by T. K. Chapin
“Don’t be a fool, Jax! It’s a brothel! She has track marks up and down her arms! She was on drugs and was used as a prostitute. Before this, she was most likely a virgin. I refuse to be the one who tells her she lost her virginity in a brothel during her drugged-out phase as an enslaved prostitute. That isn’t right. Let the blessing be a blessing to her.”
Shaking my head, I took a step back. I was disappointed in Rick. “Even when the truth hurts, people deserve the right to know.” Pausing for a moment, I wiped a hand over my face and then continued. “You know, I’ve looked up to you a lot over this last month, but right now, I’m disappointed. I won’t tell her, but I won’t be a part of this anymore. I’m on the first flight out of here tomorrow. You can stay the extra two days and help Jose with the roof.”
I started for the door and he caught my arm, turning me around to face him.
“God wants it this way or He wouldn’t have taken her memory, Jax.” His eyes pleaded with me, wanting to force me to believe it so then he could.
Shrugging indifferently, I said, “I wouldn’t be so fast to slap God’s will on any of this situation.”
Pulling away from him, I left the kitchen. As I walked past the table, my heart flinched as I noticed Chelsea purposely not look my way. She was scared of me and it broke me like nothing else in the world could. Leaving tomorrow morning was the best thing I could do for the both of us.
Chapter 43 - Chelsea
THE NEXT MORNING, I was requested by Pastor Jose in his office while Rick and Ezekiel went to drop Jax off at the airport. Finding his office door open, I knocked lightly and then came inside his office.
“Chelsea.” A grin from ear to ear gave a clear indication that he had a fondness for me. “Sit, sit.”
“Thanks.” I took a seat in front of his desk and noticed a pile of paperwork on his desk.
He caught me looking at it. Pointing to it, his gaze met mine. “Lots of paperwork. Listen. How are you feeling? We at church look for you long time. Pray long time too.”
“I’m okay. Still a headache off and on, but okay. Thank you so much for letting Rick and Jax stay here to find me. I could never thank you enough.” Touching my hands to my chest, I shook my head. “You’ve done so much!”
My new pre-paid cellphone Rick picked up for me this morning, began buzzing. Slipping it out of my pocket, I saw it was my parents returning my phone call. Excusing myself, I said, “I’d better take this call. It’s my parents.”
“Yes, Go.” Smiling, he shooed me out into the hallway to answer the phone.
“My baby girl!” my dad cried into the phone. “I can’t believe it! You’re alive!”
My mother’s voice joined his on the phone. “Thank God you’re safe, Chelsea!”
I could hear my dad’s concerned words over my trip to Mexico ringing in my ears like a resounding gong. He was right and I felt horrible.
Tears streaming down my cheeks, I said in a broken and cracking voice, “You were right, Dad. The whole time.”
“No, Chelsea. I wasn’t. What you did going down there was brave, braver than anything I could ever do. I was only a coward. I’m glad you’re safe now, but I wasn’t right about anything, baby girl.”
“When are you coming home, dear?” my mother asked, sniffling as she did.
“Two days.”
“We will be there,” my dad said, drawing emphasis to the word we.
Seeing Rick had returned from the airport and was heading into the kitchen, I decided to go ask him about Ezekiel. I knew the child’s name, but I had no idea why he was staying at the church or the connection to Rick. “I’m excited to see you two. I’ll call you back later today. Love you.”
I hung up with my parents and headed toward the kitchen.
“Who is Ezekiel?” I asked as I saw him pouring a cup of coffee.
Placing the coffee pot back onto the heating pad, he turned around and took a drink and then said, “He’s a kid you and Jax befriended when we were out inviting people to the park. He’s staying here at the church until Jax gets his adoption papers all sorted out.”
My heart flinched. Adoption? Jax? Maybe it was the fact that I thought he had been my abductor when I first came alert, but up until this point, I hadn’t had one good feeling about Jax outside of his good looks. Every time conversation circled around him, though, my heart would race. I was beginning to wonder if maybe my ill feelings toward Jax were misplaced.
