“And by the way,” she added before Lena could hang up, “would you like to invite your parents over for dinner sometime soon? My grandparents. Wow! I’d love to have them over and learn all about my heritage. Oh! Do they know?”
“Yes, they know,” Lena said. “I told them when it happened. It wasn’t like I could hide it from them.”
Saturday morning was a busy time. Victoria cleaned house like a madwoman, and Lena cooked up a storm in the kitchen. After consulting Rafael as to his mother’s food likes and dislikes, they had settled on having lasagna, salad, and garlic bread, with blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert.
Manuela Rivera drove in the driveway right about one o’clock, half an hour before the designated dinner time. Victoria wanted her to come in, see the house, and relax a bit before sitting down to eat.
Manuela was nearly overwhelmed by the house, the furnishings, and the pool and patio. She had never been inside such a luxurious home before. To think that her baby boy was living in this house just blew her away.
Over dinner, Rafael asked her if she would like to move over into one of the two houses that were now on the property belonging to him.
“Oh, son, I don’t know,” Manuela said hesitantly. “I’ve lived in my little house for six years now, and I’ve made friends in the neighborhood. I know my way around from there and can go to the grocery store or the shopping mall without getting lost. If I moved over here, I wouldn’t know anyone, and there aren’t any close neighbors to that house.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll just stay where I’m at for now,” she said. “Besides, when Mateo gets out of jail, he wouldn’t know where to find me.”
“That might be a good thing,” Rafael muttered.
“Rafael! He’s your brother! And he’s my son, too,” Manuel remonstrated with her younger son.
“I know, but look at the way he’s treated you—stealing from you, bringing stolen goods into your house, mooching off you. It’d serve him right if he couldn’t find you when he gets out,” Rafael said.
“I sure don’t want him around my house, breaking in and stealing our stuff again,” he said firmly.
He still hadn’t forgiven Mateo for breaking into Victoria’s house while they were on their honeymoon, or for the way he had treated their mother.
“I understand how you must feel,” Manuela said, “but I can’t turn my back on my son. And besides, maybe he will have changed by the time he gets out in a couple of years. You should go to visit him with me sometime, Rafael.”
“Well, maybe sometime,” Rafael said grudgingly.
A while after they had eaten, they all went out to take a swim in the pool. Manuela had had to go out and buy a swimsuit, as she hadn’t had one in years, or any need for one. But she enjoyed herself so much that afternoon that she planned to come over to swim as often as she could.
The afternoon passed pleasantly and quickly, and after an evening snack of popcorn and fresh apples, Manuela took her leave, promising to come for another visit soon.
The next several weeks were filled with building inspections and crystalizing plans for the property. After much discussion and input from all three of them, they settled on a name for the theme park. It was to be Thornton Memorial Pioneer Farm and Botanical Gardens, or Thornton Park for short. The farm would be David’s Farm, and the gardens, Lena’s Gardens, in honor of Victoria’s parents. The miniature train would be called Rivera Railroad.
They were debating on having a small gift shop, and if they did, it would be Manuela’s Mercantile, for Rafael’s mother. That way all the parents would be honored.
Rafael busied himself with securing all the permits they would need to operate Thornton Park. It was a tedious process, but eventually everything came together and they could start the building process. He had to find and hire competent contractors and find builders who knew how to build a historically accurate house and barn.
In late October, Victoria got a Facebook message from her uncle Mac Smith.
Hi Victoria, it read.
We are planning a little trip up the coast to Oregon beginning next Saturday, and wondered if it would be all right if we stop to see you that afternoon. We can swing in off the 101 and spend an hour or two with you before continuing on up the coast, if it’s convenient. Let me know.
Uncle Mac
Victoria ran it by Rafael before answering just to make sure he hadn’t made other plans. He hadn’t, so Victoria shot a message right back.
Hi Uncle Mac,
We’d love to have you! Will you have dinner with us? I’m so excited to finally get to meet you in person!
See you soon,
Victoria
Within a few minutes, she had this reply.
“Dinner would be nice, but don’t go to any trouble for us. We’re looking forward to meeting you, too. See you Saturday.
When Victoria had learned the truth about who her biological mother really was, she had written to Mac Smith and told him, assuming it would mean that he wouldn’t be interested in further contact with her, since she wasn’t really Marian’s daughter. So she was pleasantly surprised when she got a message back telling her that it made no difference whatsoever.
Then he told her the surprising fact that he and Marian had both been adopted. That they weren’t even blood related to each other, much less to the parents who had raised them. Victoria wondered if the surprises would ever cease coming. Then she laughed to herself when she remembered that she had searched Mac’s photo for family resemblances to Marian, and had imagined there was some.
So, bottom line was, Marian had adopted Victoria, so that made her family, no matter who her biological mother was. They had continued their online correspondence just as if nothing had changed.
As this was already Thursday, there wasn’t much time to plan for Saturday. Victoria was so thankful that Lena was still with them, so far, because she relied heavily on her to help around the house. Victoria did some of the cleaning on weekends, but she knew that Lena did little things all week that kept the house in pristine condition.
