A modern twist on a classic story
[At a house in a more fashionable part of Washington DC]
“We are going to the President’s Inauguration Ball next week. I saw we, but naturally a non-entity like yourself won’t be going of course but we will make sure that you don’t sit down while we are out,” said my sister Sapphire with a smirk on her face.
The ‘non-entity’ is me, Trevor De Vries. I am the runt of the family, an accident and hated by my three sisters because our Mother died due to the cancer that was diagnosed while she was pregnant, before I was 6 months old. She had refused any treatment until after my birth but by then it was to late.
Sapphire and her siblings, Ruby and Emerald ran the ‘Three Women’ Realty. I, on the other-hand was their servant. I looked after the home where we’d all grown up and now lived. The good news was that I was on my own for most of the day. The bad news was that I had to do all the cleaning, ironing and housework for the three ogres.
I say ogres because they hated my very existence so I was made to pay for having the temerity to live. Nothing I did was ever good enough but I’d become accustomed to being told off almost every day. There were many, many times when one of them would really lose it and actually hit me. I dared not retaliate because not only did I have nowhere to go but they made sure that I had no money. Every penny that they gave me to get groceries and things had to be accounted for. I spent hours recording everything in the ledger that Ruby examined in fine detail every week. Even the slightest mistake such as entering ‘87’ instead of ‘78’ would end up with me getting a beating.
I’d recently turned eighteen but none of my sisters had remembered my coming of age. It meant that if I left they could no longer haul me back and make me pay dearly for escaping their grasp. I am not ashamed to say that I have considered doing away with them on many occasions but sanity got the better of me every time and I have never done anything about it.
Our home is spacious and in a very desirable suburb of DC. Every room is fitted with a CCTV camera apart from my bedroom. As Emerald put it, they didn’t want to soil themselves by seeing me ‘jack off’ every day. It is not something I’ve ever done but I am thankful for having one place where they can’t follow my every move.
Yes, every move. I never knew when one or more of them is not checking in on me from their office or smartphone. If I did slack off, then I soon get a phone call that was followed by a string of verbal insults that challenged my very being such was their hatred of me.
If all this sounds like a re-run of the old ‘Cinderella’ story with the three ugly sisters then yes, it does but from where I stand, there is no princess charming coming to take me away to a life of luxury although I would like one to come knocking at my door.
[back to reality]
This day was really no different from a thousand others that had preceded it. My dearly beloved sisters had left for work leaving me a long list of chores to be done by the time they returned that evening.
I had not expected to return early that day but return she did. As she entered the house, I could see that something was up. Normally that meant that I was in for a rollicking.
“We are going to the Inauguration Ball next week. I saw we, but naturally a non-entity like yourself won’t be going of course but we will make sure that you don’t sit down while we are out,” said my sister Sapphire.
“We will want to make an impression on the re-elected President. We are hoping that many of the new people in his team will want to use our services when they come looking for a new home. Despite him being a second term president, he is bringing a good number of new people to DC to be on his team. He called it a mid-term refresher. There is money to be made and you will just be an embarrassment to us.”
I didn’t want to disappoint her but most of them had already found somewhere to live, at least that was what the Radio was saying. I listened to the radio in my room because they said that having a TV would distract me from my work of keeping the house running. I did watch the TV while I was working but I could never stop work for more than a few minutes because I could not risk one of them seeing me over the CCTV system.
“We will be wanting to look our best naturally so we will be bringing in consultants to help us dress for the event. You are to keep them fed and watered during the day. This place is a mess. You have two days to clean it from top to bottom. Understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Then I added,
“May I ask a question?”
“Well, if you have to. What is it? I don’t have all day.”
“If the house is that dirty, why don’t you get a team of cleaners? They will be able to make the whole place spotless in no time at all.”
“And what would you be doing while all this is going on? Not sitting down doing nothing I hope?”
“No. It wasn’t that. I would be supervising and making sure that they didn’t steal anything.”
Her expression turned angry.
“It is your job to make sure that this house is clean. More than clean, spotless as if we were going to sell it tomorrow. There is no money for fripperies like a cleaning service. Just get off your fat backside and get cleaning.”
I stood there somewhat nonplussed.
“Well, what are you waiting for you lazy bastard!” screamed my Sister.
There was nothing for it but to get cleaning. There was money for their consultants or whatever but nothing for me. Situation normal then?
I cleaned the house more thoroughly than I’d ever done in a little under three days yet I still received a few earfuls from my Sisters. One of the rollicking was because a table was an inch out of place. I’d moved it to polish the legs and didn’t quite return it to the proper position.
The day of the ball arrived and my sisters went into overdrive as soon as their ‘consultants’ arrived. Emerald was fretting because her latest session with the botox needle had left her with a solid face.
I tried to hide my pleasure at her discomfort. They’d all spent lots and lots of money trying to outdo each other with nips and tucks and enhancements. The fact that they had not been bad looking to begin with made it all the sadder.
I was sent to my room early in the getting ready saga. To be honest, I was glad to get out of their way as I had something planned for my evening that they would most certainly not agree with so the less they knew about it the better. As I was next to invisible they’d probably forgotten about me already. All three had said many, many times that they were hoping to get a dance with the president’s son, James who was by all accounts the most eligible bachelor this side of the Mississippi.
A little before 8:00pm, the house went silent and I watched as the three hired limos drove out of the drive carrying my oh so lovable sisters. The words, ‘no money for fripperies’ seemed to resonate with me. Why did they need three stretched limos if money was so tight?
________________________________________
I stood there watching the tail lights of their Limo’s disappear into the distance. I waited just a bit just in case one of them decided to return for some reason. I was about to turn away when another Limo arrived. I watched it stop outside and four people emerged. I was sure that they’d come to the wrong address so somewhat reluctantly I went downstairs to see what they wanted.
“Hello?” I said as I opened the front door, “Can I help you?”
My unexpected visitors consisted of an older man and three women a bit older than me.
“No Trevor, it is us who can help you. I’m your lawyer, John Travers. We are here to let you go to the Ball tonight. I’m from Slater, Roberts and Glenn in Georgetown. We have been sending letters here concerning your coming of age for the last six months but never received any replies.”
I remembered the letters. They had all been addressed to Sapphire.
“Now you are pulling a fast one Mr Travers. My name is not Cinderella you know!”
He chuckled.
“No but you do like to be yourself from time to time and be the woman you should have been.”
“Eh? How do you know?”
He smiled.
“We engaged a private eye to investigate what was going on here when our letters went unanswered. When we received his report a few days ago, we knew there and then that something had to be done. What those women have done to you is Criminal. “
Then he added,
“May we come in? It is freezing out here and we don’t have a lot of time if we are to get you to the Ball.”
“I can’t. There are CCTV Cameras everywhere. Everything is recorded and my Sisters are always looking for an excuse to give me more work to do.”
“Ah yes. I need to talk to you about that.”
Then he clicked his fingers. Out of the darkness a man appeared.
“Charles, see to the CCTV if you please.”
“My pleasure Mr Travers,” said the man as he went past me and disappeared into the Study where the CCTV System was setup,
Less than a minute later, he returned.
“All set. The cameras will record the same scene for the next five hours or until this control is triggered,” said Charles
Somewhat reluctantly, I let the party enter my home.
Mr Travers sent the three women upstairs to my bedroom. He took me into the kitchen and he showed me some documents.
“This is the document that was agreed and signed by your mother shortly before she died. This appoints me as your lawyer but it also gives your guardianship to your sisters until you reach Eighteen. As you are of age, I am now free to represent you. I guess from your reaction you have never read the letters I have sent you over the years. The document requires me to manage your estate. Thomas, you are a very wealthy person in your own right. This house is actually yours along with a sizeable land not that far from Camp David. In short, you are a rich young lady.”
“Eh? I’m not a lady.”
Mr Travers grinned and produced another document.
“This is a medical report that was compiled just after you were three months old. It says something very different.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start with this,” I replied puzzled.
“Very well and being very brief, it says that you were born with both male and female genitalia. Your mother intended to sanction the removal of the male bits but died before she could sign the consent. Your sisters refused saying that it was not natural for a boy to become a girl.”
Then he added,
“It is highly likely that your male parts are infertile but you never had the tests.”
“But… I have no breasts or anything?”
“That is probably because the male hormones are countering female ones. You are in limbo but apparently you like dressing as a woman in your own room.”
That was true.
“So, what happens next?”
Mr Travers smiled.
“Next we get you dressed and made up so that you can go to the Ball and dance with the President’s Son.”
My heart stopped beating for an instant at the thought of being close to ‘him’. He was a hunk!
“And then? Poof! It is midnight and you are gone and I’m back to living in hell?”
“That is a very good question. For the time being yes. There are some papers that you need to sign and when the court approves the documents, you will be able to tell your sisters what you think of them, and be the real you.”
“What if they fight it? From what you have said, I’ll have everything and they’ll have nothing? They won’t like that at all. No siree, not one bit all.”
“Not quite. They have their business. It is actually worth something like five million so they won’t starve.”
I stood there silent for what seemed an eternity although it was probably only a few seconds.
“Do you want the chance to see the real you?” asked Mr Travers.
“If you do then we need to get going?”
I thought for all of two seconds before I gave my answer.
"Blow it. What is there to lose apart from my sanity and my life? They will kill me for sure if they find out that it that I’d gone to the ball in direct defiance of their orders.”
Then I added,
“Ok, but I get the final say on if I go to the ball or not. Understood?”
“Perfectly,” same his reply.
“Shall we go upstairs? My assistants have a lot to do and only a short time to do it.”
The next hour was a total blur. I was prodded, poked and pampered by the assistants but in the end, I could see something great coming out of my old self.
“Well what do you think?” asked Jayne, the lead assistant.
I admired myself in the mirror of my Wardrobe. I didn’t really see myself but the person who I had wanted to be for years.
“Not bad.”
Then I laughed.
“More like fantastic.”
There were smiles all round.
“I have to break up the party but we should be going,” said Mr Travers as he tapped his watch.
After picking up the hem of my long white silk dress and gingerly walked downstairs on his arm and straight out the front door and into the Limo.
“Now remember, be here at 11:30,” he cautioned as we pulled up outside the venue.
“Otherwise I turn into a pumpkin?” I said half-jokingly.
“No but you really do have to be home before your sisters now don’t you?”
I couldn’t disagree with that.
________________________________________
I got out of the car and faced a barrage of flash guns. I recoiled slightly but put on a good face and headed into the Ball.
For a few seconds, I froze stiff. What should I do next? I didn’t know but I knew that I couldn’t stay where I was. I spied a waiter carrying a tray of drinks. As I reached for one I almost chickened out. I wasn’t twenty-one. Nowhere near it. Then I took it. I didn’t have an ID, let alone a fake ID but it didn’t look like anyone was doing any carding so I grabbed the flute of Champagne and with a smile in my face walking into the throng of people.
Then it hit me, I didn’t know anyone apart from my Sisters and there was no way that I was going to approach them. As I had those thoughts, I saw Sapphire trying to attract the attention of James Mason, the son of President Charles Mason.
I afforded myself a small smile as his security detail made it clear that she was not going to get a dance with him. She was older than him and like her siblings, had gone well overboard with the Botox, face lifts and other surgery.
She sulked off into the crowd and I took my chance.
At first, the security blocked me but a nod from ‘him’ and I was let through.
He took my gloved hand and gave it a light kiss.
The beaming smile on his face said everything to me. I’d forgotten what it was like to have someone smile at me.
“Would you like to dance?”
“I would but I’m not very good. More like never danced before,” I replied nervously.
“Don’t tell anyone but I have three left feet,” he whispered in my ear.
Before I knew it, we were on the dancefloor attempting to do something that looked like a waltz.
After a few turns, I realised that dozens and dozens of people were looking at us. Still, we waltzed away until the music finished.
Then ‘he’ led me off the dance floor as if I was royalty. I felt like I was on cloud nine hundred and ninety-nine.
“What do I call you?”
“I’m… Tanya.”
“Well Tanya, don’t go away, I want to dance with you before the night is over.”
I did a little curtsey and let him be whisked away to socialise with other people.
I remembered having a conversation with a few people but it all went in one ear and out the other.
Then ‘he’ appeared at my side.
“Ready for another dance Tanya?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Less than five minutes later, it was all over and he was kissing my hand again.
Then I saw the time on his wristwatch. My time at the ball was up.
“I have to go now.”
“I won’t forget tonight. Thank you for making the event memorable,” he whispered.
Then he kissed my hand again. Tears were welling up in my eyes so I picked up my dress and tried to make as ladylike exit as possible.
I walked down the steps in the cold air feeling wonderful.
________________________________________
My Limo was waiting and all too soon, we were driving away from the ball. It was over but I’d had the time of my life for just a few short hours. As I watched the other traffic I wondered what lay ahead for me. I knew one thing and that was I was going to leave home even if I had no money.
Mr Travers was waiting for me when we arrived back at my home.
“We only have twenty minutes before your sisters arrive home. Apparently, they were not amused at some ‘blonde floozy’ getting two dances with the President’s son so they left the ball early.”
I was clearly that ‘blonde floozy’. I let out a little laugh but the reality of what would happen to me if… I must not let that happen.
The assistants helped me remove my makeup and everything and after I’d signed a few documents they left. Mr Travers final words were,
“When we have left the drive, reset the CCTV. Make sure you are in your room when you do it. I will be in touch in a few days. Please hold on and we will get you out of here shortly.”
I was still speechless from the events of the evening so I just nodded my head and closed the door behind them.
As I watched their car drive away, I reset the CCTV. I’d had instructions on how to use it so that I could use it when my sisters were out of the house.
