Dark Memories Submerged by I. T. Lucas
Geraldine
As the elevator lurched up, Geraldine forced herself to stop hyperventilating and breathe normally.
The whole cloak-and-dagger thing was bizarre enough to be one of her fuzzy memories. She never knew whether they were hallucinations, vivid dreams that she remembered as if they had been real events, or whether they’d really happened—just not the way she remembered them.
Except, she’d never hallucinated in real time before. It had always been a recall problem. Was her condition worsening?
“Relax.” Onegus put a hand on her shoulder. “We are almost there.”
Should she be excited or frightened?
The car had gone through a tunnel and then entered an elevator that had gone up several levels. After they’d parked, they had to take another elevator to go from the parking garage to the actual village.
What kind of people built their neighborhood on top of a mountain with no road leading up to it? The place was inaccessible unless one knew where the secret entrance to the tunnel was, and elevators took people from the belly of the mountain up to its surface.
As the elevator door opened, Geraldine forced a smile. “You go first.”
Onegus held the door from closing. “Ladies first.”
“Come on.” Cassandra threaded her arm through hers. “There’s no reason to be scared. The place is gorgeous.”
“It must be. It’s guarded better than the mythical El Dorado.” Geraldine half expected to find the buildings covered in gold.
Instead, she found herself in a glass pavilion that housed some kind of exhibit and was surrounded by greenery.
“What are the things on display?” she asked as they walked toward the exit.
“Archeological artifacts,” Onegus said. “My cousin Kalugal is a collector. He’ll stop by later to say hello.”
As they exited through the pavilion’s sliding doors, Onegus pointed ahead. “This is the village square.”
On one side of it were several buildings that looked like offices or served some other public function. The square also housed a café, a playground, a pond, and a sprawling grassy area that was perfect for large gatherings. It was difficult to see details of the structures on the other side of the lush greenery, but they looked like residences.
“What do you think?” Cassandra asked. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
The wistful tone in her daughter’s voice was a big fat hint as to why they were having the meeting with Onegus’s mother here and not a restaurant in town.
Apparently, Cassandra wanted to move in with Onegus, and she wanted her mother to fall in love with the place, so she would want to move in with them.
Wasn’t going to happen.
It would be difficult, but Cassandra was a grown woman, and she didn’t need her mother to live with her and her boyfriend.
“It is so peaceful here.” Geraldine glanced at the playground. “Where are the children?”
“Would you like to stop at the café?” Onegus asked instead of answering her question.
“Are we meeting your mother there?”
“I thought we would grab a cup of coffee first.” He smiled sheepishly. “My mother is running a little late.”
Geraldine lifted a brow. “I thought that she was staying with you during her visit.”
“She and the other guests are staying in a building that my family owns downtown. Since it’s so close to the venue, no transportation needed to be arranged. They just walked across the street.”
“I see.”
She wondered whether it had been a hint that mothers and their grown children shouldn’t live together.
“I haven’t been to the café yet,” Cassandra said. “I would love to check out the place.”
“We are lucky that there is no line.” Onegus ushered them forward. “Usually, the place is packed at lunchtime.”
“Why isn’t it today?” Geraldine asked.
“Because of the visitors. People are spending time with their family members, going shopping, and checking out the restaurants in town. I bet Wonder is happy.”
“Wonder?” Cassandra arched a brow. “I’ve never heard of anyone named Wonder. Is it a nickname?”
Onegus chuckled. “That’s the name she chose for herself because she resembles the actress who plays Wonder Woman. The new version one, not the old one.”
“Oh.” Cassandra glanced at the girl. “She really does.”
“Let’s catch a table before it gets busy again.” Onegus led them to a table but didn’t sit down. “I need to order at the counter. Do you want anything with your coffees?”
“Do they serve cappuccinos?” Cassandra asked.
“They do, and they are excellent.”
“Then I’ll have one. But I don’t want to eat anything before lunch.”
“I would like a cappuccino as well. Thank you.” Geraldine waited for Onegus to leave before taking another look around.
Several of the tables were occupied, all by good-looking people, but the one who caught her attention was a young man sitting near the hedge delineating the café’s enclosure.
He was blond, with skin as pale as Onegus’s, but she couldn’t see his face because he was bent over a laptop, typing away on the keyboard. He was smartly dressed though, in a white dress shirt, a white and blue checkered tie, and a gray vest. A brown jacket was draped over the back of his chair. It was bit much given the warm weather, but he probably worked in an air-conditioned office.
Was he an attorney? Or a banker?
Nowadays, those were the only occupations that required men to wear ties to work.
“You’re staring, Mom,” Cassandra whispered.
“He’s a good-looking man.”
Cassandra’s lips twisted in a smile. “I didn’t know blond guys were your type.”
“I don’t have a type. It’s about what’s on the inside. I like interesting men, men who are passionate about something or have an interesting life story. Otherwise, they are a bore.”
Leaning back, Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest. “So looks have nothing to do with it?”
“Of course, they do. I’m an artist at heart, and beauty nourishes my soul. But it’s much less important than a person’s character.”
Just then, the man lifted his head and looked straight at her. His stare was so intense that Geraldine felt herself blush.
She hadn’t blushed in ages.
Then again, she might have forgotten her other blushing incidents.
Gathering her wits about her, she offered him a friendly smile and waved.
For a long moment, he just kept on staring, but then he smiled and waved back.
“What are you doing?” Cassandra hissed. “Are you flirting with the guy? You’ve just gotten here.”
“I’m not flirting.” Geraldine huffed out a breath. “I’m just being polite.”