Day 25

  Rachael Ceronio was in her field with her horses. Home didn’t look like home. She walked with her horses to the stable. She went into the house where her mother was baking.

  “Since when do you bake?” Rachael asked.

  “Rachael!” Carmilla exclaimed hugging her.

  “Where have you been? You look awful!” she stated.

  “I lost a fight with a thorn bush.” Rachael answered.

  “You had me so worried! The police are looking for you everywhere?” Carmilla answered.

  “I was at a monastery in Tibet. I was finding myself.” Rachael answered “Didn’t you get the note I left you on the kitchen counter?”

  “What note!” her mother exclaimed angry and flustered.

  “I left you a note on the counter before I left.” Rachael said.

  “What about your polo match!” her mother exclaimed.

  “I have a very competent team. I am sure they did well without me.”

  “And Charles?” her mother demanded.

  “He’s a big boy. He understands needing to take a break and rest the soul.” Rachael replied.

  “You left without telling anyone.”

  “I left you a note. I was sure you would tell everyone.” Rachael answered.

  “What are you baking?” Rachael asked.

  “Chocolate cookies.” Her mother answered.

  “Why did you and dad divorce?” Rachael asked.

  “No! No, you do not get to walk in here after being gone for a month and ask personal questions like evening is fine?”

  “No, it’s not fine. You both abandoned me and I have been so desperate for your love that I put up with the shallow excuse of attention you give me.” Rachael replied.

  “Is that what you did while away, think about how sad life is for you?” Carmilla asked annoyed.

  “And other things. I realized I have the power and I can change things. So, I am asking again why did you and dad get divorced?”

  Rachael checked the bowl to see if there was any left-over cookie dough. But there was water in the bowl already so she wouldn’t be licking it out.

  Carmilla could see that Rachael was different and it bothered her.

  “Did you pick up one of those Asian diseases?”

  “Mom, please stop. You may not feel I deserve an explanation but I do. I am going to ask dad the same thing. I am just giving you a chance to explain your side of the story.”

  Her mother sat down.

  “It was an ugly divorce. Your father cheated on me and expected me too just be fine with it. So, I cheated on him, and he wasn’t fine with it. He accused me of messing around and said you were not his child. We had to do a paternity test. You are his daughter. He wanted me to quietly disappear into nothing. Leave with no job and no place to go. I refused, he didn’t want to pay. After all we was unfaithful first!” Carmilla was fiery while telling her side of the story.

  “It went to court and he said I was mentally unstable and an unfit parent. He said if I keep fighting him for you and for the money that was rightful mine, he would drag it out for years and destroy me. I kept fighting and told my lawyer about it. But then things started to happen, like receiving a picture of you in a rifle site. I was told to back off. I went to the police but one picture doesn’t mean much and they believed you were in no real danger. You know your father has another child with that other woman. A son named Jonathan.” Carmilla said.

  “Do you still have the picture?” Rachael asked.

  “No, it’s in the case file.” Carmilla answered.

  “So, I finally was bullied into leaving.”

  “Why didn’t you visit me?” Rachael asked.

  “I wasn’t allowed to, your father kept me away from you. Said I was a danger to you.”

  “How about a call?” Rachael inquired.

  “I did call but your grandfather never let me speak to you.”

  Rachael’s mother looked like she had been rebooted. A blank dazed look was on her face.

  “Mom!”

  “Yes. We need to call the police and get you cleaned up.” He mother said.

  Rachael explained to the police she was at a monastery finding herself and she left a note for her mother. But her mother never saw it and the whole this is a big misunderstanding. Rachael called Charles and explained the situation. Everyone was relieved and insisted next time she must send an email.

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  Rachael hired a private investigator to check her mother’s story, how ugly was the divorce and did her mother try to call her, etc.

  While the investigator was tracking down the information Rachael required. Rachael had to earn her place back on the polo team.