I’d just laid down on my bed and started to take stock of the evening when I heard my sisters return. From the tone of their voices and the stomping about they did when they came upstairs, they were not in a good mood. I heard the words…
“Blonde Strumpet Whore. Wait until I find out who she is, her life won’t be worth living.”
Uttered by Emerald more than once. I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face.
________________________________________
Morning came far too soon for me. I took a shower and made triply sure that all the makeup and hairspray that I’d worn the night before was gone before creeping downstairs to start breakfast.
Just before 10am, my three siblings came down with hardly a word to be said even to me. I knew from past experience not to speak unless I was spoken too so I kept silent.
To my eternal relief, none of them even spoke to me that morning let alone accuse me of being the mystery woman at the ball.
After they’d left for the office, I disabled the CCTV and watched the news.
It didn’t take long before the subject of the ball and the ‘mystery blonde’ came up. All sorts of speculation about who she was and where she’d come from was aired. I felt happy that I’d hadn’t been outed but my joy was dampened by spokesman from the Secret Service stating that the mystery woman could have been a terrorist and could have assassinated the President’s Son. They went on to state that a full investigation was already underway and that the impostor would be brought to book without delay.
That made me feel very uneasy.
I could not afford to dwell for very long so I re-enabled the CCTV and got on with my chores.
Despite my best efforts my mind was not on my work but somehow, I managed to get everything done before sunset. As it was a Monday, normally I would have the house to myself until late in the evening but to my surprise, my sisters came home just before 6pm. They were not in a good mood.
The looks on their faces clearly told me to keep quiet.
The reason for their mood was apparent just before 8pm when two black GM SUV’s pulled up outside and six men in black suits emerged.
As was my job, I opened the door to the visitors.
“Can I help you?”
“Do the DeVries sisters live here?” asked one of the men.
“Yes. Who shall I say is calling?”
“The Secret Service,” came the reply as they marched in.
Sapphire’s first words to me were,
“You will pay dearly for letting them in. Did you ask what they wanted? No… Now get out of our sight. Our business is nothing to do with a servant boy like you.”
I just left them alone and fled to my room and burst into tears. I’d recognised one of the men from the previous night. I was sure that he’d recognised me. If he had then I’d be lucky to escape a severe beating.
Less than 10 minutes later, I heard the Secret Service leave. I waited for the inevitable summons to appear before my sisters for punishment but to my surprise, none appeared.
It wasn’t until my Sisters left for work the following day that I dared breathe a sigh of relief. I had to go shopping for groceries but as usual, I’d been instructed to inform them when I went out and when I returned. One time I’d gotten talking to someone in the market and we’d gone for a coffee (they paid) and I was thirty minutes late returning home. I was given a beating for not obeying their orders. Even the normally quieter Ruby had joined in in punishing me. I was banned from going to that store again. In the aftermath of that incident, their control over me became even firmer. They even threatened to install a camera in my bedroom just to make sure that I didn’t hide away when I should have been working.
________________________________________
I knew nothing else in my life. I had no money and only a few shabby clothes to my name. I was in effect their slave. All because they blamed me for the death of our mother. It wasn’t my fault that she refused to start treatment for her breast cancer until after I’d been born. By the time I was, it was too late and it had spread too far to save her. I’d been paying for this almost ever since I’d been born. The whirlwind events that surrounded the ball led me to hope that it would be over very soon.
I arrived at the market with a long list of things to buy and only thirty minutes to do it such was their control over me.
I’d just entered the store when I saw John Travers waiting for me.
“Hello Mr Travers. I was wondering when I might see you again.”
“I’m here today. Give your shopping list to my assistant and we can go and talk.”
I hesitated.
“My sisters are very particular about what brands I buy.”
The assistant grinned back at me.
“We know. Our Investigator has followed you for several months. Please trust us to get it right.”
With a sigh, I reluctantly agreed and let her take the shopping trolley from me.
________________________________________
A few minutes later, we were sitting in a nearby coffee shop where Mr Travers started tap update me on the ‘situation’.
“Here is your birth certificate,” he said to begin.
I looked at it with incredulity.
“Opal?”
“Yes. Your mother named you Opal. I think that was due to the flecks in your eyes. It is obvious that she intended that you were to be raised as female.”
“But… Sapphire has one with the name Trevor on it. I saw it when I applied for my driving license.”
“A forgery. This is the real one. It has been in my possession since your mother gave it to me a few days before she passed.”
I sat there looking at it not believing what I was looking at.
“All those feelings about being female were not my imagination then?”
“No. Absolutely not. This is the proof of that.”
Then I made a decision.
“I’m not going back. Yes, I know that I have no money and nowhere to stay but I’ll go mad if I have to stay there and live a lie and in fear of my sisters a day longer.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“Please stay there for another few days. Things are moving fast but we may have some problems with the Secret Service. They are determined to find the mystery woman before the inauguration ceremony itself.”
“Why?”
“They perceive her as a threat to the president. I’ve heard the word ‘terrorist’ mentioned more than once. Everyone had to be security cleared before they were given tickets to the ball. You were cleared as part of the household so that was why you got into the ball but the Secret Service are too thick to realise that the mystery woman was not a threat or an uninvited guest. They simply don’t realise that they made the problem for themselves.”
This shook me to the core.
“But… They were at the house yesterday. They spent nearly thirty minutes with my sisters.”
“Did they speak to you?”
I shook my head.
“I only let them in much to the anger of my sisters. Then I was dismissed like you would do to a servant. I’m a non-entity as far as they are concerned. No one worth worrying about especially with respect to the mystery woman.”
He thought carefully for a moment before replying.
“In that case, I think you should leave today. Return with the shopping, put it away and then walk out of the house as if you were going collect the mail. Just don’t stop or look back. My people will keep an eye on what goes on when your siblings return from work. If you come to my office then one of my assistants will take you your property to the north. Your sisters won’t go there because that was where your mother told them of her decision to refuse treatment until after you were born.”
“Good. Then I can begin life as Opal. Trevor is dead and buried as far as I’m concerned.”
He sat back and looked at me closely. Slowly a smile developed on his face.
“I am amazed at the change in you since we first met the other evening. Those sisters of yours have a lot to answer for their treatment of you but you are a changed person already.”
Then he added,
“If you were able to drink I’d propose a toast to Opal and her future. Instead, I wish you well but offer a few words of caution. There may well be problems ahead for you if the Secret Service get hold of you. However, I suggest that you prepare for life as Opal but stay dressing as you are until after the thing has blown over. You have a lot to learn about being a woman. What do you think?”
I knew that he was talking sense.
“You are right. I wasn’t thinking straight. I have always been a bit impetuous.”
“The privilege of being young. Don’t worry, you will grow out of it.”
We both laughed at his joke.
Before he departed, he gave me his Metro Card and instructions on how to use it and to get to his office.
________________________________________
I arrived back home with the shopping within the time I was allotted by my Sisters. I afforded myself a small smile as I put everything away for the last time.
With that done, I look one last look around the kitchen. I was tempted to get the ketchup out and write obscenities all over the doors but after a smile, I left the room. After all, it is my house after all.
That fact that I didn’t do that made me feel good. My first act when this is all sorted out will be to evict my Sisters and sell the place. It holds far too many bad memories for me.
I put on my coat and walked to the front door and shut it behind me. I stopped and gave a small wave to the CCTV camera that covered the entrance and that I was it. I left the house and those bad times behind me. I felt good but apprehensive about my future.
I didn’t look back even though I was sorely tempted. Instead, I walked calmly to the end of the street and used the WMATA card that Mr Travers had given me earlier. I took the first of two busses to his offices in Georgetown.
“I did it.” I said to him as I was ushered into his oak panelled office.
“You did indeed. Now we need to get you in front of a Judge.”
“Why?”
“You need to assert your independence from your Sisters. A form of divorce or emancipation if you like. As you are eighteen you are entitled to the trust that your Mother setup for you. They might feel that they are entitled to it because they have looked after you all these years.”
“Well, they did, didn’t they?”
“They did but they also made your life hell. You were little more than a slave. They took you out of school, how long ago was it?”
“It was when I was twelve. I broke my arm playing football. They said that it was too dangerous and they never let me go back.”
“They said that you were to be home schooled,” said Mr Travers.
“But you weren’t, were you? Instead they made you their virtual slave and kept you under their thumb. How many beatings did you get?”
I sat silent. I’d lost count of the number of times they’d laid into me. I never retaliated because who would believe the word of an uneducated boy over his sisters?
“I’ve lost count.”
“Then remember them as you move to put your new life together. Those bad times will help you face the future.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic.
Two hours later we were in the office of Judge Hargreaves.
“I understand Mr DeVries that you are declaring your emancipation from your Sisters?”
“Yes Sir. I am now Eighteen and want to take my rightful place in society.”
“What do your Sisters say about this?”
“I don’t know sir. They will probably object but I am of age and of sound mind and am entitled to be a real person. My Mother left me a substantial holding in Trust until my Eighteenth Birthday. If I do not do this then they will lay claim to the whole lot as payment for raising me.”
Then I hesitated as second.
“Besides, I don’t want any more of this.”
Then I raised my shirt. I let the judge see the bruises their last attack on me had left.
“How did you come by those wounds?”
“My sisters beat me because I broke a crystal vase doing the housework last week.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Yes Sir. If I made any mistakes or didn’t do things on time I got beaten.”
“What about School? Didn’t anyone notice your injuries?”
“I was taken out of school when I broke my arm playing football when I was twelve. I was never allowed to return.”
“What have you done since then?”
“I’ve cleaned house, done the cooking and after I was able to drive, I did the shopping.”
“What were you paid for all this work?”
“Nothing Sir. All I got was a roof over my head.”
“If I may add your honour, we have obtained CCTV of the sisters administering a beating to my client.”
The judge looked shocked as he was shown one of the many beatings I’d had over the years.
“Your honour, we also request a restraining order for the Sisters, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald. We do not want them to approach my client.”
“I can understand that but why have you not involved the Police?”
“Sir, there is a medical matter that we wish to keep out of the press. If you look at these two documents, I think you will understand.”
My lawyer handed the Judge my birth certificate and the medical report that had been compiled after my birth.
He read the report and then closed it with a sigh.
“I can understand the need for privacy. The media would have a field day with this.”
He looked at me for a few moments.
Then he wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I read it.
“Are you the mystery woman from the Ball? I seem to recognise the way you flick back your hair?”
My heart stopped for a moment,
In shock, I simply nodded my head. My hair was long. It didn’t get cut very often simply because I never had any money to go to a barbers shop. Ruby was clear when she said,
‘if you want it cut, cut it yourself and be sure to clean up the mess after you.’
So, I let it grow. Mostly I put it into a pony tail. I’d removed the rubber band on the bus. A signal of my new found independence.
The judge wrote something else on another sheet of paper and handed it to me.
“As nothing has been spoken, it will not go on the record of these proceedings.”
I felt relieved. I handed it to Mr Travers. He smiled and nodded his head.
The judge then sat back and thought for almost a minute.
“I have considered the evidence and I see no reason that would stop me from granting the motion. Furthermore, I will also grant a temporary restraining order against your sisters. I will also seal the record of these proceedings. There are facts pertaining to the case that should not get into the public domain.”
That was it. We left with the court signed documents and I felt free at last.
As we drove back to Mr Travers Offices I asked,
“Can I serve the restraining order? I want to see their faces.”
“I wondered if you would ask to do that. My advice is that you should not. I use a firm of servers that record their servings on video. I think that would be best. If you were to do It I would have to get the police involved because I fear that they would strike out at you.”
I could not disagree with his advice. Suddenly, I wondered how much this was costing me.
“How much is all this costing me?”
John Travers smiled back at me.
“Your Mother was a wise lady. She made provision for my fees in her will. To be honest, we had nothing to do until you became eighteen. That was the trigger to start working for you. As you know, we were also lawyers to your Sisters business. It was founded by your mother who engaged us right at the start. The deal we had with her was to take a percentage of our fees to the business and put it into the bank so to speak in order to cover this work. You might ask why? Well, before she died, your sisters were already blaming you despite her best efforts. She engaged us to keep an eye on you and to make sure that they didn’t harm you. I must apologise for not picking up on what was actually going on. All their reports said that you were doing great at school and were looking forward to going to College. I know now that it was all a lie.”
“So, it isn’t costing me anything?”
“Not for some time to come.”
“Good. I need some money. As I said before, I don’t have any.”
By the end of the day, I’d seen what I owned and was taken aback by the estimated value of my holdings. Despite me not having much of an education, I knew that my sisters would kill me to get their grubby hands on even a part of it.
I drafted my own ‘Last Will and Testament’. I made sure that not even one bent penny would go to my sisters. Any challenge to it would result in all my estate being donated to the Homeless of Washington. That would really anger them. I’d heard them say many times that the homeless were a disgrace and should be sent to Cuba or somewhere just as bad. I had it witnessed right there in his office.
Mr Travers had given me a wallet and a few hundred dollars. I’d also signed the documents that would get my driving license changed to my proper name. I was having a hard time coming to terms with the name ‘Opal’ rather than Trevor. I was sure that in time, I would get used to it.
What had started out as just another day in hell had improved dramatically but fate was there waiting to hit back.
Just before 5pm, one of the staff at the office burst into where we were reviewing documents.
“You have got to see this on TV. Channel 4,” she said.
We turned the TV on and to Channel 4. We didn’t have to wait long.
“The Secret Service have issued this picture to help their search for the suspected terrorist who gate crashed the Presidents Ball at the weekend.”
The picture came on the screen. It was of me. Despite the hairdo and the makeup, I knew it was me. I was sure that others would too.
“Oh fuck,” I exclaimed.
“Sorry for that.”
