Suspicion and Revelation

Matheson dialed the number that Matthew had given him, unsure of what exactly he was going to say if anyone answered. The voicemail indicated that the man's name was Leo Greene and it instructed him to leave a message. Matheson hung up, not sure how he should proceed from this point.

He pulled out the card that Tameka had given him from Detective Grant and decided to give him a call. Perhaps he could get some guidance from him. Damn! Another voicemail. He quickly left a message and asked the detective to return his call.

Frustrated, he decided to double back to Tameka's. Maybe she could remember something else about that night. He had hesitated in questioning her earlier because of her trauma. He now decided that he would tread carefully, but he would try to talk to her some more.

He pulled into her parking lot and spotted her car. Good! She was home. He quickly climbed the steps to her apartment and knocked on the door. No one answered, and after a few minutes of persistent knocking, he figured she must have gone out. He then remembered her saying earlier something about an appointment some time that day. Well, if she had gone to her appointment, why was her car still here? He speculated that perhaps Val had come by and taken her, or maybe her grandmother.

Suddenly, he heard a car come to a screeching halt as he stood at Tameka's door, contemplating his next move. He looked over the banister into the parking lot below, thinking that someone must have come close to a collision. He watched, shocked, as a dark van's sliding door opened and something or someone was pushed out. It was a moment before Matheson realized that it was a person that was on the ground, before the van quickly backed up and then pulled off. Matheson could see that it was a woman, even though she was face down. The car circled the parking lot and appeared to be returning to the spot where she lay, when the driver spotted Matheson as he ran down the stairs. By the time he reached the bottom of the steps, the van pulled quickly out of the lot. Matheson was about to get the license plates when he heard a moan from the woman. His attention diverted, he walked over to her and was shocked to discover that it was Tameka.

He realized that she was unconscious, and quickly dialed 911. The ambulance was there in record time, but it seemed like an eternity to Matheson. Who could have done this? Could Holby be out of jail and have decided to come to her apartment for revenge? He was immediately filled with rage, but tried to control himself as the medics began asking him questions. He tried to remain calm as they quickly put Tameka into the ambulance. Matheson picked up her purse, which was on the ground, got in his car, and followed the ambulance. He wasn't sure how Val was going to take this latest development.

As he pulled into the Emergency Room of Good Samaritan Hospital he felt his phone vibrate. He quickly answered it, and discovered that it was Detective Grant returning his call. He briefly explained the situation with Tameka and asked him to come to the hospital. He stared at the phone a few moments longer after hanging up, and decided to wait to call Val until he knew something more on Tameka's condition.

There was a flurry of activity in the emergency room, and several nurses began asking him questions after they took her to the examination area. A doctor came out and told him that it appeared that Tameka had been drugged, and asked him if he had any idea what that drug could be. The questions were coming at him at rapid-fire pace, from several of the hospital staff, and Matheson could not answer most of them. He was glad when they left him alone, and he sat in the Emergency waiting room trying to get his thoughts together.

                                                ((***))

Val was surprised to find Langston at her grandmother's apartment when they returned from shopping. Her grandmother had told her that she had to be back home by 3pm, but she hadn't questioned her. Now she knew that she had been expecting Langston, and it irritated her a bit that they had to cut short their time together because of him.

"Hello Langston." Mavis said, grinning as she spotted him sitting in the lobby waiting for her. Val watched as her grandmother walked over to him and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

They took the elevator to Mavis' apartment, and Val could tell that her Grandmother was aware of her irritation, but she didn't care at the moment. Mavis opened the door to her apartment and they walked in. Val noticed that Langston had a briefcase, and wondered if he was only stopping by on his way to another appointment. She hoped that his visit would be a short one.

"I hope you weren't waiting long." Mavis said, smiling. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine." Langston replied. "How was the shopping trip?"

"It's just good to get out every once in a while." Mavis responded. She looked over at Val, who wasn't saying anything, and Langston followed her gaze.

"I hope I'm not intruding on your time together." he said, smiling at Val.

"Not at all." Mavis said, when Val didn't reply. She knew her granddaughter was a little jealous of the time she was spending with Langston. She watched Val as she took the packages to the kitchen, and then returned to sit down across from them.

