“He’d be around sixty-four years old by now. Who is to say?”
“He probably became a criminal attorney so he’d know how to defend himself when he got caught for killing poor Melisa.”
He smiled. “I really doubt that. But, you have such a wonderful imagination and wit.”
“Thank you, Kipp,” she said.
“For what? You are the one who brings me so much joy.”
“Thank you for making me feel so special and making me think about things, my life, my future.”
He hugged her close, hiding his concern.
If only Melisa stood up to her parents and found happiness with Ralph, maybe Adele could too.
* * * *
Zymon didn’t come home.
Adele slammed the fridge and threw her plastic dish into the sink. “I’m sorry, Dad, but I’m not opening the shop today. I told you and Zymon both that I had plans.”
“You know I can’t put in a full day.”
“I know. That’s why Zymon should have come home on time.”
Dad pushed his half-eaten plate of food away. “He had to wrap up a deal and get everything ready to ship.”
“He should have been doing that all week.” She twisted the tie on the bread and placed it back on the counter.
Dad coughed. “Does this have anything to do with Kipp Waterbury?”
She couldn’t lie to him. “He’s driving me to Provo to deliver some lost belongings accidentally left in a piece of furniture that recently came into the shop.”
“Adele, I have to be honest. I’m not happy about this Waterbury character. I’m not happy that he’s come between you and Reggie and you and your brother. He’s a foreigner with little means and an unstable future. He wants to be a common laborer, a mechanic.”
“He’s working toward a degree in mechanical engineering. It’s not the same thing.”
She set Dad’s plate on the floor and Fresca rushed over to chomp down his leftover sandwich.
“And he’ll probably drop out as soon as he’s trapped you,” Dad said.
She pinched her arms. “Trapped me? Trapped me? I’m sorry, but if anyone has trapped me for the last decade it’s been my own family.”
“We haven’t exactly locked you in the basement.” He ran a hand through his thinning hair.
She didn’t want to argue with him. He looked pale and weary, and her concern continued to grow.
“Did you go to the doctor’s appointment I made?” she asked.
“No. I didn’t make it.”
“You need to see a doctor. I’ll stay home if you’ll let me take you to the doctor.”
“Not today. I’m fine. I just need to get a little rest. I haven’t been sleeping well.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then I’m going, Dad. Sorry. As long as I’m doing everything for Zymon, he won’t take care of his responsibilities.”
“I’ve told you before, this business is yours too.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “I appreciate it, but I have my own plans.”
She picked up her purse, called Fresca to join her, and then drove to Kipp’s apartment.
Why didn’t her family understand she had a right to make her own choices? She had a right to a career of her own choosing, to get married and have a family. She loved Zeke and Zach with all her heart, but they weren’t her boys. Weren’t they living in the ’90s where women and individuals had rights?
Why couldn’t her family be more like Kipp? Easy-going, supportive, and sensitive.
She parked, rolled down the window, and pulled the keys. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave without me,” she told Fresca.
She rushed, not wanting to leave Fresca long. She knocked on Kipp’s door.
He opened it a crack. “Hello, drágaságom. I’ll be right with you.” He closed the door.
Really? He wasn’t going to invite her in? She didn’t want to stay long but…how strange. She knocked again, and he opened the door.
“What’s the problem,” she said, slipping past him.
She didn’t make it very far inside. She had never seen anything like it in her life. Her mouth dropped open, and she covered her lips with her fingers. The room was filled from top to bottom with stacks and stacks of books, papers, magazines, tools, wiring, cables, boxes and even clothes. Incredible. This was no messy bachelor’s pad. Something was seriously out of whack.
“I-I-I did not want for you to see,” Kipp said.
“How can you live like this? You can’t even see the floor.”
“I have little paths. See?” He tried to smile.
She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them, hoping the image would disappear. It didn’t. How could he live like this? Would he expect her to live like this? Would it be different in a bigger place instead of this tiny apartment or would it be worse? What would her family say? How could she face them or their friends?