“No, it was justified. There is no way you are a terrorist. This is the Secret Service trying to justify their existence. Let me make a few calls. There are people I know who can talk to others. I want to nip this in the bud as soon as possible.”
“It is too late,” I said.
“The only way is to get hold of right people and stop the Secret Service before they come in here all guns blazing.”
Mr Travers nodded his head.
“Let me make a call. “
I took the hint and went in search of … the ladies room. I laughed at that. This would be the first time I’d ever been into the hallowed grounds of Women’s Bathrooms.
I almost stood up to pee but thought better of it and like I should be doing from now on, I sat down.
________________________________________
I was standing staring out of the office window at the rush hour traffic wending its way home when Mr Travers came out of his office and came towards me.
“Penny for them?”
“Eh? Oh sorry. I was miles away.”
He smiled at me.
“I was watching the traffic and wondering who’s going home to their family and who’s off on a date.”
“Do you want to be on a date?”
“Ha-ha. Who would want to go on a date with me. No education and nothing to wear.”
“That’s my girl. Well, you have a date but not in DC.”
“Eh?”
“We need to get you out of DC pronto. You have a date tonight but you need to go to your property in Northern Maryland Far fewer prying eyes up there.”
“Who’s the date with?”
“Guess?”
“The President’s Son?”
“Yes. Camp David is only 10 miles away. He’s supposed to be revising for his Bar exam. I got through to his Aide and arranged everything.”
“But the Secret Service? Won’t they be all over his every move after the other night?”
“No. They consider him to be safe there.”
________________________________________
Two hours later we arrived at my house in the country. It had taken us an hour to get out of DC due to the traffic. As it thinned out, I began to relax a bit. At one point, I feared that every car contained armed to the teeth Secret Service Agents coming arrest me.
The place was very cold so the Driver quickly fired up the heating and got a log fire going. That was all well and good but I had nothing to wear but Mr Travers had said that if I was going to have a relationship with ‘him’ then I had to come clean and sooner rather than later. After some persuasion, I agreed but I had my doubts but the last thing I wanted to do was spend the rest of my life in a Super Max prison. I’d really done nothing wrong but some of the commentators were calling me a modern day ‘Mata Hari’. This was not me in no way shape or form but I knew that once the press got their hands on my name it would not be long before my history was outed and that was most certainly not what I wanted.
I did my best to tidy myself up for my guest before preparing some food. We’d stopped at a small store outside DC and the driver had purchased some food for tonight and tomorrow. Mr Travers had promised to send some more food the next day. It wasn’t what I wanted but it would have to do. I wanted to go shopping and just to experience shopping for clothes and makeup and shoes like any other normal eighteen-year old but my actions of the other night had made that temporarily an impossibility.
Right on 8pm, the lights of a SUV came up the driveway and a single figure emerged. I felt very nervous. I didn’t even look like the person who’d crashed the ball. All sorts of bad ‘what if’ scenarios flashed through my head as I waited for the driver to show my guest into the sitting room.
I heard the front door close so I took a deep breath, swallowed hard and walked into the room.
“Hello,” I said.
“I’m Opal and it is nice to see you again. I’m so sorry for causing all this trouble.”
He just smiled back at me.
“It is nice to see you again,” he said with a flash of his white teeth.
“I must look a state. I’m not really a woman… Well I am but I was born all wrong….”
“Sorry… I’m rambling. Have you eaten? I made something a little while ago.”
“That would be good. And really, you have not been the cause of any trouble. Other people are quite able to do that without any help from you or me.”
His kind words put me at ease.
“This is wonderful. Where did you learn to cook like this?” he asked as he finished the Asparagus Tart that I’d served him as a starter.
“The Cookery Channel. I had to do all the cooking for my sisters and not going to school meant that I was able to watch many, many TV cookery shows. I just sort of picked it up.”
“When did you drop out?”
“I didn't drop out. I was taken out of school in the seventh grade. I broke my arm playing football. My sisters never let me go back.”
James sat back and looked at me with a totally startled look on his face.
“What? You never went back to school after you recovered?”
I shook my head.
“No, I was made to look after the house. They threatened to turf me out on the streets if I didn’t. Now I know it was all lies. They hated me because they blamed me for the death of our mother. But I’ve turned eighteen and… well, I’m free of them at last.”
“I can’t believe what you are saying to me. You seem so educated?”
“All down to the TV. While i was doing the housework I would have the TV on in the background. National Geographic and the History Channel mostly. I couldn’t stop working because they had CCTV monitoring every room and believe me, they watch me like a hawk.”
“That means that you were little more than a slave to them then?”
“I was but I am getting my own back. They will soon be evicted from my house. My lawyer and his team are serving them with eviction orders this evening. They are Realtors so they won’t find it hard to get somewhere else to live. I’ll sell the house as soon as they have gone.”
“Who’s is this place?”
“Mine. It was left to me by my Mother. She inherited it from her family. I only found out about it yesterday.”
“You are incredibly resilient. I’d probably have melted down by now.”
I laughed.
“Daytime TV has a lot to answer for but some of the shows have been quite educational. Now that I look back on it, I am actually thankful.”
I dived into the kitchen before the tears started to flow. A few minutes later I returned with the main course, a pot-roast chicken.
“I will get my Father to call off the Secret Service now that I know who the mystery woman is,” said James as he helped me with the washing up. I liked him even more for helping out like that.
“That won’t satisfy the press. They have my picture. I’ll be a marked woman for some time to come.”
“Let me get my Mother to send her hairdresser over. A cut and a change in colour will do wonders for you.”
“Eh? Why do you say that?”
James laughed.
“My mother has had so many different hair colours over the years, that I’ve forgotten what it was originally. But I do know how different someone can look with a new colour and style.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Why not? Our two dances were the highlight of what would have been a very boring evening. I owe you that at least. Besides, her hairdresser is guaranteed to keep secrets. You can’t have the First Lady’s hair problems leaking to the tabloid press now can you?”
“Thank you it would be nice to not have to hide away.”
He looked at me strangely for a moment. Then he said,
“You are a remarkable woman. Does nothing faze you?”
I laughed.
“Probably lots of things but I have not found any yet.”
James left me soon after. He kissed my hand just like he’d done at the ball. As the taillights of his SUV disappeared into the darkness, I wondered if I’d ever see him again. He certainly was delectable but he could have the pick of just about any woman in the world so the chances of an uneducated misfit of a person like me must be close to zero.
________________________________________
If I thought things would calm down I was very much mistaken. My Lawyer called me early the next morning.
“Opal, I have received a request for you to visit Camp David.”
“What? You can’t be serious?”
“I am perfectly serious. It comes from the former President’s Secretary.”
“Why?”
“I can guess but it would only be a guess.”
“Well then? What is the guess?”
“You made a huge impression on a great number of people at the ball. That includes that someone who you danced with not once but twice.”
“But I’m not that person.”
“Really? I saw a frightened young lady get into a Limo at your old home and a few hours later a totally different person returned. A person who knew who she was.”
His words scared me to the bone. Had I changed that much?
“Do I go as Opal or …?”
“You should go as you are, the old you. That is far less risk of people seeing you as a girl and jumping to totally the wrong conclusion. Put your hair a ponytail though. It does make you look… less beautiful.”
I almost cried. Someone had said that I was beautiful. I got my thoughts back into line.
“Gee thanks. I’ll head into the Lions den to meet my maker.”
He laughed.
“You will do fine.”
The call ended with me thinking, ‘yeah right’.
[continued in Part 2 of 3]
I was slightly fearful when I was ushered into the presence of the President. All the Secret Service and White House Officials were very standoffish or downright rude towards me from the moment I’d arrived at Camp David. Despite the summons coming from the man himself, they treated me with an attitude that was in my opinion insulting. They made it clear that I was not very welcome. I guessed that with the pending inauguration they had their hands full.
“Please come on in and take a seat,” he replied in his distinctive New England accent.
I moved forward into the room. A huge log fire with real logs was burning away in a huge hearth. I heard the door close behind me with a bit of a slam. My presence was clearly not in the grand plan.
I approached the President and unsure what to do next, I sat down on a chair about 15ft from him.
He smiled at me and stood up. I wondered what I’d done wrong. I felt like I was a sixth grader back at school.
I need not have worried because he came and sat beside me.
“I am very pleased to meet you Opal. You have made quite an impression on my son.”
“I’m sorry sir, I don’t want to cause you or your family any trouble. I know that I should not have gate-crashed the Ball let alone dance with your son. I got carried away with my 'Cinderella' moment.”
“Nonsense. You have not been any trouble to me.”
“But… all the Secret Service people who went out searching for me.”
“That is their job. You were and to some extents still are, an unknown quantity and they don’t like that. They work on certainties. It is a strength and also a failing but don’t tell them I said that.”
“Mr President, why am I here? Really here?”
He smiled back at me.
“As I said, you made an impression on my son. A big impression. The meeting that the two of you had yesterday left him with a problem. We discussed things last night and that is why you are here tonight.”
“I still don’t understand. I’m just an uneducated person and… well undeserving of even being here.”
“Nonsense. In the minute or so that you have been here, I now know what my son was talking about.”
He smiled again.
“Let me get him and my wife to join us and then we can talk as adults. We all have some decisions to make tonight.”
“Mr President, I’m sorry, I don’t even begin to understand what is going on here.”
“I am sure that things will become a lot clearer very soon.”
He stood up and went to his desk where he must have pressed a button or something because a few seconds later another door opened and in walked the ‘First Lady’ and the President’s son James.
“Let us all sit down and we can talk.”
I sat down on a sofa. James sat next to me. The president and his wife sat opposite us.
“As I said, Opal, you made a big impression on my son. This presents us all with a problem.”
“Mr President, please let me go and I’ll disappear from your lives for good. I did not want to cause any trouble. That was never my intention,” I said almost pleading with him.
I started to stand up but James caught my hand with his and gently made it clear that I should go nowhere.
The President continued.
“In some respects, Opal, your appearance on the scene has actually made a decision that I am unexpectedly faced with all the easier to make.”
“John, shut the hell up. You can speak to the nation and the world but you are useless at the little things,” said his wife.
“Look my dear, it is public knowledge, that seven years ago I was diagnosed with Cancer. With the help of my family and the doctors, I pulled through and have been in remission ever since.”
She looked at the floor before continuing.
“Last week, I had my semi-annual check-up and the results came through late yesterday. It was bad news and the cancer has returned. What is worse is that it has spread and I am unlikely to survive the various treatments should I elect to have them.”
Those words sent a shiver running down my spine. It was all so sad and familiar.
The President then said,
“I was undecided about resigning or carrying on with the Presidency for my second term. Then James came to me and told me about you and now that I have met you, I can see that he is right. We live in a bubble here in DC. The President’s bubble is even smaller. I only get to really talk to the same people day in, day out. James told me about how frank you were with him. I can see what he was talking about. You my dear have made the decision I have to make so very much easier.”
I looked at the three people totally confused about what was going on.
“Tomorrow evening, I will address the nation and resign from the Presidency. I will not be going through with the Inauguration. I will cite the illness of my wife as the reason for my resignation. Then we will move back to Maine and generally drop out of public view.”
“Mr President, I still don’t know where I fit into all this?”
It was James who spoke next.
“Opal, the instant I met you, I knew that you were different from any other woman I have ever met. After the second dance, I knew that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. Then when we found that you were not on the guest list, I felt as if someone had punched me hard in the stomach. I never believed in love at first sight but seeing you at the ball made me revise that opinion. Opal, I fell in love with you that night and nothing since has made me even think about changing my mind.”
My stomach was full of butterflies. Then I came back to reality.
“But… I’m not really a woman,” I blurted out without really thinking.
“We know,” said the President’s Wife.
“You don’t know diddly squat,” I replied slightly angrily.
“We know that you were born with as the doctor said, ‘both bits of tackle.’”
“Yes, but until a week ago, I was living as a boy… Well, at the moment, I still am.”
No one said anything so I carried on.
“So, thank you Mr President but I must decline to get involved with anything. I need time to be myself. I’ve really just been freed from six years of virtual slavery in the service of my frankly despicable if not downright evil sisters. I am going to get myself sorted out medically and discover what it means to be a young woman in this day and age. I will also try to get some education as I’ve not had any formal teaching since sixth grade.”
Then I addressed the First Lady.
“I am so sad to hear that your cancer has returned. I wish you well whatever the outcome is.”
Then I turned to James.
“I’m sorry James. I hope you understand what I have to do for me and just me?”
He nodded his head in agreement.
Then I turned back to the President,
“Mr President, I thank you for your candour on this matter. Please go back and consider what is best for you, your family and possibly more importantly, the country as if I did not come to the ball and have never been here tonight. I am… I am pleased to have met you and can only wish that it was under more pleasant circumstances.”
I took a deep breath before saying,
“Now Mr President, I’d like to go home.”
“Young lady, it will be my pleasure to walk you out to your transport. I fully understand your point of view and I apologise for trying to railroad you like that. I guess being President and almost always getting your own way has affected me in ways that I didn’t realise so thank you for being straight with us. It is so refreshing when someone says what they believe and not what they think I need to hear. I owe you, my family owes you and indeed this fine nation owes you a debt of gratitude. You put things into perspective in a way that I’ve didn’t know I’d missed. The last time I can recall having that sort of perspective was when I stood for City Council more years ago than I want to remember.”
He stood up and took my arm. Then he led me out of the sitting room and delivered me to the Secret Service so that I could be taken home.
Then he whispered to me,
“You danced divinely. I would like to mark your card for the future if that is not too presumptuous?”
Before I could say anything, a car drew up and I was ushered into it. Then we were gone. I’d not properly said goodnight to the President.
