The men they had hired were retired skilled carpenters, with working knowledge of electrical work and plumbing. The manager would oversee the work and hire other professionals to do what none of the three of them could do. Things like paving, landscaping, and installing a swimming pool.
The office building would be completely remodeled and painted, with an addition that would house laundry facilities, a game room and a small convenience store and gift shop. Rafael called the sign maker in Medford, Oregon, and ordered another sign like the two that he had made previously, to be shipped to this new park.
The three couples all met with Rafael and Victoria the day before they had to continue on their journey. They were an enthusiastic bunch, and caught Rafael’s vision of what the park should become. Under Rafael’s guidance, the paving had been done while they were there. A landscaper was on retainer to put in grass, flowers, and a shade tree at every space. Victoria had put up a nice website advertising the park.
Rafael gave each one a written job description, and a written outline of all of the work that was to be done. He stressed keeping in constant communication with him, sending him updates with photos daily, showing the work that had been done that day. Everyone was in agreement and on board with his vision of what the park would soon be.
So, early one morning in mid-May, Rafael and Victoria pointed the motorhome east and headed for Dallas. The remainder of their working vacation went as planned, with no more impulse buying of RV parks.
The couple happened to be between Nashville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina on June 28, Victoria’s twenty-eighth birthday. She had been thinking for the previous week or two what she might want to do on her birthday, and had settled on doing Dollywood. It proved to be a great choice for both of them, as they totally enjoyed the whole day, and were even lucky enough to get to meet Dolly herself.
They arrived back home in California the first week of August, and found everything there doing well, and everyone happy and healthy.
Chapter Eighteen
It took them several days to reorient themselves to being home again, but one thing that they felt that they had neglected was to pay a visit to Angel’s Retreat. They had not forgotten that place that they had discovered more than a year and a half prior. They sent regular monthly donations, but hadn’t been back to visit for a long time. It was something they wanted to do.
So on a Monday, after they had been home a couple of weeks, they took a drive over to Altadena where Angel’s Retreat was located. They received a warm welcome from Gene Hillman, the director.
“Welcome, folks,” he said as they were ushered into his office by the receptionist. “Have a seat. I just want you to know how much we appreciate your monthly donations. It really does make a difference here.”
“We’re glad to do it,” Rafael said modestly. “When we were made painfully aware of the issue of human trafficking, and then learned of the great work you are doing here, we just had to help out in some small way.”
“What brings you folks out here today,” Mr. Hillman asked, after the initial chitchat was over.
“We’ve been meaning to come over for months and months,” Victoria told him.
“We’re just so interested in the place and the work you do here, that we just want to come for a visit now and then,” Rafael added.
“Did you hear about the murders of the seven girls last November?” Victoria asked. “And that the FBI and cops finally caught the kingpin of the slave trade and put him on death row?”
“I did hear part of that,” Mr. Hillman said. “Some of the girls were found in your park, too, weren’t they?”
“Yes, three were found at the park, one in our own swimming pool at our home, and the other three were dumped at buildings that we own. One was at the strip mall over in Long Beach in front of the unit that had housed the adult bookstore that was part of the chain.
“Another was found at the building where Antonio Cantu lives, who was also part of the chain of trafficking. And one in front of the building that houses the head office of Thornton-Rivera Enterprises. It was an ugly ordeal. But in the end, the bad guys are in prison and won’t be hurting anyone else ever again.”
“I’m so glad of that,” Mr. Hillman said. “However, there is still work to be done. There’s an organization, and I use that term derogatorily, in San Diego still in operation. I only know this because we’ve recently gotten some girls from there who have been rescued through a chain of circumstances by a church that is involved in the Asian community there.”
“Oh, boy,” Victoria sighed. “I had hoped that this was it for this area. I guess we can’t expect to have saved the whole world.”
“No, unfortunately, we can’t. But you did save some of it. Don’t discredit what you did do,” Mr. Hillman told them. “Would you like to walk around and meet some of the girls again? I think all of the ones that you helped to rescue have been either placed in good, safe homes and jobs or have been able to return to Thailand to their families.”
“Yes, we’d love to, and that is wonderful,” Rafael said.
“Let’s go, then,” Mr. Hillman said, rising from his chair.
The three of them walked through the hallways passing the girls’ bedrooms and into the large living room area. Several of the girls were in there. Some were working on a jigsaw puzzle, others were poring over textbooks. Several others were in a corner of the room where a woman was coaching them on American manners.
“We find that in many instances, small group instruction works better than large classroom settings. For the core subjects of instruction, like math and English, the classroom works fine. But when we teach the more advanced students the art of conversing in English, or how to interview for a job, or interacting with customers in a simulated job setting, we have found that groups of no more that five or six work best,” Mr. Hillman explained in hushed tones.
Rafael and Victoria just nodded, watching with interest the activities going on in the room. When they had entered the room, most of the girls looked up to see who was there, and smiled shyly at them. Not wishing to disturb their studies, they were quiet. But Mr. Hillman tapped a couple of the girls who were putting the puzzle together and motioned for them to come with him.
