The Legacy (41 page)

Sadie is the product of infidelity on her father’s part, who
happens to be Gladys’ now deceased husband. For months he
cheated on Gladys with Sadie’s mother, never bothering to tell
her he was married. Then he was killed while robbing a liquor
store
a
little
over
eight
years
ago.
Sadie
and her
mother
attended his funeral and Gladys discovered the truth. Sadie
wondered if Gladys ever told anyone. Probably not. She figured
Gladys was most likely saving the information to use at another
time. And she was right.

Sadie’s
mother
died of
cancer
a
year
ago,
and the
insurance money that was left after paying for the funeral was
enough to pay off the house and other bills. She works four
days a week at the local grocery store as a checker and has been
able to take care of herself pretty well. She is wise with her
money and has never needed to depend on anyone. Her
mother taught her to manage her finances well. Sadie doesn’t
go out much, which means she doesn’t have much of a social
life. There is no one special in her personal life, and truthfully,
she doesn’t know if there will ever be. She is basically alone in
the world and has resigned herself to the fact that she may
always be.

When Gladys landed on her door step a month ago with
the little boy in tow, she thought it was only going to be
temporary. Gladys told Sadie the boy’s name was Michael and
he was her daughter’s child by one of her ex-boyfriends. She
said her daughter didn’t want to be a mother, especially to a
half-white child, and she ran off leaving Gladys to care for him.
Gladys also told Sadie she came to her because she had lost
everything and had nowhere to go.

Now, as Sadie slowly learns how little she seems to care
for the child, she isn’t so sure Gladys is being truthful. There is
resentment in the woman’s face every time his name is spoken.
Sadie has tried talking to the boy several times when Gladys
was passed out, but he wouldn’t speak. In all the time he’s been
there, he has never uttered a word, but she can see the fear and
sadness in his beautiful green eyes and it touches her heart.
Gladys told her he is mentally slow and the only time he talks is
when he is pretending to be someone else, but some part of
Sadie doesn’t believe it. There has to be more to it.

Sadie puts the food on a tray and takes it in to the little
boy. He is lying on the bed curled up in a ball as usual, but he
sits up when she enters. She sets the tray on a small table, and
once again he ravenously eats. She smiles sadly as she watches
him. Sitting in the chair next to him, she softly caresses his dark
hair, all the while wishing she could somehow get him to talk to
her. There just has to be more to his life than this.

Lighting the last of the candles placed around our
bedroom, I survey the small table set for two and decide
everything is perfect. I want the evening to be as wonderful as I
can make it for Adagio. I hate the way things are between us,
and sadly, I know it is my fault. I never meant to hurt him and
my heart is full of regret. I wish so much that I could take back
all the pain I've caused him. I have a lot to make up for and I
hope he can forgive me for not being there for him and Ingo
when they really needed me. But all of that will change. I will
never neglect them again.

I walk over to the mirror once more and check my
reflection. Smoothing my hands down the silky, ivory chemise,
I try to calm the butterflies in my stomach. Not since the day I
realized I was in love Adagio have I felt so nervous. Or so
afraid.

Adagio is surprised to walk into the house and find no
one home. The last thing he needs right now is to be alone,
though in a sense, he has been for a while now. He feels
terrible about leaving Cisely the way he did earlier. Never in all
the years of their marriage has he ever left without saying
goodbye or telling her where he was going. And because of
this, he had been anxious to get back home to her, if only to be
in the same room with her. He knows she is still in pain, but he
needs to be near her. He wants her to know he will always be
there, and he hopes she will soon open her heart to him again.
The distance between them is painful, but he will wait. He will
wait forever.

He is about to call Cisely’s cell phone when his ears tune
in to soft music coming from their bedroom. This is something
he hasn’t heard in a long time. Walking down the hall, Adagio
stops at their door, hesitating for a moment, not knowing what
to expect. Then his heart begins to race in a way it hasn’t been
allowed to in a long while. Slowly, he opens the door. The dim
room is lit by several candles. His gaze is immediately drawn to
Cisely’s silhouette standing in front of the window and his heart
threatens to leap from his chest. She is also wearing a gown he
hasn’t seen in a while.

Oh, angel!
he breathes silently. As he slowly approaches, he
notices her forehead is pressed against the window, her eyes
closed. She looks so beautiful standing there. He loves her so
much, and watching her, his longing increases with intensity.
Moving close behind her, he presses his face into her hair,
wrapping his arms around her waist.

As Adagio's arms close around me, heat rushes through
my entire body. Releasing a breathy sigh, I lean back against
him as a long-suppressed longing fills my entire being.