The Secret Service delivered me home a little later and it felt good to be there but I would have liked some company but for the time being, it was just me.
I was tidying up the following morning when I heard a car come up the drive. I peered out of the window just in time to see James get out of the driver’s seat. I dithered for about two seconds and then let him in.
“I wasn’t expecting you today. I would have thought that you might be helping your father with his resignation speech?”
“No. There are people on the staff who do that sort of thing for the President. Then it has to go before the legal people so I got out while I could. If anyone ever hears me agree to go into Politics, they have my permission to shoot me,” he said with a smile on his face.
“I was just doing some tidying up but I have a pot of Coffee ready to go if you are interested?”
James shook his head,
“I can’t stay long. I need to be there for the announcement. Dad wants me to be at his side. Mom is not feeling very well so may not be there.”
“Anyway, I came to say thank you for rescuing me last night. Dad is always trying to steamroller people into doing what he wants. That comes with his job I suppose but you stopped him right before he proposed to you on my behalf.”
I let myself smile a bit.
“Did they understand my reasons for backing out?”
“Yes, I do and my Mother gave him a few choice words as well after you had gone.”
“So why are you here?”
“I want to make a deal with you. How about we agree to meet somewhere in the future. If one does not turn up then that’s it. One or both of us may have found someone else. If not and if we are both agreeable, I’d like to try to give us a try. What do you think?”
“How much in the future?”
“Five years?”
I smiled. I’d be just turned twenty-three. James would be twenty-seven.
“That sounds good. Where do you suggest?”
“How about the Washington monument on the day of the State of the Union speech?”
I shook my head.
“Nowhere near DC and besides, there would be a lot of people there who will recognise you. Thirty seconds later, our meeting would be all over the media.”
I thought for a second before saying,
“I was watching a Documentary last week about the first settlers and it mentioned Cape Henry Lighthouse. It is well away from the DC bubble that your father described so well last night.”
“Where on earth is that?”
“A bit to the east of Norfolk, Virginia. Next to the sea. It is a lighthouse after all.
James smiled.
“You are a smart cookie all right. That sounds good. Midday, five years from today and the last one there buys Lunch?”
“Sounds like a deal,” I replied. Then I just acted without thought.
I leaned forward and kissed him.
When we’d done, James said,
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither was I. It just sort, of happened. I wanted to see what it was like to kiss someone else. Why don’t we call it sealing the deal?”
Then we kissed again for a bit longer before he got back in his car and left.
Later that afternoon, I received a call from my Lawyer. He was reporting that my sisters had been ‘served’ with eviction notices.
They had reacted within the hour but in a way that no one could have anticipated. They called the police and told them that I had stolen items worth more than $100,000 from the house before leaving.
The Building was owned by me but the contents were theirs. It seemed that as soon as one problem was out of the way, another three came to light.
The one bright thing to come out of the day was that with the resignation of the President, the search for the ‘possible terrorist’ was pushed out of the news. A few days later, a short press release from the Secret Service would announce that they were calling off the search and that the woman was not a threat to the State now that there was a new President about to be installed into the White House.
That bit of good news was countered by an arrest warrant being issued for my old self. I could have remained hidden but as I pointed out to my Lawyer, they would have my fingerprints and DNA so I had to surrender in as quiet way as possible. My evil sisters obviously had a lot of contacts in the Police Department.
Mr Travers, agreed with me, that things had turned a bit sour. He arranged for a car to pick me up and take me to the Police HQ. He would be waiting there for me armed with a whole list of questions plus all the evidence of my mistreatment by my sisters.
Somewhat reluctantly, I dressed as Trevor once again and waited for a car to pick me up.
I arrived at the station and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my lawyer waiting for me.
He escorted me into the station where four detectives were waiting for me.
My lawyer got in the first blow.
“My client is here voluntarily and will answer your questions. If you move to charge my client without proper investigation the size of the lawsuit that will hit the police department tomorrow will exceed the gross domestic product of half of the world’s nations. Do I make myself clear?”
This stance seemed to take them by surprise. I wondered if they were expecting this to be resolved by me confessing without being interviewed.
When we were in the interview room, Mr Travers laid out his case. This totally wrong footed the detectives.
“My client has been systematically abused over the years by his sisters. Now that he has reached eighteen years of age, the terms of his mother’s will have come into effect. This allows me to represent him with my costs coming from the estate that his mother left my client. Before you ask, this estate is worth more than twenty million dollars. He also owns the property where this alleged theft took place. Yesterday, I served his sisters with eviction notices. This so-called theft is their retaliation to that action.”
Then he carried on.
“I take it that you have a list of the items taken and from where in the home, they were removed and when this all took place?”
The detectives were totally wrong-footed. After some discussion, they presented a list of the items that were supposedly taken.
“We found these items at a pawn shop in Baltimore following an anonymous tip off.”
The detective presented a list of items and their photographs.
“Your fingerprints were on them. That leads me to think that you stole them.”
I looked at Mr Travers.
“My client’s fingerprints will be on just about every item in the house. He has been responsible for cleaning the house since he was twelve years old.”
The he asked,
“When was this theft supposed to have taken place?”
The lead detective looked at his files.
“Between the hours of two and four in the afternoon two days ago,” came the reply.
This was the day I’d escaped their clutches.
Mr Travers smiled.
“May I humbly suggest that you make a call to Judge Hargreaves. My Client and I were in his chambers between three and three-thirty on the day in question. Before that, my client was in my offices. He used my transit card to travel from his home to my office. I will gladly let you see my records and the CCTV of him arriving at my office. As my client used the bus to get from his former home to my office, he could have hardly taken these items with him, now could he?”
There was a stony silence in the room.
Then Mr Travers added,
“I take it that you have CCTV of my client selling these items in Baltimore?”
The Detective looked lost for words.
“We don’t but the manager described your client perfectly.”
“Then how can he be in two places at once?”
Again, there was a silence in the room.
Once again, my lawyer took the initiative.
“My client has suffered for years at the hands of his sisters. They beat him regularly if he made the smallest mistake. The last beating took place four days ago because he broke a crystal vase. This vase is one of the items listed as missing from the home.”
Then I intervened.
“If you look in the trash can at the house, you should find the remains of the vase. I put it there after they beat me for breaking it. The trash isn’t collected until tomorrow morning if they can be bothered to put the bags out. They always left it to me to do that.”
Then Mr Travers said,
“Unless you are going to charge my client then we are done here.”
He stood up and pulled me up with him.
None of the detectives said anything so we left the room.
We’d almost made it outside the building when they arrived. By they, I mean my sisters. The three of them arrived and saw me. That was a trigger for them to go berserk and attack me. There was a lot of swearing and threats to kill me before six police officers dragged them off me and Mr Travers.
In the melee, they’d hit a few officers. That was enough to get them arrested. When things had calmed down, we were allowed to leave.
Once outside, I pulled Mr Travers to one side. That incident had triggered something in me.
“I want the locks on my house changed tonight. Then send in a team of removers to take everything from the house and put it into storage. I want them gone before they get out of jail. Give them the details of where the items are in store and the keys. They can pick up the bill for the storage by the way.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“For someone who has not had any education for years, you are a real smart cookie.”
I smiled.
“Can it be done?”
“Is the Pope a Catholic?”
An hour and a half an hour later, we were watching a locksmith change all the locks on the house. A team of removers was waiting to do their thing.
As the removers cleared each room, I inspected it. With each room being cleared, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger.
When I inspected Ruby’s bedroom, I noticed a loose panel in the wall. Out of curiosity I investigated. Behind the panel which had been obscured by a floor length mirror was a door. I opened the door and was astounded by what was inside.
The place was wall to wall DVD’s. Each one was labelled with a date and time. There were several DVD recorders and a player.
I selected one DVD and put it in the player. I fast forwarded it to the time when Emerald beat me for messing up their breakfast.
A tear came into my eye as I saw it all happen again right before my eyes. When it was over, I returned the DVD to the shelf and was about to call Mr Travers when I stopped myself.
I realised that this was their backup CCTV system. I knew about the other one but this was news to me. Their level of hatred for me was far higher than I’d ever dreamed it could be. I quickly searched for the DVD of the night of the Ball.
Five minutes later I saw myself in all my finery leaving for the ball. I breathed a sigh of relief. None of them could have reviewed the footage recorded by this system otherwise I’d probably be dead by now. The footage clearly identified me as that ‘blonde strumpet’.
I extracted the DVD from the player and put it in my coat pocket. There was no way that they or their shyster lawyers were going to get their hands on this particular DVD.
I went and spoke to my Lawyer. He followed me upstairs and into the ‘treasure cave’ where I showed him one of the DVD’s.
“Are they all like this?”
“Most are probably pretty ordinary and downright boring but it seems that every beating that I have received in the past five years will be here, all recorded for their enjoyment no doubt.”
Mr Travers made a phone call. A little later, two detectives arrived and were shown a recording of one of the many and regular beatings that I’d received. The detectives were shocked.
One of them asked,
“How many events like this are here?”
“At least two hundred. Hardly a week would pass without me getting one. Sometimes, it was for no reason at all but I think that they got a lot enjoyment out of it.”
“We will have to take these down to HQ,” said the other.
“Not yet you won’t officer’s. Not until I have had them duplicated. These will be vital evidence in the civil suit that my client will be filing against his sisters. The duplication will also serve to stop them inadvertently going missing from the Evidence Store. It is not that I don’t trust the P.D. but my Clients Sisters are known to have friends in the Police Department. You are more than welcome to have one of your forensics team witness the duplication operation.”
The two officers had no choice but to agree especially as Mr Travers let then take the DVD that they had seen away with them.
“That should be enough evidence to charge them with child endangerment and assault. I will make a call to the D.A. and recommend that bail is opposed.”
As he handed over the DVD, he added,
“If nothing happens another one of these will be posted on the internet along with the question asking why the P.D. has done nothing about this. One will also go to the D.A. and the press. Do I make myself clear?”
There was no argument from the officers who grabbed the DVD and disappeared into the night.
It was the early hours of the morning before I returned to my home north of the City. The day had been eventful and one that I didn’t want to repeat.
I received a phone call the following afternoon informing me that my Sisters had been charged with child endangerment and that more charges would be forthcoming.
Apparently, their arraignment was a bit of a farce. They all called the DVD fakes and that I’d created them myself and that it was me who should have been charged for robbery. They made all sorts of threats about getting even with me and everyone involved in the case. I did not realise the significance of that until years later.
Their trial was interesting and quite harrowing at the same time. Things came to a head when I gave evidence against them. They continually interrupted everything I said. The judge eventually lost patience with them and ordered them to be removed from the court while I gave evidence.
The jury found them guilty after less than thirty minutes of deliberation. They were sentenced to eleven years in Prison which pleased me no end. Once they’d been led away to start their sentence, I left Washington vowing never to return.
The day of my meeting with James at the Cape Henry Lighthouse was a typical cold and blustery day. There were only a few people around but… well, I was hopeful that he would turn up.
In the intervening years, I had become the person of my dreams. Well, the dreams since I’d found out about my real self. I’d sold everything in Washington and even the house that wasn’t far from Camp David. I wanted a complete break with the past. Washington was the past as far as I was concerned.
I’d had the surgery to remove my puny male organ and took hormones to promote the growth of my breasts. This was all done under the supervision of a great doctor in San Francisco. I’d also bought a house on the coast near Bodega Bay and began to be myself for once in my life.
I never forgot the last kiss I’d had with James. In fact, it was not only the only person I’d kissed but the only one so I was eagerly waiting for him at the Lighthouse on the agreed day.
I kept telling myself that he would probably be married with children and would not come but we had an agreement and I would not be one to renege on it.
Noon came and went and there was no sign of him.
At twenty past twelve, I finally accepted that he wasn’t coming and I returned to my rental car. A tear formed in my eye.
I started up the car and began to drive away from the Lighthouse and back to the Airport and hopefully a flight back to the west coast when a State Police Trooper flagged me down.
I didn’t think I’d been speeding so I sat tight with my hands in plain view after winding down the window.
The police officer got out of his car and came towards me.
“Are you Opal De Vries?”
“Yes. Yes I am. Why do you need to know this?”
“My orders were to give you this and to escort you to Norfolk Airport,” he said handing me an envelope. The envelope had the seal of President Mason on the front.
As nonchalantly as possible, I opened it and read the letter.
Maine
Dear Opal,
Please forgive my idiot son for not meeting you today. The silly boy broke his leg at the weekend skiing. He is unable to travel at the moment so I have arranged for you to come to him if you are willing that is.
If you don’t want to come then just tell the officer otherwise, a warm welcome is waiting for you in Maine.
John Mason
Sometime President of this fine country {and still hoping that one day, I can dance with you}
I sat still with the letter in my hand. It was the Officer who broke my stupor.
“Is everything ok Miss?”
“Eh? Oh? Sorry Officer. Just some unexpected news.”
“From the former President?”
“Yes. Apparently, you are to escort me to the airport?”
“Yes. That is what I was told.”
“What then?”
“I don’t understand Miss.”
“What happens when we get to the airport?”
“Oh, there will be an aircraft waiting for you. I guess you have been summoned by the President?”
“Sort of but yes it appears that I have as you put it, been summoned.”
Then I added,
“Shall we go? I’ll need to return this car to the rental company first.”
“Fair enough. If you will follow me Miss. One of my colleagues will follow you.”
We took off and a few miles later another car joined us. That was the signal for the lead car to start showing his lights and the sound of his siren made sure that all the traffic got out of the way.
I had a bit of a struggle keeping up with him but it didn’t take us long to reach the airport. I returned the car and the Officer took me to the Private Aviation area. After going through a very cursory security check, he drove me out onto the tarmac and pulled up alongside a small jet.