Chapter Eight
Kipp’s heart sunk as he took Adele’s arm and escorted her to get Fresca to travel in his car.
Adele still had a mixed look of bewilderment and anguish marring her pretty face. He didn’t know if he could cope with her despair any longer. Yes, he kept too many things but that didn’t define him. Could she not see his heart? What was more important?
By the time they reached Provo her mood had improved, and he had a returned sense of peace. Fresca had a lot to do with it. She loved car trips and people waved and pointed at her as she looked out the window, panting.
Kipp parked the car a couple of houses away, and they both watched Ralph’s place with an eagle eye. He rolled his window down and Fresca climbed into his arms. The red brick rambler spread across a half-acre lot with an exquisitely groomed lush yard filled with a variety of blooming annuals and perennials. A silver BMW sat in the driveway of the three-car garage. Ralph had money.
Adele clutched the letters and the package in her lap. “What do you think we should do? I mean, should we march right up there and ask him if he killed her?”
“We’d definitely have the element of surprise on our side.”
She reached for his arm. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. If he killed Melisa, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill us. Maybe we should call the police.”
“I don’t think they’d concern themselves with our story. We have no proof, no facts. Ralph would have been questioned at the time. Obviously he wasn’t a suspect, or it would have been mentioned in the newspaper articles.”
“So what are we going to do? Maybe we should just leave the letters on the porch and go.”
They sat there waiting as if time would answer the question for them. The front door opened. A graying Hispanic man in athletic clothes came out and jogged across the street to his mailbox.
“That’s him,” Adele yelled and pointed. “Right there. That’s him.”
Fresca sprang from Kipp’s arms and out the window. She made a direct beeline toward Ralph, attacking his pants, shaking her head and pulling.
“Sugar fritters,” Adele yelled, leaping out of the car.
Kipp joined her as they ran toward Ralph and Fresca, yelling and trying to call Fresca off.
“I’m so sorry,” Adele said. She scooped Fresca into her arms.
A scarlet red classic corvette approached fast, honking and precariously turning into the driveway.
A spry mature woman with gray hair pulled back in a ponytail jumped out and rushed over. “What’s going on? Honey, are you okay?”
Adele gasped and clutched her chest. “It’s you.”
“Excuse me?” the woman said.
“You’re older, but it’s you.”
Ralph and Melisa looked at each other, a confused look on their faces.
“Please, let me explain,” Kipp said. “We found these… Where are the letters, Adele?”
“I left them in the car.”
He ran over and grabbed the letters and the wrapped package from the seat. When he got back, the couple was trying to leave and get
to their house. Perceptibly afraid that he and Adele were crazy people.
“Please, don’t go,” Adele said. “We can explain.”
“Are you Melisa Mathews?” he asked, holding out the letters.
Melisa gasped and clutched Ralph’s arm. “How do you know that name?”
“By these letters,” he said.
Adele nodded and set Fresca on the ground. The dog rushed off to sniff a flower in their yard.
“We found them under the fabric of a red Victorian chair that came into our antique shop,” Adele told them.
Kipp handed the letters and the package to Adele. He knew how strongly she felt about returning them, and he wanted her to have the honor.
“The chair,” Melisa said.
Ralph helped her to the porch swing, and signaled them to sit in the other outdoor wicker chairs.
“I always wondered what had happened to the letters,” Melisa said. “I forgot them the night I left home, but I knew I could never go back for them.”
“I’m sorry I read your letters,” Adele told her. “They were very lovely. I could tell how much Ralph loved you.”
The two turned to each other and smiled.
“I haven’t heard those names in years. Melisa and Ralph.” She chuckled. “Yes, we were very much in love, and we still are—as much as the day we eloped together.”
Ralph gave her hand a squeeze. “We eloped and never looked back.”
