Chapter Three
ALICIA
After Adam left, I got up and put the coffee on to brew. I made sure the guestroom was free of dust and the bathroom well stocked, and then I started getting ready to bring home the parents.
While I was dressing, I slipped off the ring on my finger and put it gently back into the velvet box it had come in. I had too much to discuss with my parents, and the ring was a conversation I felt could wait for later.
I waited nervously near terminal twelve at John F. Kennedy airport. I had been notified that the plane my parents were on was running approximately one hour late. This made me even more nervous. I knew Mother well. She did not tolerate anything that interrupted or altered her schedule in any way, unless it was her who had changed the plan. I was already dreading having to explain all of the things that were going on in my life, without anticipating her irritable mood in the mix.
As I sat waiting for the plane to come in, I thought back to the day I had left my home to start a new life in New York. Mother, Father, and I had all waited at the airport for my plane to board. It was snowing, so the flights had all been delayed, and my mother’s mood grew blacker by the hour.
She hadn’t wanted me to go; she had made that abundantly clear in the weeks leading up to my departure. She had expected to win the argument, as she usually did. For one of the first times in my life, I had stood firm, though, with my father’s support making me stronger. I was going to New York if I had to sit in that terminal all week before a plane was able to land and pick me up. I loved my mother, but the Lady Winston’s dreams of raising a daughter who would be a socialite on the arm of some rich, handsome, successful man were just that, her dreams, not mine.
Thankfully for me, Lord Winston had raised me to be strong and independent. He encouraged me to dream big and to go after those dreams with everything I had in me. If not for his steady and constant support, my mother may have won out. She was a hard woman to say no to, especially when she was in a mood.
The voice over the loudspeaker announcing that their flight had landed brought me back into the present. I pasted a smile on my face as the first class passengers began disembarking through the tunnel. I watched the crowd of people coming through, searching for my parents. I spotted my father first. When I saw him, I felt warm inside and for that second, I was his little girl again and all of my troubles were forgotten.
“Daddy!” I said, waving him in my direction. I caught a glimpse of Mother just to his right as they came toward me. My father waved back heartily, and I smiled and waved at Mother, as well. The wave I got in response was as if she were swatting at a fly. I felt my stomach tighten into a hard knot.
“Alicia!” Daddy took me into his strong arms and hugged me so tightly I nearly lost my breath. I didn’t care, though. I had seldom found anywhere in life that I felt as safe as in Daddy’s arms.
“Oh, my little girl,” he said as he held me back at arm’s length. “Let me look at you. I am so happy to see you!”
“I’m happy to see you, too, Daddy.” Looking Mother, I said, “I’m happy to see you, too, Mother. You look well.”
My mother leaned forward and gave me a peck on the cheek. “You look tired, dear,” she said as she looked more closely at my face.
It’s funny how a person’s parents could cause them to go from successful, confident adult to an instant child that wanted to please in mere minutes. “I’m fine, Mother,” was all I said, however. “How was your flight?”
“God awful,” The Lady Winston said with a huff. “I can’t believe they dare call that first class.”
I gave her a sympathetic look, but had to stop myself from smiling when I looked at my father’s face. He rolled his eyes and had a silly smirk painted on.
“Let’s go collect your things,” I told them, taking the carry-on my mother was holding.
We all walked over to baggage claim, where Mother continued to complain about the shoddy conditions of the airlines in the States. Her complaining prompted a porter to come to our aid, and he loaded the luggage onto a dolly for us and rolled it out to the car. After we were finally loaded and in the car Mother said,
“I assume you have a lot to tell us?” It was more a statement than a question.
I sighed. “Yes, Mother, I suppose I do. Would you mind if we waited until we get to the apartment and get you both settled, though? It’s a conversation I’d really rather not have on the Turnpike.”
Before my mother could speak, my father interjected. Glancing a silent warning at Mother he said, “Of course, dear. You tell us when you’re ready. Isn’t that fine, Diane?”