“Here you are miss. Good luck wherever you are going.”
“Thank you, Officer.”
Then I was ushered on board and the doors closed behind me. I was the only passenger.
“Miss, would you please take a seat and buckle up,” said one of the two crew.
“We only have a short time before we are due to take off.”
I stowed my handbag and sat down. After a huge sigh, I buckled up and gave the crew the thumbs up.
Less than five minutes later, we were airborne. I peered out of the window and saw the sea off to the right. I guessed that we were heading north.
Not long after we’d reached cruising altitude, one of the two crew members came aft.
“Miss, we have a couple of hours before we get to our destination. There is a fully stocked galley at the rear. Please help yourself.”
“Thanks. Where exactly are we going?”
“Oh! I thought you knew?”
I shook my head.
“No one has thought to tell me.”
He smiled.
“We are landing at Knox County Airport in Maine. This is near Rockland. I say landing, there is fog in the area so we may have to divert to Bangor but we will let you know in good time.”
Now that I had time to think, I could not help thinking the worst.
‘What if he did not like me now?’
In the end, I sat back and relaxed thinking ‘what will be, will be’.
We landed as promised at Knox County Airport and taxied to a private part of the Airfield. Two Black SUV’s appeared from out of nowhere and drew up alongside the plane.
I guessed that this was my ride to wherever it was that I was being taken.
“Miss Opal?” asked an obviously armed secret service agent.
“That’s me.”
“Good. I’m Henry MacLeod. I’ve been assigned to be your personal security operative while you are with us.”
I did a double take.
“Eh? I don’t understand?”
“While you are a guest of the President, you will need someone like me with you at all times when you are out and about. This is just how we do things around here. Don’t worry, I’ll try to blend in with the furniture.”
“Ok, I think I understand,” I replied when I clearly didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.
He smiled.
When he did that, I went weak at the knees.
“If you will get inside the lead car, I’ll make sure that your luggage is safely stowed in the other one. Then we can be off.”
“Henry, how far will we be going? I need to make a stop at a drugstore.”
“What do you need? I’m sure we have most things at the Residency?”
I smiled.
“Does that Include Sanitary Towels?”
Henry went a little red in the face but he smiled back at me.
“I’ll find us somewhere to stop along the way,” he replied with a small smile on his face.
I got that feeling again. It unnerved me quite a bit.
Henry did as he promised, stop our small convoy at a drug store so that I could do a bit of shopping. I wasn’t long bet he was pacing up and down outside and constantly looking at his watch.
When I left the store, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Henry,” I said.
“If there is somewhere we really, really have to be, why don’t you tell me. To hell with all this need to know crap. If it involves me, then I need to know and right at the start. If as it seems that we are stuck with each other for the duration then for Christs sake, let me know what, when and why. Understood?”
Henry looked nonplussed for a second or so then he laughed.
My stomach went topsy-turvy.
“I can see why you made an impression with the President. I think I might enjoy working with you while you are with us.”
“Well then Henry, where are we going and how far away is it?”
“Miss Opal, we are going to the President’s home on Clark Island. It is about ten minutes away.”
“Good. And are we supposed to be there at a specific time?”
“No… Well, not really but the head of security will have been told that your plane has landed and if we are much later, all hell might break loose if you get my meaning.”
I smiled back at him.
“Good. Doesn’t it feel better now that I know? I don’t want to cause trouble before I’m even there so we had better get going, then hadn’t we?”
He didn’t answer but our little convoy headed off into the gathering gloom of the January Afternoon.
Fifteen minutes later, I was ushered into the more private part of the house.
“Ah Opal, it is nice to see you again,” said the former President.
“It is nice to see you again Mr President.”
“Enough with the President thing. In this part of the house, we are on first name terms. Please call me John.”
“I understand… John.”
“Great. Shall we go and see my idiot son?”
I laughed.
“Why is he an idiot? Surely anyone can break a bone or two while skiing?”
John smiled.
“James is an idiot because he slipped coming out of the shower. Yes, he was away skiing but it wasn’t a skiing accident.”
I smiled. He was an idiot.
John took me into a side room. I saw James lying on his bed with his plaster encased leg raised up. I guessed that this was to help keep the swelling down.
James smiled from ear to ear when I walked in. I heard a click as the door was closed behind me. We were alone.
“Well, look who we have here?” I said trying to milk the situation a bit.
“Ok, ok, I slipped coming out of the shower. I am a total doofus or words to that effect.”
I grinned as I sat down next to him.
“There is an upside to this you know.”
“Yeah, I can’t see one from here.”
“At least with you like this and … well there is…”
I paused for a second. I was trying to find the right words. Then they came to me.
“This is a great ice breaker. We may have met at the agreed place and time and had nothing to say to each other. At least with this, we do.”
James relaxed back into the bed.
“And you get to gloat over my stupidity?”
“James… I am not like that.”
He gave me a look that said ‘Really?’
I decided to change the subject.
“I am sorry about your Mother. I would have liked to have come but I was out of the country at the time and my face was not a pretty sight I can tell you,” I said changing the subject.
“Mom was a fighter but those last months were tough on all of us.”
“How’s your Dad holding up?”
“He has his good days and his not so good ones. I expect that seeing you will cheer him up. We are a bit isolated up here. It was great when Mom was ill but now… He needs someone in his life. Mom made him promise to do that…. But…”
“It is next to impossible for a former President to do anything with anyone or go anywhere without the secret service approving it and the media knowing about it,” I said completing his words for him.
“You are still a smart cookie. You haven’t changed on bit.”
“Oh, I have James. So, have you.”
“Have I?”
“Yes. You were very much the playboy son of the President before we met. I didn’t know it at the time but you were regarded as just about the most eligible bachelor in the country. It was only later that I understood why the press went crazy about finding out who I was after the Ball. Now, you are totally off the radar. Even Google does not have much data on what you have been doing for the last few years.”
James smiled.
“Yeah, those dances did put them into a bit of a frenzy, didn’t it?”
“But you survived, didn’t you?” he added.
“Those Sisters of yours were nasty pieces of work. I followed their trial on Court TV. They really lost it when you were giving testimony.”
“The sad thing is that they are probably getting out on Parole in a few months,” I said sadly.
“Will they come after you?”
“Me? As I am now?”
“Yes.”
“I honestly don’t know. Perhaps they will but… I’ve pretty much kept off the radar these past few years. They might not even know how I look now.”
James looked at me strangely.
“They know,” he said simply.
I was startled by this news.
He reached over and took my hand.
“They still have a few friends on the outside. Rich friends. They have been keeping track of you.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Someone who they think of as a friend is also a friend of the President. A sort of double agent.”
James could see the concern on my face.
“You are safe here you know.”
I nodded.
“But I can’t stay here all the time.”
“Why not?”
“You could marry me you know?”
I was totally startled by this.
“Now you are joking. We don’t know each other very well now do we?”
James put his free hand under a blanked that was on the bed and pulled out a ring.
“Opal, I fell in love with you the moment we started to dance. Will you marry me?”
I didn’t know what to say.
“Well?” he asked softly.
“I’m scared.”
“Me too,” he said smiling.
“But… you are the President’s Son. The press will go berserk when they find out. I don’t think that I could handle that. I prefer to be in the background.”
“The same here. That’s why since Mom died, I’ve been very much out of the limelight.”
I could not take my eyes off the ring. It wasn’t blingy or OTT. It was just subtle… and so nice.
James saw my hesitation and took his chance. He slid the ring onto my finger. I didn’t stop him.
Then he leaned over and kissed me softly. I closed my eyes and felt as if I was on top of the world. I responded to his kissing and our breathing got a bit heavy.
We were both grinning madly when we separated.
“Does that mean Yes?”
“I sort of think so,” I replied with a tremor in my voice.
We hugged for a long, long time.
Dinner that evening was a joyous event. John got out a bottle of Champagne and he toasted us. I had to put a dampener on things.
“John, I need to get used to this and… the idea of being with someone again. I’ve got used to being on my own and there is the little problem of my Sisters.”
“Don’t worry my dear,” said the former President.
“If I were you, I’d brief your lawyer to make representations to the Parole Board. He can make it a condition of their release that they don’t leave the DC region.”
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry Mr President. You don’t know my sisters. They hold grudges until they get the upper hand. I saw it many times when I was growing up. The took down several perfectly respectable Realtors just to increase the size of their business. I really doubt that five years behind bars has made them repent their sins. If anything, they will be more determined. However, if they can prove to me that they have changed then I’ll withdraw my objection to the granting of parole.”
John realised that I was concerned.
“Why not live here? This place is pretty secure.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t want to live in a bubble. I think we spoke about ‘bubbles’ once before? Besides, once the press get wind of us being a couple they will be camped outside from then on. Just look at the level of press intrusion that Prince William and Prince Harry have to deal with on a daily basis. That isn’t for me. I just want to live as normal a life as possible.”
John smiled back at me.
“You are giving me a problem but one I can understand. One of the downsides about being a former President is that there are a lot of people out there who would like to kill me in a flash. I have to live with all this for the rest of my life. It goes with the territory. I can see that you two want to have your own life.”
That night, I began to have some serious reservations about… well, just about everything. I was comfortable with both John and James but John’s position would make for a lot of very difficult press once my past came to light. I feared that my sisters would make sure that it did.
All the time I was having these thoughts, I was fiddling with the ring on my finger. I was caught between two worlds.
When I finally fell asleep I was no closer to a decision.
“Good morning John,” I said as I walked into the breakfast room.
“Hello Opal. Did you sleep well?”
I paused before saying,
“Eventually.”
“Having second thoughts?”
I nodded as I poured some Coffee.
“Don’t worry. I spent three months dithering about standing for President. One day I it was yes, the next it was no, then yes.”
“What persuaded you?”
“In the end, it was my opponent. He was proposing to enact laws that would have set this country back decades especially on Taxes. I could not let that happen so I stood for election and… won.”
I didn’t say anything.
“You are still concerned about your Sister’s, aren’t you?”
“I am. They will want to make my life hell in any way they can. They have filed at least a dozen suits against me alleging theft of their inheritance. With each one, the tone of the wording gets worse. They were all dismissed by the way but they keep on coming.”
John smiled.
“And being with my son would make it worse?”
I nodded.
“Everything was so clear to me but to find out that they know about me as I am now and… probably where I live… Well, it has made me think again.”
“I’ll leave you alone to tell him but just know one thing Opal and that is that you are welcome here at any time even if it is just as a friend. If I were not a former President and twenty-five years younger I’d be wanting to date you.”
I was stunned by that remark. I think I went a bit red in the face.
“Thanks for the compliment John. It is much appreciated. It has lifted my self-esteem no end.”
He came around to my side of the table and gave me a hug.
“If you are going to leave, don’t be a stranger ok?”
“I will be back,” I said almost tearful.
John left me alone to wait for James.
James was just as forgiving as his father. We had a long discussion and we parted with a long kiss. I handed him his ring and almost fled to my bedroom where I burst into tears.
When I had recovered, I packed my things and headed downstairs. I was looking around for someone who could call me a Taxi when Henry appeared from the direction of John’s study.
“I hear that you are leaving us?” he said smiling.
“I am doing just that. Can you run me to somewhere where I can get a train for a flight out of here?”
He grinned.
“The boss has detailed me to stay with you until there is no threat from your sisters. He has also put his jet at your disposal for the next week. Where do you want to go?”
To say that I was stunned by this offer would be very much a mistake.
My reaction was to head towards John’s study. Henry laughed. I looked at him slightly angry.
“The boss said that you would react like that. He’s waiting for you. While you are arguing the toss with him, I’ll load your bags into the car.”
I walked over to the study but before I went in, I stopped and gave myself a bit of a mental kicking. If Henry was going to be with me 24/7 then I could not afford to have feelings towards him.
I took a step closer to the door and stopped dead again. I remembered a comment about me that I’d accidentally overheard about a year before. Two men were discussing the women who were in the bar where I was having a drink. When one mentioned me, the other said, ‘forget about her, she’s the ice queen. Frigid as they come.’ I didn’t want to appear to be like that bit OTOH, I could not get involved with anyone for the time being. With that clear in my mind, I went into the study.
John saw me and the anger in my face.
“Calm down Opal. We dragged you here so the least I could do is get you out of here. As for Henry being with you, I received a report on your Sisters from the FBI yesterday. Sapphire is looking into having you killed once she gets parole.”
John handed me a file.
John’s words stunned me.
“What about Ruby and Emerald?”
John smiled.
“Apparently, they seem to have found a different path for their life.”
“Eh?”
“It is all there in the report. Why not read it on your flight to the West Coast? That is where you are going isn’t it?”
Then I stopped dead. Why was I trying to argue with someone who was once the most powerful man in the world?
“John, I’m so sorry.”
He smiled.
“Opal, there is nothing to be sorry about. The first time we met I saw a fiercely independent streak in you that reminded me of my wife. She saw it as well. You are your own woman who is relishing her independence and I would not like to be the one that tries to stop you.”
I was lost for words.
“Why don’t you go home? I must say, that you chose a very lovely part of our fine country to put down roots. Please take your time and read the report and then decide if you want to attend the parole hearings for your sisters. Henry will be with you until there is no longer a threat on your life.”
I was still struggling to say something.
“Please Opal, do it for me?”
How could I refuse an offer like that?
“Thank you, John. I now know why you became President. You have a way of making things sound so simple.”
He smiled back at me.
“Now get going, you are wasting daylight.”
[to be continued in Part 3]
The flight west was long and boring. I read the report on my sisters at least three times. It seemed incredible that Ruby and Emerald had not only admitted their crimes but engaged in therapy relating to anger management.
