ENCOMIENDA
Chapter 23
The fathers were ecstatic to see their sons. They hugged them and cried. Then they hugged me and Ruben and Scotty and Caridad and even Shevonne, though she had never been involved in the case.
The Menendez and the Concepción families went to dinner together after the boys had another long shower and changed into their own clothes. They invited us to the dinner, but we declined. The dinner should be among the reunited fathers and sons.
The fathers wanted their sons to come home, but the sons wanted to stay in Miami. They were much more men than the boys that they had been a few months ago. They were breaking away and forging their own ways in the world. That’s the way it has to be. They didn’t want to return to the nest. Besides, they had gained some fame on campus, not to mention South Florida.
Concepción’s bill came to over $10,000 because we had to call in Scotty and his men. Concepción paid it without a flinch and declared it “the best money I ever spent.” Then Fernandez, out of pride and gratitude, gave us his check for the same amount. He insisted that we take it. Those were two happy fathers.
Of course, we were a very happy detective agency, too. The windfall went into our general fund, which we use for new equipment, parties and social events.
I called Cyndi and invited her to a victory dinner. “Anywhere you want. I’m buying.”
“Thanks for inviting me, but you forgot that I’m working to meet a deadline. So I’ll have to decline.”
“Come on. You have to eat sometime, don’t you? So, why not eat with me. A good meal will energize you.”
“Just a meal.”
“Just a meal.”
“Well, I don’t have much to eat here, but let’s go some place close to my house, so I can get back to work right after.”
“No problem.”
“All right.”
“Good. See you in a half-hour.”
“An hour.”
“An hour it is.”
I was happy. Just a meal can lead to other things later. A meal is a warming thing.
Of course, I hadn’t seen the last of Iris. A month later, Cari knocked on my office door, came in and announced “Iris Dabney, no appointment.”
In came the adventurer, wearing her usual jeans and orange sweatshirt. I stood and gave her a hug. I said, “Good to see you, Iris. Have a seat. Are you visiting your father?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you hitchhike?”
“No, I took the plane this time.”
“Good.”
“Planes can crash.”
“Sure. How’s your mother?”
“Doing ok. She’s joined AA. She’s trying to control her drinking.”
“She really does love you, you know.”
“I know.”
“How’re your grades?”
“All A’s.”
“Terrific. Say it’s almost lunchtime. Can I take you to lunch?”
“Sure.”
We went to my favorite local bistro. I told her to have anything she wanted. She chose chicken fajitas. I had a hamburger.
In the middle of the meal, Iris said, “You know, I was angry at you for a while.”
“Really?”
“But I got over it. After all, I’d had the best adventure I ever had. I decided I liked you a lot and I didn’t want us to be strangers.”
“I’m glad. I respect you.”
“That’s what I realized. You wouldn’t have done what you did if you didn’t care about me – who I really am.”
“That’s right. I could’ve just let you out in Naples the first day and hoped never to see you again.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Fate put us in touch with one another, and we both grew richer for the experience.”
“I know now that the real adventure is life itself, not the risky situations I create for myself. Helping Mom overcome her dependency is a true adventure. Helping my friends make wise choices is a true adventure. Keeping myself safe so I can experience all of life is the real adventure.”
“Iris, you’re much wiser than I was at your age. You have what the psychologists call emotional intelligence.”
“You won’t get angry if I tell you that I love you?”
“No, I won’t because I love you in the same way.”
“We’re going to be friends for a long time.”
“I hope a very long time.”
End of Chapter 23 -- end of book
Families can be dysfunctional. Buck wants a family, but the person he thinks will make that dream come true is hesitant to join with him in such an endeavor.
I grew up in a fairly normal family re Leave it to Beaver. Mother and father loved each other and loved their children. Dad was a good provider and mother was a good homemaker. When I was 17 mother died of breast cancer, and Dad went into a depression that lasted for at least six years. However, I was lucky, for the next year I went off to college and was independent from that time forward. My memories of growing up are mostly pleasant.
However, my younger sister, who was only 8 when mother passed has a different memory. She had to put up with Dad's depression, which included his blaming her for mother's death among other aberrations and his being an erratic parent that didn't always understand what his daughter needed. My sister never had a strong desire to be married, although she did marry once to her son's father.
I had a fairly optimistic view of marriage, but, unfortunately, I didn't understand myself and married the wrong people when I was young: two marriages that in hindsight seemed doomed as soon as they began. Later, I had a long-term relationship that was satisfying; we didn't get married, but we had four cats that seemed like children.
By the way, Iris and Sanchez appear again in the tenth Buck Jaspers mystery Windfall, which I hope will be published early in 2011.
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