  “You ran off before a match to find yourself!” her second in command fumed, “You are the most ridicules rich girl I have ever had the misfortune of meeting.” She added in a spat of rage.

  “I am sorry, I really didn’t want to miss the game. I understand you are all angry with me and I deserve it. But think of all the games I led us to victory in. Don’t let my one mistake ruin everything. Let me play and at the end of the season we can revote a captain. For now, Felicity can continue as captain and I will be second.”

  They were very surprised as usually Rachael would have demanded to be renamed as the captain and she would have done anything to ensure her place. So, her team was willing to let her play and see how things went.

  Rachael went to a doctor is secret and had blood tests done. She also showed that her scare was removed.

  When Rachael polo team saw that her scare was missing, they believed she had gone for surgery and ditched them for vanities sake.

  However, Rachael was an excellent player and she soon won points for the team. Even though all was not forgiven she was winning them over.

  Rachael was on a date with Charles when the private investigator called her.

  “I have found information you are looking for. I will email you all the documents and you can look though them.”

  “Thank you!”

  Rachael wanted to leave but Charles didn’t.

  “Let’s go. I have an early morning.” Rachael said.

  “No, we haven’t even done pictures with the press yet. We have weathered some trying times. It looks good to be out and together.” He answered.

  “Charles I am leaving.” Rachael said getting up.

  Charles grabbed her arm.

  “Rachael do not make me look stupid in front of all these people.”

  “You don’t need me for that.” Rachael said, “Now let go of me or-”

  “Or what!” he interrupted.

  Rachael grabbed his pinkie finger and twisted so his whole arm was behind his back. Then she pushed his face into the table.

  “I said let go.” She walked out.

  Charles sat in his chair rubbing his shoulder. The waiter tried not to make eye contact as he brought the bill.

  Charles went to the hotel Rachael was staying in and knocked on the door.

  “Rachael it’s me. We need to talk.” He said.

  Rachael opened the door.

  “We are over. I am done. I do not want to be the perfect girl anymore. I want to became someone I like. My horses and polo are the only thing I enjoy in my life and it’s also the only part of my life that the press leaves alone. You were a great boyfriend. Now you think you can man handle me. I will not be bullied ever! By anyone!” Rachael sighed,

  “It’s amazing how inner peace and being able to defend yourself holds hands. We are over. It’s done. Please leave!”

  Charles stood in her hotel room.

  “You are ending four years of relationship just like that?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Because I grabbed your arm when you are not being yourself?”

  “Don’t make this harder than it is. Go, we are over. Done, finished. Find someone else. I am sure you are famous enough at the moment. Your family has money. So, go be with someone who still suits your agenda.” Rachael replied.

  “I love you.” He said.

  “You don’t even know me. Plus, I am not that lovable. I have cheated on you a lot. Every six months I have a new side piece.” She responded.

  “But you always come back to me.” He stated.

  “Charles. I do not want to be with you. I am done pretending because it’s good publicity. Now go live a life that makes you happy without me.” She insisted.

  A very sad Charles left Rachael’s hotel room.

  Rachael then booked a lunch with her father, she read over the documents she had been sent and hoped her father would be more honest than her mother.

  When she got to the restaurant, she found herself waiting for her very late father to arrive.

  Finally, he arrived.

  “I hope you are not this late for business meeting” she teased.

  “Rachael, I am putting out fires, saving the business and you want to joke about. These are fires, your little self-finding stunt, started.” He was annoyed.

  “Fine straight to business.” Rachael said, “I want to know why you and mom got divorced and why you abandoned me?”

  “I don’t have time for your childish games. I have an empire to run.” He said standing up.

  “My empire. And I have enrolled to business school. I will be taking a bigger roll, in my empire.” Rachael said standing up.

  “What are you going on about. You are the face of this company and that’s all you are. I run it. Stick to what you’re good at and stop this childish performance. Are you not getting a little old for this?” Martin her father snapped.