"We have a surprise for you." Mavis said to her, grinning. She sat close to Langston who looked at his sister for confirmation. He nodded at Val while he took Mavis' hand in his.

Mavis smiled at the startled look on Val's face. She hadn't talked to Val about her newfound relationship with her brother. Val had been preoccupied with Matheson and with Tameka. She hoped that her granddaughter would be accepting of Langston and his family.

"So tell me" Val said without any enthusiasm.

"Langston and I are writing a book." Mavis said proudly. "We're writing about our parents' relationship."

"It's going to be called 'Langston and Lilly a Love Story'' Langston said, looking at Mavis and then back at Val. "We've gathered quite a bit of information from both of their writings, as well as the diary of Emily's mother."

"Langston's daughter...my niece, Rowena is helping us." Mavis replied, grinning.

"Grandma, are you sure this is a good idea?" Val asked, trying not to reveal the irritation she felt. It had just been the two of them for so long, and now Langston had wiggled his way into her grandmother's affections. She watched them, holding hands and grinning like two mischievous children. Somehow without her knowledge, the two of them had grown closer and were thick and thieves. Her grandmother seemed happier and at peace. Val thought that Mavis appeared more content with Langston than she had been with her since Val's mother died and it angered her. Val knew that her feelings were selfish, but she couldn't help it. She looked at Langston. "What does your family think about this?"

"The only one that matters is Rowena, and she supports me 100 percent." Langston replied. "Your grandmother and I are working together, and we already have a publisher who's interested."

"Well that's nice." Val replied with hardly any enthusiasm.

"VaLysia, what's wrong with you?" Mavis asked, eyeing her.

"Nothing, Grandma." she replied, not meeting her eyes.

Langston cleared his throat. "Well Mavis, I've got to be going."

"Nonsense!" Mavis replied. "We haven't had lunch. Why don't we all go out and get something?"

"I don't want to intrude." he said, eyeing Val.

"You won't be intruding, will he Val?" Mavis asked, looking at her.

"Of course not." Val said reluctantly, looking at Langston. "Please come. Maybe we can go back to Panera Bread." She wanted to remind her grandmother that not too long ago she had been terrified of this man! She needed to get a grip!

She watched as Mavis laughed, patting Langston on the knee. "I'd like that. That's where we first met. That's a perfectly wonderful suggestion, Val."

"I wasn't so sure you'd want to remember that day." Langston replied, shaking his head. "You were pretty upset."

"Yes, well I'm not anymore." Mavis replied, getting up and noticing Val's sour expression. "Val, can you help me a moment in my bedroom?" She turned to Langston. "Just let me freshen up a bit, and we can go."

"Of course." he responded.

Val followed her grandmother into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Alright, VaLysia. What's on your mind?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Grandma, you just met this man!" Val protested. "You were scared to death of him at first, and now you two are best friends? I don't get it."

"He's my brother, Val." Mavis replied. "He's a part of me...and a part of you, too. Don't you realize that? He's been able to give me peace about a lot of things concerning my past. I'm grateful for that."

She sat down on the bed, and pulled Val down beside her. "You will always be my baby." She looked at Val, who still wouldn't meet her eyes. "But you and Matheson are getting married. I'm happy for you, but I'll be all alone. Have you thought about that? I'm glad Langston came into my life."

Val hugged her. "You won't be alone, Grandma. You still have me and you have Matheson too!"

Mavis laughed. "You and Matheson will be preoccupied for a while, once the two of you marry." She patted Val on the knee. "That's the way it's supposed to be; two people in love, enjoying each other. Don't be jealous of Langston. I've filled a void in his life, and he's filled a void in mine. This book, reading all the writings from our parents and from Miss Trudy, answers a lot of questions and gives both of us the peace we seek. Don't begrudge us this."

Val kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "I'm sorry. You're right, Grandma. It's just hard to share you, when I've had you to myself for so long."

"You still have me." Mavis reassured her. "You have Langston too"

"I don't think he likes me very much." Val confessed. "Sometimes he just stares at me with those gray eyes of his. Maybe he looks at me and sees Lilly, the woman who took his father away from him."

"That's ridiculous!" Mavis said, laughing. "I don't think Langston blames you for what his father did."

