Paradise Found

by Nancy Loyan

  “I believe so. Problem is, I hate to have to disrupt Justin’s life. After all, he views you as his mother and I don’t want to harm your relationship.” Victoria gripped her mug. “I came here seeking your advice. You know Justin better than me and would know what’s in his best interest.”

  “The boy can have two mothers.” Jovanna smiled, lips trembling.

  Victoria stared at her. “You’re willing to share Justin?”

  “I haven’t a choice. Justin isn’t an orphan. He has a mother who wants to be a part of his life. I cannot deny that. Justin is a teenager, almost an adult, and can make his own decisions. If he wishes to have a relationship with you, I cannot interfere.” She shrugged. “It’s up to Justin.”

  The kestrel had left its roost upon her mother’s home. Victoria knew it was a good omen. Just the sign she needed on the day she was set to introduce herself to Justin as his mother. She dressed with care, donning a simple sleeveless shift and flat sandals. Her hair was pulled back and knotted on top her head. She knew that teenagers paid little heed to what adults wore but she wanted to make an impression on her son. Her son. The reality of it made her tremble.

  She had cleaned her mother’s home until it sparkled. The scent from the chocolate brownies she had baked from scratch scented the air. A pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade was set on the kitchen counter.

  Looking at her watch, she knew that Jovanna would be coming by with Justin at any moment. They had thought it best that they meet at her mother’s home. For Victoria it was a more comfortable and familiar place. It was where she had grown up and where her childhood memories were. Memories she wanted to share with Justin, along with albums of photographs her mother had kept. She wanted him to get a feel for who she was and where she had come from. All the easier for trying to explain why she had gone and left him.

  Hearing Jovanna’s car, tires crunching outside the home, she swallowed hard. This was the moment she had eagerly anticipated and yet feared. Feared because she hoped Justin would understand.

  A knock rattled the door and voices mingled outside. Victoria straightened her dress, drew a deep breath for courage and approached the door. She opened it wide and waved the two inside.

  “Hello, and welcome to the Montcherry home,” Victoria said with a smile.

  Justin hesitated in the doorway before following Jovanna inside. Victoria couldn’t help but stare at the boy. He was tall, blonde and handsome. He could easily have passed as a California surfer boy. Like herself, his outward appearance revealed little of the Seychellois blood that flowed in his veins. He looked like a young Jacques LeGrande.

  “Ma mere told me that we all had something important to discuss,” Justin said, his gaze shifting from Jovanna to Victoria.

  “Yes, we do. First, have a seat,” Victoria said, pointing to the sofa. “I made some lemonade and brownies.”

  “So that’s what smells so good,” Jovanna added, a tremble in her voice. She sat and Justin sat next to her.

  Victoria went into the kitchen and, for a moment, leaned against the counter to take another deep breath. This more difficult than she had imagined. Gathering a tray of glasses of lemonade and a platter of brownies, she joined the two. After handing them each a glass and setting the platter on the cocktail table, she eased herself into a chair across from them.

  Jovanna was first to grab a brownie and Justin followed her lead.

  “These are great,” Justin said, perched on the edge of the sofa.

  Victoria could see how ill at ease the boy was. He seemed a bit confused as to the motive for being at her home. It was if he knew that something was going on. He sat very still and followed Jovanna’s lead on everything from when to sip his lemonade to when to bite the brownie.

  Victoria set down her glass and sat up straight. The small talk had over run its course. “Justin, you probably wonder why Jovanna brought you here.”

  Glancing at Jovanna, Justin said, “Because you’re friends.”

  “Yes, but there’s more. Jovanna’s agreed that I should discuss certain matters with you,” Victoria said, trying to sound confident while her heart raced.

  “Me?” Justin’s eyes grew wide and he tilted his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Justin, there’s a part of your life that I’m sure has been a mystery to you. I know that you’ve been raised an orphan and your parents have been unknown to you,” Jovanna explained, clasping her hands on her lap.

