“I’m not lying! If I didn’t yelp and cry out in pain when you put it in is maybe because...” Oliva stopped herself from saying what she wanted to. She knew Tony had the upper hand. However, she was going to have to play it as if she did. “It’s yours. I don’t want this baby anymore than you do. You can take care of this now and you’ll never hear me again or I’ll carry the baby full-term, we get a paternity test that proves you’re the father and you’ll be paying for a child for eighteen years. It’s up to you.”
Tony was quiet for a few moments as he let what she said sink in. “Damn you. Fucking you wasn’t nearly worth all this headache.”
“Trust me. I feel the same way.”
“How much do you need for an abortion?”
“This isn’t just for an abortion. I want enough so that I can start a new life somewhere. I want fifteen thousand dollars.”
“Fifteen thousand dollars?! You’re out of your mind! I’ll give you a few hundred and that’s it!”
“No! You will give me fifteen thousand dollars for the abortion and for me to never contact you again, or I’ll get a lawyer who would love to get as much money as they can out of someone like you. Fifteen thousand is pocket change to you and in the long run you’ll come out much cheaper.”
“Like I said before, how do I know you’re even pregnant? A man like me has to deal with money hungry sluts all the time.”
“Fly me there and we’ll go to the doctor of your choice to prove I’m pregnant.”
Tony let out an exasperated breath. He had a strong inkling the tramp was telling the truth. This was all he needed right now. He and his secretary were getting pretty serious. She would flip out if she knew he’d gotten some girl pregnant. He just wanted this girl gone and out of his hair for good.
“Give me your address and I’ll send you a check. But so help me God if I ever hear from you--”
“You won’t. I promise. I’ll get rid of the baby and I won’t ask you for another dime. Can you send cash? I don’t have a bank account.”
“Cash? I can’t send cash through the mail!”
“Send it through a courier. And please listen. This is very important. I want you to send it in a box with some made up name of a book company and put a few books in it.”
“What?! I’m not doing any ridiculous mess like that!”
“Just do it! Please, Tony. When can you send it?”
“I don’t know–I have some money in the safe at home and I’ll have to draw the rest from the bank. You’ll get it in a couple of days. What’s your address and last name?”
Oliva cringed. She was pregnant by a man who didn’t even know her full name. She gave him the information and he slammed the phone down. Until she received the money she would be on pins and needles. Best-case scenario, she would get the money and get out of town as fast as she could. Worst-case scenario–her parents would find out about the money and take it–closing off another avenue for her to escape and start a new life.
Chapter 18
Three days later, Oliva was a knot of wrangled nerves. Between that and battling morning sickness, she was a mess. She found the term “morning sickness” to be a misnomer since it hit her at times outside the a.m. hours as well. She sat on the porch and waited for the package and planned on being out there every day until it came. After she was out there for a while, she was overcome with the urge to throw up. She left her stake out on the porch and went inside to the bathroom. As she was splashing cold water on her face she heard it–the pounding knock on the door. Without even drying her face, she raced out of the bathroom and to the front door. Her heart almost stopped. Her mother was writing on a clipboard and a young man handed her the package. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her mother closed the door and inspected the package.
“Is that for me?” asked Oliva.
“Um-hmm. It’s from New York but it looks like it’s from some book company. That rich boyfriend of yours doesn’t work as a publisher does he?”
“No, these are some books I ordered.”
“Ordered with what? You haven’t babysat for weeks so where did you get the money?”
“I meant Tony actually ordered these for me.” She held out her hands for the package.
“When Mr. Tony gets back into the country he’s gonna be spending that money of his on far more important things than some stupid books.”
To Oliva’s relief, Inès handed over the package. She went to her room and closed the door. She tried to open the box with her hands without success. She picked up a fork from the plate on the dresser and pried open the box. She tossed aside books until she got what she was looking for. At the bottom of the box was paper brown bag. Oliva took it out and tore it open. She almost cried from joy. Inside were five bundles of money in one hundred dollar denominations. Quickly she closed the bag back and stuffed it in her pillowcase.
She did so just in time as Inès opened the door a mere seconds later. She stood in the doorway and looked into the room.
“So what books did lover boy buy you?”
I knew you were going to bring your nosy fat ass in here. “A mix of everything.” Oliva went through the books. “There’s Harold Robbins, Danielle Steele, Gore Vidal, and Fay Weldon. Do you want to read any?”
Inès wrinkled up her nose in response.
“I’m going to check on Maribel. I’d better take that bat again since that lunatic is still out there somewhere. I’ll be back later.” She closed the door.
Oliva immediately began to plot when she would make her getaway.
Later that evening, Oliva was awakened from a nap by the urge to use the bathroom. When she was coming out of the bathroom she heard her parents talking in their bedroom. She paused in the hallway at the mention of her name.
“And what if that man of Oliva’s doesn’t take care of his responsibilities, huh? Then I’ll have three mouths to feed plus mine!”
