Laced In Lies

by Colleen Helme

  “Can you come back in tomorrow for another song or two? I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

  “Absolutely,” Miguel agreed. “What time?”

  “Let’s say around eleven?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be here.”

  “Good. See you then.” The director smiled, then hurried out, thinking that Miguel was pretty perfect for the part. He wondered if Alan would think so too.

  I caught my breath. Did he just think Alan Menken? The person who wrote the music? Holy cow! Alan was going to be there in the morning to play the piano for Miguel and give the director his opinion. That was incredible. Should I tell Miguel? But if I did, how would I explain how I knew that?

  “Wow, that’s so cool,” I said, glancing at Miguel.

  “Yeah… it is.” All kinds of things went through his mind, but they were all overshadowed by Miguel’s deep desire to participate in the show. His yearning was like a physical thing that filled up his whole body. I’d never felt anything so strong, and I sure hoped his wishes came true.

  “Would you be okay if they asked you to be the understudy?” I asked him. “Or maybe part of the cast as a singer and dancer?”

  He blinked. “Uh… sure. I’d be happy to do anything. It would be amazing to learn from them and be a part of that. They’re the best.”

  I smiled. “Well then, I hope it happens.”

  We entered the lobby and passed the gift shop. The cutest t-shirt ever was hanging above the display, and I stopped to admire it. It was black with the skyline of New York City in silver sparkles and stars. On the right side, the word “Aladdin” was all in gold with the words “New York City” in silver underneath. That alone was amazing, but what made it extra special was the reflection in the water. Instead of the New York skyline, it was the city of Agrabah.

  “I’ve got to have that,” I blurted, and hurried over to the counter. Miguel followed, not quite sure what I was talking about, but he picked it up pretty fast once I pointed out the t-shirt to the salesclerk, who was happy to take my money.

  On a whim, I picked up another one for Savannah, since I knew if she saw mine, she’d probably take possession of it at the first opportunity, and leave me empty-handed. The clerk told me that for only five more dollars, I could have the Aladdin bag, so naturally I bought that too.

  We came out of the theatre to find Syd waving from the edge of the crowd. He asked us how we liked the show and listened to our enthusiastic replies. He was also pretty impressed that the director had asked Miguel to come back for another audition tomorrow. We told him all the pertinent details, and arrived back at the hotel before we knew it.

  Since we weren’t finished talking about the show, Syd motioned us to the lobby; and we sat in the comfortable high-back leather chairs around a circular, glass table. A waiter approached and asked if we would like something to eat or drink.

  Wanting to make the night memorable, I glanced at Syd and Miguel. “How about some chocolate cake? Want to share a piece?”

  The waiter left to get the cake, and soon returned, setting it in front of us with a flourish. It wasn’t big, but I cut it into three small pieces and put it on our plates. After the first bite, I groaned with pleasure. This was like eating pure chocolate, with no cake involved. It was so rich and wonderful that I was grateful to have such a tiny piece.

  After we were done, Miguel excused himself to go to bed. He was exhausted and still had tomorrow to look forward to. I was ready to go to bed as well, but I picked up that Syd was hoping I’d stick around, since he wanted to talk to me about his phone call to Uncle Joey, so I told Miguel goodnight and stayed put.

  Syd let out a breath of relief and began. “Your uncle took the news pretty well. He wants you to see if Maggie will talk to him on the phone tomorrow when you meet with her. He’ll clear it all up then. But you should call him tonight and work out the details.”

  He was thinking that, after the initial shock, they had both had a hearty laugh about it. Who would have thought? Now he understood what Uncle Joey meant when he said only Shelby.

  “Yeah… right. Uh… okay. I’ll give him a call tomorrow. Thanks, Syd. Wish me luck with Maggie in the morning. Do you have any ideas about what’s on her mind?” Was I really asking him that?

  He smiled. “Nope… I haven’t seen her in years, but I don’t think you have to worry she’ll do something crazy or anything. After all, she is a Sister.”

  “True, true. Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  While the events of the day came crashing down around me, I made it to my room and could hardly wait to crawl into bed. But I had to call Uncle Joey, and I’d promised Chris I’d call him too, so I called Chris first and gave him a quick update on all the happenings.

  “Then you’ll never guess what happened… Maggie showed up.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  I explained that I was meeting her in the morning, and that Uncle Joey knew all about it. “I didn’t pick up anything bad from her, so I think it will be okay. But wish me luck.”

  “Wow. I can’t believe it. This family stuff is getting out of hand.”

  “Tell me about it.” We spoke a little longer, then said our goodbyes.

  Next, I put the call through to Uncle Joey.

  “Shelby,” he began. “I had no idea Maggie would show up. I can hardly believe it.”

  “Yeah… it sure took me by surprise.”

  He sighed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, from what I remember of my sister, she’s got a good heart. So I don’t think you have to worry that she’ll spill the beans before you have a chance to explain yourself. Then you can just tell her that it was all my idea.”

  “Okay. Hey… do you know anything about someone named Stan? She was thinking about him.”

  “Hmm… not that I recall.”

  “Well, he’s the real reason she came back to New York.”