  “My parents are dead,” Justin said in a firm tone.

  “What if I told you that your mother isn’t dead?” Jovanna asked.

  “What if she has come back to become a part of your life?” Victoria added, staring at him but he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “My mother is dead. Dead.” He shook his head.

  “Justin, your mother is alive,” Victoria said, lips quivering.

  “How do you know? Who are you?” He stood to confront her, defensive, as if knowing what she was about to say.

  “I’m your mother,” Victoria admitted, tears misting her eyes. There, she said it and it was as if a cement block had been removed from her chest, a burden lifted.

  “No! No!” Justin curled his hands into fists at his side. His face turned an angry red and he scowled at her.

  Jovanna rose, placing an arm around the boy’s shoulders.

  “You lie! My mother is dead! Jovanna is my mother now!”

  “I don’t intend to take Jovanna’s place but I do want a place in your heart.” Victoria rose.

  “No!” Justin began to cry, shoulders heaving. He turned to Jovanna, "Take me away now. Take me away.”

  Jovanna stood firm, embracing the boy. “No, Justin. I want you to stay. You need to hear what Miss Montcherry has to say. Be a man, Justin.”

  Justin cleared his throat. “You’re on her side!”

  “There is no side in this thing. There’s just the truth. You’re at the age when you need to know the truth, Justin,” Jovanna explained.

  Justin slunk into the sofa, Jovanna next to him. Victoria eased herself into her chair, though she perched on the edge.

  “Justin, I am your mother,” Victoria said. “I grew up on this island, in this home. I’m Seychellois, through and through.”

  She cleared her throat and continued as Justin stared a hole through her. “At seventeen I fell in love with an American tourist. We had an affair but he left the Islands before I knew I was with his child. I had no idea where to contact him. I gave birth to the baby, though I wasn’t prepared to be a mother. I had lofty goals like college and life away from the islands. To achieve my dreams, I put the child up for adoption, thinking it best for all concerned.”

  “Am I the baby?” Justin asked, rubbing his nose.

  She nodded. “I was young and selfish. I never forgot, though. As I obtained an education and had a successful career that took me around the globe, I never forgot the son I left behind. I knew I had to come back. When I came back, a few months ago, I knew I had to meet you.”

  “Why?” He was staring at her through tears and she could feel his anguish.

  “Because you’re a part of me, a part of my flesh and blood.”

  He shrugged. “Why should I matter now? I grew up without you. Why do I need you now?”

  “Maybe you don’t need me but I need you.” She met his gaze, a gaze he held fast.

  “Why?”

  “Justin, I thought when I met you at the soccer tournament that would be enough. I thought I could live just knowing that you had turned out to be a son any mother would be proud of. I hesitated introducing myself as your mother. I could see how you love Jovanna and how content you are with your life. I was going to leave well enough alone.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Things happened. My mother, your grandmother Bessye Montcherry, who lived in this house, died unexpectedly. Later, I learned of my own father’s existence. After meeting him, I knew what solace there was in meeting my father. It meant more to me than I thought
it ever would. I thought, perhaps, you needed to learn of your heritage as well."

  “Wait, I had grandparents here and they never saw me, either?” Justin looked as if he were about to spring from his seat.

  “Your grandmother had felt it best to keep her distance because of me and circumstances. She was very proud of you.”

  “My grandfather?”

  “You see, I am the illegitimate daughter of Bessye and Jacques. I never knew of Jacques LeGrande’s being my father, your grandfather, until Bessye’s death,” Victoria said.

  “Whoa, my grandfather’s the famous French writer?” Justin’s gaze grew wide, stunned.

  “Yes.” Victoria let out an audible sigh. She had a difficult enough time keeping her facts straight and thought it commendable that Justin could make sense of it all.

  “This must be terribly confusing for you, son,” Jovanna said, placing a protective arm around his trembling shoulders.

  Justin nodded. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I have photo albums, if you’d like to see them. It may be one way for you to become acquainted with the past,” Victoria offered.

