Lost Her (Lost #1) Page 5

She throws her head back with a deep laugh, “How do you plan on cooking that? On the charcoal grill near her front door? Livi does not have an oven.” I think to myself and I am angry that Rosalie is correct with the no oven in the house. Rosalie noticed my look of defeat and she offers me a solution, “Ryan, I will let you use my ovens, but you have to make 2 trays for me to serve for Sunday dinner specials.”

  I nod in excitement, “That is a deal and you like lasagna?”

  She nods over and smiles, “Yes, when I lived in the States, we used to like to go to Olive Garden for their Lasagna Classico. That is very yummy.”

  I look at my phone again at my list then turn to her, “Us too with the kids, we used to go to Olive Garden all the time. I got lazy and overwhelmed with my career that I stopped cooking. Livi’s always raved about my cooking as if it were a big treat and said that I made the best lasagna.” I can see why Livi is so attached to this woman; she has a lot in common with us.

  “Take sausage off your list, I have pounds in the freezer. You just need to take it out of the casings,” she replies, “Also, Livi told me to take you to the money exchange first. You need to pay in our currency or you are going to get taken when paying with dollars.” Rosalie is playing with the radio in the truck trying to tune in music. She gets disgusted turning off the static. “I guess we are not close enough yet to get music,” she grimaces.

  “How long is the drive?” I ask noticing how slow we are going.

  “It is about eighty-eight kilometers to Mercado Central in Limón or for you Americans, fifty-five miles. Roughly about three hour drive as longs as we do not encounter road hazards,” she studies the gauges in the truck.

  “Three hours, let me drive! We will get there much faster.” I look over to Rosalie with a shocked expression on my face.

  She bellows out a huge shocking deep laugh, “Ah no, I saw the way you drove up in Livi’s truck today. You are hard on vehicles and here you must watch road to make sure your tire stays on the rim until you reach the highway. Extra tires are hard to come by and this truck has to last until your next child is born.”

  My heart just sank with that American cliché, “There will be no next born for us. When Briar became a terror at 4 years old a lot like Livi’s earthy country good ole boy brothers, we knew that we had our hands full. With the stress of the child terrors and our careers, we only had one release and that was sexually in our bed. We both got fixed to guarantee no more accidental babies.”

  Rosalie grunted and sounded like she disagreed with our decision, “That is very sad. Livi never told me. Maybe she is more private than I thought. I am sorry, I never factored in age for you both either. I always look to Livi as being decades younger than me with plenty of time, but I do know that we are only about twenty years apart.” I nod, but not sure what I am agreeing to.

  We drive in silence until we hit the highway. Then my phone lights up like a Christmas tree with all the e-mails, text messages and voicemails coming in. My father-in-law must have called 80 times since I have been in a dead zone. I am too worried to phone him back. I am not sure what Katie has told him or anything about Livi moving on with a surfer boy.

  Just as I switch over to read e-mail, my phone rings and the caller ID is working. It is Katie, so I answer. “Katie, what is going on? Are you doing well?”

  She shrieks, “Daddy, Daddy, I am with Grandpa. He is going to send out the hit men if you do not return his calls. Grandpa is cursing you out at this moment.”

  I laugh fully knowing Livi’s dad is a piece of work. “Honey, you know it is a dead zone where Mommy lives. I am going to the market with Rosalie and we just came into phone range.”

  “Ah yea, so I know. Shopping Daddy, really? You do not shop! So how is Mommy doing with her blonde Parker friend? Are they dating?” sounding muffled like she does not want to be overheard by Grandpa.

  I laugh, “You are such a freaky drama queen. Your mother is not shacking up with the surfer boy. He might have wanted to, but mommy loves me. You’re silly to get me all upset to come down here. I will deal with you when I come home. Let me speak with Grandpa now, please.”

  Katie responds meekly, “Daddy, please call Grandpa on his phone. You are going to run up my minutes.”

  My blood pressure soars. “I pay your phone bill; just put Grandpa on the phone now!”

