Hidden Truths

By Genevieve Sarpong and Erin M. Garcia

A whirlwind of unforeseen emotional turmoil is revealed through the eyes of Malena Sanchez. In telling her own story, she introduces us to the lives of four other women who face, like Malena, a multitude of challenges in their ultimate quest for happiness. An array of hidden truths are discovered, as each woman confronts the complexities of her own situation.

From worlds apart, Ama’s path unexpectedly intertwines with Malena, who becomes her spiritual confidant. She emerges from a lifetime of misfortunes cast upon her by her ancestral heritage. Meanwhile, a life of addictions stemming from a childhood of abandonment forces Fiona to venture into uncharted waters, from where there may be no return. Circumstances beyond Giada’s control force her to co-exist in a world where women are viewed as prey. From the bitter depths of hurt comes a glimmer of hope that turns her sadness into joy. Does the sparkle of this rare gem fade too soon? Malena's sudden encounter with Olivia, a friend from her past, brings to light Olivia's pain of living a lonely existence, and she is later tormented by her decision to fill the empty void.

Finally, Malena’s past resurfaces in an accidental and sorrowful reunion. Despite Malena’s struggles, she remains an integral influence in the lives of her friends, continually rising above her own issues to become a source of strength in their journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Genevieve Sarpong
• Release date: Jun 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9780692229170

Genevieve Sarpong

Genevieve Sarpong is a published author and poet. She lives in the Hudson River Valley area of New York, USA. Her passion for creating stories was fostered as a child growing up in Ghana where storytelling was a way of life. The rich tradition of storytelling was a way to educate children, and instill in them good values that every folklore conveyed. She hopes to share the excitement and joy of adventure that these stories hold, to children all over the world. Mrs. Sarpong resides in the Hudson River Valley area of New York with her husband Kofi and twin daughters Afia and Yaa. When she is not weaving a tapestry of stories for all genres, she enjoys her career as a Registered Nurse.

Book preview

Hidden Truths

Copyright 2014 by Genevieve Sarpong and Erin M. Garcia

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

For our daughters, who inspire us to reach for the stars. You are the wind beneath our wings and our reason for being.

For our mothers, who always believed in us.

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to Regina Clarke, our editor, and our number one fan. Your unwavering support in bringing our dreams to flight will never be forgotten.

To Kofi, my husband, for your computer savvy assistance and guidance. You were always available no matter what time of the day or night to assist us.

CONTENTS

1. Reflections

2. Silent Tears

3. Revelation

4. Destiny

5. Indelible Mark

6. Three Is A Crowd

7. Rare Gem

8. Malena’s Bliss

9. Deliverance

10. Guilty Sins

11. Equilibrium

12. Unity3

13. Happy Endings

About The Authors

Links

1

Reflections

Malena

The long-anticipated rainbow that peers through the clouds after a downpour was the root of my endurance. With this constant feeling of hope, I embraced a better tomorrow.

I am Malena Sanchez. Here in this coffee shop, the precious inheritance from my parents, is where everything that I have now, found its beginning. Maybe it is the heat mixed with the inviting aromas rising from this mocha cappuccino in front of me. Or is it the lull of the morning rain beating against the shop’s windowpanes that starts me reminiscing? It is surely the location of this haven I call Café Latte that brings together memories of life’s beautiful flowers, my branches.

Café Latte is situated right in the center of New York’s flower district. Everyone who walks in can feel the instant warmth emanating from wall to wall. The friendliness of the staff combined with the welcoming atmosphere creates a sense of comfort when someone sits to read the morning New York Times. Whether it is used for networking with associates or for un-burdening one’s heart to friends, my cafe seems to bring people together. I know this better than anyone. I have benefited from the lives of those who have crossed paths with me in this space. Without hesitation I can say that this place has created an avenue to fulfill my own destined path. This is also where I have met the people who have influenced me the most and supported me in my greatest times of need. Some of them are still present in my life today.

I have come a long way to achieve my current state of happiness and for this I am forever grateful. Today, I am happily married and ecstatic because I can now feel a new life growing within me. My husband Quincy and I are expecting our first baby in a few months and we couldn’t be more excited. We are having a little girl, and as a tribute to my late mother, she will bear her name, Guadalupe. We will call her Lupe for short.

