The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  Frank ordered a bottle of wine for the table and then excused himself to go talk to the chef.

  Loretta said, “We’ve just hired a new chef from Italy. It’s all been very exciting the past few weeks, as the restaurant has been getting good reviews so far. We have a goal for it to get some great exposure through some of the top food and travel blogs, so Frank’s been quite busy here lately.”

  “You two certainly do seem to have your hands full.”

  Loretta nodded, acknowledging Douglas’s comment, and Gigi guessed that she was totally oblivious to the undercurrent of sarcasm. She was beginning to wonder if Loretta and Frank were even interested in the children of Guatemala at all. Try as she might to keep her initial bad impressions at bay, everything that Loretta and Frank seemed to do or say appeared to be focused only on business. Gigi wasn’t naïve, in that she knew running an orphanage had to be a lot of work—a lot of which was about business—but she was finding the lack of emotion, or even discussion about the children, to be very off-putting and just overall strange. She reached for Douglas’s hand under the table as Frank returned to take his seat and lift his glass of wine for a toast.

  “To our new friends, Gigi and Douglas. Here’s to what I hope will be a long relationship to come.”

  They all raised their glasses as Gigi added, “And to the children—who I can’t wait to meet.”

  Douglas squeezed her hand and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Yes—to the children,” Frank said as he and Loretta clinked glasses with Gigi.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of ordering up some of our favorite pasta dishes and a few appetizers. We’ve got some new items for the menu that I’ve been anxious to try; they promise to be very delicious,” Frank said.

  “No, that sounds wonderful. I’m suddenly realizing just how hungry I am after our travel day.” Douglas laughed. “I’m pretty sure that I could eat just about anything right now, but your menu looks very nice.”

  “I’m sure that you two are quite familiar with great Italian restaurants, and good food in general—coming from the Bay Area and all,” Loretta said. “Frank and I have been to San Francisco a few times and we’ve always really enjoyed trying out new restaurants there. In fact, the chef that we have at the orphanage was hired from there.”

  “Really?”

  Gigi saw the look on Douglas’s face that matched the surprise that she was once again feeling about something that had come out of Loretta’s mouth. She saw Loretta nodding her head, and waited for Douglas to continue.

  “I would have thought that you’d be hiring local people to help you at the orphanage?” Douglas didn’t miss a beat as he continued.

  “Well, it’s not that we don’t hire any locals at all,” Frank said.

  Gigi thought that finally Frank was looking just slightly uncomfortable—as if he felt the need to have to justify some of what was coming to light.

  “We hire local people for the cleaning and also for the Spanish portion of the children’s schooling.”

  “And for the music lessons.” Loretta interrupted her husband, obviously feeling the need to get that bit of information in there again.

  “Yes, as we said earlier, our main goal is to get the kids adopted and in order to do that, we try very hard to get them acclimated to what their new lifestyle will be—most probably in the U.S. or some other western country.”

  “And we do have a very high success rate,” Loretta interjected.

  Gigi could sense Douglas fidgeting beside her without having to look at him. She knew that he was about to be very angry, and she really hoped that they could keep the conversation going without coming to harsh words. If she knew one thing about her husband, it was that he rarely held back his thoughts when he felt that something was wrong. And this conversation—their whole initial interaction with Loretta and Frank since they’d met them earlier in the day—was not going well at all. Something was most definitely amiss.

  “Surely the couples who are adopting these children don’t want them totally removed from their culture—their heritage. That’s not what you’re suggesting, is it? Because it sounds like you’re saying that you want them to go to the U.S., or whatever privileged country they end up going to, and just lose their whole past identity—their sense of what it means to be Guatemalan.”

  Gigi could see the red surfacing on Douglas’s neck. She wanted to try to diffuse the heated conversation, but at this point she knew that she was just as invested in hearing the answers to Douglas’s questions as he was.

  “We’re not suggesting that the kids should lose their identity. We just know how hard the transition can be for them. We’ve found it to be best if they’re more prepared to deal with it. It helps them to adjust better—feel less homesick once they are away,” Frank said.

  “And since many of these kids are older, teaching them English is one of the best things that we can do for them here. To place them in an American elementary school or junior high school without knowing the language puts them at a huge disadvantage, as you can imagine. Sure, they can start with an ESL program—” Loretta stopped when she seemed to notice the question on Gigi’s face. “English as a Second Language—most of the areas where our kids end up living have these programs available in the public school systems.”

  “But the faster they can mainstream into regular classes, the better for them and their opportunities to be accepted in their new schools.” Frank continued from where his wife left off.

  Gigi squeezed Douglas’s hand underneath the table. “Okay, I do understand the need for teaching the kids English. That all makes perfect sense. I think maybe Douglas is a little surprised about the fact that an American was hired to cook for the kids—rather than finding a local chef, I mean.” She looked to Douglas as she spoke and he nodded his agreement. “And—well, just all the focus there seems to be on ‘Americanizing’ the children, for lack of a better term—that’s kind of what it seems, from what you’ve told us.”