Chapter 44 - Jax
LANDING IN SPOKANE, THE WHEELS of the airplane touched down against the pavement of the runway but my heart still felt over 2,500 miles away in Guadalajara. I spent the entire plane ride thinking of only one thing—Chelsea. More emotional than I cared to be, I was a wreck. The food they served me on my flight tasted plain, and I didn’t get any sleep last night or in the air.
Pulling down my carry-on from the overhead compartment, I fell into line to depart the plane. My whole being didn’t feel right. Everything felt … wrong. Exiting through the security gate, I was feeling somber as I walked. Then lifting my gaze, I was pleasantly surprised.
Kirk was waiting for me and even had a cheesy sign he was holding with my name on it. He was laughing and so was I on my approach.
“You didn’t have to come inside, man.”
Shaking his head, he dropped his sign and hugged me. Another unexpected event.
“No way. I know you’ve gotta be hurting like crazy about this girl.”
Furrowing my eyebrows, I was confused by his comment. Did he know about my feelings for Chelsea? That was impossible. I hadn’t told a soul. Unless somehow, he had spoken to Jonathan or Valorie.
As we started over toward the luggage carousel, I got the nerve to ask. “What do you mean by ‘hurting like crazy about this girl’?”
He shrugged. “Really? The fact that she was kidnapped, drugged, and held hostage in a brothel for a month. That was your client, your job. You failed. By the way, are the police doing anything about it?”
“Geez don’t pull any punches on the account we’re friends.” I felt embarrassed. Nodding, I said, “Yes. They caught all who were involved already.”
He patted my shoulder. “That’s great. God works in wild ways, man. He will work this all out for her, I’m sure. And you know what, Jax?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I’m proud of you for staying down there and looking for her. Most wouldn’t do that for a client.”
Stopping, I turned to him. “Honestly, Kirk, I love her. And she used to love me, but she forgot.”
Leaning forward, he asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, and let me explain—”
He raised a hand. “No need. I understand. It happens in our work.” It took him a moment, but then it all must’ve clicked into place upstairs. “Wait. So, she doesn’t remember you and her?”
“Right.”
“Oh, brother. That’s brutal.” His voice was somber, and he grabbed my backpack from my shoulder and dropped it on the floor beside us and embraced me in a full-on hug. Neither he nor I were the hugging type, but this situation was different. “I am so sorry.”
His friendship and kindness were what I needed in the moment. Knowing he was now in the ministry full-time, I felt like it was a God-given divine appointment that he was the one who was available to pick me up that afternoon.
Chapter 45 - Chelsea
TWO DAYS LATER AND NO new memories, Rick and I boarded an airplane back to the states. We had waited the two days because of the Pastor needing Rick’s help with a roof repair. Sitting in a window seat as our plane climbed in altitude, I looked down on the city of Guadalajara with a wanting in my heart. I wanted the memory of witnessing on the streets to come back to me. I wanted the memory of serving down at the shelter, and most of all, I wanted to know what had happened while I was missing.
Staring down at my arm later in the flight, I analyzed the supposed bug bites. I smoothed my fingers over the bumps and closed my eyes, praying earnestly.
God, let me remember. Rick had told me they were simply bug bites, but I wondered if that was true. I’ve had bug bites before and I don’t ever recall them looking like these did. As I opened my eyes, I felt uneasy. It was the same uneasy feeling I’d been having for days since I came awake. There was a feeling within me, a need for something I did not know, and then the headache would return like a violent rushing wind.
Leaning my head against the window, I covered my eyes with one of my hands.
“You okay?” Rick asked, gently tapping my shoulder.
Lifting my head, I looked at him. “Another headache.”
“I’m sorry. Are you excited to get home?”
Shrugging, my gaze turned to the window and the clouds we were flying over. “I guess. Maybe the American doctors can tell me what’s wrong.”
