Embittered Ruby (41 page)

“Bring ‘em on.”

Mom stepped out of the frame. A few moments later two grinning girls took her place.

Carmen’s heart swelled. “Kim. Harper. I missed you both so much.”

Harper looked at Kim. “Ready? One. Two. Three.” “WE MISS YOU!”

The computer crackled as it strained to cope with the decibels coming from her sisters’ lungs. Carmen laughed. “Wow. Thanks, guys.”

She focused her stare on Kim. “Are you keeping it together? Remembering your promise to me?”

“Yeah. I guess.” Kim averted her eyes.

What did that mean? “Kim. Look at me.” She waited until Kim looked into the camera. “You’re scaring me. Tell me what’s happening.”

Mom and Dad grew strangely quiet as if waiting for a verdict to be handed down.

“No. I mean, I’m good. I just wish you’d been here to help me through some things lately. I thought that was what big sisters were for.”

Carmen nodded. “It is. And I will be soon. Please keep hanging in there and doing the right thing. Please. Promise?”

“I promise.” Kim smiled. “I’ll make you proud of me.”

“I am proud.” Carmen ached for her annoying little sisters. As much as they bugged her sometimes, they were family.

“When are you coming home?” Harper whined. “It’s been too long.”

“I agree. Way too long. But I still don’t know when I’ll be home. How about we make it a goal that I get there for your birthday in August? I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my very best.” Carmen held up a fist. “Deal?”

Harper pretended to bump knuckles. “Deal.”

W
ell hello there, stranger.” Theresa dusted off her jeans as she rose from her seat on the foyer stairs just as prayer time ended.

Carmen gasped. Wow. She pulled Theresa close for a hug. “It’s awesome to see a familiar face from home.” Not that Hackensack was home…or was it?

Theresa let her gaze travel up and down Carmen’s body. “You look good. Softer. Happier, maybe. I can’t tell what’s different.”

“Yeah, thanks. That’s how I feel.” Carmen examined Theresa. “You look exactly the same.” High hair, tight clothes, lots of makeup and accessories. “Jersey couture.”

“Hey.” Theresa’s bottom lip poked out in a pretend pout.

“I’m just teasing, T.” Carmen nodded toward the dining hall. “You hungry?”

“Famished.”

“You’re going to love breakfast here.” Carmen ushered her toward the smell of bacon. “How long are you staying?”

“We’re here for two weeks.”

“What about school? Can you miss that much?”

“Believe it or not, I’m sort of homeschooling now. My mom and dad started up a charter school at my church, and a bunch of us are going there.” Theresa smiled. “They’re doing all they can to keep us out of trouble so we can go to college.”

“Is that like a private school?”

“Yep. We even have private schools in the slums of New Jersey.” Theresa winked.

Wonder if Kimberley could go there instead of public school. Carmen would have to ask Mom the next time they spoke. “So how did you get hooked up to come here?” Carmen grabbed a tray and two cartons of orange juice.

“It’s missions work, which is part of our schooling.” Theresa shrugged. “It’s a construction project, so I expect they’ll keep me pretty busy. But that’s okay—that’s what I’m here for.”

“Construction on what?” Carmen motioned for Theresa to grab a tray and slide it along the steel bars while she selected her food.

“I think Ben’s going to announce it soon. They’re doing something with that empty building out back. I’m not sure what.” She shrugged. “Dad said Ben’s been talking about it for years. Whatever it is.”

“Cool.” Carmen led her to the table with Kira, Tricia, and Roxy then pulled up an extra chair. “Have a seat. Let me introduce you to my friends.”

The introductions went around the table. How neat to be able to call each of these people a real friend. She felt…rich.

But one question still niggled at Carmen. “Hey, Theresa, can I ask you something else?”

Theresa nodded. “Sure.”

“Back a couple of months when we went out that night with Diego, remember that night?” “Sure.”

“Who was that dude in the backseat by you? Diego wouldn’t tell me. He called him a ghost.”

Theresa sighed. “I knew you were going to ask about him. He was bad news. A local drug dealer and a pimp.”

A pimp? Right there in the car with her? How scary.

Theresa eyed Carmen. “He wanted you. Diego had to buy him off with drugs, or he was gonna have you one way or another.”

Could that be true? That would explain why Diego ran in the house without her. To think she’d come so close to such danger. “Typical New Jersey.” Carmen shook her head.

Theresa’s eyes narrowed. “Um. The dude was from Queens.”

“You’re kidding.” So Carmen left upstate New York to move to New Jersey, where she expected gang violence and drugs. But one of her biggest threats had come from New York?

“Yeah, girl, you gotta get off New Jersey’s back. Especially Hackensack. Just because people don’t have as much money as they do upstate, and just because their houses aren’t as big—though Jersey has some mansions, too—don’t make them killers or bangers. People are people.”

