Bless Us Father (31 page)

“Aren’t you even going to feed me before you start hammering me?” Maggie asked. “I’m still not awake.”

“Oh, sorry,” Barbara said, waving the nearest server over. “We need our menus and some coffee.”

The girl must have been used to hurried professionals because she quickly grabbed two menus and filled their coffee cups to the brim with steaming hot coffee.

“Just bring me a side of fresh fruit,” Barbara said, not looking at the menu. “Are you ready, Maggie? We don’t have much time.”

Maggie hadn’t even opened the menu. She glanced at the front of it and said, “I’ll just have the All-American Slam breakfast, and some orange juice, please.” She checked for Barbara’s reaction to what she’d ordered, but Barbara’s facial expression hadn’t changed.

“Coming right up,” the waitress said, grabbing the menus and practically running to put the order in.

“All right. We’ve ordered. Now, what about the settlement?”

Maggie clasped her hands in her lap and pursed her lips.

She looked around the crowded restaurant at all the people and wondered what their stories were. Had their lives been ruined by someone who took advantage of them, and worse yet, had the people who were supposed to be protecting them not listened? Had they never believed a word?

There was woman sitting at the end of the counter, no one seated near her, probably because she looked as if she hadn’t bathed or changed clothing for weeks. She was wolfing down a huge breakfast, probably the first one in a long time. For just an instant, she turned and looked at Maggie with almost a knowing expression on her face. Had she been betrayed, too?

“Maggie? Are you with me?” Barbara asked. “We need to talk about this. You’re the only holdout.”

The waitress returned with their food and they sat quietly while she placed it on the table in front of them and refilled their coffee cups.

“I want to have my day in court, to hear him admit his guilt, to hear him say he’s sorry for what he did to me.”

“Maggie,” Barbara said softly, placing her hand on Maggie’s forearm.

Maggie stiffened and Barbara took her hand away, then said,

“You know he’ll never admit it, let alone say he’s sorry. The Archdiocese knows he’s guilty, and they’re willing to settle. That’s all we’re going to get. Besides, they need to be punished for covering it all up and moving these guys around all over the place.”

“But...I want, no need, closure.”

“You’re going to get a lot of money. You can BUY closure. He’s never going to give it to you.”

Maggie could feel her face turning red. “Buy closure? How on earth can I buy it?”

“You’ll be able to pay for as much therapy as you need to get over this. I promise you. It’s going to be a big payday for you,” Barbara said, glancing at her watch. “We need to eat fast. We have a ten o’clock appointment with the others.”

Maggie poured catsup on her hash browns and shook a few drops of Tabasco sauce on the eggs, then concentrated on eating her breakfast. As she ate she thought about what Barbara had said. There really was no point in holding out. She certainly could use the money, and knowing Father Antonio the way she did, he wouldn’t ever admit he did anything wrong. And besides, it wouldn’t be fair to the other victims that had agreed to settle. Who did she think she was, anyway? Someone special?

“Okay, Barbara. I’ll go along with the settlement,” Maggie said, draining her coffee cup.

“That’s my girl,” Barbara said, clapping her hands together. “You won’t be sorry. I think it’s going to be big money.”

Barbara paid the bill, tipped the waitress, then led the way out to the car. They drove the short distance to the building on Grand Ave. where the mediation was to be held. They parked the car and took the elevator to the fortieth floor. It was a glass elevator on the outside of the building and afforded them a view of the west side of Los Angeles.

Once off the elevator, Barbara led the way to a large conference room. An enormous conference table was in the middle of the room. One wall was glass windows giving a view of Los Angeles’s north side. Another wall had a counter that had bowls of fruit, candy, cookies and chips on it, as well as bottles of water and cans of sodas. A large coffee maker was brewing fresh coffee.

Maggie stood looking at the other people in the room. On one side of the table sat two men in suits, with notebooks and papers spread out in front of them. Their heads were together in muted conversation. Maggie decided they must be the attorneys for the Archdiocese. On the other side of the table was a man dressed in a long sleeved blue checked shirt with a buttoned down collar. He had a full head of unruly gray hair, heavy eyebrows, and wore glasses that were slightly tinted gray, concealing the color of his eyes.

Barbara went over to the man, bent down, and spoke quietly to him, then waved Maggie over.

“I’d like you to meet another of my clients. He lives out near you,” Barbara said. “Maggie, this is Javier Lopez. Javier, this is Maggie Riley.”

Barbara pulled out the chair on Javier’s right side and sat down.

“Hello, Maggie. Please to meet you,” Javier said, offering his hand for Maggie to shake.

“It’s nice meeting you,” Maggie said, noticing thick calluses as she shook his hand.

She pulled out the chair next to Javier and sat down on his left side.

“There is settlement?” he said in a strong Hispanic accent

“So Barbara tells me,” Maggie replied. “I was actually hoping we would go to trial.”

Javier stared down at the table. After a long moment, he turned to Maggie and said, “I too old to go through a trial. I struggle whole life with thees. Now all I wan is go home to my land and live rest of my life in peace. If we get enough money, I quit my job and stay at home tending my fruit trees."

“But, don’t you feel like you need an apology from someone for what happened to you? Don’t you want to see the priest--I assume it was a priest--punished?”

Javier took off his glasses and rubbed the indentation on the bridge of his nose where they’d been pressing in. “Yes, it was priest. But he die long time ago. No apology, ever. I want done, that’s all.”

Maggie understood this clearly. She wanted it over with, too, but doubted it would ever be over.

Just then, a man wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and yellow tie entered the room.

“That’s Judge Nicholas,” Barbara said, leaning around Javier and speaking to both of them. “He’s bringing the settlement announcement, I’m sure.”

