Си Паради: Dancing With Shadows

Charles stood in front of the mirror tightening the knot in his tie, making sure it was perfectly centered. As one of the senior partners in the law firm he felt it was important to set the standard and this included professional appearance. Satisfied, he left the bedroom and walked down to the kitchen for his usual breakfast of two eggs, toast and coffee.

Barbara looked up when her husband walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," she said while setting his breakfast on the table. "How was the trip?" He had just returned on the red eye and they hadn’t had a chance to talk.

"Just routine," Charles said. He had been on a business trip for two weeks visiting some of the law firm's more prestigious clients. He traveled frequently for this purpose, but this trip had been longer than normal because the corporate agreement the firm had drawn up for one of the clients had been inadequate for their needs.

Smiling, knowing Charles would be pleased, Barbara said, "I saved some papers you might want to see. Megan made the headlines."

Charles looked up, his attention now fully on his wife. "Was it about that serial killer case she was working on?"

Smiling proudly, Barbara said, "Yes. She and an FBI agent were credited with solving the case."

"Let me see them."

Barbara handed him the two newspapers and sat down to join him for coffee.

Reading quickly, Charles smiled, very proud of his daughter. This reflected very favorably on the family image. He remembered when she defied him and entered medicine instead of following his footsteps and becoming a lawyer. Then, when she had told him she was going to be a pathologist of all things, he almost lost it. It was one of the very few times he had not been able to persuade her to his way of thinking. But if she was going to bring honor to the family, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad decision.

Charles looked up and said, "Invite her over for dinner. And Barbara… make sure she comes this time." His daughter was a little too independent for her own good.

"I’ll invite her. But you should know by now that whether she comes or not will be her decision." Barbara knew exactly why Megan didn't visit more often. The reason was sitting across the table from her. Charles just wouldn't quit hounding her about her job and personal life.

Charles frowned and said, "Make sure she realizes that she has an obligation to us."

Barbara looked at her husband and shook her head. When would he learn that this particular daughter was done bending to his will?

Finishing his breakfast he walked over to Barbara, kissed her goodbye, and departed for the office.

Tony had the cab driver drop her off at the corner to give her more time to go over in her mind, once again, how to approach her mother.

She wanted to see her mother, but she had no idea what her reception would be. What if she doesn’t want to see me? What do I do then? I don’t even know what to say to her. Tony had spent the whole flight to Boston going over what she was going to say when her mother opened the door. Megan had simply said, "Tony, you will know what to say when you see her. Trust me on this one."

Sighing, hoping Megan was right, Tony began walking toward her mother’s house. She stood on the sidewalk looking at her childhood home.

The small white house with green shutters had been replaced by gray vinyl siding and maroon trim. Her lips turned up in the barest hint of a smile when she saw the red roses around the base of the house and the plant hangers with brightly colored flowers adorning the porch. Her mother had always loved flowers.

Tony’s thoughts turned back in time to when she was four years old. Wanting to please her mother, she had picked a bouquet of beautiful little yellow flowers. She had been rewarded with a big hug and kiss. Her mother had told her they were the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen and put the dandelions in a vase on the kitchen table. They had remained there until they finally wilted and died.

It’s time, her mind nudged her. Tony snorted and thought, yep, here I am. A big bad fearless FBI agent and my stomach is in knots over seeing my mother. With the steely determination that had marked her success in the FBI, Tony pushed her doubts aside and walked up the sidewalk to the front door. Ringing the doorbell, she stood waiting for her mother to answer, her mind a contrast of conflicting thoughts.

Rosa finished dusting the coffee table and looked around the living room. She was in her late fifties, but had aged well. A handsome woman, her face was offset by a pair of deep blue eyes and short wavy black hair that was just beginning to gray. She wore a yellow dress with short sleeves and a full skirt. Rosa was 5'6" and still stood tall. Over the years she had put on a few pounds, but she wore them well. One of the pillars of the small community she lived in, Rosa was a kind woman and well liked by her neighbors. Her own life had had its share of tragedy, yet she was always there to listen to their problems and offer sensible advice.

Her eyes rested on the one shelf she hadn’t dusted yet. She always saved it for last. Walking over and standing in front of it, Rosa looked at the three pictures. Picking up one, she wiped the surface of it. Her first born, George, had been such a handsome boy. He had looked a lot like his father with his brown hair, brown eyes and roman nose. Setting it down, she picked up the next one. Running the cloth over it, she looked at the picture of Joey. He had been her youngest child. He had a heart of gold that matched his blond hair. The smile on his face was a testament to his whole personality, sunny. She returned the picture to its place on the shelf.

She picked up the picture she had saved for last. The picture was of a teenager with dancing blue eyes and shoulder length black hair. The high cheekbones gave the face a sculpted appearance. White teeth contrasted sharply with the tanned face smiling brightly out at her. The face held the promise of a beauty yet to be fully realized. She walked over to the couch and sat down, the picture in her hands, the dusting forgotten.

Holding the picture out away from her, she saw dark circles form under eyes that were now red rimmed from crying. The tanned face became pale and looked haunted. The happy fun loving teenager was gone. That was the way her only daughter had looked the last time she saw her at George’s and Joey’s funeral. She had been so lost in her own grief, she had been unable to share her daughter’s. She remembered Tony blaming herself for their deaths. She knew better, but she had been in shock from the cruel turn of fate and been unable to console her.

Rosa reflected on the words of her friend Joyce about a week after the funeral. She had said, "Rosa, sometimes there are very special people put on this earth for just a short time. They affect everyone they come in contact with. They spread love. They are a joy to know and a gift to be treasured. Accept the gift you were given and remember the happiness they brought you." The words had struck a chord deep inside her and allowed the healing to begin. She finally accepted their deaths and was able to move on.

Her thoughts returned to the present, and she asked the questions she asked herself every day. Tony where are you? Are you ok? Have you found happiness? Do you still blame yourself? Do you ever think about me or miss me as much as I miss you? She hugged the picture to her breast, the cold hard surface a poor substitute for the living breathing daughter she knew was out there somewhere.

She had tried to find her. Rosa had contacted all their friends and everyone else she could think of who might know where her daughter was.

It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. The police did file a missing person’s report, but nothing ever came of it. Rosa doubted they even looked for her since it was obvious she had left by choice after the events of her departure were revealed. The last attempt she had made was several years ago. She had finally saved up enough money for a private investigator. He told her Tony had graduated from college and then entered the FBI, but there the trail ended. The only consolation Rosa had was knowing that her daughter had to be alive or the FBI would have notified her.