michelle, the FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt of our time.
I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it. It asked me to wait many times, especially these final weeks, and I’m glad I listened. The waiting was perfect enough to see history play out the story in real time.
This is my first novel after decades of spec screenwriting for the big and small screen.
Screenwriting has shaped my style and storytelling for which I’m so grateful because all those years reaching for that dream came together and produced this book, so personal in many ways.
My Dad an unsung hero with deeds I’ll never ever know, thereby this book is also for him and comes from a place of instinctive gratitude, deep within my heart.
This October would have been his 100th birthday.
IN APPRECIATION for those of you who want to keep in touch and join me as further METAPHOR adventures demand to be told, please consider joining my mailing list to receive my creative monthly news and my free gift of a sneak peek of my next book I’LL BE SEEING YOU, a WWII romantic suspense/thriller hybrid about the French Underground and the saving of the Mona Lisa.
Please join us adventure seekers
by contacting me at
CaraCharlesWrites@Gmail.com.
and
CaraCharlesWrites.com
Facebook link in progress…*
Twitter @CaraCharlespen
*Check amazon author page for link updates…
For those of you who want to become a member of my Swans Crossing Press Street Team as an Advanced Reader for future novels, please let me know in your email.
Members of my Swans Crossing Press Street Team will always be in on every new book, encouraged to offer suggestions, ideas and help develop the next adventure. It could be so exciting to see your idea in print!
As we begin this journey together, every finalized e-book in which you actively participate will be yours for free as a grateful thank you. And as success develops in the future, perhaps summer retreats on my island could be possible as we grow and succeed, together.
Also, I so appreciate an honest review of THE PRICE SHE’LL PAY, The First in the Series, featuring Elise and the members of Metaphor and Metaphor 2.0.
In this way if you enjoyed this story other readers seeking “romantic suspense/thriller hybrids with a heart” will be able to discover our beloved characters too, and your review will be part of the book’s success now and the series in the future.
Thank you all, in advance.
Plus…
In thanks for signing up on my mailing list and becoming an Advanced Reader of Swans Crossing Press Street Team the following, a free full-length novel will be my gift to you.
I’LL BE SEEING YOU, my free full-length novel and gift to you is a historical romantic suspense adventure set in London, the States, and occupied Paris during WWII.
Coming out in the late Spring of 2017…
I’LL BE SEEING YOU… there.
All the best and sincerest thanks,
Cara
p.s. More with Elise and Metaphor 2.0 in the late Summer 2017 follows in…
HOW TO BURY A BILLIONAIRE
Adios…
Until we meet again… Happy Trails!
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Part 1
CHAPTER ONE - Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington
CHAPTER TWO - BERLIN
CHAPTER THREE — Reims, France
CHAPTER FOUR — The National Archives, College Park, MD.
CHAPTER FIVE — Muse Corporation Secret Lab
CHAPTER SIX — Brothers in Arms
Chapter Seven --. Lone Pine, California
Chapter Eight -- Santa Paula, California
Chapter Nine — Try Not to Panic
Epigraph
Chapter Ten -- Loudoun County National Cemetery
Chapter Eleven -- Hyattsville, Maryland
Chapter Twelve -- A Day For Heroes
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Chapter Fifteen -- The Prophesy
Chapter Sixteen -- A Midnight Treasure Hunt
Chapter Seventeen -- The Mission
Chapter Eighteen -- Rendezvous With Destiny
CHAPTER NINETEEN — Mammoth Lakes, California
CHAPTER TWENTY — Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE — Hurry Home
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO — On Our Way
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE — Sidework
Chapter Twenty-Four -- Running On Empty
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE — Uncovered
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX — The Lads
Part 2
Chapter One -- Bogies
CHAPTER TWO — Elise
Chapter Three -- Big Mac
Chapter Four -- Oakland International
Chapter Five -- The Heart Of A Hero
CHAPTER SIX — Out Of The Mouth Of Babes
Chapter Seven -- Oh, My Sweet Darling
Chapter Eight -- Bingo
Chapter Nine -- Where Heaven Lies
Chapter Ten -- The New Forever
Chapter Eleven -- Everything Is Never Enough
Chapter Twelve -- Oberamagau, Germany
Chapter Thirteen -- Mad Science
CHAPTER FOURTEEN — Ivan
Chapter Fifteen -- Ivan’s War
Chapter Sixteen -- Find Her
Chapter Seventeen -- I Surrender
Chapter Eighteen -- To Protect…
Chapter Nineteen -- True Love Will Never Fade
Chapter Twenty -- The Roadrunning
Chapter Twenty-One -- North To Alaska
C
HAPTER TWENTY TWO -- Promises To Keep
Chapter Twenty-Three -- North By Northwest
Chapter Twenty-Four -- Friday Harbor
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE — NO REST FOR THE WEARY
Chapter Twenty-Six -- Miles To Go
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN — George Washington University
Chapter Twenty-Eight -- No One Is Home
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE — The Truth Hurts
CHAPTER THIRTY — The Untold Truth
Chapter Thirty-One -- Saddle Up
Chapter Thirty-Two -- Nowhere To Run
Part 3
Chapter One -- There Will Be Blood
Chapter Two -- Crocodile Tears
Chapter Three -- Battle Lines
Chapter Four -- Lives Worth Living
Chapter Five -- Worthy
Chapter Six -- Dead Man’s Bay
CHAPTER SEVEN — Death With A View
CHAPTER EIGHT — Partners With The Beast
Chapter Nine -- A Wild Ride
Chapter Ten -- To Life…
Chapter Eleven -- To The Pursuit Of Happiness…
Chapter Twelve -- Shanti
Chapter Thirteen -- Overload
CHAPTER FOURTEEN — LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR
Chapter Fifteen -- The Epiphany
Chapter Sixteen -- Zurich
Chapter Seventeen -- Let’s Party
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN — Let’s Play Chicken
CHAPTER NINETEEN — Beyond The Blue Horizon
CHAPTER TWENTY — ONE LAST KISS, BEFORE I GO
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE — ’Twas The Night Before Christmas…’
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO — Laughing Last
Chapter Twenty-Three -- HE WHO LAUGHS LAST…
Chapter Twenty-Four -- A Whole New Year
Chapter Twenty-Five -- Pure Genius
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX — Hello
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN — Leonardo Di Vinci Airport, Rome
Chapter Twenty-Eight -- Thank You…
Chapter Twenty-Nine -- Professor Shanti Larsen
Epilogue
Afterword