They stood up, and Mavis walked out of the bedroom. Langston was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, reading some notes from the briefcase beside him.

"Val thinks that you don't like her." Mavis said to Langston as she walked over to him.

"Grandma!" Val gasped, horrified.

Langston looked up, surprised. "Why on earth wouldn't I like you?"

Val glared at her grandmother and didn't reply.

"She thinks its because she reminds you of Lilly." Mavis said ignoring Val's horrified expression. "She thinks that you're angry because of the time your father spent with Lilly instead of you."

"Good grief, Grandma! Have you no tact?" Val hissed through clenched teeth.

"I can assure you that I have no animosity towards you." Langston said reassuringly. "I think the mere fact that you look like your great grandmother is a fascinating anomaly!"

"You mean because I'm dark." Val grumbled. "You find it strangely fascinating that I'm dark, even though my grandmother and my parents are not!"

Langston suddenly looked confused. "I don't understand. I was merely saying-"

"You were saying that, with all the white blood coursing through my veins, I should be a little brighter Negro." Val hissed.

"VaLysia!" Mavis snapped. "That's enough!"

Langston looked at Val and then at Mavis. "I'm afraid I don't understand. I was merely saying that I think it's fascinating that you look so much like the Lilly my father fell in love with, while I look so much like my father."

He walked over to her. "I didn't mean to upset you. You're a beautiful girl. I can see why my father fell in love with Lilly. I don't understand why you would think I'd be upset because you are dark, instead of fair like Mavis. I don't see what difference it makes, or why you'd think it made a difference to me."

Val looked at Langston. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm feeling a little stressed, with the wedding and everything else that's going on."

"Of course." Langston replied, grinning. He patted her on the shoulder. "You must be excited about your upcoming nuptials. I hope I am invited."

"Of course you are, and Rowena too." Mavis responded.

"Yes, please come." Val replied. "I guess I have to meet all the new additions to my family."

She then felt her phone vibrate, and saw that it was Matheson. "Well, the groom's calling now." she said smiling as she answered the phone. "Hey, Pancake!"

Val felt all of the blood drain from her face as she listened to what Matheson had to say.

"Val, what's wrong?" she heard her grandmother say as she tried to absorb what Matheson was telling her.

"How could this happen?" Val asked as the tears ran down her face. Val sat down on the sofa, obviously stunned, her mouth hanging open.

"What's wrong baby?" Mavis asked, quickly sitting next to her.

"It's Tameka, Grandma." Val whispered in shock. "Someone drugged her and threw her out of a car. Matheson witnessed the whole thing. She's in the hospital!"

She then quickly wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. "Matheson, I'll be right over there!" She hung up and turned to her grandmother.

"Grandma, I'm going to have to take a rain check on our lunch date." she said. "I'm going over to Good Samaritan."

"Of course, Baby" Mavis agreed. "I'll go with you."

"No, you and Langston go on to lunch." Val insisted. "You haven't eaten anything!"

"Are you sure that you don't want us to go with you?" Langston asked, concerned.

"No. Get some food into my grandmother." Val replied. "I'll call you and give you an update as soon as I know something. Give me your cell number."

She quickly put the number in her phone and gave Langston hers, before she hurried out of the door.

                                                 ((***))

Tameka could hear voices, but it was difficult to open her eyes. Her throat was dry, and she wished that she had some water. She forced her eyes open and realized that she was on a bed. She looked around, and her eyes locked with a woman who was dressed like a nurse, who came quickly over to her bed.

"You're awake!" the nurse exclaimed. "Let me get the doctor."

Tameka tried to sit up, but her head felt as if it was going to explode, so she fell back on the bed. Where was she? She glanced around the room and decided that she must be in the hospital. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was that man sticking her with something. He'd said that she would forget everything, but she hadn't. She had better be careful. Maybe this all was some sort of trick, to see if she had retained her memory.

"Young lady, you gave us a scare!"

Tameka opened her eyes again, and saw an older man standing by her bed.

"I'm Doctor Rasch." the man said. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Tameka shook her head negatively. Well, it wasn't entirely true. She remembered being abducted, and knew that William Hendricks was the one behind it. The man had said that her memory would be erased, but she remembered everything! Maybe the needle hadn't worked. She didn't know where she was, or how she had gotten here, so it wasn't a complete lie.

