Black Jewel

Chapter 40 - Natalie's Gift

Lola woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. Her makeup was smeared and her hair was all over the place. She also slightly lost her voice from screaming so much the night before.

As she sat up, Crystale and Blair were on the other side of the couch. They rushed right over when they heard what happened. Again, she cried as she told them the story.

They took her upstairs to her room. They didn't like seeing her like that. So, Crystale started the shower while Blair took out some clothes. They completely ignored the chest sitting on her bed.

After Lola finished, they all climbed in Lola's bed and interlocked arms.

"I'm really sorry, Lo, about everything that's happening," said Blair.

"Yeah, me too," said Crystale.

Lola just couldn't believe her luck.

"Well, Mauricio's not doing well either," said Crystale.

"I'm sure he's not. And I know I was mean to him, but how do I deal with this? I'm in love with my brother. Who does this honestly happen to?"

"I overheard Mauricio telling Wyatt he's leaving for LA tonight. He can't deal with everything going on. He'll be back for the wedding though," said Crystale.

Lola didn't say anything. She just cried.

"I just don't want to think about it anymore. I want it all to go away," said Lola. "I'm so heart broken."

They just comforted their friend.

"Are you hungry?" Crystale asked Lola.

"No."

"So, what's in the chest?" Blair asked Lola pointing to it.

"I don't know."

"Let's open it."

Lola just shrugged her shoulders.

Lola reached for the note on top. It was from Ana. She read it out loud.

"Míja, I love you and I hope this helps you understand some things better. Love, your madrina".

Lola opened the chest. The first thing she saw was an envelope that said "Read first". She removed the envelope and glanced at what was inside. There were all kinds of trinkets, memorabilia, pictures, videos and letters inside. A picture of her mother with Esteban caught her eye. Then, she picked up a little photo album. Inside were menus or receipts from restaurants they'd gone to, dead flowers from their dates and little things from hotels where they stayed. Lola put everything down and opened the envelope. It was a letter from her mother. Lola started crying. She knew she wouldn't be able to read it. So, Crystale read it while Blair held her in his arms.

The letter told Lola many truths. The first was the truth about her father. His real name, where he lived and other stuff that coincided with what everyone told her last night. She told her different things about her and Esteban. And the reason why she didn't want her to know the truth about him.

Natalie didn't want Lola to ever have to deal with Maritza. She knew Maritza wasn't a good person. Natalie gave her some examples to back up her reasoning. So, she made it clear that she made the choice to separate them, not anyone else.

Next, Natalie told her she had a brother and his name was Mauricio.

Then, she explained some of the other things in the chest. For example, Lola's real birth certificate with her father's name on it, her journals, articles and a picture of her paternal grandmother, whom she looked exactly like.

Last, Natalie told her not to be mad at Ana. She made Ana promise to never tell a soul. Not even David unless it was absolutely necessary. So, if she was reading the letter, it became just that...necessary!!!

She admitted to making lots of mistakes, but Lola wasn't one of them. She would go through any length to protect her like she did. She ended the letter with an apology about lying to her about her father and left her with words of encouragement.

It was a relief hearing her mother's words, but she wanted to be left alone while she went through the chest in its entirety. Blair and Crystale didn't really want to leave her alone, but did. They made her promise to call if she needed anything.

Lola sat on the floor and spread everything out. She sat there going through every little detail. She found her ultrasound picture, locks of her hair and a few of her teeth that had fallen out. There were lots of pictures of her and Esteban. And there were more revealing items in there.

She popped in a video and sat there crying while watching her mom. She missed her so much and needed her at that very moment.

Lola felt a little better afterwards. She even cracked a smile looking at everything on the floor. It was good seeing her mom.

She called her godparents over so they could talk. They were there in ten minutes.

She forgave them and just talked to them about everything that happened. They told her everything they knew and answered all of her questions honestly.

Then, Lola asked David if she could talk to Ana alone. He went home while they went upstairs to her room. She wanted to show her everything that was in the chest and talk about her mother. Ana knew her mother better than anyone in the world and Lola made Ana watch a few videos with her.

Before leaving, Ana made her some food. She knew Lola hadn't eaten and wanted to make sure she did.

Lola served herself a big plate of spaghetti and sat on the couch to watch her birthday videos of island hopping. She laughed and cried. She missed Mauricio more than anyone knew. They were together everyday, except when he traveled for business. She wasn't used to not talking to him.

Then, she got an overwhelming feeling to throw up and ran to the bathroom. She couldn't imagine being pregnant on top of everything else. She ran out and bought a pregnancy test. Her results came back negative.