  Katie whispers in to the phone, “Okay, so don’t yell at me when you get the bill. I love you.”

  I hear muffling in the background and a heated Henry speaks, “That you Ryan? What the hell is going on down there? You better not be hurting her or threatening divorce again. Katie told me everything. I am coming down there. Olivia needs me and I need to see my little girl.”

  Now I have to tread lightly or Henry will be on the first plane down here, “Livi is doing really good and she is so happy. She is teaching and has a very small home. I love her as always and I am only doing what is best for her.”

  He speaks into the phone quietly so only I can hear, “Margret left me. She was mad that I will not travel with her and let my children live their own lives. I can never turn my back on my family. Katie told me where you both are and I am coming down.”

  “Sure, wonderful, but Livi’s home is smaller than your kitchen back home,” I fade out as Rosalie grabs my knee.

  She speaks assertively, “I have extra rooms in my home. Livi’s dad can stay with me while you are doing work on your marriage. She needs a support system right now on her own grounds.”

  I faded out to what Henry was saying but then I interject, “Henry, come on down. A good wonderful friend of Livi’s just said you can stay in in a room at her home.”

  Henry’s voice became uplifted as he spoke, “I will see you both in a few days. Can you pick me up from the Limón International Airport?”

  I look toward Rosalie for approval, “Yes, as long as you e-mail me your flight plan within the next 4 hours. If I do not send back an e-mail response, just keep resending until I do. The cellular towers are not very good down here.” I know that Henry, Livi’s dad is this very well-connected retired State Attorney General. He will be on a flight first thing in the morning. Henry says a quick final word as he normally does and the phone goes silent. I put my phone down in my lap and Rosalie looks over to me with such caring eyes.

  “Very good, her father is coming down to make sure you save what you have grown all these years.” I laugh, knowing that Rosalie means the best.

  “His woman of almost thirty years dumped him for being too family oriented. She waited for him for so long and to break the tie now. Henry will not have her to grow old with. I feel for her, I really do. She was a really nice lady to help this man raise his children after his wife passed away in a car crash. You would feel or think she knew him and how he is always going to be there for his kids.” I trailed off. Rosalie only nodded since she already internally knew the pain too well herself. I do not know too much about Rosalie, but she seemed to have taken to Livi and her family.

  “I feel sad for him too, for them both,” she sighed.

  We drove the rest of the way in silence until we draw closer to the city. We stopped at the bank so I could exchange some money then off to the market. Rosalie is laying down ground rules while driving over to the market. As to where to meet if I get lost from her and areas to stay away from if we do get separated. I pretty much knew I was going to stick to her like glue since I do not know the language. Rosalie parallel parks that big box truck on a side road like a professional driver. She locks up the truck and we start walking. We turn the corner and I see the market. It reminds me of the Paterson Farmers Market that my mom would drag me to all the time as a kid and smelled quite the same too, that sour milk and rotting fruit smell.

  I followed Rosalie into a packaged foods store which also sold pasta. As Rosalie is waiting for her order to be rolled out, I start to gather my ingredients for my dinner. I find almost everything I need including foil pans. I go to check out and the man rings up everything. H
e speaks to me in Spanish and I call over to Rosalie for help. She swings her long pony tail over her shoulder laughing as she walks over to help me settle my bill. “Ryan, maybe you should be purchasing a program to learn the language. Give him those two bills,” she points to my money. I smile and hand the money to the man. Rosalie speaks to him in Spanish and they are laughing. I know that they are laughing at me. I should download a program to learn Spanish. Rosalie is right about that fact if I plan on living here. The long flat cart comes out of the back. Rosalie gestures to the door as I push the cart down the street back to the truck. We load the truck and return the cart. We hit a few other places and I find almost everything that I want. Rosalie turns to me, “What else do you need?”

  “I would like to purchase a coffee maker like I had at home that grinds the beans and brews the coffee, a Grind and Brew,” I say with doubt of finding one.