"Do you know where you are?" the doctor asked, giving her a few ice chips. She gulped them down greedily.

"I guess I'm in the hospital…" Tameka croaked, looking around. "What's wrong with me?"

"Your tox screen tested positive for a combination of zalepon, alprazolam, etomidate and ketamine. This was a dangerous combination of drugs. Did you take any of these on your own?"

"No." Tameka replied, looking away.

"I gather, then, that they were administered without your consent." the doctor responded. "Do you know who did this?"

"I don't remember." Tameka replied.

The doctor looked at the nurse and then back at Tameka. "Because of the nature of your attack, you will not be allowed to have visitors or phone calls unless you first provide them with a code that your nurse will provide for you. There is a detective waiting to talk to you."

The doctor walked out of the room, and Detective Grant entered.

"Hello, Miss Chamberlayne" he said, pulling up a chair. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Not really…" Tameka lied.

"Tell me what you do remember." he said, pulling out a pad.

Tameka told him about her day up to the abduction, and then told him that she had awoken in the hospital. She decided that she would pretend that she didn't remember any of the abduction, since, more than likely, William Hendricks had his spies all around. She wanted him to believe that the drugs that were given to her had worked until she could figure out what to do. Who knows? Maybe Grant was in on all of this, and was testing her to see if she had lost her memory like they wanted.

Detective Grant continued to ask her questions, getting her to repeat several times what she remembered. She had to be careful. She didn't want to tell him more than she had to. She couldn't trust him, or anybody else. Next time, she might not be so lucky, and she could end up dead. She had to be smart about this.

"Alright, Ms. Chamberlayne" Detective Grant said, standing. "I'll let you rest. You have a couple of visitors waiting."

"Who?" Tameka replied, trying not to panic.

Detective Grant studied her a moment. "Your cousin and Mr. Hendricks."

"Mr. Hendricks?" Tameka gasped.

"Yes." the detective said, eying her. "Your cousin's fiancé. You remember him, don't you?"

"Of course." Tameka replied, relieved.

"Who did you think I meant?" the detective asked watching her.

Tameka would not meet his gaze. "I..I guess I'm just a little confused and overwhelmed. So much has happened."

"Of course." Detective Grant responded. "I'll get them. Call me if you remember anything else. I doubt Holby was involved in this. He's still in lockup."

Tameka nodded and watched the detective leave the room.

                                         ((***))

Detective Grant walked over to Val and Matheson, who were in the waiting area.

"How is she?" Val asked anxiously.

"She's waiting to see you." Detective Grant replied. He looked at Matheson. "I'd like a word with you, Mr. Hendricks."

"Go on. I'll be there in a minute." Matheson said.

Grant watched Val until she was out of earshot. He turned to Matheson. "Is Ms. Tameka Chamberlayne acquainted with any of your family members?" he asked.

Matheson was surprised. "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"She seemed petrified when I told her that Mr. Hendricks was waiting to see her- that is, until I actually told her that it was you -and then she seemed relieved. I gather she was thinking of another Mr. Hendricks. Do you have a brother?"

"No sir, I'm an only child." Matheson replied.

"She's not telling me everything." Grant explained. "I can tell. She's afraid of something...or someone. Holby is in jail. I need you to tell me if you know what is going on here."

"Detective, I have no idea." Matheson replied, irritated.

"You're telling me that you just happened to come by her apartment at the moment that some perp threw her out of a van? Do you have any idea who would want to hurt her?"

"No, sir." Matheson replied.

The detective studied him a moment. "Is there anything going on between you and Ms. Chamberlayne that your fiancé is not aware of?"

"Absolutely not!" Matheson snapped.

"This happened in broad daylight, Mr. Hendricks. You just happened to be there? Are you saying that no one else witnessed her being thrown from this alleged van?"

"Look," Matheson hissed. "There is nothing going on between me and Tameka. I love her cousin. You need to be out looking for the man that did this, not questioning me!"

"We question everyone involved." Grant replied calmly. "I will need you to come down to the station to give us your statement."