“Shut up, you fool! We’ll make sure he takes care of his duties.”
“I don’t care what you say! I was excited at first but nothing good has ever come out of that girl and nothing will. Puta la madre, puta la hija!”
“I tell you what. When the money does start coming in, I’m going to remember this! I’ll take Oliva and the baby and we’ll go living the high life without you!”
“Ah, high life my ass! I’m still not sure I believe her story about this so-called rich boyfriend. If he has so much money why would he want her when he could have any woman? Even if it is true, what if things don’t work out the way you want? Then what?”
“If for some reason we can’t get what we want then she and the little bastard will be out in the streets. She can move in with that friend of hers. I’m not going to have any screaming kid around here if there’s nothing in it for me.”
“That’s the first bit of sense you’ve said tonight.”
Oliva went to her room and closed the door. She sat on the bed and mindlessly caressed the pillow that contained the money.
“Oliva! Oliva!”
Oliva woke to her mother shouting her name. She jumped up and when she got to the hallway, she saw her father on the living room floor sprawled on his back and her mother by his side on her knees.
“What’s wrong?”
“He just started grabbing his chest and fell to the floor. Go get his pills! Hurry!”
Oliva ran to her parents’ bedroom and came back to the hallway a minute later.
“Where are they? They’re not on the night stand where they usually are.”
“Keep looking, you idiot! I’ll call emergency!”
Within minutes Oliva was letting the ambulance crew into the house. They worked on Alphonso for a few minutes before putting him on a stretcher and carrying him out to the ambulance. A tearful Inès got her purse and went in the ambulance with her husband. She said a prayer for him to be all right. She desperately needed his income to get by. If they couldn’t get money from that Tony person, she didn’t know how she would s
urvive.
Once the ambulance drove off, Oliva went to the hall closet and pulled out a beat up suitcase. She went and packed the clothes Pilar had bought her that were still stuffed in garbage bags under her bed. She went to her drawer and got a stack of papers that she kept together–her awards for excellence in school, birth certificate, etc. She put most of the money in the suitcase as well and then called a cab. As she waited by the doorway for the cab, she noticed a picture on the console near the door. It was one of the pictures taken by Ric the day of her father’s birthday party. Someone had written her and her parents’ names and date of the picture at the bottom. She slipped it inside her purse, not out of any sentimentality, but to have as a symbolic reminder of where she came from and an incentive to make sure she did everything in her power to never have to come back.
Chapter 19
Oliva stepped off the Greyhound bus cloaked in a mixture of fear and excitement. As she made her way through the terminal to the bathroom, she saw a young man snacking on a sandwich and it made her hunger pains even more intense. She hadn’t eaten since she left Fresno hours before. And then she only had a bag of chips and soda from the vending machine. She was also exhausted. She didn’t allow herself to sleep on the bus because she was paranoid someone would rob her of her suitcase or purse. She wouldn’t put it in the carriage underneath the bus nor even leave it to use the toilet. She entered the bathroom and went into the one empty stall, bringing the suitcase with her. The person before her had for some reason thought it unnecessary to flush away their waste. Oliva’s bladder was not allowing her to be picky and wait for another stall, so she hit the flush handle with her foot, hurriedly covered the toilet with tissue and sat down. She heaved a sigh of relief since she was close to having an accident.
She went to the sink to wash her hands and splash water on her face. She reached in her purse, took out a comb and went through her hair. As she was putting the comb back in the purse she took out her father’s prescription bottle of his heart medication and threw it in a nearby receptacle.
Oliva walked out of the bus terminal and back outside. She ignored the catcalls from the unsavory looking men loitering about and hailed a cab. The cab driver stepped out to put her suitcase in the trunk.
“That’s okay,” said Oliva. “I’ll put it on the seat next to me.”
The cab driver shrugged in a “suit yourself” gesture and got back in the driver’s seat.
“Where to?”
“Take me to a hotel near Mann’s Chinese Theatre. A good one like a Hilton.”
Chapter 20
Oliva devoured the last French fry from hamburger deluxe plate she ordered from room service. She was so famished she almost ate the parsley garnish. She put the tray on the dresser and got under the covers and went over what she would have to do over the next few days. Whenever she went out she would have to get some bare necessities like shampoo, conditioner and soap. The little complimentary items supplied by the hotel weren’t nearly enough. She would also have to find a reasonably priced place to live. She paid in advance for a week’s stay at the hotel. She figured that would give her enough time to find out exactly what she was going to do.