Sapphire on the other hand was totally unrepentant. The report contained copies of letters that had been smuggled out of her prison by other inmates. She was vehement in her goal of making sure that I didn’t enjoy what she considered were ill gotten gains that were in her warped view of the world, rightly hers.
Ruby and Emerald had not only repented but had been working under supervision outside the prison helping homeless veterans. It all sounded too good to be true.
Their different stories presented me with a problem. Do I reject them all or do I accept Ruby and Emerald back into my life?
I was no nearer to solving the problem when we landed at Sonoma County Airport.
Henry was a star and had arranged a car for us at the airport. My mind was just not properly engaged to do anything very well.
Getting home was my first priority. It wasn’t really far from the Airport to Bodega Bay but the journey seemed to take an age.
Once I was home, I literally ran into my bedroom and began to cry. All the emotional ups and downs of the previous days had caught up with me big time.
Henry was a star. He opened up the house and even went out for groceries all while I was feeling sorry for myself.
Things settled down after a few days. Henry made like both easier and more awkward. He insisted in knowing everywhere I went before I went there. I resisted at first but with the ever looming, parole hearings, he made it seem that it was essential for my security.
It wasn’t until one day when we went out for lunch and something we ate disagreed with Henry that I even suspected that he wasn’t exactly ‘kosher’.
Henry became pretty ill so in the end, I called 911 and he ended up in Hospital. Naturally, they needed to know his insurance details. As I didn’t have them, I called Angie Marquez, John Mason’s Secretary. As I was in a bit of a panic, I used the first phone that I found in Henry’s jacket. I had my own phone but had forgotten all about it.
“Oh, hello Opal. I didn’t recognise the phone you are calling from. What is the matter?”
“Henry has very severe food poisoning. He’s in Hospital and they need his insurance details.”
“Oh yes. Which Hospital?”
“We are at Santa Rosa Memoria.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll get the details to them.”
Henry made a good recovery and was home a few days later.
I was not aware of the events that were happening on the other side of the continent until almost a week after Henry’s illness when I received a phone call from Angie Marquez early one morning.
“Opal, are you alone?” she asked urgently.
“Yes, I’m in bed. I was just about to get up.”
“Stay where you are and I’ll put the President on the line. Just listen to what he has to say. Don’t ask questions. Just listen and when he’s finished, just hang up.”
“What?”
“Here is the President,” said Angie.
“Hello Opal. Please just listen to what I and my security chief, Matthew Simmonds has to say.”
“Hello Opal,” came another voice. I remembered it from my visit.
“Opal, we have firm evidence that Henry had been in contact with your Sisters. The phone you used to call here when he was ill was not his assigned phone. As a matter of course, we ran some checks on the phone. We were surprised to find that all of your sisters have called that number in the past few months. We keep records of what phone numbers inmates call from prison. We have to assume that Henry is in cohorts with them.”
I let out a breath and found that I was shaking.
Mr Simmonds carried on,
“Please try to keep things as normal. The President will be speaking to Henry in a few hours and arranging for both of you to travel here in a few days. It is James’s Birthday next Thursday so we have a good reason for you to be here.”
Then the President came back on the line.
“Opal, please try to keep things as normal as possible until I call you later this morning.”
Then he added,
“You are a special person to all of us so stay safe.”
When the call had ended I just stayed still in bed. I was struggling to get my head around the fact that Henry had been in contact with my Sisters. How could he betray us like that?
In the end, I had to get out of bed and after a shower, I went downstairs. The place was silent. There was no sign of Henry. I looked out of the front window and my car was gone.
I was about to call Mr Simmonds when I stopped and went upstairs. Henry’s room was a mess. This was not typical of him. He was a neat freak.
I had to think that he found out about my conversation with the people in Maine.
I called them and was put through to Mr Simmonds.
“I think Henry has gone. His room is a total mess and my car has gone.”
“Opal, stay right where you are. I will get the FBI to come to you.”
“Will he come back?”
“We don’t know but I will get onto the local Police Department as soon as we are finished with this call. May I suggest that you pack a small bag and get ready to leave. I’ll arrange for a security company to come in and secure the house.”
When I’d finished speaking, I sat wondering what the hell was happening to me. Everything seemed to point back to my Sisters. I wanted to see the back of them but as time went by, it seemed that like a bad penny, they would keep on coming back into my life. Families were not top of my favourite things in this world at the moment.
I’d not long finished packing a bag when a Police Cruiser pulled up outside. Two officers got out and came up to the house. One of them rang the bell.
“Hello Officers. Please come in, I have been expecting you.”
They looked at each other slightly puzzled.
“We had a report of a disturbance here. Why would you be expecting us?”
I sighed.
“Please come in and I’m sure we can clear this up in a few minutes.”
They came inside my home. I led them into the kitchen.
“Officers, I was expecting a visit from you because of another matter. Nothing to do with a disturbance at all. If I may, I’d like to make a call to someone you may know. He will help clear things up. Is that ok?”
“Who are you calling?”
“Former President Mason,” I said calmly.
“You are kidding me?” said the younger officer.
I smiled.
“It is true. I am a friend of the President. I was speaking to him earlier today.”
“How do we know if it is him?”
“What if I made it a video call?”
Neither of them argued with that.
Two minutes later, the President appeared on the screen of my Laptop.
“Mr President, we are sorry to bother you.”
“Officers, think nothing of it. My Security Chief is talking to your chief as we speak. The young lady you are with is a personal friend of mine. We have information that her life is in danger. A team of FBI Agents from the Sacramento Office are on their way to your location. Does this clear up and concerns you might have?”
“Mr President, we understand. I guess the call that alerted us was a hoax?”
“It may well turn out that way.”
Then he added,
“When all this is over and I’m next out on the West Coast, I’ll make sure that I’ll drop by your lovely little town. I was there many, many years ago when I drove Highway 1 up from San Diego with my dear wife on our Honeymoon. I hope to see you guys soon.”
I cleared the call and looked at the officers.
“Did that answer all your questions?”
“Ms De Vries, I thought you were trying to pull a fast one when you mentioned President Mason. I am sorry for doubting you,” said the older Officer.
Before anyone could speak, their Police Radios went off.
The older officer went outside to take the call. He returned a couple of minutes later.
“That was the Sheriff. We are to stay here until the Feds arrive to escort this young lady to the Airport. Her story obviously checks out.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Shall I make us all some coffee?”
The FBI arrived almost two hours later and took over from the local Police. Sadly, the three FBI Officers were not best pleased to be order to this neck of the woods. They made it clear that they would rather be back at base because there was an inter-departmental Softball game taking place that afternoon. These were apparently the three top players for one of the teams.
In the end, I’d had enough of their bickering.
“Officers, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can get to your Softball game.”
There was no argument from the officers. As a result, we left my home less than five minutes later.
Our little convoy headed south towards San Francisco. I was a little confused so I asked the agent in charge.
“Agent Conroy, why are we heading towards San Francisco?”
He turned around in his seat and said,
“That’s what our orders are to do.”
“Then why have I been told differently?” I replied digging my phone out of my bag.
I showed him a series of messages that came from President Masons Chief of Security.
Slowly a smile formed over Agent Conroy’s face.
“I think I understand. Let me make a call to someone I know in the Tower at SFO.”
He turned back to face the front and spoke quietly into his phone for several minutes. Then he turned back to me grinning.
“I think we are being sent to SFO to make sure that we can’t get back to Sacramento in time for the Softball Game. The Tower at SFO has no record of a flight coming from Lincoln, Nebraska using that Aircraft Tail Number.”
His smile became even broader. There is a flight plan flied that takes that aircraft into Sacramento Airport at seven this evening.
“Someone is playing games with us.”
I started to understand.
“Well then Agent Conroy, should we not be heading for Sacramento and your Softball Game?”
“Ms De-Vries, our job is to protect you until you are safely on that aircraft. I’d probably be sacked from the service if I took you to a Softball game.”
“Agent Conroy, as I understand it, the game is between two FBI departments? If that is correct then what safer place is there? How many people will there be in attendance?”
“Oh!” he exclaimed.
“Yes Oh! So, you take part in your game and then deliver me to the airport in time for the flight to arrive. If we headed straight to the airport then we would have several hours to kill while we wait for the incoming flight to land. I’d far rather watch you guys play silly games than look at the inside of a terminal building.”
He looked sternly at me for a second then he realised what I’d said.
“I’m giving you an out here. Let me talk to your supervisor and I’ll make sure that it is ok. After all, he does not want to be transferred to somewhere like Iceland or even worse, Greenland, now does he?”
Agent Conroy had a hard time stopping himself from laughing.
He stopped our convoy and discussed the events with his fellow agents. I sat and watched then. Then I sent an update to Maine as I’d been instructed. I was getting to like having powerful people on my side.
At exactly 7pm the plane that was coming to pick me up arrived at Sacramento. Agent Conroy was happy for two reasons. Firstly, he was handing me over as ordered and secondly, his team had thrashed the other team at Softball.
I made sure that I thanked all of the agents personally before I boarded the plane. As I climbed the steps, I was thinking that it had been quite a day and a nice long flight east would allow me to relax before the inevitable questions about Henry that would come tomorrow.
When we arrived in Maine, two black SUV’s were waiting for me. I was beginning to hate SUV’s especially when they are black and have blacked out windows. James laughed when I mentioned it to him later.
“The Secret Service insist on them. I have a Mustang at home. If I go out in it, they insist on at least one of these things following me.”
His words hit home. They actually reinforced a feeling I’d had for some considerable time.
I didn’t get even a chance to say hello to John when we arrived at his home. I was whisked away to meet with the head of security.
“We found your car about an hour ago. It was in Bend, Oregon. We think that Henry is heading for Canada.”
I was stunned by the directness and little thought for me. No “Hello, how was your flight?” or anything. Not even an offer of Coffee or breakfast. I was going off these people at a great rate of knots.
I sighed. I needed to get out of here ASAP.
“Make arrangements to sell the car and I’ll get my lawyer to list my home.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say that you want to sell up in California?”
“Yep. That’s what I said. I can’t go back there as my Sisters obviously know about it. The car isn’t worth very much and the cost of trucking it home from Bend would probably be more than the car is worth. My lawyer can sign the sale documents. He has power of attorney for me.”
“I don’t think Henry is a bad man. He could have done serious damage to me before he left. He could have even taken me with him. Instead, he just left. That is not like him at all.”
“I don’t think you are in a position to judge Ms De Vries,” came his curt reply.
“Oh, but I am. Henry is a nice guy. Before you ask, no, he didn’t come on to me. He was the perfect Gentleman at all times. No, it was just the impression I got from being with him twenty-four hours a day.”
Then I added,
“My feeling is that my Sisters may have had something on him and after he met me, he decided that they were wrong. As I said, it is just a feeling but it might be better to investigate him with an open mind and not to jump to conclusions.”
He glared at me.
“Are you trying to tell me my job?”
“No, I’m not but, there is a world of difference in the skills needed to be head of security and to investigate a situation like this. I’d hand this over to the FBI as obviously it is no longer a security issue and none of the Presidents family or staff are in danger.”
Again, he stared at me.
I smiled at him and left him glaring at me. I felt good.
I found John and James in John’s study.
“Ah Opal, how was the ‘SS’ grilling?”
After a second or so I realised he meant that Secret Service.
“He does not like Henry but I told him that I think that my Sisters may have something on him and after meeting me, he realised that they are wrong so he just upped and left.”
John smiled.
“I’ll bet that went down well?”
“He does not like me now.”
John laughed.
“No one likes him but as far as security issues go, he’s about the best there is.”
I felt relieved.
It was John who spoke.
“Do you have any idea where you want to go and do now?”
“I want my sisters to serve the whole of their sentence. That means I will be at their Parole hearings. After that? I just want to settle down and live a normal life free from the threat of them. I am sort of getting the feeling that I can’t do that in this country.”
There was a stony silence in the room.
“Where will you go?” asked James.
“I don’t know at the moment.”
James looked at his father before saying,
“You are welcome to stay here until you are sure where you want to go.”
I looked at James torn in two. I wanted to stay but I needed to find somewhere I could go ‘off grid’ so to speak until the hearings.
“Thanks James but I think I’ll pass on that. I’ll get myself a new car and head off into the sunset until the hearings. What happens then will dictate what I do next.”
James looked disappointed. I needed to have a quiet word with him before I left Maine.
I took James aside later in the day.
“James, I know you like having me around but at this point in time, I need to lie low and be invisible to everyone until it is time for the Parole Hearings. We don’t know if my sisters have dirt of other people who might be looking for me now that Henry is out of the picture.”
He thought for a bit before responding.
“We worry about you. Well Dad is the worst. I’ve seen how his whole demeanour changes when you are around. You remind him of Mom at your age.”
It was then that I knew that I could never be with James. I didn’t want to be a substitute wife/mother even for people as nice as John and James.
I smiled as best I could.
“Don’t worry James, you don’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll still be around from time to time.”
Then I took hold of his hands and looked him right in the eye.
“James, you must not wait for me. I have far too much baggage for an upstanding sort of guy like you. If we became an item then the media would be all over me and my somewhat chequered past.”
Before he could respond I added,
“Look James, I am sorry that I did not turn out to be your Cinderella. If we didn’t have all this baggage then perhaps it might have worked but there again, without this baggage we would never have met in the first place. Meeting you helped me get free of my ugly sisters so that part of the Fairy Tale did come true but I’m really not a Cinderella type, am I? I’m not a dumb blonde and that alone spoils the plot a bit.”
Then I gave him what I hoped was a goodbye kiss.
