Maple Ridge

Chapter 42

Fiona Anderson

"What is it?" I ask Julian, looking up at him in confusion. I had never seen him this serious before. He is always in a joking mood normally, making someone or the other laugh.

But right now, there was no amusement on his face.

"I need to tell you something. I can't keep it a secret any longer. I have kept in too long," he says, his voice breaking a little at the end and I sat up straight, suddenly serious too.

"What happened? Tell me," I say, keeping a supporting hand on his thigh.

"You remember what I told you about my family? On the day we went to the coffee shop?" he asked and I nodded my head.

"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth then. I just told you parts of it, half-truths that I have been telling everybody, keeping the actual truth hidden. But I need to tell you now."

"I told you that my dad lost his job and that's why he became an alcoholic, but that's not entirely true. The real reason was that he found out about mama's real background." He took a little pause, before continuing, "Mama, she was part of a Mafia. Back when she was in Spain. But she came to America to leave it all behind, escaping from her family somehow. And she was successful in keeping her past a secret for a long time, but her keeping secrets was what broke my parent's relationship. And I never want that for myself, exactly why I need to tell you this right now." He paused for a second, then continuing, "The shock that my dad got was too much for him. It was more due to the fact that mama's family had finally found her again, after 15 years. Dad did not receive all this well. He turned to alcohol, and as I previously told you, he became abusive. That's why mama had to come here, to California with my sister and I. To run away from her family again." With that he finally took a breath. I looked at him with empathy, knowing exactly what it felt like to get to know that you were missing a major part of your parent, of your mom.

"That was part of the reason I agreed to join the agency when I got the offer. I felt like I would help someone else like mama, by finally putting an end to all these Mafias." He said in a whisper.

"Thank you for telling me," I whisper back, knowing how much it took you to confide in a person about your past.

He gave me a small smile. Not saying anything. Right then, I suddenly remembered our last month together. Our last few months in the agency, and I felt like I could really trust. Like trust him with my life trust him. And if I could trust him with my present life, then why not my past.

I take a deep breath, "I- I have to tell you something too," I say, still feeling just a little unsure.

He looked up at me with surprise, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I never told you, or anyone here at the agency about why I really joined. I wasn't really recruited like everybody else you know, since I joined college after coming to the agency."

"What? Then how?" he asks me, looking surprised, probably about the fact that he didn't think about me joining college after I joined the agency.

"My mom. She was an agent here. Before me." I say in a low voice.

I hear him whisper back, "Was?" and I nod. "I am so sorry baby" he says, pulling me in for a hug, and I gratefully take it.

"She- she was murdered." My voice cracks and I hear him take in a sharp breath. "A few days ago, I found out that it was someone from the agency only. A friend of hers."

He stays silent as I recount everything to him. Pouring my heart out. Telling him everything about how I found out about most of it from a person that I don't even know. From a person, who I had only seen letters from.