Cindy smiled, “She told you that?”
“Yes, she did. She said she’ll be wearing red bracelets,” Mattheus went on, “and that her skin is so light she passes for white most of the time.”
That was the first time that Cindy realized that his daughter’s mother was Caribbean. “Was her mother also beautiful?” Cindy asked, suddenly fascinated.
“Yes, she was, as far as I can remember,” said Mattheus. “I told you, it was just a fling. Ships passing in the night who got drunk at a club one night. The woman didn’t mean anything to me.”
Somehow that made it worse and Cindy suddenly felt awful for Andrea. “Did the mother ever marry? Was there ever a man in the picture?” Cindy asked.
“I don’t know,” Mattheus replied. “I wrote to her for a few times after I sent the money and she wrote back. Then things just tapered off. She didn’t answer the last note I sent and I figured that someone else was in her life and our relationship was over. It was a relief.”
“We figure all kinds of things, don’t we?” said Cindy.
“Yes, we do,” Mattheus murmured, rubbing his face, nervously.
“Well, in a few minutes, we’ll see for ourselves,” said Cindy, “we won’t have to guess anymore.”
*
The moment Cindy and Mattheus walked into the Aupres Hotel they headed to the reception desk. A tall, lithe, beautiful, teen age, young woman, with long, chocolate brown curly hair, stood there restlessly, three red bracelets on her arm.
“There she is. You go over,” said Cindy. “I’ll wait back here.” Cindy wanted to let them have their first moments alone together, but stood close enough so she could hear and see what went on.
“Oh my God, she’s beautiful,” said Mattheus.
“Very beautiful,” Cindy agreed.
Mattheus gathered his courage then and walked over to her. “Andrea?” he said, as he approached.
Andrea turned towards him, stopped shifting around, and looked at him boldly. “It’s you?” she asked, edgy. “You’re Mattheus, my father?”
“I’m Mattheus,” he responded, matching her edginess.
Andrea’s lips curled into disdain. “I didn’t ask if you were Mattheus,” she said, snappy. “I asked if you were my father?”
“Are you my daughter?” Mattheus replied, clearly taken off guard.
“What? Are you some kind of nut?” she answered, digging in. “You called me and asked me to come here. You said you were my father.”
Mattheus was so jarred he could hardly speak. “We have to sit down together and explore this,” he managed finally.
“Explore what?” Andrea looked for a second like she would explode.
Cindy knew Mattheus was wondering if she was really his daughter and what it would mean if he acknowledged it without being sure. He must have felt he wanted evidence.
“What did you call me here for?” Andrea dug in and challenged him.
Immediately, Cindy walked over and stepped in to defuse the situation. “Hi, Andrea,” Cindy smiled, “we’re so happy to meet you. We’re so glad you came.”
“Who the hell are you?” Andrea bit her lower lip, flashing a look of anger at Cindy for even being there at all.
“I’m Cindy Blaine,” said Cindy slowly.
“The wife?” Andrea spit out.
“No,” Cindy quickly corrected her, “I’m Mattheus’s business partner.”
“Look,” said Andrea, “I wasn’t born yesterday. Tell me another.”
Andrea was obviously street smart and tough, thought Cindy, on the lookout for trouble.
“We’re private detectives,” Cindy went on, wanting to give the young woman solid information so she could feel more secure.
“Detectives?” that seemed to shock her. “Does my mother know that?” Andrea turned to Mattheus, confronting him.
“I haven’t been in touch with your mother for years,” he said quietly.
“Yeah, that’s what she told me,” said Andrea. “And she’s wondering why in hell now?”
“Look let’s go sit down together in a comfortable place,” Cindy suggested. “Let’s get something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” Andrea became more defensive. “And I came to see my father, not you. He didn’t say he was bringing someone.”
“I’m sorry,” said Cindy.
“So take a hike,” she went on. “Leave us alone together.”
Even though her request made sense, Cindy didn’t feel like she could go. Oddly enough she felt frightened for Mattheus, as if he needed protection from this young woman. And Mattheus was right, Cindy suddenly realized, who knew who she really was? At the moment neither of them could be positive that this young woman was actually his daughter, after all.
“Cindy and I do everything together,” Mattheus informed her. There was no way he wanted to be alone with her, either.
“So? What do you want with me?” Andrea got more restless.
“Let’s go somewhere to talk,” Cindy suggested again.
“Why? This isn’t a party,” said Andrea. “It’s me meeting my dad for the first time.”