  “No,” Justin said, standing. “I have a past and it doesn’t include you or your family. I have my own family with ma mere and my siblings.”

  “Please, Justin, I am your family, too,” Victoria pleaded.” You’re my flesh and blood.”

  “I don’t care whose blood I have. You’re not the one who raised me. You’re not my real mother,” he spat out the words and rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind.

  Victoria felt as if the door had been slammed in her face, and into her heart.

  Chapter 23

  After football practice, Justin lingered. He approached Coach Wells. “Mr. Wells can I discuss something with you? It’s important.”

  “Sure,” Daemon said. He had observed that the boy wasn’t himself today. Justin had been quiet, lost in remote thoughts. Even his game was off. There seemed to be an unusual lack of energy and aggression in his moves. Daemon had brushed it off as a symptom of puberty but apparently there was more.

  Justin sat on a wood bench on the sidelines of the grassy football field. Daemon joined him, meeting the boy’s tearful gaze.

  “I trust you to keep a secret,” Justin said. “You’re the only one I can talk to. I’m sure you’ll understand.”

  Daemon grinned. “Girl trouble, heh?”

  Justin shook his head. ”Mom trouble.”

  “Oh,oh, what has Jovanna done now?”

  “It’s not ma mere. It’s Miss Montcherry.”

  “Oh?” The mention of Victoria’s name made him sit up straight, his interest piqued. ”What about Miss Montcherry?”

  “She says that she’s my real blood mother.”

  Daemon gasped as if someone had socked him in the chest. He raked a hand through his hair, mussing it. Victoria? Blood mother? What the hell?

  “What are you saying?” Daemon stared at the boy whose face was flush.

  “The other day, ma mere drove me to Miss Montcherry’s home and Miss Montcherry told me that as a teenager she gave birth to me and put me up for adoption. She wanted to get away from here. I guess I would have been in the way.” Justin swallowed hard.

  Daemon placed an arm around the boy’s quaking shoulders as Justin broke into tears. Daemon shook his head. Victoria held more secrets than he could comprehend.

  He looked at the boy. How come he never saw it? The resemblance between Justin and Victoria was uncanny. The same chiseled features, blonde hair and light skin. Very few natives in the Seychelles resembled them, yet he hadn’t noticed. Interesting how one can see only what one wants to see.

  Victoria had a child. Not unusual in the Seychelles where teens have sex and children with regularity. Most keep their children, they don’t give them up. Of all the orphans on the island, hers had to be Justin. His beloved Justin. The boy Daemon had mentored like a son. This wasn’t fair.

  Justin looked up at him, swiping tears from his cheeks. “Didn’t Miss Montcherry tell you? You dated her.”

  “No, Justin, she never told me.” She hadn’t told him a great deal.

  “Do you know that her father is Jacques LeGrande?” Justin asked. “He’s my grandfather.”

  Daemon’s jaw dropped at the revelation. “No.”

  Interesting that Bessye Montcherry was LeGrande’s lover and that Victoria was their love child. Love children, he surmised, ran in the family.

  “LeGrande is a talented writer,” Daemon said, remembering how the man had appeared mysteriously at Bessye’s funeral. Now he knew the reason.

  “I told ma mere that I don’t want to live with Miss Montcherry or be a part of her life. I have a good life with ma mere, my siblings, and with you.”

  Daemon ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’ll always be here for you, Justin, no matter what. You know that. As for Miss Montcherry, don’t rule her out completely.”

  “I used to lie awake at night wondering where I came from, who I looked like, what past I had. Now I have the answers and it doesn’t matter. It’s just not important.” Justin shrugged. “What’s important is the love of those who raised me. The past is over and done. I never want to see her again.”

  “Never is a long time. Don’t say that. Life is too short and the past is an important part of who we are and who we become. You may be a bit too young to believe it but you will as you grow older. As for Miss Montcherry, I’m sure she has her reasons for what happened. We have to just trust her”

  Justin reluctantly nodded.