  “Is that so? Well… then I think it would be helpful to know more about him. See what you can pick up and let me know.”

  “Okay.”

  We spoke about Miguel, but he already knew the news about his second audition, since Miguel had called him. “Don’t worry about getting back tomorrow. Let’s just see what happens, all right?”

  “Sure,” I agreed, too tired to argue about anything. We said our goodbyes and disconnected.

  A few minutes later, I snuggled under the covers and turned out the light. Just before sleep took me, I heard a man’s beautiful voice. He sang a sweet melody that comforted and relaxed me, like he was singing me to sleep. I smiled. I’d have to remember to thank Miguel in the morning.

  The next morning I got to the lobby a few minutes early. My chat with Uncle Joey last night had left me feeling more confident about talking to Maggie. Once she spoke with her brother, she’d know I wasn’t the one who’d instigated this deception, even though I’d gone along with it.

  Still, no matter how hard Uncle Joey’s methods of persuasion might be, I wasn’t sure she’d continue the charade. He’d probably have to tell her about Miguel, but since she was his sister, he could probably trust her.

  Now Uncle Joey wanted to know who Stan was, and what had happened back then. Even if he hadn’t asked, I’d want to know, but Uncle Joey asking me to spy on his sister might not be the right thing to do. Maybe she didn’t want him to know her personal business, and I’d be invading her privacy. But wasn’t that what I did with everyone?

  On the other hand, what if explaining things made it better for her and brought the family together? After all these years, it could even give her some closure that would be good for her mental and spiritual health. Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

  My stomach tightened, and I took a deep breath. There was never an easy answer to these situations, and I’d just have to follow my conscience and hope for the best.

  Just then, Maggie entered the lobby with her head held high and her lips pulled into a thin line of determination. She wore a high-collar
ed white blouse with a spring-green colored sweater over black slacks.

  The large cross dangling from her neck was the only evidence of her calling as a Sister. Her gaze found mine, and her breath caught with surprise that I actually showed up. All morning she’d been imagining the excuses I’d make to put her off, but there I was.

  She was thinking that maybe I was made of sterner stuff than she gave me credit for. Still, she couldn’t wait to hear my explanation, and she wasn’t about to settle for anything less than the truth.

  “Hello Shelby. I’ve been looking forward to our little chat.”

  “Me too,” I said, even if it was only partly true. “Are you ready for breakfast?”

  She shook her head. With all the tension, the thought of eating turned her stomach, and I had to agree with her assessment. Hmm… maybe we were more alike than I thought.

  “If it’s all right with you,” she answered. “I’ve got something else in mind.” She was thinking of the little garden within the church grounds. Even in the middle of the city, it was a quiet place of peace and reflection. It would also be hard for me to lie to her surrounded by statues of saints and standing on holy ground.

  “Okay.” Wow. She sure knew how to lay it on.

  “It’s not far. Have you ever been to New York before?”

  “Uh… we drove through once when I was a kid.”

  She smiled. “I love it here, but it can take your breath away, especially with the crowds and how busy it always seems to be.”

  “That’s true. I can’t believe how many people there are… everywhere.” I sent her a smile, even if she seemed formidable, I found it easy to talk to her. “You mentioned last night that you help run a half-way house. Is that where you live?”

  “Yes, at least at the moment. I live there with three other Sisters, and we minister to a few of God’s children who have lost their way. The women we take in need structure and guidance. None of them are hardened criminals, so we are quite safe. Most have been through a lot in their short lives, and we try our best to keep them from returning to what they knew before they went to prison. I believe we have made a great difference in their lives, even though we’ve lost a few.”

  “It must be very rewarding.”

  “I find it so,” she agreed, glancing my way. My interest surprised her, and she could find no deception in my expression or tone. Maybe there was more to my involvement with Joey than she first thought.

  “Most of the women were abused as children and have very little self-worth. They can come across as belligerent and mean, but I’ve found that they are the ones who hurt the most.”

  As we walked along, I encouraged her to share some experiences, and she told me a couple of heartwarming success stories before we came to a stop in front of a beautiful church. “Here we are.” She climbed up the steps, then opened the door and ushered me inside.

  It was cool and quiet inside, especially after the noise on the street. She led me through the church to a door in the back. It opened into a rather large, walled off garden. Several paths wound through the grass-covered lawn, circling a few trees and benches with nearby statues of saints and angels.

  I followed her down a path that opened into a private little nook with a wooden bench along one side of the wall, surrounded by trees and flowering bushes. Since it was late spring, the blossoms were just about done, but still carried their color and scent.

  “It’s beautiful here. I can see why you’d choose this place to talk.” We sat on the bench facing one another like old friends. Whoa! When had that happened?

  “That’s right, but I also wanted to make sure you’d tell me the truth.” She caught my gaze with a piercing one of her own and raised an eyebrow, reminding me so much of Uncle Joey that my eyes widened. “We both know I’m not your mother, so what’s going on?”

  Behind her disapproval, real concern spilled from her mind and pulled at something inside of me. What she had to offer went deeper than knowing the truth. She was concerned about me as a person and, knowing her family, she had a pretty good idea that I’d gotten entangled in something way over my head.

