“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound like any clicking went on.”
“I think he’ll be a nice guy to hang out with. I’m just not attracted to him in that way.”
“I thought you said you weren’t fenky-fenky.”
“I’m not but I still want to have that magnetic thing, like...”
“Like with Tyler?”
“Here we go.” Grace got into her car, started the engine and rolled down the window. “I did have a great time though. I know you had an even better one, Miss Fassy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Play innocent then. Kiss, kiss.” She turned her cheek to Sofia who gave her a peck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Drive carefully.”
Chapter 59
Much to Sofia and Lourdes’s displeasure, Isabella and Olivia became inseparable. Under her mother’s couture tutelage, Isabella’s former normal attire of casual clothes and plain business suits became a thing of the past. Her wardrobe now touted designer names such as Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana, and others. After her mother gave her some lessons, she was able to bear the strain of walking in high-heeled footwear by Christian Louboutin and Prada. Before, she rarely wore more than lip color and mascara, now she never left the house without being in full makeup.
On one hand, Sofia was pleased her sister was giving her appearance a much-needed boost. It was something she’d subtly hinted at for years. But on the other hand, this new Isabella was somewhat like a Stepford Daughter. It was as if she was turning into whatever she felt her mother wanted her to be. Sofia was confused as to why this type of behavior didn’t take place during Isabella’s teen years. It was odd that she would succumb to this “changing to please” as a grown woman.
Lourdes was unhappy because Isabella was monopolizing all of their mother’s time. Even though Lourdes knew her mother’s sudden expressions of maternal love were feigned and her mother was only buttering the bread for when Isabella received her inheritance it still annoyed her.
And she was none too happy with Isabella’s makeover. One thing she could always lord over Isabella was that she was more stylish and put together. Now, thanks to their mother, she was competition in that arena. Though Lourdes hated admitting it, the right makeup, hairstyle and clothing brought out a beauty in Isabella that had been hidden.
Sofia was pretty but Lourdes felt she had an advantage over Sofia because of her size. However, Isabella was slender too and now with a new image going on, Lourdes didn’t like it one bit. And to top it off she had a boyfriend whose family had the wealth she’d been seeking.
Something that caught Lourdes attention was how Isabella never mentioned Jeremy unless asked. From the beginning, she sensed Jeremy and Isabella’s relationship wasn’t all it appeared to be. It seemed so staged. She had felt the same way when Isabella introduced them to Ethan. She knew something was amiss and by happenstance she found out exactly what it was.
Olivia was going in for her plastic surgery the following Monday. She and Isabella went out to buy a few things for her stay at the after care facility. She had put off her surgery until the doctor she preferred was back in town from vacation. He was one of the top plastic surgeons in the country whose work had been featured on a popular makeover television show.
Lourdes stayed behind as usual and decided to go online to do what she and her mother called “research” where they looked up as much information as possible on potential rich mates. Her laptop was having trouble and the screen kept freezing up. Finally, after rebooting a couple of times, she gave up. As she walked through the dining room, she noticed Isabella had left her laptop bag on one of the chairs. Lourdes took the laptop out, propped it on the table and turned it on. She couldn’t help but look at Isabella’s files on her desktop.
“Let’s see here. Meeting notes, Landlord Percentages, Home Owner Association, blah, blah, blah. Wait. Zahira? Isn’t that the Iraqi, Lebanese, Pekinese girl from the spa? Let’s see what that’s all about.” She clicked on the document’s icon and opened it.
Lourdes eyes widened as she read the letter.
Dear Zahira,
This letter can in no way express how much I’m missing you right now. As hard as I try to keep myself occupied with other things, I can’t get you out of my mind or heart. I miss you. I miss your voice, your touch, your scent, your taste...You probably think I don’t give a damn about you when nothing could be further from the truth. All I want is for us to be together again. I want you to put my ring back on your finger and never, ever take it off again. I’m still wearing yours and I refuse to remove it because it symbolizes our love and commitment to one another.
Lourdes leaned back in the chair and folded her arms, chuckling to herself. I’ll be darned. My sister loves the ladies. I always knew there was something off about her and now I know what. The reason her boyfriends always seemed fake was because they were! I can’t wait to tell Mother this. No, on second thought, I’ll save this nugget of info for just the right time. This ammo is too good to fire off at any time other than the perfect time. The little lezzie has been hiding her true proclivities all this time. Oh my God!
Lourdes sat up straight again. A smile lit up her face.
I don’t have to tell Mother. But I can hold it over Isabella’s head! Obviously our mother is the last person she wants to know about this. I can work this in my favor. Lourdes you’re a fucking genius!
She found a wireless connection and clicked on the Internet icon. She went to her Gmail account, attached a copy of the letter and emailed it to herself. Just as she was about to turn off the computer, she got an idea. She opened up Outlook and went to addresses. She scrolled until she saw the name she was looking for and got up to get a pen and some paper to write down the contact information. She then decided to log back onto the Internet to make sure she received the email. Once she saw that she had she turned off the laptop and slipped it back into the bag.
