Finding Molly Parsons, page 3
Carmen chuckled. Mateo loved anything that sparkled. “He does have some that won’t blind you in the sunlight.”
“Who got blinded?” Mateo asked, exiting his wardrobe with an armful of clothes.
“I was just explaining that not all your t-shirts are glittery.”
“Oh no, girl, I have every style you could think of.”
“Um… why do you have women’s clothes?” Faith asked.
“I own a women’s boutique.”
“Do you work there too, Carmen?”
“God no. I’m a graphic designer.”
Mateo snorted. “I’d go out of business if Carmen worked with me. She has no interest in fashion… as you can see.”
“These are my sleep clothes, you ass.”
“Uh-huh.” Mateo smirked.
“I like comfort, nothing wrong with that.”
“Comfort is fine, you living in sweatpants is not.” Mateo punctuated with a perfectly arched eyebrow.
Carmen muttered under her breath. Faith chuckled. “You really don’t have to give me clothes, Mateo.”
“Let me, please. That dress,” he said, waving his hand at Faith, “is hurting my soul. You are a baby gay that needs some guidance. Let me be your sherpa.”
“Por Dios,” Carmen laughed.
“Okay,” Faith smiled.
“Excellent. Now I think we know what needs to happen now, right Carmen?”
This is what Carmen had been afraid of. “I’ll get the disco ball,” she sighed.
“And the red carpet!” Mateo shouted at her retreating body.
“Disco ball?” Faith parroted.
“Oh yes. It’s fashion show time,” Mateo squealed.
Outside Mateo’s room, Carmen rolled out the red carpet. She’d love to say that this wasn’t a frequent thing she did, but that would be a lie. Mateo loved himself a fashion show. Carmen shivered when she recalled the swimwear show Mateo and his friends put on last summer in their old house. No lesbian should ever be subjected to that many men in Speedos.
Laughter filtered out into the hall. Carmen hoped they could help Faith find her aunt. Now they just had to figure out where the hell to begin their search.
Chapter 3
Faith
Faith excused herself to the bathroom so she could get a little space. Today had not gone to plan. At all! Not only was her aunt Molly still a mystery yet to be unraveled, but now Faith found herself in the company of two people she didn’t know but had taken her in. For all her months of planning, Faith hadn’t accounted for any of this.
It could be worse. The plan could have gone completely wrong. The sound of Mateo laughing pulled a smile from her lips. Sitting on the edge of the bath, Faith gripped her knees and let out a breath. The first full breath she’d exhaled since running from Kentucky.
The constant worry Faith had dealt with for the past few months was still there, but a little easier to keep at bay. Now and then a shiver of anxiety would ripple through her body when her mind turned to thoughts of her father discovering Faith had escaped his control. In a few days, she would think about contacting Alice again, just to check-in. Faith was sure that her parents would have gone straight to Alice, after the sheriff of course. Hopefully, Alice and her parents hadn’t suffered at Faith’s expense.
Another laugh, this time from Carmen, roused Faith from her thoughts. Why were these people being so accommodating? Could she trust they had good intentions? Faith had no answers, but she had her gut feeling, which always steered her right. Now, her gut was telling her she was safe. Even if it was temporary, at least Faith had a little time to collect herself and figure out her next move.
Finding her aunt seemed an impossible task. After all, the one lead Faith had was a dead end. “It will be okay,” she whispered under her breath.
“Hey, are you okay in there?” Carmen’s soft voice asked, slightly muffled through the bathroom door.
“Yeah, I’ll just be a second.”
“Take your time. Mateo is entertaining himself now,” Carmen laughed, which made Faith chuckle.
It had been a couple of hours at most since Faith met Carmen and Mateo, but without sounding like a cliché, it really felt like they’d known each other for a lot longer. Both Carmen and Mateo gave off older sibling vibes. And Faith could do with a bit of that in her life right now.