“But, why were you on the missing person’s list? That is, if you don’t mind us asking.” Adele handed Melisa the letters.
“It was 1950. My parents had money and objected to me dating anyone outside our culture and social standing. Rafael signed the letters Ralph in case my parents found them. I knew they’d never allow us to get married so I just disappeared.”
Adele bit her lip. “You never saw them again?”
Melisa looked at Ralph. “What was it? Ten, maybe fifteen, years later?”
Ralph nodded and scoffed. “By then I was a very successful criminal lawyer, but they still hated me.”
Kipp held up a hand, confused. “But, Melisa, aren’t you—”
“I’ve gone by my middle name since then. It’s Patricia. Patty for short.”
“But why are you still listed as a cold case?” Kipp asked.
“My parents would’ve rather believed I was missing or dead than to admit I married Rafael without their permission. Even after all that time, they still disowned me. And I knew it would upset them if I came forward.”
Adele had a dazed look on her face and didn’t say anything.
Kipp nudged her. “I think Adele has something for you?”
She blinked a couple of times. “Oh, yes. Sorry. This is for the two of you.” She handed them the gift.
Melisa carefully unwrapped it as if the item was delicate glass and, indeed, it was breakable. A vintage forty-five rpm of an old Bing Crosby song. Melisa’s wrinkled face beamed and looked twenty years younger. Rafael gazed off into the distance and smiled, and then they kissed, a fairly passionate kiss for a couple in their mid-sixties. Kipp lowered his gaze and smiled. Such wonderful memories for them.
Melisa studied the record in her hands. “Forty-five’s were a new item back then.” She temporarily lost herself in the memories too.
Kipp leaned over to Adele. “I think we should go now.”
“Oh, no, please stay,” Melisa said. She got up and came over to give Adele a warm hug. “Thank you so much. You’ll never know what this means to me, to us.”
“Any regrets?” Adele asked.
“Oh, heavens, no.” She winked at Ralph.
“Love is as marvelous today as it was back then,” Ralph said, standing. “Please stay and join us for a drink. Don’t rush off. Bring your doggy into the backyard.”
Kipp nodded. He didn’t mind staying. Maybe Melisa’s courage would rub off on Adele.
* * * *
Adele couldn’t stop fidgeting, and she couldn’t stop rambling on about Melisa and Ralph. Well, Patty and Rafael. They’d always be Melisa and Ralph to her. She and Kipp had spent over two hours visiting with them. What a lovely, happy couple.
Kipp drove home, nonchalantly gazing over and smiling at her every once in awhile as she gabbed away. Oh, to be so sure of life and positive that everything would work out fine. Fresca had curled up on the backseat exhausted from her productive day of attacking Ralph, chasing a cat, and digging up a very expensive Cattleya orchid for which Adele had apologized profusely over and over again.
Adele wished she could relax. Life had turned out well for the romantic couple, but that didn’t mean life always turned out to be a happily-ever-after venture. What if she walked away from her family and something bad happened? What if they lost the family business? What if something happened to one of the boys? What about Dad? What would he do without her? Who would look after him?
No, it wasn’t an easy decision.
And then she realized she hadn’t considered herself in any of those thoughts. What about her happiness and what she wanted in life? What about Kipp? Did he love her? Really love her? If she listened to her heart, she loved him. But it appeared he wouldn’t be accepted by her family just as Ralph hadn’t been accepted by Melisa’s.
She felt so confused, so torn. The memory of his apartment didn’t help matters. Just what would everyone think? She clutched her purse. I’m doing it again, worrying about what everyone else might think. What do I want?
Kipp looked at her with loving eyes. A swelling of euphoria filled her chest to the point she thought she’d burst. A lump formed in her throat.
“Pull over. Pull over,” she yelled with excitement.
Kipp straightened in his seat. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“Take the next exit.”