Matheson tried not to lose his temper. He knew that it was procedure, but he didn't like what the detective was implying. "Fine." he replied. "As soon as I check on Tameka, I'll be down there."

"I'll wait here for you." the Detective replied, sitting back down.

Matheson looked at him a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but then turned and walked towards Tameka's room. He decided that he would watch Tameka carefully. Grant said that Tameka seemed fearful before she was told that he was the Mr. Hendricks waiting to see her. Could his grandfather be involved somehow?

Matheson couldn't believe that his grandfather would actually try to harm Tameka. He needed to know just how much she remembered before she was abducted. What would be the point anyway? What would his grandfather have to gain by hurting Tameka? It didn't make any sense!

Tameka was sitting up in the bed and eyed him cautiously when he walked in the room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, glancing over at Val, who sat in a chair close to Tameka's bed.

"A little woozy." Tameka replied.

"I can't believe all this!" Val said, holding Tameka's hand. "Meka, do you remember anything about the man who abducted you?"

"Not really…" Tameka lied. "I just remember walking to the parking lot, and then I woke up here."

"Grant said that you seemed a little upset when he told you that I was waiting to see you."

Matheson said casually. "Are you mad at me, or something?"

Tameka picked at the bedspread and wouldn't look at him. "Of course not. I was just confused, that's all."

Matheson knew that she was lying, but he didn't press her further. Now he wondered if his grandfather really had played a part in all this. Why would he come after Tameka? It didn't make any sense! Matheson considered that perhaps he was just being paranoid. However, he knew that something was going on, and he wasn't going to rest until he got to the bottom of it!

                                          ((***))

Hannah had to admit that the battle between her mind and her libido hadn't lasted very long. Her mind hadn't put up much of a fight, and she resigned herself to the fact that Emilio had gained the upper hand on her.

She spent the rest of the day shopping, trying to decide what to wear when she met his family. She decided on a pale lavender top with some white slacks and took her purchases back to her room.

She rescheduled her flight, and kicked off her shoes as she lounged on the bed.

Emilio had texted her and told her that he would pick her up at six. She tried to think of a way to pay him back for leaving her all hot and bothered. Yet a part of her was afraid that she would do something to cause him to leave her. It was all so new. No man had wanted her before. Did he really think that she had a nice body? How was that possible when no other man had noticed her that way before? Had the clothes and change in hairstyles really made that much difference? She was sure that women found him attractive and she wondered how long he would want her before he became bored and moved on. After all, she didn't have much sexual knowledge and after he had called her out because of her behavior the first time they had been together, she wondered how long he would put up with her ignorance. Hannah wondered what she could do to please him and keep him interested.

She pulled out her laptop and began doing some research. She had been a bit of a prude before, but now that Emilio had opened her eyes, she wanted to learn more about sex and intimacy. She concentrated on articles about men's sexual pleasure, particularly oral sex. She read all of the information she could find. She wanted to get it right. The internet was a wonderful thing. There was so much to learn, and they even had pictures! After reading several articles, she ventured out further and looked at a few videos and realized that she must be watching porn and she found herself blushing, but she couldn't' tear her eyes away from the screen. She didn't realize how much time had passed until her phone rang. It was Emilio.

"I'll be there in about an hour, Hannah." he said.

"I'll be ready." she replied, and then hung up the phone. She was shocked to see that it was a little after five. She quickly shut the computer down and decided to take a shower.

Forty five minutes later, Hannah answered the knock on the door.

"Hello." she said smiling.

"My Hannah." he said, kissing her. "Are you ready?"

"I am ready, but I am still angry with you." she replied, walking over to the bed to get her purse.

"I am sure that I can obtain your forgiveness" he replied, grinning.

"I don't think so." Hannah replied. "It won't be that easy."

"You are still here, no? You didn't return to Florida." he replied confidently.

"This is true." Hannah said, shutting the door. "However, I am still upset about the way you left this morning."

"I will make it up to you." he whispered in her ear as they walked to the elevator.

"We will see." she replied, trying to remain calm. Every touch- even the closeness of his lips to her ear -excited her. She tried to focus as they walked. He had his arm around her waist, and even that excited her.

Hannah had to admit that she was a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting his family. She didn't ask Emilio where they were going, or what he had told his family about her. She knew from an earlier conversation that his parents were deceased, and she wondered who she would be meeting.

