Page 10 of Rio
“And you push me away because?”This is what matters in this moment.
“You’re dangerous not just because of who you are, but because of how good you are at pretending to care.”
I take umbrage at her accusation, but I don’t want to get into an argument.She’s feisty and hot headed, and while I’m not one to back down from a confrontation, this moment is fragile.“You think I’m like the other rich people you don’t like?”
“I didn’t grow up disliking them for no reason.I wasn’t biased just because we were poor,” she shoots back.“I’d hear my mom and the judge talking about cases they were involved with, and it told me the rich cannot be trusted.”
“We’re not all like that,” I protest, wondering how I’ll ever convince her to give me a chance.She’s opinionated, and she’s already labeled me.The old man’s manipulation of Dani’s father hasn’t helped.If anything, I’m sure it’s only confirmed her bias.
“I heard about toxic waste being dumped near a school once.Children got sick, but officials said it was a coincidence.The legal clinic tried to file environmental claims but the multination corporation got away with it.They always do.A young boy died later, because he was so sick.”She looks away, as if the pain is still fresh and when her eyes meet mine again, there’s fire behind those rich, dark irises.“I learned that corporate greed can kill, and no one will be held accountable unless someone fights tooth and nail.”
“And you’re that someone to hold people accountable.”I look at her in admiration.This woman is a warrior.I knew it from the day I met her.I just didn’t figure what type of warrior she was.“Your mom must be so proud of you.”I beam at her, because in that moment, this stunning beauty with a razor-sharp mind and wit, and with a heart full of love and compassion, is exactly the type of woman I want.Fate led her to sit next to me at an upscale bar, and now with Dex and Dani, fate has linked us together forever.
“She is.”There’s a soft smile on her lips as she peers down at her feet.“I bought her a nice apartment in a middle-class neighborhood.It’s near a library and a park.She misses the community of the favela, but she appreciates the quiet and the independence.”
She took care of her mom, like I have with Mama.
“She’s waiting for her grandkids now,” she says, a faraway look in her eyes.“But that’s not what she’s getting any time soon.”
I chuckle.“My mom says the same.”
She looks at me.It’s weird how we have some things eerily in common.
“I never knew my father,” she confesses, and that bombshell hits hard.Another thing I wasn’t expecting.My mouth opens and I start to wonder if this is also a part of her having her guard up.Her father’s absence must have affected her.Maybe that’s why she’s wary of not just me, because I’m a Knight, but of all men.“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.I didn’t know him, never met him.He left before I was born.My mom says he vanished as soon as she got pregnant.She’s never badmouthed him.She’s far too noble and classy for that.”The defiance has gone, but her expression grows distant and somber, as if she’s trying to distance herself emotionally from it all.Her voice turns softer, smaller, hurt leaching into it and softening the defiance, even as she tries to feign indifference.
My mind whirs with all these little jigsaw pieces, but instead of making a flat cardboard picture, I’m beginning to weave together a rich tapestry of Raquel’s life from the snippets she’s shared with me.It explains so much.
Yet again, we have something else in common.Daddy issues.She never knew her father, but I know the asshole that is mine.The asshole that turned up at our door one day, looking so different to how we'd usually see him.The asshole who had to tell us that he was a cheater, and a liar.The asshole who’d been keeping a dark and dirty secret.
“Was he rich?”I want to know.
She lets out a hard laugh.“No, he wasn’t.That’s not where my mistrust comes from.He was like us.He just didn’t want to accept responsibility.”Her eyes lock with mine.“I don’t hate you because my father let me down.”She pauses abruptly.“Did yours let you down?”Her tone changes, like she’s remembered something.I’m sure she knows our family history.I’m sure Dani would have told her.
"He did, but I expect you already know that."
"I want to hear it from you."
"The old man let us all down.Not just my mom and brothers, but Dex's mom and his brothers.”
She sits taller, leaning forward, looking eager.
"I grew up believing my father was a man of honor until we discovered the truth about him living a double life."
"It must have been devastating for you all."Her eyes soften, like she feels the hurt, too.
"It was.That betrayal wrecked my sense of trust, especially in the old man.After Aurora, his wife, Dex's mom, died by suicide, my mom fell apart.I think she felt partly to blame, but she had no idea that he was married.It was a shock to her."
Raquel shakes her head."She wasn't to blame."
"Overnight he went from being this happy, smiling, wonderful man—"
"Paul Knight,happy?”
“Crazy, right?You can’t imagine Paul Knight ever being happy, genuinely happy.”
“Or laughing, or being wonderful.”