  “I know just the place to get one of those and you will also need little creamers and beans,” she smiles. I follow her into an appliance store and I see many things I would like to purchase. I buy the coffee maker and internet Wi-Fi signal booster. “Any other items that you need?” Rosalie asks.

  “Yes, liquor store,” I respond.

  Rosalie grimaces turning to me, “That is an insult. Is my liquor not good enough for you?”

  “No, I mean yes. I just want to get a few bottles of some amazing red dry wines for Livi. She loves a good spicy red with her Italian food,” I smile back at Rosalie.

  “What is wrong with my red wine?” she states again. “Rosalie that is cheap stuff you sell. I bet you Livi does not even drink it, am I right?” I chuckle.

  “You may be right. She has only had wine once since I know her,” She shows me in to another store. I shop around and find everything I need. I even grab the largest bottle of the best 30-year old single malt scotch whiskey I can find. We walk out of the store and head back to the truck.

  As we drive away from the city, I think to myself how nice it is to live in desolation. Rosalie hums along with the Latin music on the radio. I nod off until we turn off the highway on a bumpy road. I wake up thinking to myself that we have about an hour and a half on this road before we get back to the Cantina. She turns off the static on the radio and she asks me questions about how I knew Livi was the one for me. I tell her only the basics about meeting in college and Livi was the quiet type not having any female friends. But then, I die off the conversation thinking back to the first time I met her crazy family. My parents and my sister went away for Thanksgiving. I could not join them since I had daily practice for the hockey season starting up. Livi felt bad and invited me to her house to have dinner with her family. I had not met them yet since we were only dating for 2 months. She warned me that her older brothers were uncivilized and were completely into football. She also warned me that she, as well as her dad, loved hockey, but they were not into the same NHL team that I liked. I guess that was her way of warning me to not talk sports.

  She drove up to the college the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and picked me up in a beat up old pickup truck. I hopped in with a small bag since I was staying over for two nights. “What is this truck?” I asked kind of grossed out over how dirty it was.

  She smiled, “It is my dad’s truck. My brother blocked me in the garage, so I could not get out. I grabbed the keys for the truck. I love this old truck, great memories growing up fishing and camping with this truck.” I just nodded and I started to think about what I got myself into for the next few days. I really was not prepared to be farming it or whatever they do out there. We drive up route 23 and get off the jug handle for a town called Kinnelon. We turn down a road that has no houses but all woods. She stops at a security gate punching in a code, and then the gate opens. We drive in to a heavily treed area and down a paver stone driveway to a sprawling estate on a lake. I keep staring at the house and the views. She parks the truck taking the keys out of the ignition. “Are you ready for the mayhem?” she asks me looking completely nervous. I only can nod. “Ryan, I have to tell you that I never brought home any guys that I was dating. I was always afraid of what might happen. So I am saying sorry now if my brothers beat up on you or any other stuff that they put you through. Also, you have to sleep in the basement and I know my dad is going to lock you down there,” she says shyly getting out of the truck.

  All I can get out of my mouth, “I thought you lived on a farm.”

  She smiles, “A crazy farm, you will see.” We walk in to the house greeted by 7 German Shepherd dogs and there before me stands a tall man about six feet four inches in height. He is very familiar to me as he extends his hand to shake mine. Livi does the introductions and I notice that he is squeezing my grip tighter.

  Then it dawned on me and the words just come out of my mouth, “Holy shit, you are Henry McGraw, The State Attorney General. You had selected me for a full sports grant and law scholarship two years ago and made a special appearance at my Clifton High school graduation to hand me my diploma. I am sorry Sir, I am rambling.”

  He grinned at me like he was very pleased that I knew who he was, “Ah yes boy. I remember you. Funny how it is that you are here in my house with Olivia being her new friend,” sternly the words leave his mouth.

  Livi is beaming a smile ear to ear, “Ryan, you never told me about your scholarship?”

  “I am not one to brag,” still looking star struck. I can’t believe I am having Thanksgiving dinner with my idol.

  “Olivia, you better suit up if you are going to catch tomorrow’s dinner. Boy, have you ever hunted before?” He looks at me knowing my answer.

