LOTHARIO

It was a sunny, Saturday afternoon when Ricardo called his father and asked if he could come visit. Ricardo wanted Don to meet his new girlfriend, Jane Stacks. Ricardo also hoped to meet the rest of his fathers’ family, as well as ask Don about the secrets surrounding his youth.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lothario.” Jane shook Don’s hand warmly.
Don smiled back, excited to see his son had found such a pretty young lady. “The pleasure is all mine! Please, call me Don.” The group of three all took turns smiling giddily at one another until they finally moved things to the couch.


“It’s really great to meet you, Jane. I’m sure you know Ricardo and I have only been acquainted for a short time now. He’s never brought home a girl before now. Well, besides his sister.“ Don chuckled. “Where is Letti today?”
“Oh, she’s busy studying. Like always.” Jane said with a laugh. “You’re lucky to have such a studious daughter.”
Ricardo raised his eyebrows. “I think she’s a little embarrassed she doesn’t have a boy to bring home to be quite honest.”
Don quirked a smile. “Really? That doesn’t sound like her.”
Ricardo trailed off, “Well…”


“Jane and I met on a blind date. It was set up by the guy who got us into our house for college, Beau Broke. The two of us had a great time ice skating and sitting by the fire. We really hit it off!”
“And are still together to prove it!”, Jane said sweetly while giving Ricardo's hand a squeeze.


Ricardo smiled at his girlfriend. “Yes, but it was a double blind date. Letti and her date, Martin, did not fair as well as we did. She didn’t want to go on the date in the first place. Then, Martin turned out to be sort of a dweeb.”
“He’s a really nice guy,” Jane piped up. “We’ve been friends for years. He’s just not very…charming.”


Jane shrugged her shoulders. “He really likes her though. In his mind, the date was perfect.”
Ricardo nodded. “It’s kind of sad actually. She’s more interested in her books than any boy.“
Don couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of his daughter turning down some poor, nerdy boy. I guess she really is my daughter, Don thought to himself. Letti the heartbreaker.


The group sat for an hour more, laughing and talking until Jane excused herself to use the restroom. When she was out of hearing distance, Ricardo cleared his throat to finally ask his father the questions that were on the forefront of his mind. “Dad, I have to tell you one of the biggest reasons I’m here. I want to talk to you about Dina, my mom.”
Don sighed. “I figured you’d have questions sooner or later. What’s on your mind?”


Ricardo grew nervous. “Well, here it goes. She’s lied to me my whole life, to make a long story short. I grew up thinking Mortimer Goth was my father. I never knew a home outside of the Goth mansion. The only reason you and I met was because I bumped into Letti by accident. Aunt Nina found out we met, told Letti all she knew, and Letti told me. I went behind my mothers’ back to meet you.” Ricardo kept going while Don sat speechless and wide eyed. “I just want to know why she lied and what else she’s hiding.”


Don breathed a large sigh. “Oh Ricardo, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. All these years I just figured you had been living with your Aunt in their old house...I didn’t, I wouldn’t have…” Don composed himself. “Let me tell you everything that I know. Your mother and aunt lived together. I met them, and you and your sister were born. I hate to say it but once I found out they were pregnant, I cut off all connection. Anything that happened after that is a mystery to me.”


Ricardo was disappointed. “That’s all? Really? I don’t know who else to ask. I can’t trust anything my mother tells me. She’s…unstable.”
Don shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, son. I don’t know what she did or was trying to do. I do know Mortimer Goth though. I was engaged to his daughter at one point. But that was quite a while before you were born.” Don left out the part where Mortimer’s wife went missing and Don was accused of murdering her.
Ricardo was growing agitated. “His daughter? That doesn’t make any sense…”


"Well…before he married your mother, if they were actually married, he had another wife and two children with her. Cassandra and Alex. Alex is probably a few years older than you and Cassandra is my age.”
His head swimming, Ricardo covered his face with his hands. “I’m so confused.”
Don frowned. Both men noticed Jane walk in the room and straightened up. “Just ask your mother if you want to know the truth!”, Don whispered before Jane sat down.


Soon after their dizzying discussion, Ricardo declared it was time to leave. Don exclaimed, “Wait!” and leapt up from the couch. He darted upstairs and returned with a sleepy looking toddler. “Ricardo, this is your sister. Carmen.”
Slightly amazed, Ricardo smiled at the little girl who had a faraway look in her eyes.


Ricardo reached out and tickled Carmen, waking her up a bit more. “Hi, sleepy head! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Ricardo, your big brother!”
Carmen giggled, looking up at the young man. “Hi!”, she said plainly and gave her brother a little wave.