Lena planned a nice fried chicken dinner, with mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, salad, and a coconut cream pie. They all agreed that a meal like that should please anyone.
With the aid of his GPS, Mac and Diane Smith pulled into the Rivera driveway shortly after noon on Saturday. Victoria came out the front door when she saw their car coming up the driveway. She was so eager to meet them, but was also a bit apprehensive.
The car stopped, and two people emerged from it. Mackensey Smith was a man of average height, maybe five feet nine inches, stocky but trim. Definitely not blood related to Marian Smith Thornton, who had been tall and willowy. Diane was short, maybe five feet two in her stockinged feet, with the build most women in their fifties get—filled out, but not what you could call fat.
Victoria went straight to Mac and he drew her into the bear hug that was his trademark. He was a very gregarious man. Diane was more shy and reserved, but by the time dinner was served, Victoria knew she was one of the sweetest women she’d ever met.
They had a grand time getting to know one another. Victoria showed them the photo albums that contained photos of David and Marian from the time they were married, until the last ones either had had taken. Mac told stories of their childhood and showed Victoria an album that he had brought that was filled with photos of he and Marian from the time they were babies. There were also photos of the two older children, who, according to Mac, were also adopted.
Dinner was a success, with Mac and Diane praising Lena soundly for her delicious cooking. They were completely gracious with Lena and treated her just like family, also. Victoria marveled at how different Mac was from Marian. Different as night and day, she thought to herself. Mother was selfish and self-centered, cold and controlling. But Uncle Mac is so kind, funny, and big-hearted. I wish I could have grown up knowing him.
The afternoon passed all too quickly. Around five-thirty, Mac announce
d that they must be going. They had hotel reservations up the coast another sixty miles or so. Hugs were exchanged all around and Rafael and Victoria walked with Mac and Diane out to their car, where promises to visit again and more hugs were given before they got into their car and left.
Before they knew it, it was Thanksgiving week. They had mutually agreed to invite Rafael’s mom and Lena’s parents all to come for Thanksgiving dinner. Victoria had invited Mac and Diane, too, but they already had plans to be with their kids.
Rafael and Victoria were continuing with their inspections, having driven up to San Francisco to check out the three buildings up there that they owned. They had also spent considerable time on planning Thornton Park, and things were beginning to happen over on the neighboring acreage.
They worked with a topnotch architect and landscape designer who happened to be one and the same man. His name was Milton Payne. He didn’t look like much, but he was the best man for the job on the west coast. Victoria thought of him as a pinhead—medium height, slender build, baldheaded, glasses. But he was a genius at the drafting table.
After Rafael and Victoria described to him what they wanted, and after he had walked the property to be utilized, he had sketched out the rough layout within twenty minutes that was absolutely perfect. There was a grand entrance, log framed, that would proclaim on a large sign, “Thornton Memorial Pioneer Farm and Botanical Gardens.”
Upon driving into the grounds, the visitors would park in paved parking lots that flanked the driveway. At the far end of the parking area there would be an old-time split-rail fence that separated the parking lots from the grounds. At an entrance gate, there would be a small ticket booth.
The farmhouse and barn would be on the left; the formal botanical gardens would be on the right. Just past the gardens would be the miniature train depot, where young and old alike could board a small train pulled by a miniature steam locomotive, and be taken on a ride that wound around all through the entire 190 acres that the park would encompass. Some of it would be left in an enhanced natural state, meaning that they would trim and prune and plant, but it would retain a natural look, as opposed to the formal botanical gardens that would cover approximately three-quarters of an acre.
A nature trail would also wind around through that “wild” area, with small signs posted here and there that named the particular tree or plant that it stood by.
The farmhouse, barn, and related animal areas would encompass about five acres. Rafael planned to grow alfalfa and other grains that would not only show visitors how farming is done, but would also supply feed for the animals. He knew he would need a lot of help to pull this all off, but he was also pleased to think of the jobs he would be providing for people.
Milton Payne caught the vision right off and soon had the layout done in such a perfect way that both Rafael and Victoria agreed that it was even better than they had imagined. Milton knew a contractor who would be perfect for the job, also. He was a Midwesterner who had been raised on a farm, so would know just how to build the house and barn.
Rafael gave him the go-ahead to contact Jack Trueblood, the contractor and arrange a meeting between the three of them. He and Victoria rearranged their inspection schedule to only doing three buildings that first week of December. That would complete the California properties. They were a little more than half done, still needing to do all the out-of-state properties. As Christmas was fast approaching, they decided to postpone those until after the holidays.
The new schedule for December became meeting with the architect and contractor in the mornings, home for lunch, then giving any needed attention to Thornton Enterprise business. Victoria was happy to stay at home and begin decorating and preparing for Christmas, and leave the design work to Rafael and the other men.
Rafael would fill her in on the progress, and she could give her input daily. But to be involved in the daily grind of drawing plans and figuring out water lines, sewer lines, power lines, and all that stuff was totally out of her league and she was good with that. When the farmhouse was built, then Victoria would get involved in decorating and furnishing it. She was having way more fun getting ready for Christmas.