Life hasn’t always been blissful for me; at times I awake from sleep in shock, remembering all that I have overcome these past few years. I have grown to realize that when we think that we have been dealt a difficult hand, others carry greater burdens. This outlook has helped me face life’s challenges. Receiving the support of my friends has encouraged me, and sharing our difficulties with one another has created an unbreakable bond that ties us to each other.

Now anxiously I await the arrival of my sister and friends for our monthly lunch date. We promised to never let the daily stresses of life get between us. My sister Serena and I have undoubtedly had our struggles and survived them. In our journey as sisters, I learned to rise above the unexpected, and accept the curve balls life threw at me. At the end of the day, to love and live life to its fullest is of the utmost importance. I have encountered the painful hands of death many times and value the fragility of life. For life is indeed one delicate vine, of which we are all intertwined. I realize that events in our lives, whether good or bad, are a prelude to the ingredient of what makes us unique. It becomes the ultimate tie that binds us all together.

Café Latte is a legacy that fills me with great pride. I can’t help reflecting on the difficulties my parents faced emigrating from Mexico. As a young, newly-married couple in a foreign land, they faced so many obstacles. With few resources and no financial support, finding good jobs was difficult. My dad worked very long days as a carpenter and construction worker and my mom mostly cleaned houses. My sister Serena was born a year after my parents had immigrated to the U.S. Although she was not planned, she brought them the greatest joy. Despite their constant struggles to make ends meet, the desire to extend their family never faded. Unfortunately, after Serena, Mama had several miscarriages, but that did not discourage their longing for another child. My parents believed that family mattered most. To their surprise, I came along two years later.

Growing up, I remember how happy they were in each other’s company. They would often sit side by side in their little nook adjacent to the kitchen overlooking our very tiny backyard, reading the newspaper and conversing. During this time they mostly spoke in Spanish when they didn’t want us to know what was going on. Surprisingly, my sister Serena and I didn’t speak the language until middle school, but by the time we were in high school, my parents couldn’t speak in code any longer. We had become fluent in our native language.

Together, they worked very hard to build a better future for us and saved every penny that they could. Mom worked for a wealthy couple who happened to be very generous. She received many monetary bonuses and hand-me-downs which she altered to fit us perfectly. Dad was pretty much absent working two jobs diligently. During the day he worked long, arduous hours doing construction across the boroughs. At night he worked part-time at a local restaurant as a cook and would never fail to bring us samplings of their delicious desserts.

Eventually, my dad stumbled upon a small business space that had just become available for rent. This became their coffee shop, where everyone could gather and share special moments. Ironically, one thing my parents had always relied on was their morning coffee. It was their time to wake up and discuss each other’s plans for the day. Now they shared their favorite pastime and brought joy to others. Over time, their Café Latte became the most popular spot for many blocks. People went out of their way to come and sample the international array of coffee beans. My parents cultivated a family-like atmosphere where every customer was known by name.

The demands of family life and running their own business consumed most of their time. Raising my sister and me was no easy task. I remember very vividly how our rivalry all seemed to begin. I was around ten years old and we both enjoyed the same sports. It seemed I was more athletically inclined than my sister and that tormented her. She began to compete against me at every turn. The more she tried to beat me, the more jealous she became when she failed in her attempts. This created animosity and drove a wedge between us that seemed irreparable back then.

One of my parents’ challenges was dealing with my older sister, for Serena associated herself with the wrong crowd at times. On many occasions she returned home in the wee hours of the morning so inebriated she could hardly stand. The worst was when my parents found her having sex in our home. This behavior was extremely devastating for them. I would hear both of them late at night pacing, wondering where their daughter was. That is when my relationship with Serena grew distant. My parents would never fail in the heat of the moment to make a comparison between us. I would hear them ask my sister why she wasn’t more like me. She spent most of our adolescence grounded.

Our parents continued to teach us the true value of family, supporting one another and always holding true to one’s convictions. They made sure we attended church service every Sunday morning, followed by giving thanks for our blessings. Our parents continued to show us both their undying love, but deep down the feeling of inadequacy that my sister had was always before her.