People are people. Hadn’t Carmen used those exact words in retaliation against Nate’s mom when her prejudice became so glaringly clear? This was different, though. Right?

Carmen raised a finger. “Hold on. If the dude from Queens was after me, why did Diego have me in the car with him?”

“Yeah, it was awkward. Diego didn’t find out until we were waiting for you to change your clothes and come out.” Theresa picked at her food. “I was afraid for you even then. But Diego took care of it. You never did hear from that dude, did you?”

“No. Diego took care of it.” Hopefully his solution wasn’t a
permanent
one.

Oh, catch her before she leaves. “Donna, can we talk?” Carmen blocked her exit out the back door.

“Sure. I’m just going for a little walk. Want to come?” Donna zipped her red parka. “I can wait for you out there if you want to grab your coat.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Carmen raced up to her room. The last thing she wanted was anything to do with a cold and snowy mountain after the stormy hike she took in arctic January. But it was worth it if Donna could help her figure some things out. She slipped her jacket over her arms as she rushed back to the door where Donna said she’d be waiting.

“Ready?” Donna shouted from the pasture when she saw Carmen step out. “Come on, I want to show you something.” She set off in a direction Carmen had never walked before.

It didn’t even look like there was a path. Hope Donna knew the way.

“So what’s up?” Donna grinned, her cheeks already pink from the crisp wind.

“How do you define
prejudice
?”

Donna’s head jerked back in surprise. “Hmm. Good question. To me, prejudice is making a value judgment or setting an expectation on someone based on irrelevant factors like race, sex, body type, income, geographic location…stuff like that. Does that make sense?”

Carmen wanted to throw up. She was just as guilty as Hillary McConnell. “I am what I’ve accused others of being.” How had she missed it?

“Ah. I see.” Donna smiled. “Another layer of self-realization, huh?”

“Yeah. That stupid book I’ve been writing. The things I said about and thought about Leila because of her weight and appearance.” Carmen shook her head. “Oh no. All that I’ve thought about Hackensack and New Jersey—and the people who live there.” How could she be exactly like the person she hated most?

“And the light dawns.” Donna smiled.

“You know, it’s funny. I’ve been blasting Hackensack, but it was there that I met two of the best people I know. Theresa and Diego. True friends.”

Carmen’s voice caught as she tried to catch her breath. “You know, Briarcliff Manor and Ossining has something ridiculous like three percent Mexican, and most of those were probably hired help. I was the subject of prejudice there, and then I turned around and handed it down. I even thought I was above Nate’s Mexican maid because I lived in that town and she only worked there.”

Donna nodded.

“What can I do about this?” There had to be a way to fix it.

“Okay. Here’s where I’ll step in.” Donna paused and closed her eyes for a moment. “Life is full of mistakes. We each make them every single day. We’re all flawed individuals. The best thing we can do for ourselves and for the Kingdom of God is to be open for growth. Open to hear from God and receive conviction from the Holy Spirit.”

Carmen nodded. “I think that’s what I’m going through right now.”

“Right. There’s a story in the Bible about a woman caught in adultery. Jesus forgave her and told her to go and sin no more. He didn’t send her back to fix the problem because some things just can’t be fixed. You can’t go make amends with an entire town or state. You can’t change people’s thinking, and you can’t undo what’s done.”

“But that sounds so hopeless.” Carmen kicked at the snow.

“Well, what you can do is pray that you’d have the opportunity to right any wrongs that are possible. That God would lead you to individuals who are ready to hear or receive an apology. Start there.” Donna took Carmen’s hand. “And like Jesus said to the adulteress, go and sin no more.”

“What did he say? Just come outside—no explanation?”

Carmen pulled her parka on then shoved her hands into her gloves.

Tricia shrugged. “You know Ben, always after the drama.”

“I think it’s about the building project.” Theresa stepped in line with the other two on their way to the stable. “I mean, my group’s been here for a couple of hours—we kind of need to know what we’re going to be doing.”

Made perfect sense. They rounded the corner past the barn doors and then stepped up to a clearing where Ben stood atop a tree stump.

“Why are we here?” Carmen shielded her eyes from the sun.

“Gather around, folks. I have an announcement.”

Carmen surveyed the crowd. Olivia smiled and waved. Justin averted his eyes. Not quite over the whole situation apparently. Should Carmen approach him? Try to fix it? Or let it go and give it time? Well, she’d never actually apologized directly to him—only to Olivia. She’d have to find a moment to talk with him later.

There were Ginny and Mark Stapleton standing beside Ben and Alicia. Mark held a gleaming pair of scissors near a long yellow ribbon that ran the length of the building behind them.

Ben clapped his hands for attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have an exciting announcement. Through much prayer and counsel with the Diamond Estates executive board…”