IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER: THREE MEN IN BROWN

By Beatriz Menendez

A love story that goes over a live time. The assumptions, prejudices and misunderstanding of the society of the time. The characters are interlinked to each other with tides that the time has not erased.
Marianne, a young rich girl has everything in life. Alexandra is her new found daughter, an orphan, but her soul is lost in time. The ghosts of t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beatriz Menendez
• Release date: Jun 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781634527910

Book preview

IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Beatriz Menendez

҉

This book is dedicated to my Pleiades Stars,

Each five of them, My husband

And my children.

Pleiades means to sail. Pleiades is a constellation of seven sibling stars. They shine from dusk until dawn. They are brighter than the sun and are visible from any point of the earth. November is called the month of Pleiades as they are associated with the winter season. There are many legends about the Pleiades stars. They said that when they are in the highest point in the sky, the veil between this world and the world of the spirits is open at midnight.

It marks the division between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Another legend is about the Lost Pleiad as most people only can see six stars instead of seven with the naked eye. That is because, Pleione, the seventh is an especial and unusual star as keeps changing and doing transformations that cause the star to vary in its brightness.

In every family there is a Pleione star. Each of us without the other will be a lost Pleiad. Without you all, I will be a lost star sailing lost in the world.

Prologue

Nature has its own ways where in a strange road everything meets. Light and dark meet in a gray zone. Day and night meet at dawn. Everything in nature is what it is and have a face value. A lion is just a lion. It can look sweet or it can be tamed, but in the end one cannot forget that it is a lion or it might devour you. With nature you can expect, you can prepare, you can know ahead, even when you do not know the when or how. And with nature there is always another day. Like a circle where everything is past and everything becomes new in the same point.

Time is part of nature. Time is the tide that blends nature and humans. Time changes nature slowly, but runs for humans in a devious way, like a baby’s first steps.

Humans think they can control nature, or at least have their own ways to control nature. New buildings appear where there was graze land. Cities are born where there was only raw land. But it is nature that really controls humans and uses time as its tool.

Chaos and order interlink. Even in chaos there is order, even in order there can be chaos.

Human nature is different. Humans have feelings. Human feelings are complicated, a universe of its own. Feelings can be wrong, pathetic; can take you down where you lose yourself or they can take you to heaven, make you a king even being the poorest person in the world. Human face value it is based on feelings, always a variable and seldom constant. What every human is, its values, its place in the existence, its essence, it is in the eye of the beholder.

Arriving

They just sat on the plane. Alexandra sleepy, tired and excited, made herself a knot around her new found mommy. Quiet and shy seemed distant and scared. Marianne also felt scared but happy. Just now in the plane she saw the reality of the responsibility she had just acquired. In a thirty days period, she broke up with her longtime relationship and got herself a child. Not just any child, a 7 year-old stranger that had appeared all the sudden in her life. A child that was practically sold to her, as Marianne saw it. A child that was her own responsibility and that entitled her to the title of mommy.

Everything went smooth to that point. The flight took off. Alexandra was sitting in the middle, mommy to the hall of the plane, and a sweet old fat lady at the window. Everything was like a dream, something unreal from a book, until the storm started.

Alexandra that had not spoken a word in the whole day all of the sudden changed, a sparkle showed in her beautiful and biggest blue eyes that one have ever seen, and smiled friendly to the old lady seating next to her. She stared at the lady trying to engage in a conversation.

What is your name, dearest? asked the lady leaning down close to her.

Alexandra, but my friends call me Alex, Alex the Barbarian or Alex the Great, but it’s Just Alex. I don’t like my name. It is hard for people to remember it. I can’t read yet but I bet it will be hard to write it too. I am behind in my studies, you know. My best friend’s name is Al, Al the wimpy. Sound like Alex but shorter, just Al. That is an easy name to write: Ah-LLL. Just Al does not know he is my best friend yet, said Alexandra in a loud pitchy voice that could be heard by all the people in

the plane, gaining the attention of most, some giggling, others somehow bothered as they were starting to fall sleep.

