Chasing The Sun

Chapter 20 - The Truth Will Set Us Free

The flight had taken much longer than anticipated, with delays in her connection flight in Egypt forcing her to sleep over in Cairo before taking the next plane out to Madrid. At her age, sitting in a tight spot for a long time really took a toll on her body so she was glad to finally claim her small suitcase from customs and exit the airport, looking for a shuttle to take her to the local train station.

She ate an apple and order a green tea at a small convenience store close to the main hall of the Madrid train station, and then boarded her train well ahead of the scheduled departure time. She found a comfortable seat, placed her luggage behind her feet and rested her head on a small pillow against the cold glass window. She needed the rest and knew she'd arrive in Barcelona in the early afternoon hours, so she let her mind wander for a while before falling asleep.

A few hours later, a local taxi dropped Mother Lai off at the entrance of a small pedestrian street in downtown Tarragona. She had known the small sisterhood located at the end of that street for over 40 years and knew that she would be welcomed with open arms there, even though no-one would even remember her or recognize her.

She was offered a small room with the bare necessities; a sink and a small table pushed against the lone window opening to the courtyard. The settlement here was very quiet and sisters kept to themselves, barely allowed to have conversations with other members or visitors.

It suited her fine. She was eager to start what she came to Spain for, but she knew having another night of good rest would probably be a smart decision for now, so she read a little bit from the light of a candle before falling asleep on the small mattress laying on the floor.

The next morning, Lucia was watching a video of her favorite band on YouTube when someone rang the front door bell. Knowing her mom was in the backyard attending to her homegrown vegetables, Lucia paused the video and opened the door to an old Asian lady carrying a small duffle bag across her chest. The old lady smiled and asked, in a broken Spanish.

"Is this the Garcia family?"

Lucia was a little surprised to receive the visit of what appeared to be some kind of nun so early in the morning. Beggars had become more and more common as the economy had worsened, but this lady called out their last name. Lucia debated whether to handle the situation herself or go get her mom.

"You must be Lucia." The old lady added before she even had a chance to make her decision.

Lucia frowned and asked back.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" The questions came out a little rude but Lucia was clearly intrigued.

"I'm a good friend of your mother. May I come in?"

Clearly, the old lady didn't represent a threat to Lucia so she opened the front door wider to let the religious woman in. She guided her towards the living room and informed her she would go find her mom.

Mother Lai looked around the well designed room and quickly made her way towards the back wall covered with family photos. In the center of it was a photo of a happy young girl with dark black hair making a sand castle on a beach. Mother Lai smiled as her heart ached at the same time. That little girl was the reason she came to Spain.

"May I help you?" The voice was firm and showed a bit of annoyance.

Mother Lai slowly turned around and stared at the woman, and Lucia's mom's eyes opened wider instantly. Both women remained silent for a few seconds as Lucia was starting to wonder what this was all about.

Esmeralda Garcia addressed her daughter in Spanish.

"Lucia, please go to your room."

The order left no room for negociations so Lucia did just as she was asked, leaving the strange woman alone with her mom.

"It's been a while." Esmeralda started with barely an emotion in her voice.

"How is your daughter doing?" Mother Lai asked, skipping the casual talks.

Esmeralda knew Mother Lai wasn't asking about Lucia, and she quickly became very apprehensive.

"Why are you here?"

Mother Lai remained silent for a moment and looked around in the living room. The conversation had to happen, and it had to be now.

"May we sit for a few minutes?" She asked.

Esmeralda didn't respond but pointed towards a small leather chair, inviting her guest to sit down. She chose a rocking chair opposite Mother Lai and repeated her question.

"Why are you here?"

Mother Lai took a long deep breath and got started.

"The Orphanage doesn't know I'm here." She first offered, as if explaining from the get go that she was on an unofficial, therefore friendly, visit. "They have been looking for her for a long time, you know?"

Esmeralda kept her eyes on the old lady, quiet as a rock.

"They suspect I had something to do with her disappearance. And I think they know she was placed in a Spanish family."

This time the motherly instinct kicked in. "So?! What can they do about it now. She was raised in a happy environment! Much better than anything the orphanage could have ever offered."

Mother Lai smiled. She totally agreed.

"But she was taken away." She said in a smooth voice. "It remains a case of abduction."

"I had nothing to do with this." Esmeralda responded angrily.

"You and I both know it." Mother Lai offered as a way to calm her down. "But they still need to find her."

Mother Lai stood up and came to sit down next to her host, daring to reach her hand and hold it as a way to connect with her pain.

"The reconditioning phase was interfered with." She said in a low voice after a long silence.

Esmeralda looked up. "What do you mean?"

"She might soon remember it all. All the programing will not be part of her memories any more once she gets her real memories back. We can discuss all night whether it is a good thing or not for her personally... or the thousands of other orphans that went through the same program, but in the end the orphanage just can't let it happen."

Esmeralda knew Mother Lai was right. She had been so desperate to adopt a child years back that she had agreed to the orphanage every single term and condition.

She accepted the fact that her daughter would be fed fake memories, a fake childhood, but in the end she had been convinced it was for the best. Years later, she was having mixed feelings about it, and now there was a chance her daughter would realize her life was a lie.

Mother Lai brought her back to reality.

"That Rosidora girl interfered with the programing and brought your daughter to you illegally."

Esmeralda nodded. She had long suspected it to be the case, but never dared to have her suspicions confirmed.

"May I talk to her?" Mother Lai asked. "I need to know if she will recognize me. This is the only way to go now."

Esmeralda stood up.

"Wait here." She said before leaving the room.