The Preservation Plan - Book 3 of 3

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Before heading back to Pinia, Shadow and Jessica decide to visit his mother, Luanda, at her Manhattan apartment. As Jessica's chauffeur drives the grand-electro through the crowded streets, Jessica senses the anxiety radiating from Shadow, seated beside her in the back of the car. "Are you okay?" she asks him.

Shadow doesn't look at her. He continues staring out the window at the pedestrians and buildings they're passing. "I feel really guilty, Jessica," he replies after a moment.

"Guilty of what?" Jessica asks. She leans forward to look at him.

Shadow turns his head to look at her. Anger hardens his face. "All this time has gone by, and now I find out it was my father who forced my mother to leave her homeland and avoid having contact with me. I should have known... I should have known!" Shadow looks away again, staring out the front windshield.

"How were you to know your father would wield his power in such a corrupt manner?" Jessica asks, resting a hand on his arm.

"I was very naïve. I should have investigated the matter and rectified the situation," Shadow responds with feeling.

"Let's move forward. Now that we've found your mother and she appears willing to reestablish a connection with you, you must embrace the opportunity," Jessica says gently.

The grand-electro slows and stops, and Jessica looks around. They're in a seedy area of Manhattan, and the driver is parked in front of an old, run-down apartment complex.

"Thank you, Douglas. I'll contact you when we're done," Jessica says to the driver, and she and Shadow exit the vehicle.

"Are you certain you want me to join you?" she asks Shadow as they cross the sidewalk to the entrance.

"Of course," Shadow replies. Smiling, he takes her by the hand.

Just outside the front entrance, a panhandler sits cross-legged against the building. He's wearing a tattered, bright red bandana and a t-shirt reading Stalin Lives! "Hell knows no end—and that's a good thing, my friends, because it's where we're all going," the man hollers as Jessica and Shadow walk past. Jessica turns and backtracks to give him a couple of dollars. "Thank you, sister," he says, "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you."

She turns back to Shadow, and they step inside. The lobby they enter is cold and damp, the walls grimy and the floor tiles cracked, their grout blackened with tracked-in filth. There are several empty liquor bottles lying beside two empty syringes on the dirty floor to one side of the door. There is no elevator; Shadow leads Jessica to the stairwell, then hesitates and turns to her. She can see the tears welling in his eyes. "To think my mother is living in such an appalling place really tears at my heart," he says, fighting for composure. Jessica squeezes his hand.

There is a young lady picking up a bunch of clothes in the hallway when they reach the second floor. "You bastard!" she shouts, pounding on the door of unit 206. "If you think I'm going to keep paying for that habit of yours, you're badly mistaken, jackass!" They sidle past her; she ignores them, intent on hurling invective at whoever's inside 206.

A few doors down, Luanda is standing in her doorway, arms crossed, listening to the ruckus. She grins when she notices Jessica and Shadow approaching. "Wow, what a surprise!" she says. "Come on in."

"Does this kind of thing happen often around here?" Jessica asks in reference to the angry woman in the hallway. Shadow glances back, shaking his head in disgust.

"I'm used to it," Luanda replies, shrugging it off with a sigh. "I just mind my own business and nobody bothers me."

"I won't have you living in a place like this, Mother," Shadow says firmly.

"With Kolton in and out of rehab and my job paying so little," she says, referring to her husband, "well, this is affordable." She smiles, but Jessica can tell it's forced, and her eyes are sad.

"How long will he be in rehab?" Jessica asks.

"I'm hoping he'll be back home in the coming days," Luanda answers solemnly. She looks at Shadow. "I think you'll like Kolton, son. He may be troubled, but he's a good man. Unlike your father, he actually has a compassionate side." She smiles. "Please, sit down. I'd offer you a drink, but we can't keep alcohol in the apartment. How about a coffee?"

"That'd be fine, Luanda," Jessica replies. She sits on the couch, looking around the tiny apartment. She's astounded by the number of music books she sees, all neatly arranged on side tables and a bookcase.

"So, what exactly led to Kolton's downward spiral?" Shadow asks when Luanda returns with a tray holding three mugs of coffee, a sugar bowl, and a small creamer.

Luanda sets the tray down on the coffee table, not looking at them. "Like many Americans after the War Within, he's had to battle his own personal demons. We're both trying to look forward, and embrace the future. So I really don't like speaking about it," she replies as she hands each of them a mug.

"And how are you doing, Mother? I still can't believe what my father did to you all those years ago," Shadow says, frowning.

Luanda straightens. "Please, Shadow, forget what I told you the other day. It's all in the past and there's no point in creating tension between you and your father," she pleads.

Shadow sets down his mug and rises to walk over and embrace his mother. "You need not worry. I will deal with this. My father will not treat me as if I'm one of his pathetic minions. And in turn, I assure you, you will always have a loving place in my heart," he says, his face lighting up with joy.

***

As she and Shadow prepare to return to Pinia, Jessica takes a moment to call her dad. "We'll be off tomorrow, Dad," she says when her father's face replaces the presidential seal on her flash- pad screen.

"You just make sure you remain safe over there, honey," Westgale replies. "I must ask you, Jessie: what are your plans, once your mission in Pinia has been completed?"

"To be honest with you, that's not something Shadow and I have even discussed," Jessica answers.

"Next to his father, Shadow's the most important man in the country. Would you be willing to leave everything behind and make Pinia your home?" Westgale asks.

Jessica hesitates for a moment. "I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm hoping for a future with Shadow, and if that means living in Pinia, then yes, I'd be more than willing to make the change," she replies with conviction.

"Well, if you do, you'll have to promise me that Washington will be your favorite vacation spot." Westgale chuckles, but his eyes belie his lighthearted tone.