“Oh, I think I’ll get my list together of all the things I want my dear sister to buy me in exchange for my silence. Mother isn’t going to be the only one enjoying pulling at her purse strings.”
Chapter 60
Lourdes was lounging on the couch flipping through an issue of Vogue magazine when she heard her mother and sister enter the house. They came through the door laughing and carrying nearly a dozen bags between them.
“Hello, sweetie pie.”
“Hi Mother. I see you two bought out the store again.”
“They had some magnificent things that we couldn’t pass up.”
“Mom, I got a couple of my bags mixed with yours.” Isabella took two of the bags and headed back outside.
“I’ll be right back.”
“All right, dear.”
Olivia proceeded to take the rest of the bags to her room. A minute or two later Isabella came back into the house. She was about to go look for her mother when Lourdes stopped her.
“You two sure have done a lot of shopping.”
“You were always so observant, Lourdes.”
Lourdes noticed that with her new look, along the way Isabella somehow picked up some of Sofia’s smart aleck ways.
“I need some things myself. Why just the other day I was at Lenox Mall and stopped in the Hermès store and quite a few things caught my eye. You could be a good sister and take me there and buy them for me couldn’t you?”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“To keep my mouth shut to Mother about you being a lesbian.” Lourdes batted her eyes in a look of innocence.
“What did you just say?”
“I think you heard me.”
The sisters stared each other down.
“I don’t know what kind of gossip you’ve picked up but I’m not a lesbian. I have a boyfriend.”
“You mean the boyfriend you never mention unless someone brings him up? I know that he’s just for show. Just like Ethan and just like the other boys before him.”
“You do
n’t know what you’re talking about.” Isabella started out of the living room.
“Dear Zahira. I miss your touch, taste, and scent,” Lourdes recited in a melodramatic tone as she clasped her hands to together and looked upwards.
Isabella stopped dead in her tracks.
“I want you to put back on my ring and never, ever, ever take it off again.” Lourdes glanced over at Isabella. “That’s not verbatim but you get the gist.”
Isabella looked to the dining room and her laptop bag in the chair. Right then she knew where and how Lourdes got her information.
“So, about that shopping trip, sis...”
Isabella turned around to Lourdes. “You’re despicable, do you know that?”
“How about tomorrow? Let’s say noonish.”
“This is blackmail.”
“On second thought let’s make it around two. I’m going to hang out at East Andrews tonight and will probably close it down so I’ll need to sleep in.”
“It’s your word against mine.”
“You really don’t give me enough credit. I didn’t just peek at your letter; I emailed a copy to myself. All I have to do is show it to Mother. The file path will show where it came from and that’ll be the end of that.”
“You’re such an evil bitch,” Isabella responded in a tremulous whisper.
“Oh come on, Bella Boop. We’ll buy shoes, clothes and other goodies. It’ll be such fun. Oh, you know what? Come to think of it, I’m going to need something to tool around the city in since my cars are back in LA and over in France.”
At that moment their mother walked through the dining room to the living room where they were.
“What are you two gabbing about?”
“We’re talking about our plans tomorrow. Isabella is going to take me shopping for a change.”
“Really?” asked Olivia with a raised eyebrow.
“I was just telling sis that we needed to spend some more time together and you know there’s no better way to do that than in the stores.”
Olivia was immediately suspicious. She knew her daughters could barely stand to be in the same room with one another much less spending time together.
“I was just telling Lourdes that I’m not sure if tomorrow is a good day or not. I have a lot to do.”
“But then she said she’s going to find a way anyhow. Isn’t that sweet of her, Mother? I told her I wanted to go to the shop where she and Jeremy bought their friendship rings.” She looked to Isabella. “Isn’t that right?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Two-thirty sound good?”
“Two-thirty is fine.”
Lourdes smiled triumphantly while Olivia wondered what was really going on.
Chapter 61
Sofia stood in her mother’s massive closet, amazed that one person could manage to accumulate so much clothing, shoes and accessories. Especially considering this wasn’t even a location they visited frequently to have so much stored. Fortunately, her mother’s outfits were color-coordinated which made it easier to find the one she wanted to leave the after-care facility in. She had forgotten to pack the outfit Isabella bought for her to come home in. Sofia found that silly since she was leaving to go straight home and not stopping by the Oscars. And just how did I get stuck with this task anyway? Sofia gathered the shoes, purse, and hat. As she was turning to leave out of the closet something caught her eye. The box. It was the little black velvet box she remembered seeing her mother store high in the closet on a couple of occasions.
Once, curiosity got the best of her, she got a chair and wrangled the box from behind other boxes. Much to her dismay it was locked. There was always such an air of mystery to the box and, as a child, she often fantasized about what secrets it held—everything from pirate’s treasure to something magical like a golden key that unlocked a fairy tale kingdom. The last time she saw the box was during a visit to the California home when she was twelve. Her mother found her holding it and snatched it from her hand, screaming at her to never touch it again.