Ricardo played with his sister a little more until another person joined their gathering. Don smiled at the sight of his sons finally meeting. “Lorenzo, this is your big brother Ricardo.” The young men stared at each other, smiling slightly. They silently both remarked on how alike they looked. “I’ll leave you two alone for a moment.” Don walked upstairs hoping for the best, still holding Carmen.


Ricardo pulled Lorenzo into a bear hug. “It’s good to meet you, little bro!”
Lorenzo smiled a little sheepishly, accepting the hug. “Yeah. Same to you.” The two talked for a moment before Jane and Ricardo said their goodbyes and headed back to Sim State. Although Ricardo was happy to finally meet his estranged siblings, his hug with Lorenzo reminded him of Gideon. I wonder how that poor kid is doing at home with mom, he thought to himself while driving down the highway.

CALIENTE

Nina Caliente bent down on her aching knees to give Scout a pat on the head. They had just gotten back from a nice walk, and Scout was eager for some rewarding affection. Nina had grown close to the little dog since Letti had left for college. Since her birthday, Nina had been trying to reconnect with family. Whenever she called her daughter, Letti was busy with some experiment or assignment and didn’t have time to talk. “You’re not too busy for poor old me, are you Scout?” Scout yipped in agreeance at the old woman.


Nina stood up slowly and sighed, breathing in the fresh outdoor air with closed eyes. Perhaps I’ll try giving Letti another call today, she thought to herself. Surely she’ll have time to talk one of these days.


Nina hobbled into her kitchen and plucked the phone off receiver. Her index finger hovered over the numbers as the dial tone sounded. She looked at the digits, and suddenly found herself dialing her sister’s phone number instead of Letti’s. What am I doing? We haven’t talked in ages. This is a bad idea.
The phone rang and rang. Somebody answered, but it was not the voice Nina anticipated. “Hello?”, answered a worried sounding young man.
Nina quirked her eyebrow. “…Is Dina there?”


On the other end, Gideon racked his brain for a match to the voice on the phone. It sounded like his mothers’, but of course it wasn’t her. “She’s…busy. Who, who is this?”
Nina was confused. “I’m uh, this is Dina’s sister. Can I ask who this is?”


Gideon was baffled. “Sister? I didn’t know she had a sister…I have an aunt?”
Nina snorted. “I’m not surprised. Hi, I’m Aunt Nina. Listen, is Dina there or not? I’d like to talk with her.”


“Her sister!” Gideon suddenly sounded relieved. “That means you’re family! You can help! Listen, I need you to come over right now! I think there’s something wrong with my mom. Please, I don’t know what to do.”
Nina could tell the boy was about to cry, and grew worried herself. “Well...I don't know. We haven't spoken in a long time. I don't know if she'd be too happy to see me.”
Gideon raised his voice in panic. “That doesn't matter. Please, come quick! I'm desperate.”


Without another word, Nina hopped into her car and headed to the Goth house. She recalled the last conversation she had with her twin. Dina had told her she was living with Mortimer Goth and was pregnant. Surely Mortimer had passed since then, leaving Dina to raise her boys alone. Gideon ran outside to greet Nina and then hurried her upstairs. “She’s in here, and has been for weeks. I’ve been bringing her food but she hasn’t been eating or speaking the last few days. The door is locked. I don’t know what to do!”


Nina made a fist and pounded on the door. “Dina! Are you in there?! Unlock the door right now! You’re worrying your son and me to death!” Nina and Gideon listened carefully, waiting patiently for a response or any sign of life. Nothing.
Gideon’s lip quivered. “You don’t think she’s…dead…do you?”


Just as Nina was about to bang on the door again, a blood curdling scream followed by a crashing boom sounded from the bedroom. Nina’s hair stood on end as Gideon cried out, “Mom!”. Both their hearts began to pound wildly as Gideon burst into tears and Nina whipped out her cell phone. She dialed 911 wildly as she prayed silently.





Ricardo burst through the hospital doors. He asked a passing nurse for directions and quickly found his Aunt and brother. He embraced Nina in a big hug. “Aunt Nina, it’s so good to see you. Letti is on her way.”
Nina squeezed her nephew back. "Oh, good. I'm so glad you're here."


Ricardo flashed a shaky smile at his Aunt. "I came as quick as I could." He looked to Gideon. “Hey you. I hear you’ve been quite a trooper through all this.”


Gideon snorted. “Are you crazy? This is all my fault.” A few tears dropped off the teen’s cheeks. “I should have called somebody way sooner.”
Ricardo quickly engulfed his little brother in a hug. “Don’t say that. You did the best you could have.” He patted his brother’s back and Gideon welcomed the hug with a desperation for affection he wasn’t aware he had been carrying. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Gideon.”