Straightening her dress, Faith stepped out of the bathroom. Mateo was catwalking like a pro as Carmen stood at the end of the hall taking photos. “There you are chica. Come on, it’s time to get this show on the road. I’ve laid out a couple of outfits for you to model.”
Faith’s face glowed with embarrassment. “Hey, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Carmen reassured. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable as such. How could she explain how she was feeling? Maybe overwhelmed was a better word than uncomfortable. Mateo was so full of life, his enthusiasm was infectious, but how would he react when he learned Faith really had no experience with clothes or modeling. Even letting go and just having fun was a foreign concept.
“No… I’m… I’m not uncomfortable,” Faith stuttered. Mateo walked over to the small music pod blasting out Madonna’s Vogue. After pressing pause, he tapped the couch, beckoning Faith to sit down.
“Sorry, honey, I tend to get carried away. Come on, let’s chat.”
Faith sat down, flattening out the skirt section of her dress. Carmen watched her and gave an understanding smile. Carmen knew Faith was nervous and probably struggling with all the feelings bubbling under the surface.
“I…” Faith began, “I… don’t know how to do all this.”
“What chica?” Mateo asked.
“I don’t know… this,” Faith pointed to the red carpet.
“Oh Faith, no one does. Mateo is just crazy and thinks everyone knows how to strut down a cheap ass carpet, pretending to be a model,” Carmen laughed.
Faith smiled. How did she explain the life she had led until now? “I told you my parents aren’t very nice people.” Carmen and Mateo nodded silently. “My dad is the kind of man who believes a woman’s place is to serve her husband. A daughter’s place is to remain silent and do as she’s told until married off.” Shuffling in her seat, Faith readied herself. “My father believes all women are sinners. He believes that anyone different from him and his beliefs are sinners. Homosexuals especially. So you can imagine what would happen if he found out about me.” Faith didn’t need Carmen or Mateo to answer. “From a young age I learned not to cross him. The few times I did, I was struck, usually across the face. My mother suffered worse if she stepped out of line. I was homeschooled. My father didn’t want me socializing with other children. Even the children from our church. Except one, that is. Alice. She’s my best friend, probably my only friend. My father and her father grew up together, so he tolerated my friendship with Alice. She was the one who helped me escape.”
That sliver of anxiety was making its presence known again. Screwing her eyes shut, Faith willed her body to calm down. “I could go to the library once a week for half an hour unsupervised. That’s how I learned about things outside of my very limited world.”
Carmen’s hand on her shoulder grounded Faith, allowing her to continue. “My dad planned to marry me off to one of the pastor’s sons after I turned eighteen. I already knew I was different. Even from a young age, I had no interest in boys. Foolishly, I asked my dad about homosexuals once. Let’s just say the experience was harrowing. That’s when I knew I had to leave as soon as I was old enough.
“Although I could learn some things at the library, it wasn’t much. I have no understanding of the world. Today was the first time I’d tried pizza, rode on a bus and met two other people like me. I don’t know the clothes I might like or how social media works. I’m an eighteen-year-old with no life experience.”
“That’s alright, Faith. You’ll learn.” Carmen spoke so softly it made Faith’s chest tighten. “How did you learn about your aunt?”
“By accident. The first time was when I walked in on my parents arguing and my mother let the name slip. I’ve never seen my father get so mad. He nearly beat her to death. The second time was when Alice’s parents were whispering. They didn’t know I was listening. Obviously, Alice’s father knew Molly, having grown up with my dad.”
“Couldn’t you have asked him about her?”
“No. Alice’s parents were great to me. They’re the reason I could afford my bus tickets. Mr. Carter may have grown up with my dad, but he doesn’t share his beliefs. I wonder why my father is still friends with him. Normally he shuns anyone with opposing views to his own.”
“Probably because they share a past,” Mateo remarked.
“Possibly. Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Carter knew how my father treated me and mom, but they couldn’t really help. Not without us suffering more. They did, however, set money aside for me, like they did for Alice. On my sixteenth birthday, they tried to give it to me. I tried to refuse, but they insisted. Alice said she would keep the money in her room. There was no way I could take it home. Asking Mr. Carter about Molly would have put him in a terrible position. I couldn’t do that, not after everything they did for me.”