I stayed in Maine for one more day before I left. I had a long private conversation with John that went into the early hours of the morning. I told him my plans about going off grid. He laughed and said that he was thinking those very same thoughts. We also did a little business regarding money. I gave him a check and he gave me some cash. I knew that he’d never cash the check but it was one way of making me promise to come back and see him again.
One of the Secret Service team took me to Bangor Airport. I wasn’t sure where I was going but neither Maine nor California seemed to be very attractive at the moment.
The first flight out was going to Chicago which seemed like a good place to start. I used my Credit Card to pay for the ticket. People knew where I was so I wanted to leave at least a partial trail for my journey.
The Weather had closed in by the time my flight landed at O’Hare. Perhaps I’d gotten soft living on the Pacific Coast in California but the weather had made me turn my attention towards somewhat warmer climes. Las Vegas seemed awfully attractive and a single woman travelling there would not be out of the ordinary.
It was getting dark by the time I arrived in Vegas. I took a Hotel shuttle and stayed a night at one of the bigger Casino’s. A half decent meal and a very good sleep made my mind a lot clearer about where I should go next.
I left the hotel the next morning and walked onto the ‘strip’ where I hailed a Taxi.
“Can you take me to somewhere I can get a car off the books so to speak?” I asked the oriental looking driver.
At the next stop light he turned to me and smiled.
“How much you gotta to spend?”
I sensed a bit of a trap here but needs must and all that.
“A couple of grand. It is back at the hotel so don’t get any ideas ok?”
He laughed.
“You, wise lady. I know place.”
The driver headed for North Vegas and a lot next to a huge Walmart.
“Here you are lady. You get car here no problem.”
I gave him a fairly decent tip and got out of the cab.
Feeling slightly nervous, I wandered into the fairly decrepit trailer that was the office.
“Yes?” asked a man who seemed more intent on the racing pages of a newspaper than selling a car.
“I’m looking for a car off the books.”
He raised an eyebrow before saying,
“You wanted by the cops?”
I smiled.
“Not the cops. An ex who would not take no for an answer.”
“As long as you aren’t wanted by the cops then I can help you.”
Half an hour later I’d agreed to sort of rent an eight year old Honda Accord that had just arrived on the lot. It still had its Nevada license plates.
I paid him the sticker value of the car.
“I won’t put this into the DMV for three months. Bring her back undamaged and I’ll buy her back from you. Any tickets and I’ll say that you stole her from the lot. Understand?”
‘I understand.”
I was reluctant to part with more than half the cash I’d received from John so I went back to my Hotel and after checking out, I withdrew $10,000 from a branch of my bank. I used the bank just to make sure that there was a record of me being in Vegas.
Another Taxi ride back to the lot and I had my wheels. After buying a cheap phone and a PAYG Sim Card, I was done with Vegas. From now on, it was cash only.
Before I’d left Maine, I’d spoken at some length with Mr Travers, my lawyer. He’d given me the details a few people to contact in a number of places around the country. He’d laughed when I said ‘all over the place please. I don’t know where I will end up.’ But, he’d come up with around 20 contacts. The nearest one to me that wasn’t in California was in Reno, a good way to the north of where I was now.
There was nothing for it but to drive to Reno up Highway 95.
I made it to Tonopah before nightfall. A couple of Motels insisted on credit cards for ‘ancilliaries’. Quite what they were for was always a puzzle to me. The third and most basic place took cash so I was set for the night.
After breakfast the next morning in a Diner across the road from the Motel, I carried on towards Reno.
When I reached the town of Sparks, I pulled into a strip mall and parked. Then I made the call.
“Moira James please,” I said when the phone was answered.
“Ah Ms James, I was given your number by a lawyer in DC. I need somewhere to go off the grid for a couple of months.”
“No, I’m not a Mother and I don’t have an ‘ex’ but I do have some family members who would like to carry on their campaign of beating me up at regular intervals.”
“Why two months? That is easy. They come up for parole then. They have already threatened me not to appear at the hearings,” I replied telling a little lie.
“No, I’m in Sparks. I should say that I am able to support myself financially, but I just need to lie very, very low for a while.
“Stevenson St Bus Depot? I should be able to find that. What time?”
“Three pm is fine by me. I’m driving a grey Accord with Nevada plates.”
“I look forward to seeing you then.”
I spent the time before my meeting at a Mall not far from I-80. I needed a few more changes of clothes. I wasn’t going for a classy look but the ability to blend in with everyone else.
That night I was led to a home in Carson City, the state Capitol. My hosts, Brad and Sue were kind and sympathetic. They were led to believe that I’d been beaten up by my Family. I soon put them right and we became friends. I helped out about the house during my stay. IT was perfect for keeping out of sight.
[Two Months Later]
When it came time for me to leave, I left them a parting gift of two thousand dollars. They tried to refuse it but I insisted. I also left a check to the Women’s refuge in Reno. The organiser, Mary Sanchez cried when she saw the amount. I took her hands in mine and said,
“Fifty Thousand dollars is cheap for what you have done to me. Lying low all this time has given me plenty of time to decide how I am going to fight my Sisters in court.”
I was becoming a bit emotional.
“Mary. I can afford it. I came here needing to go off grid for a while. I have done that thanks to people like you. Consider it as payment for services rendered to someone in their time of need.”
I drove back to Vegas and returned the car to the lot where I’d got it. The dealer was surprised to see me again. He was even more surprised when I told him that I didn’t want any money back for the car apart from him stumping up for a Taxi to the Strip. I left him a happy man.
[One day later in Delaware]
Baylor Women's Correctional Institution was not as formidable as I’d imagined. My Lawyer, Mr Travers was driving. He’d met me earlier at Philadelphia Airport a little earlier after I’d flown in from Las Vegas.
I was fairly nervous about what was going to happen. My only desire was to stop them getting parole. I wanted them to serve their full sentence.
Ruby was first to appear. She came into the room smiling broadly. When she saw me, the smile disappeared in a flash. The smile was replaced by anger.
Once the formalities were over, it was my turn to speak.
“Please state your relationship to the Prisoner,” asked the head of the Parole Board.
“Ruby De Vries is my Sister.”
“Why are you here today?”
“I want her to serve the full term of her sentence. She and her sisters spent six years making me their virtual slave denying me an education and giving me regular beatings if I made the slightest mistake. They were sentenced to eleven years and I want them to properly pay for their crimes against me.”
My statement caused the panel to look rather awkward.
“How do you feel now that Ruby has admitted her crimes and has received treatment for her problems.”
“Mr Chairman, I happen to know that Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald have been in contact with some people on the outside who were tasked with finding out where I live. I have records of phone calls made to that person.”
There was more discussion amongst the panel.
“Where did you get these records from? We have received no request for the records.”
“Mr Chairman, the number they called was that of a phone that was operated by the Secret Service. As the bill payer, they gave me the details of the calls. I have an affidavit from one of the senior members of President Mason’s security staff to this effect.”
“Liar!” cried Ruby as she leapt to her feet.
The guards made her sit down again.
Mr Travers handed over the documents he’d received from Maine the previous day. There were copies for each of the members of the panel.
A few minutes later, the Chairman asked me,
“Ms De Vries, Do, you consider that these calls represent a threat to your life?”
I’d been prepared for this question.
“To be honest Mr Chairman, I don’t know. The person that they called is missing so we can only guess the purpose of the call.”
“Do you know how they got the phone number?”
“Again, Mr Chairman, I do not know. All I know is that when I was told of the calls, the person who’d received them went missing.”
Then I went in for the kill.
“Mr Chairman, I have also come into possession of a number of letters that were smuggled out of this prison. They make it clear that they have unfinished business with me.”
My lawyer handed them to the panel. They took their time and read the letters. They had been sent to someone they thought was a friend in DC. They were actually loyal to President Mason.
The chairman looked at the other members of the panel.
“One final question Ms De Vries. Would we be correct, in assuming that the objections you have raised here would also apply to your sisters, Sapphire De Vries and Emerald De Vries?”
“Yes, they do Mr Chairman.”
I looked at Ruby who glared back at me. The look was pure hatred. I smiled. This was enough to set her off.
“She’s not really a she. Underneath there is a man. It is not my Sister but my Brother Trevor.”
“The prisoner will be quiet!” said the Chairman sternly.
He looked at me before asking,
“Is there any truth in this claim?”
I smiled. I was prepared for this.
“To put it bluntly. I was born with two sets of kit. That is why I was named Trevor. However, my mother knew that she’d given birth to a girl. According to the medical records, it was found that I had a full set of Ovaries and the rest. My Birth Certificate was changed shortly before my mother died. My sisters never accepted this and made me grow up as a boy. I never knew any of this until I turned eighteen. It might be that their refusal to accept me as a sister might have contributed to the way they treated me year after year.”
The chairman thought for a moment before saying,
“Thank you for your candour Ms De Vries.”
“Are you just going to accept his lies?” shouted Ruby.
There was silence in the room. Everyone was looking at me.
“Mr Chairman, I will gladly let a suitably qualified doctor examine me if you feel it is required. It should only take a few minutes as it is that time of the month. That should be evidence enough as to who I am. I am not their apology of a brother any longer.”
There was some discussion amongst the members of the panel. Finally, the chairman spoke.
“We do not think that will be needed Ms De Vries. We have also come to a decision on the matter of the Parole for Ruby De Vries.”
He turned to Ruby.
“Ruby De Vries, your application for parole is denied.”
“What are you going to do now?” asked my Lawyer when we’d left the prison.
“I don’t know. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have a plan.”
Mr Travers smiled.
“I know of someone who would like to talk with you. One to one.”
“Who?” I asked thinking it was James.
“Please don’t fly off the handle. It is Henry. He has some information that might make you decide what to do next.”
“Henry? Isn’t he in Canada or Cuba or something?”
“No, he laid a very good false trail. Like you he’s been lying low and doing some research. He sent me a file which had a lot of very useful information in it. This was a couple of weeks ago. I have verified most of it and what he is saying is true.”
This stunned me.
“But he took my car and fled?”
“Yes, he did. He is sorry about the car by the way. He thought that you had seen the call history on one of his two phones. The phone you saw was the one issued to him by the Chief of Security at the President’s Home. It came from a pool of phones. When those calls from the prison were made, Henry was not even in the country. He was with James in France or when they were flying back to the US from Europe. It is a little difficult to make a collect call to a cell phone when the recipient is flying at thirty thousand feet over the Atlantic.”
“So, he’s not to blame then?”
Mr Travers shook his head.
“He is innocent. However, finding out this has brought a whole nest of snakes to light. That was why he sent the file to me to validate certain facts that he did not have access to.”
“What sort of facts?”
“It all relates to your Sisters Reality business. When it was closed down, all the files were put in storage. You gave me access to the files if you remember?”
I sort of vaguely did remember.
“What were they doing then?”
“You won’t like this but from the evidence we have gathered, they were running a high-class prostitution ring.”
“Now you are joking? My Sisters? My frigid ice maiden Sisters?”
He smiled at me.
“It is perfectly true. Think about it for a moment. Encounters such as this, need places for the two parties to meet. Most of this business is done using hotels but in DC, the Feds and the media monitor the comings and goings on an ongoing basis. However, with the Realty Business, you have houses where the agent meets the client, shows them around and then they depart. Many of the houses are empty and have been ‘dressed’ to help the sale. A bed in a bedroom is perfect.”
My mouth was wide open by now.
“With a ‘For Sale’ or ‘For Rent’ board up outside no one takes any notice of two people meeting and supposedly viewing the property. With a constantly changing set of properties, the Police and the media were oblivious to what was going on under their noses.”
“How long…. How long were they doing it?”
“At least 10 years. That puts it around the time your mother died that it began according to the company records.”
Suddenly something came into my mind.
“That must be how they were able to afford those expensive lawyers for their trial? We had all their assets frozen to stop them skipping the country. There must be some bank accounts somewhere that were never revealed.”
Mr Travers grinned back at me.
“It gets better than that.”
“How?”
“They had a partner in the business. It is none other than the pretend wife of President Mason’s Chief of Security, Matthew Simmonds. She has carried on the business ever since they were convicted.”
“Eh? Aren’t they married?”
“In name only. Actually, she never was divorced from her first husband.”
“But? The phone calls?”
“They were made when the phone was temporarily hers. She has also visited your Sisters five times in Baylor in the past year.”
“Does Mr Simmonds or the President know about this?”
Mr Travers shook his head.
“That’s where you come in.”
It all started to make sense… a bit.
“You need to take this to the president,” said Henry when he’d finished showing me all the latest goodies.
“If something was to happen to me, all of this must go public. Can you promise me that?”
I looked at Henry. There was clear concern in his eyes.
I reached over and took his hand.
“You have my word on that.”
He smiled. I felt something inside me stir.
Then he changed the subject.
“When I get my name cleared, I will be out of a job. I will be regarded as too high a security risk. One of the places I took James to when we were in Europe was the home of my family.”
I looked at him still feeling something.
“I am a second generation American. My grandmother married a Navy Captain in 1944. My mother was born just down the road in Boston. She and my father split up before I was born. She took her mother’s family name. That’s why I’m a MacLeod.”
“What are you trying to say Henry?”
He looked me right in the eyes. His eyes were rather sad.
“Opal… What I’m trying to say is… come with me when this is over. Come with me to Scotland and we can start a new life, together.”
Once again, I was stunned.
“Henry… I don’t know what to say.”
He smiled.
“Don’t say anything. Don’t say anything until this is all over. I will be leaving and I’d very much like for you to come with me.”
My insides were churning like a tumble dryer.
After more than a little dreaming, I returned to normality.
“Henry….”
I was lost for words.
“Don’t say anything. I left you in California because I knew that I was innocent and there was a lot more behind this than just a few phone calls. I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s why I ran. I care deeply about you. That’s why I called 911 and those local officers turned up at your home. I didn’t want you to be without protection.”