She was surprised when he pulled into the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant.

"Why are we coming here?" she asked, perplexed.

"We are having dinner here with my family." Emilio replied.

"A Chinese restaurant? We're eating out at a Chinese restaurant?" Hannah asked in disbelief.

"What were you expecting, Hannah?" Emilio asked, opening the passenger door of his truck. "Did you expect Taco Bell? We like Chinese."

Hannah allowed him to help her out of the truck. Somehow, this was not what she envisioned.

"I don't know what I expected." she said honestly. "I guess I thought we would be going to your house, and that your family would be looking at me, and I'd have to eat Mexican food."

Emilio laughed. "I am not Mexican, Hannah. I told you that my father is from Barcelona, and my mother is from Argentina. Spain plus Argentina does not equal Mexico!"

"You all speak Spanish. I don't understand the differences. You all look alike." Hannah confessed. "I don't mean to sound ignorant, I just don't understand. You're all Hispanic, right?"

Emilio laughed again. "What is the difference between people from Sweden, and people from Russia, or France? They look alike too. You think that they are all white, no? People from Britain speak English, and so do Americans. British people do not speak the same English as Americans. People from Mexico don't speak the same Spanish as people from Argentina or Spain."

"I think I understand your logic." Hannah said as they walked into the restaurant. "I can see I have a lot to learn."

"I will try to be a good teacher in all things." Emilio replied, winking and putting his arm around her. "I will also try to be a good student."

Hannah could see some people waving frantically from a table, and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Emilio led her over to the table, and she quickly recognized his daughter, Amaya, among the crowd.

"Hi, Amaya." she said, smiling as she walked over to the table.

"Hi." Amaya said sourly. "I thought it might be you. I thought you might be the one."

Hannah glanced at Emilio anxiously, and he appeared to ignore his daughter's comment.

There were about ten people in the group. Most were young adults, though there was one older couple. Two tables had been pushed together to accommodate all of them. Hannah nodded politely as introductions were made; everyone appeared to be friendly towards her, except Amaya.

Hannah sat down in the empty chair next to Amaya, and Emilio sat directly across from her.

"What do you do for a living?" the older woman with mixed gray hair asked. Emilio had introduced her as his Aunt, but Hannah couldn't recall her name.

"I teach French, but I'm semi retired now." Hannah explained.

"Are you a widow?" the older woman asked. "What happened to your husband?"

"I've never been married." Hannah replied, glancing across the table at Emilio.

"Where is your family?" the man next to her asked. Hannah surmised that he must be the woman's husband.

"I have family here in Baltimore." Hannah responded. "However, I live in Florida, as do my parents."

"You still live with your family?" the man asked surprised.

"No, I live alone." Hannah said, glancing at Emilio. Why didn't he jump in here? How long was she going to have to bear this interrogation?

The waiter came and took their drink orders, and Hannah was glad for the reprieve.

"Hannah's family are business owners, Tia Elena." Emilio replied. He looked at Hannah. "My aunt is very protective of me. You will have to excuse her many questions."

"Do not apologize for me, Emilio." Tia Elaina replied. "I have been after you to date, and you have refused, even though Ana has been dead for eight years. Now you date, so we wanted to meet her." She studied Hannah a moment. "We are curious as to why you are the one, after so many years. We had almost given up on Amaya getting a new mother."

Hannah didn't know what to say. She didn't realize that Emilio had been a widower for that long; their relationship was still so new. She didn't want his family thinking that things had gotten that serious.

"I was busy working." Emilio replied as the waiter set their food in front of them.

"You are still busy working." Tia Elaina shot back accusingly. "I have introduced you to several young girls who can still bear children. Amaya needs sisters and brothers. You would not cooperate. Now here you are, out of the blue, dating!"

Hannah noticed that she had stressed "young," and picked up her glass to sip her water. She wondered where this conversation was headed.

"I already have children. Carlos and Amaya are all the children I need." he replied patiently. He noticed Hannah's surprise expression. "I have a son who is in college." he said giving her a smile.

"He should be here." Tia Elaina snapped. "Carlos should see what his father is up to."