“Cisely,” he whispers against my ear. His voice is raspy,
emotion-filled and painfully seductive. “Baby, I love you.”
I close my eyes as the warmth of his breath and the
softness of his lips against my cheek intoxicate my senses.
Turning in his arms, the longing in his gaze makes me want to
weep. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I gently pull his
head down, brushing my lips softly against his. Tears roll down
my face as he kisses me. The sensation is like a heavy rain after
a long drought. I bury my fingers in his hair, relishing the
burning desire I've denied myself for so long.
As his mouth sears a path from my ear to my neck, every
part of me is on fire. Being in his arms is so perfect, I don't
know how I could have been without their warmth for as long
as I had.
I undress him as our urgency increases. Pressing me
tightly against him, his mouth continues to devour mine and an
uncontrollable frenzy of emotion overtakes us both. The tears
that spill onto my cheeks mingle with his as passion consumes
us. In his arms, I am finally home.

Adagio lay wrapped in Cisely’s arms, his head against her
shoulder,
and
quietly
contemplates
the
long
absent
contentment, relishing the closeness they now share. Their
union has completely rejuvenated him, and though he knows
the trials are far from over, he can make it through them now,
as long as they face them together. With each gentle caress of
her hand against his face, Adagio marvels anew at the oneness
that is again present.
“
Ti amo
, Adagio,” Cisely says.
He smiles. “And I love you.” He stares into her eyes,
watching them quickly tear up. “What is it?” he asks, raising up
a little.
“I’m so sorry for not being there for you and Ingo. I’m
sorry about everything.”
He presses his hand against her cheek. “It is all right,
baby. I understand.”
“I wish I did,” she says with a sigh. “No matter how hard
I tried, I couldn’t seem to stop myself from shutting everything
down inside.”
Adagio nods, understanding how she felt. Though he's
tried to keep positive thoughts in his mind, it is still very hard.
“I am sure self-preservation of the heart is still deeply ingrained
in you. And it will probably always be because of all you have
been through in your life. I really do understand.” He smiles.
“But you are okay now.”
“Yes,” she says, smiling serenely. “Now I am.” She
pauses. “I need to tell you something, my love.”
“All right.” They both sit up and lean back against the
pillows. Taking her hand between his, he looks into her eyes,
grateful for the peace he sees there.
“Each day that passed with no word or leads about
Phillip pushed me further into despair. The pain became so
bad, the only way I could handle it was to completely shut
down.” She squeezes his hand. “I needed you so much, but I
didn’t know how to tear down the walls. I wanted you near, but
I couldn’t let you close. This morning after you left, I spent a
long time on my knees, begging God to help me.”
Adagio wipes her tears with his fingers. It feels so good to
have her sharing her feelings with him.
“You might not believe this, but I heard Ingo's voice
telling me you needed me.”
“Really?” he says, surprised and grateful at the same time.
Given her past visions, he really could believe it.
Cisely nods. “It calmed me and I finally realized that I
have never been alone, even though I've tried to face this
alone.”
Adagio smiles, tears filling his eyes. “I know each day
Phillip is away from us will still bring pain, but we will find him,
amore
. I know we will.”
“I know too,” she says with a small sob. “I do.”
Adagio pulls her close and they lay quietly for a while,
holding one another, each giving the other the comfort that has
been needed for so long. He silently vows to never again let
anything come between them. She is too important to him, and
he loves her too much to allow anything to push them apart.
“Are you hungry?” she finally asks, breaking the silence.
“I think I have worked up an appetite,” he says, smiling
slyly and she grins at him.
Slipping
from under
the
covers,
she
walks
into
the
bathroom and grabs their robes from behind the door. And as
usual, Adagio can’t help letting his gaze roam over her. She
always
stays
so
trim and keeps
herself
in
shape,
and
motherhood has only enhanced her perfect figure.
Cisely
hands
Adagio
one
of
the
robes.
“Just
make
yourself comfortable at the table and I’ll be right back.”
He restarts the disc in the player and waits for her. She
returns a couple of minutes later with a large tray of take out
cartons.
“Mmmm, Chinese,” he says as he helps her put the food
on the table. “I love Chinese.”
“I know,” she says, smiling lovingly. She'd ordered the
food earlier and had it delivered while she was preparing for the
evening.
“Thank you, baby.” He takes her hand and kisses it. Then
deciding it isn't enough, he leans over and captures her mouth
with his. “Thank you,” he again whispers.
“You’re welcome.”