  Now that she’d had a chance to talk with me, she didn’t believe that I was a con artist of some sort, mostly because she knew her brother couldn’t be taken in. Plus, I seemed too kind-hearted to try pulling something off that could get me killed. So what was going on?

  “Well, it’s kind of a long story,” I began, pulled in by the concern and worry in her warm brown eyes. The compassion flowing from her made me want to spill my guts about the whole thing. “It was actually Uncle Joey’s idea to tell Frank that I was your daughter.”

  She nodded her head. “Then he’s protecting someone… and it isn’t you. So it must be Miguel.”

  Whoa. She was good, and my hesitation totally gave me away.

  “He seems a little young to be Joey’s son, but… he’s definitely got the Manetto forehead and jaw.” She glanced up at the trees and shook her head. “I always felt a little bad for Joe that he didn’t have any children. But then I would have felt bad for his children if he did. Still, from the way things look, it doesn’t seem like Miguel has been around him long enough to become jaded by all that wealth and power.”

  I nodded my agreement. “He’s a good kid.”

  “So how did you get mixed up in all this?”

  I listened real close to her thoughts, but there wasn’t a shred of a hidden motive anywhere. So I began. “It all happened about a year ago when I stopped at the grocery store for some carrots…” I told her that I met her brother because of a woman named Kate, and I began calling him Uncle Joey because she did, and I knew he didn’t like it.

  I kept to the truth, only leaving out the mind-reading part, substituting that I had psychic abilities brought on by the gunshot wound instead. Her eyes widened, and I knew that she didn’t quite believe that part, but she didn’t interrupt. Once I got going, the story just poured out of me like a raging river bursting from a dam. It felt good to tell someone who actually understood what I was going through.

  “So now,” I said, coming to the end. “My children think Uncle Joey is related to us through my father’s sister who divorced him. And Miguel truly believes that you’re my real mother, and that he and I are cousins. None of it’s true, and I feel terrible about all the lies. It’s a mess!”

  She shook her head, marveling at the scope of it all. With a deep sigh, she let out a breath and chuckled. “Now you know why I stayed away from the family. But in some ways, I guess I’m trying to make up for all the bad things that my family has done.”

  Her thoughts went to Stan and the tragedy of his death. If not for her and her family, he’d be alive and well today. The old pain stabbed at her heart.

  Taking a chance, I decided to probe a little further with my so-called psychic powers. “I’m sensing that there’s a lot more to your story, and it involves someone you cared for. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Her eyes narrowed. Was I just guessing, or was I the real deal?

  “You don’t have to tell me, but it might feel pretty good to let it all out. I know I feel better now that you know the truth about me.”

  She shrugged. “It’s a sad story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  “Yes, but only if you want to tell me.”

  She glanced at the garden surrounding us, but her eyes held that far-off look of someone lost in another time. “I was young, and I didn’t realize how dangerous it was to involve someone with my family. But Stan and I were high-school sweethearts, and we were in love. It was during our senior year of high school that my father insisted on moving away.”

  Her gaze found mine. “I’m six years older than Joe, so he wouldn’t remember much of this. Needless to say, I fought my father with everything I had to get him to let me stay, but he wouldn’t budge. You see… I had two older brothers and, by this time, one was in prison and the other one was dead.

  “It was a hard time for our family, and I had n
o idea how bad things were between my father and my uncle. But my grandfather knew. Apparently, he didn’t want his sons to kill each other off, so I’m pretty sure it was his idea to send us away.

  “Since I had to go, I promised Stan that I’d come back that summer and we’d figure things out so we could be together.” She shook her head and swallowed.

  “So that summer, I told my dad that I was going back to visit my grandparents for a few weeks. I think he knew about Stan, but he figured a few weeks wouldn’t hurt anybody. My grandparents didn’t know about Stan, but they figured it out pretty fast. They told me I was too young to marry him, and I needed to break it off before someone got hurt.

  “Of course I didn’t to listen to them. We were in love, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Unfortunately, my uncle and cousins noticed him coming around, and one day I introduced them. I made the mistake of telling them how smart he was. I even told them he had a full-ride scholarship to Harvard. I was just bragging because I was proud of him. But it was stupid. I didn’t realize the danger I’d put him in.

  “My uncle asked him if he wanted to earn a little extra spending money for college, and Stan agreed. It was easy money, and if we were going to move in together while he went to school, we’d need it. Still, I remember that first feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach.

  “I told Stan about my misgivings, and that he shouldn’t do it. He knew about my family, but he said he’d be careful, and he convinced me that we needed the money if we were going to make a life together.

  “You don’t know how many times I’ve regretted that decision.” She sighed, and pain washed over her. Still, after all this time, the story came easier than she thought, and she realized that she wanted me to understand her past, so that I could understand the choices she’d made.

  “I don’t know all the details of what happened that day,” she continued. “What I do know is that Stan and one of my cousins were both killed while they were on their way to the bank with a large cash deposit. They were gunned down, and the money was stolen.