“They could’ve got you out of there,” Carmen shot. Faith could see anger simmering in her eyes.
“No, Hermana, they couldn’t. You know situations like that are impossible,” Mateo chided softly.
Carmen huffed, clearly not happy. Faith smiled at her. “Mateo’s right. There would have been hell to pay for them and for us if they’d tried to intervene. They gave me a way out in the end. For that I’m grateful.”
“I suppose,” Carmen mumbled.
“When I started to plan my escape, I thought about this Molly woman. Although I’d heard her name, I didn’t know who she was, or why my father hated her so much. On one of my library visits, I did some digging. I found out she was my dad’s sister. I say that in the past tense because as far as my father is concerned, Molly Parsons is dead to him. There were a couple of local news articles about her, until she was seventeen, and then it was like she vanished.”
“She ran away too?”
“No, my father cast her out. A local woman, Mrs. Baker, saw me researching Molly. Mrs. Baker has lived in Loretto all her life. I think she’s around eighty now. Anyway, she came into the library and saw me looking at the news clippings. She sat next to me. It was the first time I’d ever spoken to her. My father forbade me or my mother from talking to her. Now I know why. Mrs. Baker told me about Molly.
“According to her, my father caught Molly with a girl from church. By that time, he was nineteen and Molly was seventeen. Both their parents, my grandparents, had passed away, leaving Dad to raise Molly.”
“So he caught her and threw her out?”
“Not right away. Mrs. Baker said he tried to get her to repent. If I know my father, he would have tried to beat the gay out of her.”
“Bastard,” Carmen hissed.
“When it became clear Molly wouldn’t do as my father wanted, he banished her. Told Molly never to return, otherwise there would be severe consequences.”
“Fuck, what century does he live in?” Carmen barked.
“Carm,” Mateo warned.
“And that was the last anyone heard from her.”
“We’ll find her Faith, I swear it.”
“Carmen, you can’t promise her that. Molly could be anywhere,” Mateo scolded. Tensions were running high. Faith felt awful she’d created such a heated atmosphere. Carmen and Mateo didn’t need her baggage, upsetting their lives. Faith was the one who decided to look for her long-lost aunt. “Thank you, both of you, for welcoming me into your home. I think it best I go though. You guys don’t—”
“Faith, let us help.”
“But you’re getting upset with each other.” Faith looked between Mateo and Carmen, their bodies tense.
Carmen looked at Mateo and softened. “Hey, we’re not fighting.”
Mateo took Carmen’s hand and winked before turning his attention back to Faith. “No, chica, we’re not fighting, we’re just passionate. Carmen is right. We want to help find Molly.”
“Why?” Faith couldn’t understand why they wanted to get involved. This was more than two people wanting to do a good deed.
“I was abandoned at a fire station as a baby,” Carmen began. Faith’s eyes widened with shock. “Mateo was left in a dumpster.”
“Oh my god,” Faith gasped.
“Yeah, not the greatest introduction to life,” Mateo chuckled.
“We ended up in foster care together. There were times we would get sent to different foster families, but we always ended up coming back together.” Carmen gripped Mateo’s hand. Faith could see the unshakable bond between them. Mateo’s comment about being brother and sister in every way but blood made sense now.
“We didn’t go through what you did, Faith, but we understand some of the hardship. Neither of us would have survived without the other,” Carmen continued. “We want to help you because you need someone in your corner. We can be those people until you find your aunt. We learned quickly that family isn’t just the people you are born to. Family can be the people you choose to surround yourself with. Mateo is my brother. I chose him and he chose me. Now I know we don’t know each other well yet, but we’re here and we would like to be your chosen family, even if it’s temporary.”
Faith sat silently. Carmen and Mateo waited patiently for her to respond. The problem was, Faith was sure that the moment she uttered any words, the floodgates would open. For so long, Faith had craved the support and love her parents should have given her. Now, in this unfamiliar house with these two strangers, Faith finally experienced what it was like to be truly seen, supported and, dare she say it loved.