I was speechless.
“Go and get this lot in front of the President and the can see what transpires when everything settles down.”
I still didn’t know what to say.
“Just promise me that whatever decision you take, you will tell me to my face?”
Henry deserved that much at least.
I managed to force a smile.
“I will tell you face to face. I don’t do things like that on the phone or even worse by Text.”
Henry looked a little lost. I didn’t know if it was deliberate or not, but I took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. I followed it up by giving him a smile. I felt that he deserved it as after all, he had laid all his cards out on the table in front of me.
That night, I read his dossier. I almost went to his room and hit him when I saw the last report. It was dated just two days before the Parole Hearings. It was as they say, the ‘smoking gun’.
I tried to call John several times in the following two days. For some reason, all I got was the brush off. In the end, I called James.
After we’d exchanged pleasantries, I said,
“James, I been trying to call your father but I’m getting the brush off from security. I’m a bit loathe to just turn up at his Residence if they are giving me the run around.”
“Why? I need to show him something. Well, quite a lot really.”
“Dynamite cake with added C4 frosting.”
James laughed at my description.
“Yes, that explosive. If this stuff gets into the wrong hands then… well, a lot of people are going to have to find new places to hide. No, skip that, new planets to live on.”
“You are? I’m not far from Boston.”
“Tomorrow is fine.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find it. See you tomorrow at ten.”
It was only after I’d hung up did I think that I might have said too much. If someone was listening in on our phone call then… what could happen didn’t even cross my mind. I had to put those thoughts out of my mind.
I met James at a Café off I-95 just north of the New Hampshire-Maine State line.
“You are really looking well Opal.”
I smiled.
“I think the fact that my sisters are going to serve out the rest of their sentence might have something to do with it.”
“I heard about that. Well done. That must be a great weight off of your shoulders?”
“It is, well for the next five years.”
“So, what’s this Dynamite with a C4 frosting?”
I pushed the folder across the table to him.
“Take a look for yourself especially the last report.”
Five minutes later her looked up at me smiling.
“Wow!”
I smiled.
“Wow! Is that all you have to say?”
“This is dynamite all right. You are right to want to show this to Dad.”
“Will you help me?”
“Does a Duck Quack? Of course, I will. Today is actually perfect. He’s doing some painting on the coast not far from here.”
“Will his head of security be around?”
“Probably not. He prefers to run things from his office.”
I smiled.
“What are we waiting for then?”
“I thought that you would never ask…”
An hour later, we joined the former President as he sat working at an easel a few miles north of Portland.
“Hello son. Nice to see you Opal as always,” he said smiling when we arrived.
I stood there straight faced.
“I take it that from your expression that this isn’t a social call?”
“It isn’t. There are some documents you need to see.”
As befitting a former President of the USA, he read every document at least twice before turning to us.
“This is dam good work. Who did it?”
“It was mostly Henry Macleod with some help from my lawyer.”
“He did good, very good.”
Then he smiled.
“I have to applaud your Sisters. Their business provided the perfect cover for this other activity. I am saddened to see that Matthew is involved in this. Still, we must act. I can’t be seen to be condoning this sort of thing.”
Then he looked at me straight in the eye.
“Why didn’t you call me and arrange to visit? You know you are always welcome.”
“I did try. Four times to be precise. Every time your security people told me that you were unavailable. That’s why I involved James.”
“Perhaps my Security Chief has gotten wind of this?”
Before either of us could react, he stood up and began to gather his paints.
“We must act on this without delay. Opal, James would you please ride back with me. One of my security people will drive your car.”
When we reached the President’s home, he got out of the car and after helping me out, we walked into the house.
I followed the former President to the office of his Chief of Security.
“Mr President? We were not expecting you back so soon.”
“Matthew, as you can see, I have Opal with me. I understand that she was given the run around when she tried to call me in the last few days. Care to explain?”
“Mr President, we received information that she had been communicating with Henry MacLeod.”
“So? Is there a warrant out for his arrest?”
“Sir, I was in the process of making him a wanted man.”
John smiled.
“Don’t do anything on that. That is a direct order understand?”
“Sir? Buy why?”
“This is why.”
He slammed the dossier down on the table.
“Your pretend wife is running a call girl ring and you know all about it. This is why she never moved up here.”
Matthew’s face dropped.
“I see you knew all about it?”
“Sir, I only found out a short while ago.”
“Cut the crap Matthew, you have known and probably for years. I will expect your resignation on my desk within the hour.”
He nodded his head in shame.
“Now, what are we going to do about your wife?”
“What do you mean?”
“From the evidence I see here, she is a high-class madam. She took over the position from Opal’s three sisters who are as you know doing a eleven stretch in Delaware. She obviously has a little black book full with the names of people who rather this all was not made public. Good so far?”
I stepped back and watched the former President come alive. Doing deals was obviously his thing.
Matthew nodded.
“She stops this today, right now. You call your wife and lay out the facts. Then she turns over the details of her bank account to you who will give it to me along with authority to access the account. Opal here will empty that account and give the money to a good cause of her choice. Good so far?”
“I don’t like it. Miranda has her own mind especially about money.”
“The I make a call to the FBI. I say the FBI because some of the properties used and well documented here were outside the DC City limits so the crimes have crossed state lines. That makes it Federal. That also means that when the contents of her little black book are made public, it will send shockwaves from here to planet Zog. Oh, I think that hers and indeed your tax returns will need some… editing don’t you think? All that untaxed income. Tut-tut.”
Then John surprised me and from the look on the face of the President as well.
“Do you know what? I don’t care. Since I came up here I have realised what a snake pit DC is. It is so corrupt that a bent stick is straighter than what goes on down there. I was part of it for far too long. We all knew it was corrupt but we did nothing about it. Now is my chance to get rid of at least some of that corruption. One phone call to say, Fox News and DC will explode.”
He paused for thought.
“Matthew, you have no choice really. You allowed a phone supplied by the secret service to be used for illegal activities. You are done whatever happens. No one will give you a job with any responsibility. You betrayed me and the trust I put in you over the years.”
John was alive. It was as if he had been reborn.
“Time to make that call don’t you think?”
A sad faced Matthew opened his phone and made the call to his wife. Her reaction was eerily reminiscent to that of my Sisters. At first, she flatly refused to believed that we had evidence to incriminate her.
I knew how I could end this.
“Mr Simmonds. This is the approximate balance of her business bank account.”
I wrote down a figure.
Everyone around the table went wide eyed when they saw the figure.
“Darling,” said Mr Simmonds.
“Someone here has just given me a figure for the money in your business bank account.”
“Five Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand Dollars,” said Matthew.
There was silence from the other end of the phone.
Then we all heard,
“It is that bastard Opal, isn’t it? You do know that it really isn’t a she? It was born with a dick just like you. Just wait. I’ll dish the dirt on him and that idiot son of his. They won’t be able to set foot in DC ever again.”
I picked up my phone and sent a message to DC.
I nodded to James.
“That idiot James is here,” said James.
“Your bank account is being emptied as we speak.”
“You can’t do that!” came an indignant voice down the phone.
“Yes, we can,” I said.
“You neglected to take my sisters off the list of signatories to the account. Five and a bit years ago I obtained a court order to seize all their assets. That order is still in force. The money as it is from a series of crimes will be donated to charity. I think the homeless of Washington could do with a generous donation?”
A whole stream of insults came down the phone line.
It was Matthew who put a stop to it.
“Please stop. It isn’t helping,” he said in a loud voice.
“Well, do something to stop them. Isn’t that your job?”
“Stop right there. They have all the proof they need of what you have been doing. I will be filing for divorce by the end of the day. I want nothing to do with you and I will make it clear that you are not to get a penny from me. If you challenge it, I will have no choice but to make what you have been doing public. I’m sure that you don’t want that. An awful lot of very powerful people will get very pissed off with you.”
There was no response from the other end.
“I will be flying down to DC within the hour. We will settle this face to face.”
Then he cut off the call.
“I want nothing more to do with her. She can rot in hell along with your sisters.”
I couldn’t disagree with that.
We met in a Coffee shop not far from MIT.
“I’m done here,” I said.
“Do you really mean it?”
I nodded.
“I told John and James last night.”
“How did James take the news?”
I smiled.
“I think that he was relieved. As you know, he’s been working in a Legal Practice in Portland. One of the partners and he have been sort of dating.”
“How do you sort of date?” asked Henry.
“By going out as friends and going Dutch.”
Henry looked a bit afraid.
I smiled and leaned over the table and took his hand.”
“You are paying for this right…?”
He laughed.
When he did so, I had that feeling again. I hadn’t had it with James apart from when we first danced at the ball.
There was a silence between us. It was as if neither of us wanted to make the first move.
In the end, I spoke first.
“I owe you an answer.”
“Only if you are ready to give it.”
“Oh, I am ready. As I said, I’m done here. That means done with this country and especially people with any connection to that rat-infested swamp that is DC.”
Henry laughed.
“Me too,” he said.
“I sent off my resignation last night.”
After a few seconds, I said,
“If the offer of going with you to Scotland is still open then I’m in.”
Henry grinned.
“I’m not making any promises but I’d like to find out what a proper relationship is all about.”
“You don’t know how this makes me feel.”
“Happy I hope.”
“I think so. Nervous but hey, life is full of challenges.”
[one month later]
“Is it all as flat as this?” I asked as Henry drove our rental car across the wilds of Sutherland.
“Most of the taller mountains are to the south. We flew in over them.”
I remembered seeing a snow topped mountain landscape below from the aircraft that we’d flown up from Glasgow to Inverness in.
“Don’t worry, you are in for a surprise. Well several surprises,” was all he’d say to my questions about where we were going.
The first surprise was a real honest to goodness stone Castle that hugged the shore of what the locals called a ‘Loch’. The next surprise, were the sheer number of Palm Trees that were growing in the garden. I thought that we were too far north for that. I knew then that I had a lot to learn. We both had a lot to learn.
We were welcomed at the Castle by Henry’s Great Aunt Siobhan. An elegant lady in her early 60’s.
“Come in my dears. You must be exhausted by all that travelling. I’ll put the kettle on.”
Everyone in the family were as welcoming as Siobhan. Henry was treated as if he was long lost royalty or the prodigal son returning home, I could not decide which.
I was treated like a goddess. Siobhan’s daughter Anna, took me to one side and said,
“You are that mystery woman from that ball aren’t you?”
“Eh?”
“I was in Washington covering the event for Der Spiegel. I saw you arrive. Your smile gave you away.”
I was cornered.
“Yes, that was me. It was a long time ago. I’ve changed a lot since then.”
She grinned.
“I know. Those sisters of yours were something else entirely.”
I felt totally exposed.
“I saw you give evidence at their trial. I felt that there was something odd about you. It was only later that I saw you as your real self again that I twigged.”
“But… But… you didn’t get the scoop of the century?”
She hugged me tight.
“You had obviously been through hell with them. The last thing that you needed was more hurt. Besides, I felt so envious of you, having two dances with ‘him’!”
“But I’m not Cinderella?” I protested.
“You were that night. You danced beautifully by the way.”
Then she added,
“And here you are with Henry. You make a great couple you know. I hope you stay and make a life together here.”
“Why did you stop being a reporter?”
She laughed.
“I… I missed this place.”
I was going to learn that the ‘place’ and especially the surrounding area grew on you.
That night a traditional highland dinner was held in our honour. I didn’t like the taste of the Islay Malts but some of the lowland ones were more to my liking. I could not believe that the bar had more than 100 different brands of Scotch available.
The final surprise came a week later as we walked along the shore near the castle and were watching the Sea Otters fishing. Henry suddenly went down on one knee and said,
“I know that we haven’t even been on a date or kissed but will you Opal De Vries give me the honour of becoming my wife?”
Then a passing seagull tried to ruin the moment by dropping some poo right onto Henry’s head.
It didn’t. I even managed to supress a snigger.
“Yes Henry. I will marry you. Ever since you floated the idea of coming here I was intrigued. We’d been here just one day when I knew that this is where I want to be. To be here with you. You stood by me when many would not have done. That’s why I said yes to coming here and I’m saying yes again.”
He put a small but classy ring on my finger.
Then we kissed for the first time.
After a couple of months of searching, we purchased a small (by American standards) home a few miles up the coast from his family home. I nearly bolted back to the US after a three-day storm where the rain hit the windows horizontally that arrived the day after we’d moved in, but the totally gobsmacking sunset the next day told me that all was well with the world.
[eighteen months later]
Henry and I returned to Maine along with our son John James Monroe Macleod. The President had agreed to be the godfather. That gave us reason to visit him whenever we were on that side of the Atlantic.
He took one look at us when we arrived and pronounced,
“Scotland seems to agree with you. Opal, you look happier than I’ve ever seen you. Well done Henry.”
Then he added,
"It is nice of you to name your son after me and the fifth President."
Henry and I failed to stop ourselves from laughing.
"Sorry James, the Monroe part is a reference to peaks over three thousand feet in Scotland. They are called 'Monroe's'. We've climbed or 'bagged' ten of them. James was ... well you know what after we'd climbed two of them in one day."
Part of that ‘look’ we both had was that we’d left all the city grooming and clothes a long way behind us. We’d gone native. If you don’t, then you don’t survive especially in the summer with the midges that appear in their billions once you get away from the coast. We did dress up a bit for the Christening and hated every minute of it but there was no way in hell that I was going to play Cinderella again. Once was more than enough for anyone.
[the end]
[Authors Note]
I hope you enjoyed my slightly warped take on the classic ‘Cinderella’ story. I say warped in that the ‘Prince Charming’ from the ball did not get to live happily ever after with Cinders.