The Lavender Butterfly

Chapter 28

The sun was beginning to set for the evening. Meredith and I were laying back on chaise lounge chairs on the hotel patio watching the glowing sunset behind us cast radiant reflections on the ocean waves, as if the waves were on fire. Despite the general dreadful feeling of the day, I felt at peace taking on this view, at least at this moment. Trucks were beginning to load up the last of the coast guard boats, many of the police officers had already left, and the remaining police officers on site were dismantling and removing the police barricades. This search was over. “Let’s go down and speak with Jesse before we head out of here,” Meredith said, getting up from her chair. We both put our flip flops back on as we walked through the sand out to the beach. As we approached Jesse, he had a solemn expression on his face. “Ma’am, I’m terribly sorry. We’ve done everything we could to locate your husband. We’ve come up with no sign of him.” Meredith put her head in her hands and started to cry. I played along as well, as I launched myself into her arms. “Thank you, for everything you’ve done. You and your team did the best you could.” Meredith said to Jesse. “I appreciate it, ma’am. Just one thing. I know it’s not much of a gesture, but take care of yourself, and I know it won’t be easy, but try and put the pieces back in your family during this difficult time. I wish you and your family nothing but the best. Speaking of family, who is this girl, may I ask?” Jesse spoke cordially. “Oh, I never introduced her. This is Olivia, she is my wonderful daughter,” Meredith said warmly while rubbing my arms. Jesse reached out to shake my hand. “Pleased to meet you, Olivia. And I’m terribly sorry about your father.” “Thank you,” I replied, playing along. Jesse turned to Meredith and said, “Ma’am, sorry to pry, but our file says that you and Chris didn’t have any children, just wondering about your relationship with Olivia.” “No, Olivia is not my daughter by blood, one of the primary reasons Chris and I came down here was to adopt Olivia,” Meredith replied. The man looked puzzled. “I’m confused…. you are from Chicago, right?” Jesse said. “Yes, I’m from Winnetka, Illinois, just outside of Chicago,” Meredith replied. “And you came down to Florida to adopt her?” he continued. “Well…. yes, Chris and I were looking to adopt. We went through an adoption agency, and they connected us with this wonderful girl down here in Florida,” Meredith replied shakily.  “And it’s not uncommon for couples to travel across the country to meet someone if they feel that the adoption is a good fit,” she continued. Jesse told us that he was confused, but I felt confused as well, for a different reason. Jesse seemed so kind and inviting, now I felt like we were being interrogated. It made me feel very uneasy, like we were going to explain everything in detail. I was hoping for Meredith to not keep telling lie after lie to cover up the truth, simply because the truth was something that no one would ever believe. “Sorry if I’m a little nosy, it really isn’t my place. Congratulations on your adoption. I guess the plus in this situation is that you won’t have to go through this alone,” he said. Meredith looked down at me and gave a little smile. “At least we have each other, right?” Meredith said. “Right,” I said, returning her smile. “Well, I have to wrap up for the day. It’s been nice meeting you and talking to you both. I wish you nothing but the best. You two take care!” Jesse said. “Thanks, you too!” Meredith said. As we walked back to the hotel, Meredith turned to me and gave a long sigh. “I’m glad that’s over with. Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said. “Let’s…. please…” I replied. Meredith was looking at her phone. “We didn’t get refunded for the flight we missed yesterday, but I’ve got another flight home booked at noon tomorrow. Let’s go pack up and get some sleep before we get up early tomorrow morning. As we walked back up to the hotel room, I thought more about the day. I felt a bit of a guilty conscience talking with Jesse about the search. He seemed like a nice guy, and that fact alone made me feel even more guilty about us absolutely wasting his time. That and all of the people, the coast guard, the helicopter pilots, the scuba divers, the police…..all of these people were wasting their time, and it was all because of me. I felt absolutely terrible. I feel like I’d been down in Florida for an eternity, but in reality, it had only been a week. This week had been a roller coaster ride, to say the least. I had come down to Florida with the hopes of spending some quality time with my wife. We did just that, but then I woke up in a different body due to some phenomenon I couldn’t explain. I had a completely new identity, but no history. A blank slate. Somehow in this whirlwind, my wife became my mother and my friend became my love interest. The thought of leaving Florida behind was bittersweet. I made some cherished memories, but I was anxious to get back home and start my new life. I was also nervous about all the challenges that waited for me when I would get home. All in all, I had a fun time down here, but I really couldn’t wait to get back home.