Chapter 14: Once Upon a Time

Dee had gone all out preparing a special meal for everyone. She put together a salad with mixed greens, and hand-mashed potatoes, a favorite of Ron’s. She baked a vanilla sheet cake for everyone, which filled the kitchen with a rich aroma from the oven. From the last day’s catch, she prepared Walleye Ceviche, bite-sized fish marinated with lime juice, and served with diced tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

At five o’clock, there was a knock on her front door. Dee was immensely relieved to welcome Ron, Mae, and Brandon.

“I have a lot to say, to apologize, but if we can eat first while everything is ready, I think that would be best.”

Although visibly nervous and upset, their appetites were soon in control, and when the cake came out, all of them enjoyed generous slices.

“Thank you, Dolores, for this wonderful meal. But there’s more to cover tonight, isn’t there?” asked Brandon.

“Yes, I need to tell you a story. Long ago, before Ron’s father knew me, I had a relationship with a guy. His name was Pete, and I loved him with all my heart. Pete offered me everything I hoped for, including a future marriage, and I trusted him absolutely. He filled my ears with promises and swore he would always tell me the truth.

“He said he had been a US Marine, and the motto of the Corps was Semper Fidelis, which means ‘always faithful’ in Latin. Then I came home early one afternoon and...”

“Oh, no!” gasped Mae.

“I found him naked in bed with another woman. Then I also learned he was married to a third woman with a small child which he’d fathered with her. His military records showed he had been dishonorably discharged only six weeks after enlisting.”

“Eighteen months later. I met Ron’s father, Laurence. He understood my fears, based on my horrible experiences. It was many months after that before I trusted Laurence enough to agree to his marriage proposal. Part of building that trust was that he opened his life to me completely. I had his passwords, access to his bank account, and all of his details. He never went anywhere at night without me. I could go on and on.

“Every single day he showed me that I could trust him. The only time he surprised me was when he showed me tickets to Jamaica, and even then, I knew beforehand which dates we would be traveling to ‘someplace warm.’ Only our exact destination he kept confidential.

“This brings me to the other day. Brandon surprised me with the eyesight thing. All I could think about was Pete. How he seemed so perfect, until he wasn’t. Brandon was so new to me, just weeks! I hadn’t done what I swore I would do, which is, investigate him, run a background check, all the things which I should have done with Pete.