  “Dad, it is my company, but I didn’t ask you here for lunch so you could be late and then lecture me. I already asked mom why you got divorced, now I want to hear your side of the story.”

  “You are a child and I will not explain myself to you.” He started walking away.

  “Abandon me again. This time it will make no difference. Hopefully you are a better father to Jonathan than you are me.”

  Rachael picked up her bag and walked out.

  Rachael returned home and got the private investigator to look up her brother Jonathan. Rachael wanted everything there was about him. Whether it was a vaccination card, birth or death certificate. She wanted everything.

  Rachael wasn’t keen on flying back so she took a cruise ship to California. Where she checked on her business.

  They encouraged her to see the charity as well. So, she went. She disguised herself so that she wouldn’t draw attention. She saw how they helped people study and learn a skill. They helped with food and clothes and even shelter in some cases.

  “Mr A Woods you are up next.” A woman said.

  Rachael didn’t pay any attention nor did she put it together or even consider that it could be a relation to Natrica.

  “Mr G. Woods. Congratulations! You are in the agricultural program you will start on Monday. Now this are the rules. Read them carefully and if you break them, you will be cut from the program. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” He answered.

  “See we help a lot of people. We try to give those on the streets a fighting change. We are strict but it’s important that only those who are serious take our time and resources. If we waist time and resources on someone who isn’t serious then someone who is goes without. Come meet one of the men we are helping.”

  Rachael was led over to George Woods.

  “George this is Rachael. I wanted you to meet her as Rachael is the reason this is even possible.”

  George looked at her with grateful eyes.

  “Thank you. You helped my sister a lot. She was always talking about how great you and your charities are. She studied to be a book keeper. Sadly, she died before getting a job as one.”

  “That’s terrible. What was her name?” Rachael asked.

  “Natrica. She was the nicest person. Always saw something good to keep going for. Even when no one else could see it. She believed the best of people.” His voice got a bit choky.

  “I am sorry to hear about your loss. She sounds like a really good person.”

  Rachael went to the woman who had brought her and who was showing her around.

  “Eve, please make sure that the Woods get special care.” Rachael said.

  “Are you alright?” Eve asked.

  “Yes. I just realized what I am going to do next.”

  Rachael left the charity and went to the offices again.

  “I am going to take a bigger roll, in running my company. Monthly meeting. We are changing how things have worked.” Rachael told management.

  No one believed her. But she meant it. Rachael started holding charity galas and other events to raise money. She took charge of her life and didn’t let image and popularity influence her way.

  She took a while to go through all the divorce documents and police cases. What she discovered in short was both her parents had a spiteful nasty side. That not only neglected her but hurt her and others. Her parents both cheated and threatened each other and Rachael to get to each other. Her mother threatened Martin’s new family and never tried to call her. Her father just forgot about her and focused on his new family. Which he also cheated on. The reality was both parents abandoned her and now they both benefited from her.

  Rachael discovered that her father’s son named Jonathan was in high school. Rachael didn’t go meet him as she didn’t want to hurt him just to get even with her dad. After all, taking a bigger position in her company was all the getting even she needed. Because she was doing a good job, she had the support of the board which meant her empire was hers. Also, her grandfather had told them that one day Rachael will find her feet and run the company with grace.

  Six-months later Rachael had reinvented herself. She was the face of the diamonds everyone wanted and the charity girl. She was still invited to all the best parties and she stayed on the top bachelorettes for a long time.

  She won her polo team over again. They liked the new Rachael more than the old one. They also liked that the new Rachael still liked winning and she was a beast on the field.

  Rachael sometimes thought about Chris and the friends she made in Chayim. But for the most part she became happy within herself, and she found new friends who encouraged the better behavior. Focusing on her company more and helped people who could never repay her. She found more happiness in this then is any other aspect of her life. Her relationship with her parents only improved a little, but this didn’t bother her as she had healed enough not to need their approval.