After we landed in Spokane, my parents took me straight to the hospital from the airport. They didn’t trust the doctors in Mexico any more than I did and were worried about me. As I sat in a hospital gown at Sacred Heart, I took a moment alone before letting my parents back into my room. Folding my hands, I prayed with tears running down my cheeks.
“I feel broken, God.” My bottom lip trembled, my heart feeling weak. “I feel lost and it’s like You’re a million miles away from me right now.” Opening my eyes, I let the tears fall for a moment longer, then wiped them away. “I don’t know what has happened to me, but I pray You heal me and Your will be done. Amen.”
Getting down off the hospital bed, I opened the door.
“What happened to your arms?” my mother asked. She didn’t see them prior to now due to the winter coat I was wearing when they picked me up.
“Rick and the doctor in Mexico said they were bug bites.”
Shaking her head quickly, she said, “No. Those aren’t bug bites, dear.”
My heartbeat raced. Touching my arm, I looked at my mother. “What are they?”
My dad, with tear-filled eyes—something I never saw—said, “Track marks. They come from shooting drugs.”
Lips trembling, a deep-seated fear tore through me as betrayal settled into my soul. “How could Rick keep this from me?”
“I don’t know,” my mother replied, placing her arm around my shoulders and glancing up at my dad.
My dad added, “We weren’t sure if we should believe Jax when he told us on the phone. That’s why we brought you to the hospital, for the truth.”
The thought of someone forcing drugs into me caused an uneasy feeling to come over my entire being, filling me to the brim. More questions clouded my thoughts at the new revelation. The unknown terrified me more than the truth. What else had happened in Mexico that I didn’t know about?
“What else did Jax tell you?” I asked my dad, looking at him.
He shook his head and his bottom lip began to quake.
Chapter 46 - Jax
WINSTON ARRIVED BACK IN TOWN four days after I did. He was on vacation in Florida with his wife, Marie, to visit their son and his family. We promptly met at the WIN offices the following morning. After all that had happened, I wasn’t sure about my future as a bodyguard for WIN.
Knocking on the office doors, I rubbed my hands together to regain some of my warmth from walking across the parking lot outside. I was still trying to get used to the winter.
Wheeling up to the office doors, he unlocked it and let me inside.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound chipper.
He shook his head. “It’s morning, you got that part right. It’s too cold up here in the north!”
“I have to agree with that.”
We went down the hall and into his office. As I entered behind him, I couldn’t help but notice his Bible out and opened.
“Where you reading at?” I asked.
“James. Just read in Chapter two, one of my favorite verses. Nineteen. It says, ‘You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.’” He paused, shaking his head, then continued. “So many people out there ‘believe in God’ and believe it’s enough to get them to Heaven. It’s sad.”
“It really is. You gotta have Jesus and live your life right. Follow the rules.”
“Almost. Salvation is a free gift of God, made available through Jesus Christ alone. There are no rules you can follow to earn your way to Heaven.”
“So what? You can do whatever you want?”
“Of course not! God has always desired our hearts, not our sacrifices. When Jesus is your Lord and Savior, those works and ‘rules’ are followed as a natural result of the new creation you are in Christ Jesus.”
Raising an eyebrow, I nodded. “That’s true. I knew that, but I never thought about it being a result of the new creation in us.”
He arrived behind his desk and I took a seat across from him.
“Anyway, let’s talk.” Bringing his hands up on the table, he leaned forward. “How are you, Martinez?”
“Good.”
“C’mon. It’s me.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I relaxed into my seat as everything that transpired scrolled through my mind like a fast-flipping Rolodex, the joy, the pain, and ultimately, the sorrow. “Honestly, I’m upset.”
