Longing for Josephine.
1322 Words
Charles Hudson
I looked for Jo when we got back to the ship, her parents informed me that she was at the bar and had been with them, they didn't see her leave.
I tried her phone but she didn't answer.
Lana assured me she must be on board, maybe with that chef guy she was dating.
My stomach flip flopped thinking about this.
I wondered if she was angry with me for not ending things with Lana while we were on the cruise.
Jo's dad and I decided to stay behind to look for her. The ship did not have any data to support she had gotten back on the boat from our excursion.
We went to the authorities. They sent out a detective to investigate.
After three weeks, we had to return home. She was gone. She was last seen sitting at the bar, just feet away from her parents. They assumed she went back to the boat.
I was going through the motions, but I did not feel any life within me.
Lana was upset that I had taken this loss so very hard. She tried to sooth my fears.
" I'm sure she left on her own, I mean she said it herself she was still stuck on you. There's no way that she could ever have you. You are mine. We are getting married."
I decided that I had to go back to Mexico and hire a detective agency to find her.
I also made plans to go back to the American consulate and speak to my congressman.
Lana was pissed. I could care less. Jo was just gone, vanished somehow.
I decided it was my fault. I tried to distance myself from Jo that day to let Lana down easy.
I should have just told the world how I loved Jo, my Jo.
Lana asked me to meet her at her home before I left for Mexico. She would try to talk me out of going.
I entered without knocking, she had given me a key.
" In here babe!" She called out.
Lana had set up her bedroom with candles and mood music.
I was done, she could not seduce me.
" Come on Charles, just relax tonight. It's our last night together."
I sat down on the bed and looked at the very beautiful woman I no longer loved.
She began to cry.
" Don't do this to us." She said.
I took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
She wore my engagement ring.
I touched the ring on her finger.
" You are mine." She said softly.
" Lana, my life is on hold until I find Jo, how can I just go on, as if she wasn't missing. I owe it to her family."
" If you ever truly loved me, please don't end this love between us. Not yet. Yes, I will give you space and time." She rubbed my lower lip with her thumb.
" You...you think that you are in love with her. You love Josephine?" She asked, putting her knees to her chest and crying big crocodile tears.
" Lana, I have feelings for her, yes. I believe I am..."
" Shhh...don't say it Charles. Please, not until you find her. Only then you can decide if you love her, please!"
Lana stood up. "Go to Mexico, I will run your business. But come home to me love."
" I am sorry Lana. I never meant to hurt you."
I kissed her goodbye, poor girl. It wasn't her fault.
_____________
I turned to Jo's family now. I had to let them know that I would see this through to the end.
I wanted to die. I was so distraught.
I went and slept in the pool house, where my love had been staying. I smelled her perfume and slept in her blankets.
It gave me some comfort.
My mind went to everything that happened in Mexico, what was I missing?
I went over every encounter, every moment.
The chef, that guy that Jo had dinner with, I admit it made me feel intense jealousy.
Who was that guy, I saw him again the day that I told my Jo that I loved her.
I remember, he seemed to be hanging around. I didn't think anything of it, was that the guy that took Jo, did she leave with him willingly? No she wouldn't do that to me, or her parents, never!
I wrote everything down for the PI's that I had hired.
There was a knock on the door.
" Oh, hey come on in." I smiled sadly at Jo's dad, Joseph.
" Can we talk Charles?"
I nodded, pulling out a chair for him.
" Son, I must admit something to you. I had initially invited you on the cruise to get you and Joey alone, to sort things out. I'm sorry that it didn't work out." He grimaced.
" Yeah, my fiance invited herself."
I looked away. "I love your daughter, I told her this on that last day we had together, asking her to give me time to end things with Lana." I was gripping his shoulder, trying hard to keep it together.
" That's why you two missed the cruise?" I suddenly realized.
" I love my girl, I wanted her happy. I know when she thought she was having your baby, she seemed so sure about raising the baby alone, but I sensed that you too had chemistry" He said.
" She told you? I see...well I'm glad she had you when she lost the baby." I felt relief.
" Oh, no...I was too drunk to know all that had happened. We never really spoke about it, well until I got sober, after my heart attack." He looked away.
"She saved my life, even when the medics gave up on me. She never gave up."
" Yeah, we both let her down." I hugged him then.
We talked about my plans to find her and bring her home again.
He listened and offered his support.
" I am willing to go broke finding her if I have to. But I will find her. I promise you now." I was more determined than ever.
Claire Brennan, Jo's mom came in the room then.
" I met with my psychic. Good news, Joey is alive and safe. He said she is being held down south and is in some sort of an island compound.
Now before you both dismiss this psychic guy, Zerano, he's the one that told Jo she was losing the baby, she lost the baby that very day.
Not that I knew anything about it at the time, but he couldn't tell me because Joey asked him not to. I respect that, anyway let's all go to the Caribbean."
I nodded, believing her for some reason.
She lost my baby, I felt tears forming. She lost my baby, mine. And she was all alone too.
I got a text from Brea and David.
"We are heading into Mexico now, Dave thinks he knows a guy that heard of a guy that bought a girl in Mexico.
We are fluent in Spanish, so we are looking for her here in Costa Maya. Baby Sophia is with Dave's folks. We will find her."
Everyone was involved now. Things were heating up, we would saturate the entire Carribean and the whole country of Mexico if we needed to, to get Jo back.
The PI's met with me on Sunday. We made plans for a TV alert to be sent to all the news stations.
A reward was created. I wanted to plead to the masses, the lead private investigator advised against it.
"We need you behind the scenes Mr.Hudson, we don't want you or the family targeted by someone looking for a quick, phoney ransom."
I agreed, I would let the professionals take the lead.
- Writer
