Terri smiled warmly as Francisco let her in through the front door. Her expression beamed joyful enthusiasm.
Francisco hadn't seen her like this before. Even in moments of intimacy, Terri's emotions seemed guarded and distant. In public, she carried the weary expression of someone accustomed to fending off unwanted attention.
But tonight, she seemed warmer and more open, like a young girl seeing her prom date in a tuxedo for the first time. This softer version of Terri was a stark contrast to the woman who had grilled Francisco at lunch a few hours earlier, or the one who two nights passed, had walked out through this very door in a fit of anger.
"Come in!" Francisco offered in his well-mannered way.
Terri wore a light coat over a beige pantsuit with a peach blouse and high suede boots. "Thanks for letting me come over!"
"Sure! Can I get you something?"
"Uh, maybe just some water."
Francisco led Terri into the study where he poured two glasses of ice water from a crystal pitcher. They sat on a colonial style black leather couch with a dark wood frame.
Terri looked down at a thin slice of lemon in her glass. "I wanted to apologize," she said.
"You don't have to..."
"No, I should have been more supportive. I know that you love your son and you want the best for him. And, I'm sure that his mother does, too. It just ... It just surprised me when she was here."
"I understand."
"Well, I still feel that I should apologize because I acted like a teenager."
"It's okay."
"Thanks." She took a sip from the glass. "I really am sorry. I've been under some pressure lately, and it's had me kind of on edge."
Francisco smiled and leaned toward her. "Terri, it is I who should apologize. I should have told you that she was going to be in town. It wasn't fair to surprise you like that."
"It's your family."
"I appreciate the understanding, but I need to think of your feelings, too."
"Your son's education is important. I understand completely why you had to get her involved," Terri said. "She's quite the looker, by the way."
"She can make an impression," Francisco confessed. "For her work with the embassy, she attends a lot of grand functions. Sometimes, I think that she forgets to turn off that side of her personality."
"Seriously! And those diamonds! I don't even want to ask whether they're real."
"Don't ask."
"Isn't she afraid of getting carjacked?"
"I've tried to tell her things like this!" Francisco said, shaking his head. "But I think that she probably would just charm the robber - or convince him to go into politics where he could use his skills to better benefit."
Terri let out a loud laugh. "Oh my! - So, how is young Francisco? How's HE doing?"
"I didn't have a chance to speak with him today," the elder Mela answered. "He was here working earlier, and then he went off somewhere on his motorcycle."
"Are you concerned about him?"
"He's seventeen years old, and he's riding a motorcycle. Yes, that concerns me."
"I meant about the university. But yeah! I'm not quite sure why you let him ride that thing."
"Well, he doesn't really like to be told what he can and cannot do. I'm afraid that he has a bit of his mother in him."
"Oh really?" Terri asked playfully. "Because it sounds like he has a bit of his father in him, too."
"Point taken!" Francisco acknowledged. "Anyway, I'll have to catch up with him over the weekend. Today, I've been dealing with a bit of an emergency."
"What happened?" Terri asked.
"I'm not completely certain, but I believe that my business interests are being investigated by federal authorities."
"What? That's terrible!"
"It's not confirmed yet," Francisco explained. "They haven't contacted me directly, but the indications point in that direction."
"What did they do? Contact your lawyer?"
"My banker, actually. My accounts in the bank that I use here in the US are frozen."
"Holy crap!"
Francisco nodded.
"Can they really do that?" Terri asked.
"They can do whatever they please."
"But why? I don't understand why they would come after YOU."
"I don't either," Francisco conceded. "My business dealings are all above board. We don't import or export goods, so there's no concern of smuggling or contraband. I do have interests abroad, but these days I'm mostly a silent partner in those ventures."
"Are you sure that it's the government?"
"It has to be some federal agency. They're the only ones with the power to freeze bank accounts."
"Why would they do something like that?"
"It's mostly for racketeering. Maybe they think that my horse racing activities are connected to some sort of gambling activity. Or money laundering. My family has business interests in Venezuela, Argentina, Nigeria, and the Middle East. Maybe they just picked one of those places and investigate people with extensive holdings. Hopefully, it's all just a big misunderstanding."
Terri thought for a moment. "So, what does that mean that your accounts are frozen? You can't access any money?"
"Effectively. I can't take money out of that bank."
"Wow! What are you going to do?"
"Fortunately, I have accounts in banks around the world. I've learned not to rely on any one jurisdiction."
"I see why!" she observed.
"And, as we speak, some very bright and capable gentlemen are setting up ways for me to access those funds. Obviously, I need cash flow in order to keep this operation running, among other things."
"Wait..."
"What is it?" Francisco asked.
"Shit!"
"What is it, Terri?"
"I can't believe it."
"What?"
"Oh, my God, I'm so stupid."
"Terri?"
"I think I know what's going on."
"How could you possibly...?"
"My ex - his name is Douglas - he used to work for a congressman."
"He's politically connected."
"Sort of. It's kind of a long story. But whenever there was an election, one of the things that he was responsible for was finding dirt on the opposing candidates. Then, they'd put it in the paper and make the person look bad."
"Do you think that he could somehow be involved?"
"It just sounds like him. He's sneaky and vindictive. He never confronts people directly. But he finds some backhanded way to make them look bad."
"Are you still in touch with him?"
"No! I mean, we haven't been in touch for a while. He went to prison. He and his bosses made some shady deals, and he ended up taking the fall for it."
"Why do you think that he's involved in this?"
"He CALLED me, just a few days ago, last Sunday, after I'd left here. He said some creepy things. I hung up, but now that I think of it, I think that he might be following me. If he knows that I've been here, then he might come after you."
"You said that he went to prison. He can't be working in that capacity anymore."
"No," said Terri. "But he's resourceful and he can manipulate people. He went to prison alone because he refused to turn on his boss. Maybe he has information that people are afraid that he might expose."
"Leverage," said Francisco. "Enough leverage to convince someone to launch a bogus investigation."
"I'm so sorry, Frank!"
"Well, we don't even know if this is what's really happening. Maybe it's just a coincidence and Douglas isn't involved. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"Okay, but if he is involved, you need to take it seriously. He's not an amateur, and he's gone after some very powerful people."
"Understood."
"Don't think of him as your garden variety creepy ex-boyfriend."
"I won't," Francisco said with a smile. "But one day you're going to have to tell me what you saw in this guy. Clearly you don't hold any admiration for him now."
Terri took a deep breath and sat motionless for a moment. "Believe me. I still ask MYSELF that question."
"It's okay," Francisco assured her. "You said that he manipulates people."
"Yeah, that's an understatement."
Francisco's attention drifted away. He was staring into space now, his expression blank. Despite enduring an unprecedented attack, he showed only concern, never anger. Terri let him sit quietly for a moment. He was probably thinking up a strategy to deal with the threat; she didn't want to interrupt him.
On the whole, he seemed different now. Frank, the handsome mystery man with old money, a flashy car, and an answer for everything - that person didn't seem to exist anymore. It was as though he had evaporated over the course of a single day.
This man sitting here was Francisco, a man who loved his family, a man who loved his horses and his business, a man who lived life well but never at the expense of others, the man who had counseled her best friend, Louise, through her darkest hour with Walter, without ever entertaining the thought of taking advantage of her weakened heart.
Terri felt something at that moment, something powerful and beautiful. Sitting here in this quiet study, she realized that she was seeing Francisco as he truly was, beyond the façade the soul. This was the real Francisco, open, caring, principled, and vulnerable. She was falling in love. It was clear now. She was falling, and falling fast.
'The Horse Farm'
Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
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