"They are testing now, Tia. He could not come." Emilio replied. "He will meet Hannah when he comes home on his break."

"So your family is well off, I assume." Tia Elaina said, studying Hannah.

"They are comfortable." Hannah said uneasily.

"They are the owners of the Hannah's bakery. The business was named after my Hannah." Emilio said proudly. "Hannah comes from a good family."

"Your Hannah?" Tia Elaina said surprised. She looked at Hannah and then back at Emilio. "Is there something you wish to tell us Emilio?"

"Not at the moment." he said laughing. "Hannah and I are just good friends, right now."

Hannah didn't see what he found so amusing. His aunt had called her old, his daughter stared at her as if she had two heads, and all the rest of his family were studying her like a monkey in a cage.

"I can understand why you made your choice, Emilio." Tia Elaina looked at Hannah. "I can see that you must have given it a great deal of thought. You have made a practical choice, I suppose."

"What do you mean?" Hannah snapped, and Tia Elaina raised an eyebrow. "What kind of choice am I?"

"You are obviously too old to bear children." Tia Elaina replied patiently, as if she were talking to a child. "You must have something to offer my nephew. Your family is wealthy. That is good."

Hannah felt her face grow hot. "Are you saying that Emilio is dating me because of my money?"

"Hannah, Tia Elaina didn't mean it that way!" Emilio replied defensively.

"A woman named after a business must have some assets." Tia Elaina replied. "You are single, and have never married. You are one these liberated women, correct? You have had many lovers, but no husband. You do what you please. Amaya needs a mother, not a woman who cannot show her how to be a good wife."

Hannah drew herself up as if she had been slapped. She wanted to bring the old biddy down a peg or two!

"Just because I have never married, does not mean I'm not a good person. " Hannah snapped defensively. "Just because I am single, does not mean that I have loose morals either!"

"Tia, she is a good woman." Emilio replied. "I think that you assume too much."

Tia Elaina didn't reply, but began eating her food. Dinner was relatively quiet. Hannah glanced at Emilio, who gave her another wink of reassurance. She turned to Amaya, who was picking at her Egg Foo Young.

"Amaya, how is school?" she asked, trying to start a conversation to ease the tension in the room.

"What do you want with my father?" Amaya asked, ignoring her question. "Don't you think you're too old for him? If you marry him, you'll be too old to do anything with me!"

Hannah gasped, glanced around the table, and saw that everyone was staring at her.

"I'm not that much older than your father, Amaya." she replied, holding her head up high. "You'd be surprised at what I can do. I know that we both like to shop."

"Well, then let's go shopping." Amaya said grinning. "You can buy me things to win my approval."

Hannah chuckled. "I hardly think a bribe is appropriate, Amaya."

"A bribe is cash." she insisted. "It's not a bribe for you to buy me things."

"If I use it to try to sway your opinion of me, then it is a bribe." Hannah insisted. "I had hoped that we would develop a friendship normally."

Amaya looked surprised. "Do you really want to be my friend?"

"Of course." Hannah replied.

"Well, we'll see." Amaya said, returning to her Egg Foo Young.

"I still believe that a young woman that can bear more children would be a more appropriate choice!" Tia Elaina stressed again, pointing her finger at Emilio. "However, you are an adult, Emilio, and I will reserve my final judgment for now."

"I appreciate that, Tia Elaina." Emilio replied, chuckling. "I am not looking for a wife, right now. If it happens, it happens. Hannah and I are still getting to know each other, right Hannah?"

"Yes, of course." Hannah replied, looking at Tia Elaina. "I've waited this long. I'm not looking for a husband, just now. If you feel that you have a younger woman that would be acceptable marriage material for your nephew, then I suggest you introduce her to him, before we become serious."

Hannah sipped her water looking at Emilio. "Let it not be said that I got in the way of true romance."

"I think you are being smart with me." Tia Elaina replied. "Are you going to allow this woman to talk to me this way, Emilio?"

"Of course!" Emilio replied, grinning. "You dish it out, you have to be able to take it, no?"

'Humph!" Tia Elaina replied, returning to her meal.

Hannah looked down at the plate of Sweet and Sour chicken she had ordered. Emilio's family was most definitely a handful, and she wondered how she would make it through the rest of the evening.