As time went on, our parents opened our home to a foster child. This stranger in our home unknowingly drew Serena and I closer. Her arrival brought to the surface real issues that were greater than our pettiness. Soon this child became one of the family.

֍

Hope, the feeling that outlasts our strivings,

Like the sure glimpse of the sun peering within the skies after a storm,

The perpetual expectation that makes all things bearable,

The aspiration that every creature can possess,

Gives us the impetus to survive.

It is the hope, of the ones who preceded us.

Their struggles, propelling our dreams to flight.

2

Silent Tears

Malena

Life, they say, is a mystery. Deeper than the depths of an ocean. As a leaf falls from a tree and dies, so does another flourish. I think back to how it used to be when I met my first husband, Carlos Sanchez. The cafe was owned by my parents and I used to bus tables then, helping them out after school. I was approaching my senior year in high school. I remember it was Saturday morning and I was cleaning tables as usual when Carlos, the replacement newspaper delivery guy, walked in. Our eyes made contact and at that moment it seemed like my heart stopped. He wasn’t the kind of guy that I usually went for. He had a bad boy image about him that surprisingly grabbed my attention. Right then and there, I dropped the tray of dishes that I was carrying to the kitchen. I felt mortified and when I had the courage to look back up, he was gone.

Weeks went by and even though we saw each other, neither of us had the nerve to speak to one another. One cold morning, I decided to break the ice by offering him hot chocolate. My hands trembled as I struggled to steady the cup. His sexy yet husky voice put me at ease and our eyes met as if for the first time.

Shortly after that we became inseparable. We were teenagers then, and so full of uninhibited passion that we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. On one of our first dates, Carlos took me to a drive-in movie. He gently held my face as we kissed for the very first time. That kiss created a feeling I had never had before. I couldn’t resist his touch. I felt butterflies in my core whenever I was with him. The attraction had been instantaneous from the very first second I laid eyes on him.

My family took a liking to him right from the start. Especially Dad, who appreciated the fact that he asked permission to date me. Soon thereafter, he became one of the family and was present at every gathering. A family tradition we had was gathering every Sunday after church and cooking together. This was a special time for us to be together and enjoy each other’s company. Dad was the comedian of the family and kept everyone entertained.

Carlos always looked forward to these times, since his mother, Juana, often worked. She was gone more frequently during the holidays and my family made it a point to have him over so he would never feel lonely. His deadbeat dad had abandoned him and his mother when Carlos was barely three, leaving them devastated and penniless.

As a result of his mother’s long hours at work, Carlos was often left in the care of their neighbor, who herself was overwhelmed with her five children by different fathers. Despite Juana’s low income, each time she frequented the grocery store she would always remember to grab a few items for her neighbor’s children as well. Juana never wanted to see an innocent child go without. Over time, her generosity could not mask the neglect to which her own son was subjected. Juana’s efforts to protect Carlos proved futile. The increased cost of living led her to seek an additional source of income. Her constant absence left Carlos to fend for himself, which created an immense and deep void in him that lingered throughout his young adult life.

I still blush whenever I think about the day he asked me to marry him. We were having lunch as usual at the coffee shop. Carlos seemed a little jittery and I remember asking him what was wrong. He gave me no answer as he fumbled with his fork.

After finishing my meal, I noticed his was untouched. I couldn’t take the silence anymore.

Are you breaking up with me? I asked anxiously.

With that, he knelt on one knee and said, Marry me, and he pulled out an engagement ring.

Without hesitation I gave him a resounding yes! Right then my parents and my sister strolled in and along with the entire coffee shop, they applauded as we embraced. Carlos wiped away my tears and my vision became crystal clear. I noticed not only my family but our extended work family holding an assortment of beautiful flowers and balloons for me. I loved how Carlos included everyone. Our life seemed perfect; we were just nineteen years old and had big dreams. We had a small wedding a year later, but unfortunately my sister was unable to attend. She had been accepted into a fashion design school in Los Angeles. Moving in together as newlyweds, our lives blended together effortlessly. Carlos was then so attentive and passionate, we would sometimes spend entire afternoons making love. I couldn’t