The Disappearance of Valentina Moreno

Chapter 22 ~ Reunited

The booth at the bar and grill squeaks underneath my thighs as I anxiously adjust them. I’m without my entourage, and across from me is Amelia, which I’m regretting. So far, this reunion is awkward. The menu in front of her is open, the edges clutched between her fingers, but she isn’t reading it. Instead, she won’t stop staring at me as I flick my gaze from her to the menu, hoping she’ll stop. 

“I’ll have the guacamole bacon burger with pepper jack cheese and wedge-cut fries,” I say to the waitress. “Oh, and a side of ranch.”

“And to drink?”

“A strawberry shake.”

“Excellent. And for you, ma’am?” She shifts to Amelia. 

“I’ll have the same.” She closes the menu.

The waitress walks away, leaving us in silence again, so I fidget with the paper wrapping on the straw for our water. As I fuss with it, Amelia’s stare burns into my forehead. I don’t know what to say or how to begin conversation. Do I tell her about life with my parents? Or should I wait for her to ask?

“I can’t believe how grown up you are,” she says, her English accented with a Spanish tone. “The last time I saw you, I could still carry you in my arms.”

“A lot of change happens in twenty years,” I reply, although I don’t know what I’m inferring, and my fingers fumble with the straw’s wrapping. So, I set it flat on the table and start rubbing my mother’s necklace instead.

“I noticed you like to touch that necklace a lot. Did he give it to you?” 

“Who?” My gaze darts to hers.

“Angelo. Did he give that to you?”

“It belonged to my mother,” I say, and right as the words leave my lips, they cut Amelia like a thousand lacerations to her face, and everything from her eyes to her mouth sags.

“I see.”

“She was a loving mother,” I whisper, but it’s probably the last thing Amelia wants to hear.

“Was?”

“She passed away when I was younger. She…” I take a breath. “Killed herself.”

“Must have been the guilt.”

“She suffered from depression!” I clip, my eyes flashing to her. “She was mentally ill.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, and I am sorry for your loss, but she stole you from me, so I have deep resentment. Rightfully so.”

We fall into silence again, and this reunion is not going well. It’s probably not what Amelia imagined either. She probably thought we’d fall into easy conversation and bond over a mother-daughter shopping spree and spa day. But I am not the daughter she once knew. I’m not even my father’s daughter anymore.

I am no one.

But I don't want to be lost, so now is the chance to discover who I am.

“Do I…” I swallow the lump in my throat, then clear it. “Do I look like my siblings?” 

“Yes.” Amelia straightens her posture, and there is already a flicker of light in her eyes. “Rosalinda looks more like Javier, and Lily looks more like me, but you…” She studies me as if I were a mosaic. “I see pieces of Javier and me.”

“Will I get to meet them?”

“Unfortunately, Rosalinda and Lily have school exams and can’t miss them.”

“And Javier?”

“Yes, well…” her gaze drifts to the table, and her voice is strained. “Javier is battling cancer, so he’s too weak to travel.”