  “No Sir, never,” I state sheepishly.

  “Olivia, you will need to keep watch over him so your brothers who are out there with guns don’t mistake him for a deer. Olivia will be using a bow since she is going for a fresh kill turkey,” he nods with the most confidence in his daughter.

  We all go out in the woods and hunt. It only takes Livi 20 minutes to find her turkeys, shooting two birds. I am completely grossed out as she pulls out her arrows. We walk back to the house and into the garage. She does the unthinkable and begins butchering them right there in front of me. I get queasy passing out. When I come to, I am on the couch with a nice gentle older woman blotting my head with a towel. Then the pain flushes over me. I passed out and hit my head. Livi runs into the room and looks at me. She speaks very softly, “Margret, he is awake, very good. So what is the story going to be so he is spared the ridicule?”

  She laughs smiling, “He walked into a branch. That will work. Ryan, go with that story do you understand? These men are ruthless and will look for anything to tear you apart.” I just nod in an agreement.

  My thoughts are returning to the present, but I just keep smiling about how Livi always protected me to make sure her family accepted me. I never did that for her. I allowed my family to destroy her and put her down for being assertive, a forward thinker and independent as hell. I remember back to when we got pregnant with Katie at the end of the summer right before law school. My family had many choice words for her, but I never let them know exactly who Livi was or who her Dad was.

  The pregnancy was a medication accident. Livi was on the pill but had taken antibiotics for a sinus infection. We had no clue that the antibiotics would nullify her birth control pills. I was more afraid of her father being accepting, but he was completely supportive. My family on the other hand thought she was gold digging the soon-to-be-lawyer. They did not realize that she too was going to be attending law school at Seton Hall. We had a beautiful wedding all sponsored by her father. My family learned a few days before the wedding that she came from a superior family, but I was already disgraced by my family. I knew then Livi would never be accepted, she was just too different.

  I shake off my thoughts as Rosalie pulls up to the Cantina. We off load the truck and place my items in Livi’s truck. I take out the scotch and hand it to Rosalie. “Here, you will need this with Henry coming down tomorrow. I did receive
his flight itinerary e-mail; I just have not read it yet.” She takes the bottle from my hands and smiles. I head off into the kitchen to start preparing the food. I finished baking two trays of food and place one tray in the freezer. Rosalie walks in as I am washing up the pots.

  “Thank you for doing this for me. Now I can enjoy Saturday for Parker’s birthday outing. I was not going to go if I had to cook all day Saturday for Sunday’s family day.”

  I smile, “So why is this family day so important?”

  She looks at me, picking up a drying cloth and a pot, “The area families congregate here after mass. Many women drop off dishes for me to keep cold while we are at the church service. Then we all come back here and feast.”

  I look at her surprised. “I know I just got here, but I have not seen a church. Where is it?”

  She laughs, “In the school.”

  I look at her while she is smiling, knowing that I have a lot to learn and I simply reply with an “Oh.”

  I finish up and pack the food up into the truck. I head up the hill wanting to get ready for Livi to come home. I know I have some time since it will take her some time to walk home. I shower putting on fresh clothing and keep busy to set up the internet booster. I test it and it is working great. I go get my laptop and download my e-mails. It takes about 15 minutes and I read the flight itinerary for Henry. He will be here on Friday. Good, I have more alone time with Livi. Wait until I tell Livi that her father is coming down. I think she will be excited.

  Then I notice the time and she is not home yet with the dogs. I decide to jump in the Land Cruiser and drive to see what is keeping her. I get to the bottom of the hill and there is no sign of Livi anywhere. I go directly to the Cantina and find her sitting at the bar laughing with Parker and Rosalie. She is leaning on Parker and I feel a wave of jealousy come over me. I need to find out what is going on between them and take her back. I think to myself that she better not has eaten yet. That would ruin my surprise. I walk up to the bar and Rosalie smiles at me with a shrug. “Hey Livi,” I interrupt, “I was waiting for you at home and I have something special to tell you.”