Fresca woke up and jumped over the seat between them. Kipp took the exit and quickly pulled into a parking lot and switched off the ignition. Adele pushed Fresca back over the seat and then dove into Kipp’s arms, kissing him with fervor. Tears trickled happily down her cheeks.
He pulled back, staring down at her with a confused look on his face. “What is it? What has happened?”
“I know what I want.” A safe, peaceful feeling settled over her.
“You know what you want for lunch?”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t be silly. I know what I want from life. I want my own life, a life with you.” She threw her arms around him again.
He held her tight. “Can this be true? Can I really be this blessed?”
She nodded, and they kissed the most amorous of kisses. She melted into his arms. A sense of wholeness overtook her. This was living, what life was all about. Loving and caring and devotion. Sharing your life with someone so dear to you. Their emotions crescendoed and into a joyous embrace. She could see the love in Kipp’s eyes and feel it in his touch.
“Beautiful it will be. You will see,” he said.
“I-I-I know. I feel as if I’m floating.”
“We’ll be married right away. I cannot wait.”
“Uh-huh.”
He pulled her tight. “You can do whatever you desire, my hercegnő, my princess. College, working, housewife…mother.”
“It doesn’t matter as long as we’re together,” she said.
They held each other and talked about their future for some time until Kipp decided he had better drive the rest of the way home. They were still holding hands when they pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building. She spotted Reggie as he jumped out of his car and dashed toward them.
Her heart sunk. Not more trouble with Reggie. Kipp’s grip tightened on her hand. They could deal with this. They had each other.
As Reggie rushed to her door, she rolled down the window.
“Adele? We’ve been trying to find you.” Worry strained and contorted his features.
Dad! She knew he hadn’t been well. She should have taken him straight to the hospital this morning. Was he ill…or had he died? Sh
e couldn’t bear to think about it. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to hear it.
“It’s my dad. Isn’t it, Reggie?” Her heart froze.
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head and closing his eyes. “Adele, it’s awful.”
Kipp took her hand in his, and they both slid out of the car. Reggie still rocked his head back and forth and mumbled.
“Reggie, tell us what has happened,” she said.
“Have you listened to the news? It’s all over the radio and television.”
“No. We talked all the way home. Tell us, Reggie.”
“Rhonda’s flight from Florida… It crashed just after takeoff.”
Adele gasped. Her knees weakened. Kipp reached out and stabilized her. A sick feeling shot out in all directions through her body. Hot tears stung her eyes.
“Are there any—?” Kipp asked.
“No survivors.” Reggie’s shoulders drooped.
Adele’s chin quivered and her body flushed, her heart racing. Her vision darkened like she might black out. She took a slow deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Adele,” Reggie said. “Your dad wants you home. Zymon got home, picked up the boys from camp, and they’re all at your house. Zeke and Zach are a mess.”
She swallowed hard. “Thank you, Reggie.”
“Let’s go,” Kipp said.
She hesitated. More than anything she wanted Kipp by her side, but she knew how her family would react. She hoped Kipp would understand that they needed her right now and not the contention of his presence. “No. You better stay here. I-I-I’ll go with Reggie.” Not that she wanted to go with him, but he was Zymon’s best friend. She opened the car door and picked up her purse and Fresca. “I’ll call you after awhile.” She turned to go.
“Adele,” Kipp said, his expression forlorn.
Reggie took Fresca and with a heavy-footed walk returned to his car.
“Adele,” Kipp said again, pulling her close. “I am here for you. Don’t shut me out. I love you, my hercegnő. Please let me comfort you and be there for you.”
“I’m sorry, Kipp,” she said, gazing at the handsome man she cherished. “I love you, but can’t you see that this changes everything? They’ll need me. There’ll be no one for Zeke and Zach if I leave now. This will devastate Zymon. He couldn’t function with Rhonda. How will he cope now? Don’t you see?”
“I see that I love you and that you deserve to be happy. So many plans we have made. Don’t turn away from what we could be.”