On the far side of the room, where they could talk quietly and not disturb the others, he introduced them to Rafael and Victoria. The couple was surprised at their good command of English and complimented them on it. It was obvious that one girl was quite pregnant. They weren’t sure whether to mention it or not, by asking when the baby was due. So they said nothing then, but after they had left the room, they asked Mr. Hillman about it.
“She is due in early October,” he told them. “The baby is the result of her life before she was rescued. She didn’t even know she was pregnant when she got here, but it was discovered at her initial health checkup. Each girl undergoes a thorough checkup when they arrive here. It includes a pregnancy test, because some of the girls are pregnant when they arrive here.
“The traffickers try to get them on some form of birth control as soon as they get them in the States, but, as we all know, birth control methods fail occasionally,” he said. “She doesn’t want the baby for two reasons. She knows that she is unprepared to care for the baby properly for one thing. And for another, it is a reminder to her of the abuse she has suffered at the hands of her captors and their ‘clients.’”
“Poor thing,” Victoria said sympathetically. “How awful to be in that position. What will happen to the baby?”
“He will be put up for adoption,” Mr. Hillman told her. “We try to place the babies in Thai homes here in the States, but that isn’t always possible. Sometimes we can’t find a suitable Thai home, and some of them don’t want a half breed.”
Rafael and Victoria were silently thoughtful as they walked along to the classroom that Mr. Hillman was leading them to. They observed the class in progress quietly so as not to disturb it. As it was nearly time for lunch, Mr.
Hillman asked them if they would like to have lunch there with him, the girls and the other workers. They were pleased to do that.
“Excuse me for a few moments while I go take care of a couple of things in my office. You’re welcome to just walk around through the place or go back to the living room and sit down. A bell signals lunchtime. I think you know where the dining room is, so just meet me there in about ten minutes,” he told them.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rafael asked Victoria when they were alone.
“Maybe,” she answered, searching his face for clues. “Are you thinking about this unwanted baby?”
“Yes, I am. Are you?”
“Yeah. Do you want to adopt him?”
“I’m sure thinking about it,” Rafael admitted.
“Me, too,” Victoria said.
“We shouldn’t rush into this,” Rafael admonished.
“For sure. This will take some serious thought,” Victoria said. “We have a really good life going on right now. Do we want to bring a baby into it?”
“I don’t really know. We’re so busy with the park and all the other stuff. We are free to come and go when we please, pretty much. A baby would change our lives a lot,” Rafael said.
“It certainly would,” Victoria agreed. “Do we want that change? Would I be a good mother? You know, I didn’t have a very good example growing up. Marian wasn’t the model mother in my opinion. I certainly don’t want to be a mother like she was.”
“And I didn’t have a model father, either,” Rafael added. “And I was young when he died, so I didn’t have a dad at all during my teen years. I really have no idea how to be a good dad.”
“We have our moms to coach us,” Victoria reminded him. “They are good moms. And we have Grandma and Grandpa. I imagine that Grandpa could give you a few pointers.”
“Probably true. He’s a good man. So cheery and positive even when you know he’s in pain. It’s obvious that he loves Mama Lena and she loves him, so he must have been a good dad when she was growing up.”
“According to her, he was the best,” Victoria said.
They had to quit this conversation when the dinner bell rang. They followed the girls down the hallway to the dining room. Mr. Hillman waved them over to sit at his table. The food was served cafeteria style. As guests, Rafael and Victoria were told to go through line first.
The food was plain and simple, but tasty and well prepared. They enjoyed the meal, and enjoyed visiting with the staff that sat at the same table as they. After they finished eating, they excused themselves, saying they wanted to talk with a few of the girls who were still there.
Assistant director Judy Holt went with them to introduce them to several girls who were sitting together. Then she left them and went back to work.
“Do you like living here at Angel’s Retreat?” Rafael asked the girls.
They all nodded and smiled widely, collectively saying yes.
“Is the food always this good?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” the girls chorused again, nodding and smiling and patting their tummies.
“Do you like learning English and how to live here in America?” Rafael asked.
“Oh, yes, we like very much,” one girl said.
“Hard, but we like,” said another.
“It would be very hard for me to try to learn your language,” Victoria said.
The girls giggled and Victoria giggled with them.
“You are husband and wife?” one of them asked.
“Yes, we are,” Rafael answered.
“You have baby?” she asked again.
“No, no babies. Not yet, anyway,” Victoria said.
“Babies good for husband and wife,” the girl said. “Bring much happiness. Baby not good for girl with no husband.”
The girl who spoke looked sad when she said that last sentence. “Do you have a baby?” Victoria asked gently.
“Had baby. No keep. Bad blood from bad man. No money to care for baby. Sorry.”
Tears threatened to spill down the girl’s cheeks. Victoria got up and walked around the table to put her arm around the girl. Unexpectedly, the girl turned into her and began to sob quietly. Victoria held her as she cried. The other girls crowded around, patting her on the back, offering their silent sympathy.
