The Disappearance of Valentina Moreno

Epilogue

            There is a stale scent in the air accented by rust and mildew. The scuffed cement floor is still glossy from being mopped, and there’s a prisoner dressed in a blue jumpsuit whispering with a visitor a few tables over. I’m nervous and can’t stop tapping the heel of my ankle boot. 

A few more prisoners shuffle into the room, their plastic sandals squeaking against the cement floor as they disperse in the direction of their loved ones. I spot my dad, and a smile spreads across my face as I stand, but then it dissolves at the site of his bruised eye. 

“What happened?” I gasp.

“It’s nothing.” He moves his head when I try to touch his cheek, and when I stretch my arms to hug him, he sits down, leaving me hanging. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“You haven’t answered my letters.” I sink into the seat across from him.

“I told you not to look back—to move forward.”

“I am moving forward, but I needed to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because even though it’s been three months, and I’m feeling normal again, there are unanswered questions.”

“Well, you’re just going to have to figure out a way to live without the answers.”

“Dad, please.” I reach across the table, but he retracts his hands and sets them on his lap.

“I’m not your dad, Valerie. You need to move forward.”

“Why are you being like this?” When he doesn’t answer, I slap my palm against the table. “Look at me!”

“Because it’s not normal to call me your dad!” he barks. “I kidnapped you. I took you away from your real family and lied to you. Jesus, Val! What else do you need to move on?”

“I need you to give me the answers you promised three months ago, and I won’t be whole until I have them. So, if you want me to move on and no longer think of you as my dad, then you have to explain!” I drag my palm across my cheek, stopping a tear from trickling down, and release a breath.

“What do you want to know.” He folds his arms, but I’m not buying this hardened shell he’s developed towards me. 

“Tell me about when you took me, and I want details. No lies. Only truth.”

“Fine,” he says, his voice a deep rasp, so he clears his throat and rests his elbows on the table. “But I need to give you context first.”

“Go for it. I have plenty of time.” I glance at my watch.

“Elaine and I had a daughter. Her name was Valerie, but she passed away when she was four. It was rare cancer, and the chemotreatments and radiation were too much for her tiny body to handle. After she passed away, Elaine fell into a deep depression, and I couldn’t get her out of bed. So, one day I got this wild idea to scatter Valerie’s ashes in Yosemite, and to my surprise, Elaine liked the idea of Valerie's resting place being in such a beautiful setting. So, we made the trip and rented a cabin in Curry Village. The next day, we drove through the valley looking for a spot to sprinkle Valerie’s ashes, and we found a meadow near Mirror Lake. The sun was shining across the water, and the meadow had these yellow, purple, and orange wildflowers, where deer nipped at the grass. It was perfect and peaceful, and I felt some of Elaine’s grief scatter with the ashes. There was a lightness to her as we held hands while driving back to Curry Village. She even smiled at me for the first time in weeks. We grabbed pizza for lunch, took a dip in the pool, and later made love. Even though we started the morning saying goodbye to Valerie, the rest of the day ended well. So, when we woke up the next morning, I felt everything would be ok. We would move forward. Maybe try for another child. But then we saw you.”