  “Our sous chef is Guatemalan,” Loretta said, appearing anxious to clarify that point to her guests. “So when I mentioned about the kids getting local food as well as international, they do have that option every day also.”

  “Oh, that does seem nice,” Gigi said, thinking that maybe she needed to cut them a break again—wondering if Douglas was feeling as forgiving with his own thoughts about the couple and all of the conversation that had taken place so far.

  “Oh, that looks delicious,” Douglas said, as two waitresses started placing heaping plates of pasta and various appetizers down on the table in front of them.

  Gigi felt relieved for the diversion that their food promised, and silently vowed to speak about friendlier topics for the remainder of dinner. Maybe she and Douglas just needed a good night’s sleep and a fresh look at everything in the morning. And the kids. Tomorrow they’d be able to spend some time with the children, which was all that she really cared about anyways.

  “We do it family style here, so please do help yourselves to whatever you like.” Frank motioned to the dishes in front of them as Douglas served himself and Gigi a piece of bruschetta that Gigi thought looked amazing.

  “Bon appetit,” Loretta said.

  Gigi let her mind go clear of earlier thoughts while she enjoyed the feast in front of her, thankful that the conversation during dinner seemed to be turning towards less heated topics. They’d figure everything out soon enough. She trusted that she and Douglas could get to the bottom of it in terms of how they felt about the orphanage and the organization—more so about Loretta and Frank, really, as that was so far the basis for any misgivings that they might have. For now, she’d enjoy the rest of the dinner and look forward to finally seeing the kids in the morning. Somehow she felt that that would go a long ways towards any negative thoughts that she might have about being there.

  Chapter 14

  Gigi stirred in bed, trying not to wake Douglas beside her as she reached
for her phone to see what time it was. She felt his arm come around her, pulling her towards him.

  “Come here, woman.”

  She sighed as she felt his kiss on her neck.

  “What time is it, love? It feels very early to me.”

  “It’s only six thirty. But do you smell that breakfast?” Gigi laughed. “I can’t believe that I’m saying this after all the pasta we had last night, but I’m famished.” She turned herself so that she could see Douglas’s face. “Do you want to join me?”

  He seemed to be thinking about it for a moment right before he pulled the comforter closer to his face.

  “I think I’ll try to catch just a few more minutes in this comfy bed, if you don’t mind.”

  Gigi nodded, leaning down to kiss him quickly on the cheek. “I don’t mind at all. You rest up. I’m counting on a busy day for us.”

  Thinking about the day ahead brought back some of that initial excitement that she’d felt yesterday as they were first arriving. She was determined to go forward with a fresh perspective—they both had decided that after returning from dinner last night. They’d get a good night’s rest and then try their best to put the earlier conversations and misgivings aside, so that they could view the operations of the orphanage and see the kids with an unbiased viewpoint.

  Douglas seemed to be studying her as she got ready.

  “What are you looking at?” She smiled.

  “You and how lovely you are.”

  “You’re too kind to me.” She laughed and came to sit by him on the edge of the bed before making her way to the door.

  “I bet you’re excited to see the children, aren’t you?”

  Gigi nodded. She couldn’t wait to finally see the kids. It was all she could think about since she’d woken up. “I doubt the kids will be up this early, though.”

  “Oh, you never know.” Douglas laughed. “They seem to run a pretty tight ship around here, and that just might include breakfast at the crack of dawn.”

  “Honey.” Gigi tried to look stern.

  “I know, I know. I do have an open mind. I promise.” He pulled her to him for one last kiss. “You go see what you can find and I’ll come join you in a little while.”

  Gigi found her way to the dining room, mostly due to the strong smell of eggs and bacon, rather than her memory of how to get around the large building. She still couldn’t quite get over how spacious the home felt to her. As quickly as she had the thought, she was willing it out of her mind. Keep an open mind so that you can really have fresh eyes today.

  She stepped into the large dining hall and nearly gasped out loud in her surprise at seeing it full. She guessed that there were about forty kids eating quietly at the large tables. Just as she was scanning the room, looking for Loretta or Frank, she saw a young woman making her way towards her with a big smile on her face.

  “You must be Gigi.” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Sarah, the person who is currently in charge of organizing the volunteers.”

  Gigi shook her hand and returned the warm smile with one of her own. “It’s great to meet you. My husband and I are excited to learn more about what we’ll be doing while we’re here.”

  “Oh yes, I thought we could have a little meeting after breakfast if that works for you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to greet you yesterday. One of the volunteers was celebrating a birthday, so we had quite a party at one of the bigger clubs in town.” She laughed as she gestured towards a half-full table. “Which is also why several of the volunteers are still in bed.”

  “Oh? Is that an issue?” Gigi cringed inwardly as the words left her mouth. She might need to bite her tongue a bit, as she suspected by the makeup of the group she saw now at the table that she and Douglas were going to be the elders of the bunch.

  “Oh, no. No issue.” Sarah laughed and didn’t seem bothered by Gigi’s comment. “Honestly, there’s not that much to be done around here right now, and we have way more volunteers than are needed. We’re actually splitting shifts as it is, with plenty of days off for sightseeing for those who prefer it.”