Ricardo backed away to wipe his own tears.
Nina sighed. “Well I’m glad you’re here. She’s been asking to see you. She doesn’t want anyone but Ricardo. They’re moving her to the psych ward any minute, so you should go say hi now.”
Afraid to ask, Ricardo bit his lip. “What happened?”


Nina sighed. “Schizophrenia, to say the least. The paramedics say she must have had it for a few years. Been hallucinating for weeks locked in that room by herself. Things just finally got the best of her.”


"They broke down the door and found her passed out on the floor. She was pretty dehydrated and a little malnourished. She has a concussion, but they were able to revive her. She just sat on the floor babbling when they did.”


"Wow. I don’t know what to say.” Ricardo shook his head and looked at his shoes.
Nina nodded understandingly. “Nobody does. Like I said, go see her. They’re taking her soon.”


Ricardo took a deep breath and slowly opened to door to his mother’s hospital room. He peeked in and saw her lying on the bed. She noticed him instantly and a big smile spread across her face. “Come in, come in!”
Ricardo crept in the quiet room, shutting the door behind him. “I’m so glad you came to see the baby, Don. Isn’t he beautiful?”
Ricardo’s heart skipped a beat as he realized his mother just called him Don. He played along, hoping to use his mothers' confused state to his advantage.
“Yeah. His name is Ricardo, right?”


Ricardo walked around on the other side of the bed. “Yes, I named him that. Is that okay?”
Ricardo nodded. “Yeah. I like that name." He paused for a moment, thinking. "He’s a really great artist, isn’t he?”
Dina’s expression changed. “Yes. He likes to paint. But, I did something bad to them.”


Ricardo sat down in the chair across from the bed. “What did you do?”
Dina sat up and fluffed her pillow, turning away from Ricardo. “I don’t want to tell you. You’ll think I’m crazy too. Everyone does."
“It’s okay, he forgave you. I will too.”
Dina nodded. “I burned his paintings. All of them.”
Ricardo grew excited, but kept calm. “Why did you burn them?”
Dina started to whimper and cry a little. “I just was trying to help! I didn’t want to hurt him! I just couldn’t tell him about her.”
Ricardo’s heart rate sped up as he remembered the mysterious woman he painted, the event that seemed to trigger his mothers’ downward spiral. “The girl he painted? Did you want to hide her?”


Dina sat on the edge of the bed and hung her head. “Yes.”
“Who is she, Dina?”
“You already know, Don! It was Bella. You always thought she was prettier than me. Everyone did. Michael, you, Mortimer.”
Ricardo’s head was spinning. “Who’s Michael?”
“Bella’s brother. Don't you remember? He left her everything, you know.” Dina laughed a little hysterically. “Everyone knew. I was the laughing stock of Pleasantview. He gave his baby sister all his money. He was supposed to give it to me! That’s why I married him! He must have known that’s why.”


Dina continued sniffling. “So,” Ricardo began. “You married Michael, Bella’s brother. He died and left Bella all his money. So you had to move in with Nina?”
Dina pounded her fist on the bed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore!”
Ricardo bit his lip. He had to be careful if he wanted the rest of the answers. “I’m sorry. Let’s…talk about us now. We met after that, remember?”
Dina smiled softly. “Yes, I remember. You’re the only one I really loved, Don. Now we have a baby and we can be a real family now. Isn’t that exciting?”


Ricardo racked his brain. How can I keep this going? He was learning so much, and now so close to the end. “But you married Mortimer instead of me? Why?”
The frown returned on Dina’s face. “I didn’t want to. I just needed his help. He loved Bella, and I love you. She came back but then she died. They had another baby. I was mean to her...and Alex. Cassandra took them away. I was glad because then Mortimer could be your father. But he was too sad and he died. I tried to make everything okay. We had a baby so I could keep the money. I tried to fix everything with the money I finally got. I deserved it.”


Ricardo rose from the chair and stood close to his mother. “Why didn’t it work?”
Dina sighed. “Because Ricardo found out my secrets. He hates me. He blames me for everything. I just wanted to provide for him.”
Now teary eyed, Ricardo finally understood his mother. He bent down and kissed the back of her head. He walked to the door.


“He doesn’t hate you. He understands. He loves you and he’ll come visit soon, okay?”
Dina lit up. “Okay! And, you too?”
Ricardo nodded, choked up. “Yeah. I’ll come too.”
Dina relaxed back on the bed and closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips. “I love you, Don.”
Ricardo's lip quivered. I've got to get out of here. “I love you too, Dina.”