After giving it much deep thought while on the bus, she decided she wasn’t going to have an abortion. She would’ve gotten rid of Tony’s baby without a second thought but one thing made her decide not to go through with it—Pilar. She would not be able to bring herself to destroy something that was her only connection to her. Despite the horrible things Pilar said to her the last time they saw each other, Pilar had gotten to a place inside her no one else had. And she knew deep down Pilar’s words were out of hurt and anger. There were so many things they were to do together and it was not going to happen because of her foolish mistake. She knew Pilar would never have anything else to do with her and the baby was the only thread that held them together. Being pregnant could be a definite disadvantage in landing a rich husband but somehow she would work it out. Oliva stroked her still somewhat flat belly. No, I can’t get rid of you. I just can’t. I’ll find a way to take care of you. I know this money isn’t going to last forever so I’ll have to come up with something. You’re not going to live like I did. I’m going to give you everything you need and then some. Whatever it is, if you want it, it’ll be yours. Even if I have to kill for it, you’ll have it.
Chapter 21
Since leaving Fresno, Oliva’s luck took a turn for the better and everything was falling into place. A few days after she arrived in Los Angeles she finally hooked up with Jojo. She’d asked around about him and one day a young lady pointed him out. She went over to him, introduced herself and let him know what she was looking for. After he gave her the once over and assessed she was too young to be a cop, he suggested they go to a restaurant down the street for some coffee.
She told him she wanted I.D. and a birth certificate in her new name that said she was twenty-one. When he told her it would be five hundred dollars she almost choked on the juice she was drinking. He informed her he was actually cutting her a deal. She didn’t know whether or not to believe that, but she needed what he could provide. She supplied him with the information she wanted on the documents. He gave her his phone number. She didn’t know the hotel number so she gave him the name, location and her room number. When she received the documents, she knew she had gotten a good deal because they looked so authentic. Everything was just as she wanted—place of birth, fake parent names, year of birth, etc.
All of it came in handy when she answered a rental ad for a furnished garage apartment for rent and it was just walking distance from her target location. Her landlords were an older couple, the Andersons. Seeing that she was young, they let her know the minute she threw a wild party or caused any disturbance she was out. She told them she’d just moved to the city and had a job all lined up. To be on the safe side because she didn’t have job references for past employment, she had to put up three months rent plus security up front. It was worth it because Oliva loved her new digs. The apartment was much better than her old home. It was small but it was hers and she felt like an adult but most of all, she felt free. She bought dishes, silverware and glasses as well as towels, linens and cookware. Her biggest extravagance was a nineteen-inch color television.
She never had one of her own. The television back home was in the living room and she could only watch what she wanted when her parents weren’t there.
She sat on the bed and surveyed the room. Her apartment was one big area and from where she sat she could see the living room, dining nook, kitchen and bathroom. It was her very own piece of heaven. But it was time to start going for an even bigger chunk for her and her baby. She reached for the telephone directory and flipped it to the V section. She picked up the phone that had just been connected earlier that day and dialed.
“Valente Construction. How may I direct your call?”
“Hi. Will Gino Valente be in the office tomorrow?”
“Let me connect you with one of his secretaries. One moment please.”
A few seconds later another voice was on the phone.
“Gino Valente’s office.”
“Hi. Will Mr. Valente be in the office tomorrow?”
“No, he won’t be back from Philadelphia until Thursday. May I ask who--”
Oliva hung up the phone.
Good. That’ll give me an extra day to prepare. I’ll go and get my hair and nails done and buy a professional outfit. Plus, I can swing by the library and see if there are some articles I can read up on about the Valentes. Any information in addition to what Pilar already told me will come in handy.
Chapter 22
Oliva sat outside in the lobby just outside of Gino Valente’s office. It was ten-thirty and she had been waiting for two and a half hours. She saw three secretaries enter the office when she first arrived. She found a photo of Gino Valente and his brother in an article about them in BusinessWeek so she knew who to keep an eye out for. He was nowhere near the kind of
man she found attractive. He looked to have a medium build, was balding with a prominent nose and thin lips. The photo was black and white so she didn’t know what color the hair he had left was or his eyes. Her patience was rewarded when she spotted Gino coming down the corridor. She stood up and walked up to greet him. He was about 5'10", with sandy brown hair and light brown eyes.
“Hello. Mr. Valente?”
“Yes?”
“I know you’re a busy man but could I have just five minutes of your time?”
“What’s this about? You’re not trying to sell anything are you?”
“No, sir. I just need five minutes and I’ll tell you everything.”
Gino looked at the pretty young woman trying to find out if perhaps they’d met somewhere before but nothing rang a bell. He had a very hectic day ahead of him but he decided to take a few minutes to find out what she wanted.
“Just five minutes.”
“Thank you.”
He walked to the door and held it open for her. He greeted the women in the office. The older woman of the three regarded Oliva with curiosity and suspicion. Oliva nodded to them with a frozen smile on her face and followed him to his inner office. He sat in his chair and waved her to the seat in front of his desk.
“Now what’s this all about?”
“I want to work for you.”
He let out a sigh tinged with slight exasperation.
“Miss, we have a Human Resource office down on the first floor. They handle all job inquiries.”
Blinding Mirror Page 7