  Once again Gigi felt shocked by what she was hearing. How could everything be so different than what she’d imagined it would be—from how it had been portrayed on the TV segment and in the magazine article? What she and Douglas had read and watched was an outcry for help—a plea to provide time and money for the orphaned children of the area, many of whom had been babies and toddlers, their tear-stained faces luring her from the moment she’d first laid eyes on them.

  She couldn’t help but feel that someone had clearly not done their proper research—or they’d been duped by the people running the place—the people, meaning Loretta and Frank. She sighed. Her idea of giving them a second chance wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought—at least not from the looks of things already that morning.

  “Sorry, what was that?”

  She’d been so lost in her own thoughts that she’d completely missed what Sarah had been telling her as she pointed across the room.

  “I was just saying, why don’t you go help yourself to the buffet and come join us over here. I’ll introduce you to the early gang this morning anyways and you’ll meet the others a little later.”

  Gigi nodded and made her way to get some breakfast. She hoped that Douglas would be along shortly, as she suddenly felt the need for some reinforcement for how she was feeling.

  As if reading her mind, she saw him entering the dining room as she was making her way back to the table where the volunteers were sitting. His eyes lit up when he saw her.

  “Oh, good. I see that I’m just in time. And look at all the kids.” He laughed. “You must have been pleasantly surprised when you saw that the room was full.”

  Gigi nodded. “Can you believe how quiet they are, though? I still don’t quite know what to make of it. I’m about to sit down over there with the volunteers. Get some breakfast and come join me?” She gave him a quick kiss before he headed for the buffet and she made her way back to Sarah and the other volunteers.

  Sarah made quick introductions for Gigi and then again a few minutes later when Douglas arrived back at the table.

  “So are you both feeling rested or are you still tired from your travels yesterday?” Sarah directed to Douglas.

  “No, no. We’re pretty rested, I think. I know that Gigi is dying to dig into some work today. We’re both anxious to see what’s in store for us while we’re here.”

  “And we’re very ready to work.” Gigi chimed in. “I especially can’t wait to spend some time with the children. What will they do after breakfast?”

  Sarah looked towards two of the volunteers. “Shane and Lisa are in charge this morning of making sure that the kids get ready for school. So they’ll go upstairs to brush their teeth and collect their books. School will start at seven thirty, so there’s not a lot of time, really.”

  Taking the cue to get up, Shane and Lisa excused themselves to go get the children moving from breakfast.

  “Wow. School starts early, doesn’t it?” Gigi said.

  “It does, I suppose, but the kids don’t seem to mind their schedules. They really do quite well here. And it give us—the volunteers—plenty of time to do other things.”

  “Like?” Douglas said.

  “Well, the main other thing that I have them doing right now is stuffing envelopes with information for potential donors. And whatever other types of related things that Loretta needs us to do.”

  Gigi felt her heart pounding faster even before she asked the question that was on her mind.

  “And what about the other organization—the one with the younger kids that need more care?”

  She thought that Sarah looked confused by her question, and she felt her heart sinking.

  “Loretta told us that the smaller kids—all of the footage and photos that we’d seen on the news show—were with another organization here in town that they also work with.”

  Sarah was nodding her head but still looke
d a bit confused. “I think I might know what group you’re referring to. I guess we’ll have to ask Loretta about that. I’ve not been made aware of anything that they are doing regularly with them—at least not in the month that I’ve been here.”

  Gigi felt her shoulders slump.

  “But we’ll ask Loretta about it, okay?” Sarah seemed to sense Gigi’s frustration at the lack of answers she was getting.

  Gigi nodded, feeling disappointed again.

  Chapter 15

  Gigi and Douglas spent the next few days with Sarah and the rest of the volunteers, mostly stuffing envelopes and doing everything but interacting with the children. At Gigi’s insistence, she did spend time with the kids after school while they were doing their homework, and a few times she’d been able to sit in on some classes. But the day-to-day routine was getting to her, if she was being honest with herself. She did understand that the volunteer program had many aspects to it—that there were many things running behind the scenes of an organization—but it wasn’t what she’d come for and after discussing it with Douglas, they were getting prepared to have a chat with Loretta and Frank.

  With so much free time available to them, she and Douglas had gotten into a routine of taking a mid-morning walk and then going for a coffee at a cool local spot they’d found.

  For the first few days, they’d been invited to go to coffee with the other volunteers, most of whom were in their twenties. Gigi and Douglas had sat with them as they talked about their travels and complained about the lack of good beer and pizzas. Many of them seemed to be working at the orphanage as a way to extend their stay in the country, getting free room and board in exchange for the few hours that they were asked to work during the day. Gigi had yet to feel any sort of connection with any of them and wondered again how they could have been so wrong in their expectations.

  It wasn’t long before they’d searched for an alternative cafe, hoping to meet some local people and interact a bit more with the people living in Antigua. One day they found a delightful little spot, far from the main stretch of popular restaurants and bars, but not too far that they couldn’t walk to it. The shop was part cafe and part art gallery, run by an American woman named Jess. She featured artwork by local artists and held regular shows and events to support them, as well as different charitable causes throughout the city.