As soon as Mateo squeezed her hand, Faith sobbed.
◆◆◆
The sky had dulled considerably by the time Faith calmed down. Carmen and Mateo stayed by her side the entire time. Faith cried for her parents’ inability to love her. She cried tears of relief that finally, after so long hiding and being scared, Faith was finally free to be who she wanted to be. And last but not least, she cried for her aunt Molly. Faith knew how fortunate she was to stumble across Carmen and Mateo. God knows if Molly ever found people like them to take her in when she found herself alone at seventeen.
Wiping her nose on one of the tissues Mateo had continually supplied, Faith sat up. “Sorry about that.” Her voice hoarse after so much crying.
“You needed to let it out, honey,” Mateo replied.
“You’ve had a lot to carry around with you,” Carmen added.
“I didn’t mean to disrupt your lives so much,” Faith hiccupped.
“No disruption, chica. Anyway, it stopped me from having to watch Carmen eat Cheez Whiz out of a can and scratch her ass again, so, really, you did me a favor.”
Faith burst out laughing when Mateo received a pillow to the face from Carmen.
“Asshole,” Carmen chuckled. “Hey, how about we get you settled into your room? You can grab a shower and we’ll order some food?”
“Oh, Mateo, you didn’t get to do your fashion show!”
“Relax girl, there is plenty of time for that. Let’s chill tonight, yeah?”
Faith nodded. A hot shower and a chance to relax was just what she needed. Following Carmen to a door at the far end of the corridor, Faith surveyed her new room. It was twice the size of the one in her parents’ house. The walls were painted a burned orange. There were dozens of pictures hung on the walls. “Will this do?” Carmen asked.
“It’s… wow… I love it,” Faith breathed. The color was warm and inviting. The bed looked so soft, Faith couldn’t wait to dive under the covers.
“There’s a TV and radio/CD player. Feel free to watch and listen to whatever you like. Mateo sleeps like the dead and I wear earplugs because he also sounds like a rhino when he gets his motor going,” Carmen grinned.
“Carmen, I…”
“It’s all good, kid. We want you to feel comfortable. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Maybe we could talk more tomorrow?” Faith yawned. The day had thoroughly caught up to her.
“Absolutely. Breakfast at eight, if you want fresh pancakes, otherwise it’s coffee and cereal,” Carmen said with a smile. Before leaving, Carmen turned back to Faith. “It gets better. I promise.”
“Thank you.” When the door closed, Faith fell face first onto the bed. There were still lots of things to talk about and decide, but right now Faith let herself bask in the warmth that spread throughout her body. She never made it to the shower.
◆◆◆
The sound of music and laughter jolted Faith from sleep. Looking around the room, it took her a moment to remember where she was. Her heart thudded in her chest. It’s okay, I’m safe. Mateo’s deep voice boomed through the house as he sang along to the music. Carmen begging Mateo to stop wailing, relieved Faith of the residual tension coursing through her veins. “I’m safe.”
Faith stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching Mateo and Carmen kidding around. Mateo twirled Carmen and then dipped her. They laughed before turning back to the stove. “Morning,” Faith greeted the pair. Carmen turned around with a spatula in her hand.
“Hey kiddo, how’d you sleep?”
“So good.” Faith smiled.
“Pancakes, chica, and lots of them. Sit down,” Mateo said, waving at the long breakfast bar that was already adorned with fruit and cereal.
“Coffee?” Carmen asked, pouring three big mugs. Faith hoped it would taste better than the sludge from the diner. Nathalie. The thought was in Faith’s mind before she could stop it. Nathalie’s pretty face smiling at her.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Faith jumped slightly. When did Carmen sit next to her? “What… yeah, sorry, sort of zoned out for a second.”
“Oh, no, chica, I’ve seen that look before,” Mateo grinned, his eyebrows wiggling. “That’s the look of love.”