“Good morning, Barbara,” Judge Nicholas said, glancing at the sheaf of papers he held in his hands. “Gentlemen,” he said, nodding towards the two attorneys on the other side of the table.

“You must be Maggie Riley, and you must be Javier Lopez. Am I correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Maggie said.

Javier nodded in the affirmative.

“Thank you all for being here. I’m here to tell you the Los Angeles Archdiocese, along with the representatives for the 508 plaintiffs in this suit, have reached an agreement. The Archdiocese has agreed to settle for $660-million.”

Maggie gasped and Javier’s jaw dropped open. They looked at each other in disbelief.

Judge Nicholas continued, “We’re in the process of drawing up the individual paperwork for each of the plaintiffs, and don’t have the figures yet that you’ll each be receiving. I’m asking that you return here on Monday morning to sign the final paperwork. Will that work for you all?”

Maggie and Javier looked questioningly at Barbara.

“Yes, Judge Nicholas. We’ll return on Monday,” Barbara answered without waiting for Maggie or Javier to speak.

“I’ll drive you back to your hotels,” Barbara said, picking up her briefcase and leading the way out of the conference room.

The three were silent as they rode the glass elevator back down to the ground floor.

Once outside, Javier said, “I have car here, so I drive myself to go find hotel room now. I guess I see you Monday morning.”

Maggie watched him walk away, his head down and his shoulders hunched over. He was short and stocky, and he looked worn out. She felt a connection to Javier. They were kindred spirits. For once in her life she thought there might be another person in the world that could understand her pain.

“Javier lives near me?” she asked Barbara.

“Yes, he lives in Sun City. That’s close, isn’t it?”

“It’s really close to where my place is. I’m on the west side of Hemet. Sun City is maybe seven or eight miles away.”

“Too bad you didn’t know each other. You could have ridden in together and kept each other company,” Barbara said.

“Maybe some other time,” Maggie said.

“Let’s hope there aren’t any other times. This should be the end of it.”

“You’re right. This should be the end,” Maggie answered.

All men have one refuge, a good friend, with whom you can weep and know he does not smile.

-Menander-

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The temperature outside was ninety degrees and rising when Maggie got back to the hotel. The air conditioner in her room was on full blast when she opened the door. Before she left, she’d adjusted the thermostat to eighty degrees, but the maid had apparently thought it too warm and turned it down to seventy.

Sadie lay curled contentedly in her crate, but jumped up as soon as Maggie walked in the room.

“Hi girl, I hope you didn’t get too lonely,” Maggie said, opening the latch to let her out. “I’ll take you out in a bit, but I want to change into more comfortable clothes first, okay?”

Sadie sat and watched Maggie, cocking her head side to side as if she understood every word.

Maggie removed her court clothing and hung it carefully on hangers. She put on a pair of beige capris with an elastic waistband and pulled on a white tee shirt. She replaced her black oxfords with a pair of brown sandals with multiple Velcro straps to hold them in place.

She hooked Sadie’s leash on her collar and took her outside to the grass. Maggie walked towards the office where she hoped to get today’s copy of the Los Angeles Times to see if there was any mention of the impending settlement. Sadie followed along slowly beside her.

Opening the door to the lobby, she was surprised to see Javier at the desk registering for a room.

He turned at the sound of the door opening and smiled in recognition.

“You stay here?” he asked. “Why you no at the Westin? That where Barbara say me to go.”

“It’s too fancy for me. I’d feel out of place there. I like things simpler, plainer. How did you find this hotel?” Maggie asked.

“I use to live in LA, so I know it here. I don’ like fancy hotel, either.”

He signed his paperwork and when Aasheema handed him his room key he picked up his little suitcase and started for the door.

“Maybe I see you later?” he asked, then noticed Sadie and put his suitcase back down. “Is that you dog? She bite?”

“Oh no, she’d never bite. She’s very friendly. Her name is Sadie.” Maggie watched Javier bend down and stroke Sadie’s silky ears. Sadie was smiling and wagging her tail happily. “She likes you.”

“She berry nice. I have dogs at my house. My son stay there with them. I have two shepherds,” he said, straightening back up.

“I have two other dogs at my house, too,” Maggie said. “I have Rottweilers for protection. I live on the outskirts of Hemet.”

They left the office and walked slowly down the sidewalk, stopping every now and then for Sadie to sniff at a spot she’d missed earlier.

“Okay, this my room,” he said, unlocking the door.

A wave of disappointment washed over Maggie. She didn’t really want to be alone right now, and when she saw Javier, she thought they might be able to talk about the case. Then she thought better of it. No point in getting her hopes up.

“Wait, Maggie,” Javier called from behind her. “Maybe we walk down to Olvera Street later? It not far and you can take you little dog. It too hot now and I need to sleep awhile.”

Maggie couldn’t believe how pleased she was at this suggestion. She never wanted to spend time with anyone besides Kelly. Especially not a man. But for some reason she did want to go to Olvera Street with him.

“Yes, that would be nice. I haven’t been there in years. I imagine it’s changed a lot.”

“No, hasn’t changed at all. Still all same places to eat, selling all same stuff. The stuffed donkey and wagon still in front for pictures.”

“What time?” Maggie asked.

“How about four o’clock? Cooler then.”

“Okay, Javier. I think I’ll go back and take a nap, too. The morning exhausted me.”

#

Maggie, Javier and Sadie slowly walked the few short blocks to Olvera Street. Sadie’s legs were too short to walk fast, and Maggie and Javier’s extra weight slowed them down as well. They chose a bench next to the central plaza and sat down to rest before going through the shops.

“Hijole!” said Javier, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and mopping his brow. “It still too hot.”