I could see my mother’s face in the rearview mirror and knew my poor dad would probably pay for that later. For now, though, she said, “Of course,” with a tight-lipped smile.
The rest of the ride was spent with chit chat and gossip about folks back home that I hadn’t seen in a while. When we reached the apartment at last, Luis was there to help and he called two young men on his staff to carry my parents’ things up to the apartment. I could tell my mother at least approved of this.
Once inside, I showed them to their room so that they could freshen up after their long flight and began brewing a pot of tea. They had both told me they weren’t hungry yet, so I just fixed a platter of croissants and pastries I had gotten at the bakery in case they wanted a small snack. Taking a deep breath, and willing myself to be strong, I headed back out to the sitting room.
As I poured the tea, we again made small talk. My father told me how much he liked my apartment and how proud he was I had done so well for myself. Unfortunately, that left an opening for Mother.
“Yes, we hadn’t been concerned about you at all dear until we started reading and seeing some things that upset us this past week.”
“I know, Mother, and I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about what was going on. I just thought it would be better if we talked face to face about it all, rather than on the phone.”
Daddy reached over and took my hand for support; I smiled at him as Mother said,
“Well, we’re here now, and we’re listening.”
I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I started at the beginning. My mother raised an eyebrow or two throughout my spiel, but didn’t interrupt. When I finished, my father squeezed my hand and said,
“I’m sure you can see how this, um, situation would concern us as parents?”
“Yes, Daddy, of course I can. It concerns me, as well, trust me. But I’m telling you that as bad as it all sounds, and as stressful as it all has been, Adam is no killer. He is a kind, loving, smart, amazing man, and I can’t wait for you two to meet him.”
“Alicia,” Mother began in that even tone she usually reserved for reasoning with people she thought were in desperate need of her advice. “Have you considered what might happen if Adam is arrested?”
I opened my mouth and she stopped me by saying, “I’m not finished. Innocent people are accused of things all the time, dear, are they not? I’m just saying, what if he is arrested? Not only do you end up in a relationship with a man who is incarcerated, wrongly or not, but have you realized that if that were to be the case, your job could be lost, as well?”
“Mother, Adam is not going to be arrested. The police have no evidence to use to arrest him because there is no evidence to find. Adam was with me, in a crowded restaurant. He didn’t kill his wife, and the district attorney is not going to risk arresting a well-respected attorney for something he could never prove.”
“So,” my father began still in a cautious tone, “there still may be the problem of how all of this negative publicity is affecting his law practice. Do you have a back-up plan at least, sweetheart?”
“No, Daddy. Adam is my plan.” I got up and told them I’d be right back. Coming back into the room with the velvet box I saw my parents exchange a look.
“Adam asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” I took the ring out and placed it on my finger. “I will stick by his side no matter what, and we will figure this all out together. I want to have a strong, happy marriage like the two of you. I always admired how you were partners in everything. That’s what I want, and I know I can have with Adam. I need you two to have enough faith in me to know that I’m smart enough to know what I am doing here.”
My parents looked at each other again. I really did admire them. They had been together so long and shared so many things in life that they almost didn’t have to speak. Their thoughts were often conveyed in looks or a touch. My mother gave an almost imperceptible nod in my father’s direction and he said, “Okay, sweetheart, we’ll trust you. Promise us you will keep us informed, though, even when we go home. And, let us know if we can help.”
I threw my arms around his neck. “I promise, Daddy, thank you!”
As I turned towards Mother, I thought I saw the slightest hint of a smile on cross her lips, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. My mother acted like she was waiting for a peck on the cheek, but when I put my arms around her neck, too, she softened for a second. Softly brushing my hair away from my face with her right hand, she put her left palm on my cheek and said, “I do hope you know what you’re doing.”
I could see the traces of tears that lined her pretty eyes. I wanted more than anything to fast-forward time to where this was all over and she could see just how happy Adam can make me.
“I do, Mother. I promise.”