Sofia went to put the items on the bed then went back to retrieve the box from the shelf. She carried it to the vanity table where she sat down and pondered a few moments whether or not she should do what she was thinking. Her curiosity got the better of her and she took a bobby pin from her hair.
She manipulated the lock for ten frustrating minutes before the latch popped open. She lifted the lid and took out the contents; high school awards for excellence in various classes, tarnished mood ring, a faded autographed photo of Leif Garrett, a birth certificate, and an old Polaroid of three people. Upon closer inspection, Sofia recognized the young girl in the middle to be her mother. This was the first picture she’d ever seen of her as a young girl. On one side of her was an older man who looked to be Hispanic or Native American, and on the other side, what appeared to be a very light-complexioned black woman. At the bottom of the card were their names, Inès, Oliva, and Alphonso. Sofia thought whoever wrote her mother’s name had made a slight misspelling. Then she went back to look at the certificates again. When she saw the name on the first one she furiously shuffled through the rest. They all said the same thing.
“Oliva Magdalena Delgado?!”
She stuffed the contents back in the box and fled the house with it, forgetting about the outfit she’d come to get for her mother.
Chapter 62
Isabella sat listening to her sister as she looked through the papers from the box. Sofia was pacing back and forth, agitated.
“Her name isn’t Olivia Machado! It’s Oliva Magdalena Delgado! She wasn’t born in Los Angeles, but Fresno. She’s actually three years younger than what she says she is. Lord knows the reason she upped her age. I know that must’ve killed her as the years wore on considering how vain she is.” She stopped pacing for a moment. “Did you look at the birth certificate yet?”
Isabella shuffled through the papers until she found it. After a minute she looked up at her sister.
“That’s right.” Sofia nodded and began to pace again. “Her parents are listed as Negro and White. I believe our grandfather was probably Mexican. I think that’s just how they classified Mexicans back then. I can’t believe this! She’s never had anything good to say about Mexicans or Blacks and it looks like she’s mixed with both. Self-hating shrew!”
“All this time Mother has lied to us about who she is?”
“No, Isabella. All this time she’s lied about who she is as well as us!” Sofia finally stopped pacing and took a place next to her sister. “I feel like I just found out I was adopted or something. The other half of who I thought I was is not real. We’re not part Portuguese.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“Remember how when we visited her she used to only let us play outside for short periods of time and we figured out later it was so we wouldn’t get dark?”
“Um-hmm.”
“I guess she didn’t like it because it was a reminder of our real ethnicity. One time we got so tanned she was furious and said we looked like little niggers. I’ll never forget that and Father really laid it into her when I told him about it. We might have grandparents and other relatives we know nothing about. It’s not likely they died in that plane crash like mother said they did.”
“She wouldn’t lie about them being dead, would she?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past her. Let’s get online and see if we can find out about our family and then we’re booking a flight.”
“Booking a flight? Where to?”
“To Fresno, of course.”
Chapter 63
Lourdes smoothed out her trench coat before stepping off the elevator to Jeremy’s penthouse apartment. He was standing in the hallway in front of his door. Lourdes put on a seductive smile as she slinked toward him. She kissed him on the cheek.
“I was surprised it was you waiting to be let in. How did you know where I lived? From Isabella?”
“Oh, I have my ways. Are you going to let me in
or are we just going to talk out here?”
“I’m sorry. Of course, come in.” Jeremy stepped aside so Lourdes could enter.
Lourdes sauntered in and was duly impressed with just the foyer alone and its marble flooring and painted mural. Jeremy walked ahead of her and waved her into the living area. The living room had floor to ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline. Lourdes took a seat on the couch. As she did so, she pulled aside the bottom flap of her coat and crossed her legs, giving him a generous look at her slender gams. A slight smile touched her lips as she noticed her legs had caught his attention.
“Can I get you anything, something to drink perhaps? I was about to make myself a martini.”
“A martini sounds good to me.”
Jeremy walked over to the bar across the room and retrieved an ice bucket.
“I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll be right here.”
Lourdes glanced around the room and did a mental tally of the cost of the artwork gracing the walls. I’ve really struck pay dirt this time. Not that I had any doubt seeing who his family is and all. I think I sized him up pretty well at dinner and I know the direct approach as opposed to the coy, hard-to-get one is better. And he’s not bad looking to boot.
Jeremy reentered the room and went back over to the bar and proceeded to make the martinis. He brought them over to the couch and sat next to Lourdes. She took the drink he handed to her and sipped.
“Mmm, it’s delicious,” she said, not taking her eyes off him.
“So, did Isabella tell you where I lived?”
“We already covered that. I told you I have my ways.”
“Are you sure she won’t mind you coming over here?”
“Who cares if she does?”
“We are seeing each other.”
“The jig is up on that, sweetie. I know you’re just a convenient cover for my sister so that our mother doesn’t suspect anything about her lifestyle.”
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