“Many of us have babies we not keep,” another girl said. “People here would let us keep babies, but we know we cannot feed them when we leave here. Bad memory of past life in slavery. Better to give baby away to good husband and wife.”
“Someday, you will meet good men who will want to be your husbands and then you will have babies and keep and love them,” Rafael said, trying to encourage the girls.
“Yes, someday,” one said. “Someday.”
Chapter Nineteen
All the way home, which took a good hour, Rafael and Victoria discussed the pros and cons of adopting a Thai baby. Specifically the one that was soon to come there to Angel’s Retreat.
“I think I would like to be one of those mothers who carries the baby on her back all the time,” Victoria said. “Just because we’re busy, doesn’t mean we have to leave the baby all the time. We could certainly take him with us a lot of the time.”
“Yeah, but I would want to leave him just enough so he isn’t scared to be separated from us when needed,” Rafael countered.
“Oh, yeah, for sure,” she agreed. “You could even carry him part of the time, if you wanted to. And we could teach him the business from Day One. When he’s big enough, he could learn to help at the park, feeding the animals, cleaning, whatever.”
“I agree. He would have to learn the business from the ground up. I don’t believe in just handing a kid money that he didn’t earn,” Rafael said.
“I had a lot of hard lessons to learn when I left home and moved to Seattle because I had never had to work for anything,” Victoria said. “I don’t want our kid to be like that.”
“I don’t want a spoiled brat, that’s for sure,” Rafael said emphatically. “He will learn to mind or wished he had. Not that you were a spoiled brat,” he added as an afterthought.
“I agree. I don’t think a well-deserved spanking ever hurt anybody. Well, not for long anyway,” Victoria said wryly. “I don’t believe in beating a child, but if all else fails, a good smack on the butt often seems to do the trick.”
“Yeah, and I don’t believe in using a belt, either,” Rafael said. “I remember my dad hitting Mateo and me with a belt when he was drunk. I vowed then that I’d never do that to my kids.”
“Daddy spanked me a few times, but only with his hand. That was enough for me. Mama did, too. Marian never spanked me, not that I remember of anyway, but her cold lectures were actually worse than at few swats on my rear.”
“Well, if we do get a baby, he will be taught to mind without being mean to him.”
“Have you noticed we keep referring to this hypothetical baby as a him?” Rafael asked, smiling at Victoria.
“I guess it’s because that’s what Mr. Hillman referred to it as,” Victoria reasoned. “You would want a boy, wouldn’t you? All men want sons.”
“Sure, I’d want a boy,” Rafael said. “But a girl would do just as nicely. What about you? Would you rather have a little girl to dress up and do girly things with?”
“I guess I’m like you. Either one is fine. Or both.”
“Both! Wait just one cotton-pickin’ minute here! We haven’t even decided on one baby yet. Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves,” Rafael burst out.
“Just saying that either one, boy or girl, would be fine,” Victoria said, defending herself. “But we could end up with one of each … someday.”
“Yeah, someday,” Rafael muttered.
“Do we want a Thai baby, or do we want to look elsewhere?” Victoria asked, changing the topic. “I’m sure there are plenty of babies who need to be adopted that we could choose from.”
“Well, I thought we just both had the thought right there at Ang
el’s Retreat to maybe get one of the Thai babies. We seem to have gotten ourselves intertwined with that place,” Rafael pointed out.
“I know. I was just asking. Just exploring all the possibilities.”
They continued the discussion the rest of the way home. They covered everything from formula to college in regards to raising a baby, but didn’t come to any conclusion. After they got home, they rode the quad down to the park to see how things were going down there.
Everything was going well. There were a lot of people milling around, riding the train, petting the animals, and enjoying every facet of the park. This was the first full year that Mickey, Jim, and Ted had farmed the four acres. Alfalfa had been planted last fall was ready for its fourth cutting. The field was fenced for safety, but people could stand at the fence and watch the alfalfa being cut.
After it was dried, the baler went through the field baling the alfalfa, followed by a truck pulling a long trailer and manned by four strong young men who tossed the bales onto the trailer as it inched its way across the field. It was an interesting process to watch. Neither Victoria nor Rafael had ever seen it before it was done in their park, and they were just as fascinated as their guests were.
That evening at supper, they told Lena about their visit to Angel’s Retreat and that one of the girls was expecting a baby in less than two months.
“We’re actually thinking about adopting him,” Victoria told her mom.
“Really? Adopting a baby? Wow! I have been wondering if you two wanted kids or not,” Lena said. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I have been curious. You’re both so busy with all of your properties and the park and your travels, that I thought maybe you didn’t want kids.”
“Well, we’re still undecided,” Rafael told her. “But we have been talking about it all afternoon. We both felt so sorry for that girl, being pregnant from what virtually amounts to rape, and not being in a position to care for a child.”
The Perfect Revenge: The Couplete Series Page 68