  Daemon lived most of his life alone, avoiding the soap opera like antics of those around him, only to meet a woman who put him in the center of one. First, she returns to the Islands with a hidden agenda of land banking and development deals, of joining forces with his father. Second, she has a son she gave up for adoption and after the passing years her maternal instincts all of a sudden kick in. Third, she’s the daughter of Jacques LeGrande, the recluse writer. What other secrets did the woman have?

  There was cruel irony in his life. He’s the man who fell in love with her. As strange fate would have it, the only other person he’d ever loved turns out to be her son.

  Victoria sat poring over photo albums in her mother’s home. She had set the leather bound volumes on the coffee table in front of her. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would leap from her chest. She couldn’t wait to share family history with Justin. Her son.

  Though the initial meeting hadn’t gone as well as she had hoped, Justin did learn that she was his mother. He had a biological grandfather as well. After having met her own father, telling Justin had been easier. She just hoped he would accept her as well as she had accepted Jacques. Le bon heure. In due time.

  The nausea that had been causing her distress was once again rising in her throat. She wanted to deny the feelings and the reality of what was physically happening. The last time she felt so wretched was when she was a teenager. Feelings of denial had been a part of her life than as it had become now. From past experience she knew that

  Denial wouldn’t work. In less than nine months, whether she wanted it or not, she would be giving birth to a baby. An illegitimate baby. History was repeating itself and there was nothing she could do about it. Except this time she wouldn’t give the child up for adoption. Of that she was certain. This child would be raised with all of her love and support.

  So far she was able to hide her secret. Shortly, that would be impossible. The thought of having to admit an out of wedlock pregnancy frightened her. Even though she lived in a society where unwed mothers were more common than not, having to openly admit that she was no better than a common island woman embarrassed her. After all, she was the woman who escaped island life and was worldly wise. She was supposed to be above island ways. How ironic that she would return to be no better off than she was when she left. Her mother was undoubtedly looking down at her shaking her head with an, “I told you so.”

 
; She looked at her watch. What interesting timing Daemon Wells had. He had called, asking her to meet him for lunch. In a few hours he would be hearing some interesting, life-altering news.

  Chapter 24

  Victoria sat across from Daemon at his favorite secluded table on the deck of the Shangri La. A mellow breeze blew up from the ocean, filtering the humid air

  with the scent of sea and sand. They had just exchanged pleasantries and Victoria pondered the right time, if there was such a thing, to tell Daemon the news. Having to inform a man that he was the father of her unborn child was one of the most difficult times of her life. Her decision was to keep and nurture the child regardless of his response. Of that she was certain.

  “Your drink order?” Daemon asked, taking her from her thoughts.

  Victoria glanced up at a waiter standing nearby. “Orange Seypearl,” she ordered.

  “Too early for alcohol?” Daemon asked with a tilt of his head. He ordered a scotch and soda.

  After the waiter left, Daemon crossed his hands on the table and gazed at her. “So tell me, Victoria, how is life as an employee of Eden Resorts?”

  “My position officially begins in two weeks, though I’ve been in the office reviewing my employment contract and paperwork and making preliminary plans. I have several trips scheduled.”

  “Has my father offered additional perks and benefits?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Only those afforded every executive in his employ.” She knew what he was thinking. After their last encounter, the elder Wells had remained at a distance. Their telephone conversations had been cordial yet professional.

  “I just don’t understand how you could accept such a position at Eden. Hasn’t your return to the Islands changed your opinion of development and the resort industry?”

  “As a matter of fact it has,” she began. She had been giving things a great deal of though lately. Being pregnant made her think of her children and their future. When she arrived, she had only herself to consider. “By being an insider at Eden, I have influence on all decisions regarding land acquisition and development. I do believe development and conservancy can work hand-in-hand. Perhaps, while developing one new resort on Mah’e, I can get Eden to donate land to the Vallee de Mai on Praslin.”