“Understandable. I couldn’t imagine what you’ve been through.” Taking off his reading glasses, he leaned back, eyeballing me as he did. “She’s going to be okay. I talked to her father last night. The doctors in Spokane confirmed all the fears we suspected happened in Mexico. Drugs and prostitution. I guess her dad told her yesterday at the hospital and that Rick had lied about it all to her.”
Nodding, I wrung my hands as I stared at the carpet fibers of the office floor. She knows now. My heart was broken for her.
“You knew he lied?”
Lifting my gaze to Winston, I confirmed his statement. “Yeah, but sir, that’s why I left when I did. One of the reasons, anyway.”
“One of the reasons?” His interest was piqued.
“I know it’s unprofessional, but I have to be honest with you. I had feelings for her.”
He paused, then asked, “Was it mutual?”
“Yeah.” It was hard to say, but I hoped he’d be understanding.
“That’s a fireable offense, Martinez. But I don’t have to tell you that. You did the right thing leaving when you did. It was mature to let her ride back with Rick and not try to force the feelings on her.”
Standing up, I shook my head. “I thought that too, but it doesn’t feel right. I’m sick about it. I can hardly sleep, eat, or do anything without her being right there on my mind every step of the way.”
“You know what it sounds like? Love.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. She doesn’t remember me and I don’t think she will.”
“Get back in your Bible, Martinez.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shuffling papers on his desk, he pulled a piece of paper out from a stack and put his reading glasses on. “Take some time off and get plugged in at your church. Get your mind off her, off all that has happened. You’ve been through a lot too.”
“Do I still have a job?”
Taking off his glasses, he set the paper down on his desk and looked straight at me. “Honestly, I don’t know this time.”
“Thank you for your honesty.”
As I left WIN that day, my depression was pushing against the gates of my mind, heart, and soul. I wanted to spiral, to lose all control, but I continued to resist.
Chapter 47 - Chelsea
AFTER WALLOWING IN THE SADNESS that was revealed to me at the doctor’s, I decided to get out and reach out to people who had accompanied me to Mexico. Maybe through conversations, I could learn more about what happened and it could jog my memory, bringing it all—or some—back to me. First on my list—Jonathan. The last memory I had of him was when he told me he and Valorie had become girlfriend and boyfriend. I learned from Rick that they both had come on the trip to Mexico.
“I’m so happy to see you alive,” Jonathan said as
we embraced in front of Milo’s coffee shop downtown.
“Aw, thanks.”
He opened the door and we went inside. We got into line to order coffee. “Valorie will be here shortly. She’s excited to see you.”
The memory of the heartbreaking news about their getting together was still fresh on my mind since to me, it had just happened. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear she was coming to join us for coffee, but I dealt with it. Smiling politely, I said, “Can’t wait. What can you tell me about the trip?”
The line moved, our feet shuffling forward. He let out a big sigh and shook his head. “A lot happened. What do you want to know? It was a blast until that crazy day at the park. I couldn’t believe it when Jax broke the news to me and the others about your going missing.”
“Yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Great bodyguard, right?”
Jonathan pulled his head back, surprised by my comment. “That’s not what I meant. He was a really good bodyguard to you. You really don’t remember anything about him?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm.” Arriving at the counter, we ordered our coffees and an extra one for Valorie. Taking a seat at a table, Jonathan told me about the days we went out inviting people to church and the day we met the boys at the basketball court.
Valorie showed up and immediately hugged me, much to my surprise. “First off, glad you made it home! Second, thank you so much for that little chat in the kitchen. It’s really helped me and Jonathan to be more open and communicate. Who knows if we’d still be together right now if not for you?”
“What?” Shaking my head, I was confused as to what she had been speaking about.
Jonathan leaned toward Valorie as she took a drink of her coffee. He attempted to be quiet, but I could still hear him. “I didn’t tell you? She doesn’t remember anything from the trip.”
“Oh. What?” Her cheeks were rosy red. It was easy to see she was embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“I’ve just been telling her about the trip. She’s trying to help the memories come back. The doctors said it might return if she talks about what went on.”