Chapter Four
The first Sunday of December Rafael and Victoria went shopping for Christmas decorations. Victoria had kept some of what her parents had, but she wanted more and different things. The first thing they bought was an eight-foot artificial tree that, except for the evergreen scent, could pass for the real thing.
They bought plenty of ornaments for the tree, including a large lighted silver star for the tree topper. They picked up enough lights to completely light up the outside of the house, and chose a huge star to put on the roof. Their house sat on a knoll above the subdivisions below it, so they expected that their outside star would be seen for some distance.
Rafael insisted on a nativity scene for the family room where the tree would be set up. Since they hadn’t even used the formal living room yet, the family room would be the focal point of the holiday decorating. Victoria did choose a lovely candle and evergreen centerpiece for the coffee table in the living room, and they bought electric candles to place in every windowsill in the entire house.
A large wreath would adorn the front door, and a Santa, reindeer, and sleigh would sit in the front yard adjacent to the front sidewalk and door. Assorted candles in a variety of Christmasy colors and scents would be placed strategically throughout the house.
Victoria had already talked with Lena about her decorating preferences for her suite, and Lena had said that she had her own decorations, and if she needed anything new, she would prefer getting her own.
While they were shopping, they also picked up a couple of small gifts for each of their moms. Victoria had decided that she would place an order online for a nice Harry and David gift tower (pears, candies, cheeses, etc.) for her newly acquired Uncle Mac and Aunt Diane.
That evening after supper, they had a great time setting up the tree and decorating it, as well as placing the other decorations around the house. The outside lights and decorations would have to wait until another day when it was light outside. Lena plied them with popcorn, apples, and hot chocolate while they worked. Victoria filled the CD player with several Christmas music CDs to truly get them in the spirit of Christmas.
After Lena had gone to her rooms for the night, Rafael hung some mistletoe in the archway between the entry hall and the family room when Victoria was otherwise occupied. Then he led her over to that spot, pointed at the mistletoe, and proceeded to kiss her soundly. That one kiss led to them giving up their decorating for the night, turning out all the downstairs lights, and going up to their bedroom.
They slowly undressed one another, and succumbed to their rising passion. Afterwards, they showered together, and then went to bed, where again they made love. Snuggling up together, they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Victoria’s last thought before drifting off was, Thanks, Daddy, for giving me this wonderful man whom I love so much.
The next three weeks were hectic ones, yet they were filled with a joy and happiness that neither Rafael, Victoria, nor Lena had ever known in their entire lives. Lena and Victoria reveled in their mother-daughter relationship, Rafael and Victoria basked in their deep love for one another, and the three of them were having great fun in preparing for Christmas.
One of the things that Lena and Victoria did together was to choose several “Christmas angels” from a tree in the mall they most frequented. These paper angels each represented an underprivileged child who otherwise wouldn’t have much of a Christmas. The two of them had a blast shopping for these kids.
Victoria had chosen two boys, ages 2 and 10, and two girls, ages 3 and 12, just for a good variety. Lena took a 6-month-old baby girl and a year-old baby boy to shop for. They bought both clothes and toys for the little ones, according to the needs and wishes stated on the paper angels. Victoria chose a couple of age-appropriate books and some art supplies for the 12-year-old, in add
ition to a couple of “cool” outfits, some pajamas, socks, and underwear.
She had a hard time not buying out the stores for her kids. But Lena cautioned her that these kids may have siblings that might not get gifts as lavish or in as great a quantity. That made Victoria want to go back to the Angel Tree and get more paper angels, which she did.
The second time, she noticed that there were little codes on the angels that indicated which kids belonged to the same family. So she looked on the angels she had chosen the first time around and matched them up to their siblings on the tree. Lena did the same, now choosing the older brother to her baby girl, and the two older siblings, a boy and a girl, to her baby boy.
By lunchtime, they had shopped until they were just about to drop, but were both happier than they could have ever imagined. They got some lunch in the mall’s food court, and then headed for home. On the way, Victoria pulled into a Walmart to get gift bags, wrapping paper, ribbon and bows, and gift tags not only for the kids’ gifts, but for what all she would need for all the gifts they would all be purchasing to give.
When Rafael came home later that afternoon, both women spread out all the goodies they had gotten that day and told him all about their day and the joy they got from shopping for these needy kids. He was happy for them, and envious that he had been left out of the fun.
The next day, Victoria and Lena took the “Christmas Angel” gifts to the drop-off location where they were gratefully received. The only thing that would have made this act of generosity any more joyous would be to get to watch the kids open their gifts on Christmas.
Christmas Eve arrived and with it a flurry of activity, especially in the kitchen. Lena and Victoria had both been busy in the baking and cooking department for several days. Platters of fudge, divinity, Christmas cookies, and other goodies lined the countertop and spilled over onto the kitchen table. Six pies—apple, pecan, pumpkin, and mince—were in the freezer ready to thaw at a moment’s notice.
The Perfect Revenge: The Couplete Series Page 45