That is quite a name, dearest, Just Alex, said the old lady having a blast. And how old are you?

Seven today breathing deeply. I got a birthday today and a new real mommy but not cake. I had no real mommy, you know. My parents died two years ago and since then I had no mommy. I had six temporary mommies, but not a real mommy.

A tear wetted the old lady’s black eyes but never came out, just made them lighter. She felt sorry for the child seating next to her. She lifted her eyes to Marianne who was enchanted by how friendly her daughter was, and at the same time feeling lost, a good type of lost.

Alexandra had gained the attention of the audience.

Congratulations dearest to both of you. Quite a blessing! Thanks, Miss? replied Marianne with a wide and broad smile

in her face.

"Luisa. Luisa Valdes para servirle a ud. Glad to meet you, dearest" answered back with debonair, straightening her back, the sweet old lady.

"Encantada de conocerle Sra. Valdes exclaimed Alexandra copying the lady’s attitude. Just like my doll, added No the new doll mom gave me today, but my all-lifetime-friend Miss Luisa. You know, I have Luisa since before my old mommy, the one that had me on her belly. I don’t recall her or her face. I had Miss Luisa before my temporary mommies, even before  the  sisters. She  is my only  true  and   oldest

friend, and Just Al, but he does not know it yet, even if we might marry someday".

"Beautiful doll dearest. ¿Hablas español? Inquired Sra. Valdes meanwhile carefully observing the doll that had been placed in her arms. Almost hairless and with faded lips painted again with a permanent red marker, and an eye that did not open and close very well, but with a brand new matching dress to the outfit that the small girl was wearing, certainly belonging to the new doll. Without any doubt a loved doll.

"No. No hablo español" Alexandra answered back without any accent whatsoever and went quiet for a while with some obvious upset attitude and then changed her face to show anger.

Meanwhile, Marianne was puzzled looking at her new daughter and afraid to ask anything. What made her change from the sweet little girl to the angry little one without any cause? Maybe a remembrance? Lost in the moment she thought that her daughter had too many mood changes in short periods of time, realizing for the first time at that moment that her daughter was a total stranger to her. Just a bunch of medical records showing that Alexandra was a normal, disease or medical condition free child as she had inquired, but a stranger nevertheless, maybe with traumatic psychological problems due that the endures that she had early in life and unknown to her. Marianne kept thinking and thinking about how to gain the time lost, that Alexandra will need tutors and that her manners had to be refined. Plans and lessons to be set up. Nothing that money could buy!

Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom. I really need to. I must go now. Please, please, pleeeeease, asked Alexandra changing her face look back to the sweet little girl.

Mommy will take you, said Marianne as she got up from the plane’s seat, taking her daughter's hand. Both walked proudly down the hall.

No, mommy by myself, I am a big kid, not a baby protested Alexandra when Marianne tried to get inside the bathroom. Not knowing what was appropriate to do and out of the inexperience waited outside.

Too many minutes went by and Marianne started feeling anxious. Alexandra was taking too long. A gentleman was already patiently waiting when a teenager zombied by his game started a waiting line. Another short tempered woman with a kid by her hand clearly showed that he had to go.

The short tempered woman knocked the bathroom door with a disgusted face and demanded: Hurry up there, a line is waiting, you have been there over 15 minutes and there is a line outside of people waiting.

Eyes looked down the plane hall.

Alexandra, are you ok? Open the door for mommy. Alexandra? Nervously Marianne started knocking at the door. Meanwhile the other mom on the line was complaining as her spoiled brat kid started whining.

NOW! "

"I can’t hold it. That girl is taking too long. I need to go now.

Alexandra? Alexandra, please? Alexandra? Marianne knocked the door. It had been over 20 minutes and she was pretty anxious by now. Please open the door and answer to your mom. Are you ok honey? Please, answer mommy. Are you ok?

No answer from Alexandra, just silent minutes passing by to reach almost the half hour. Meanwhile the brat kid was throwing a tantrum to his frantic mother and the eyes of the people starring at what was happening.

I am going to make it right here. I do not care about anything. I am not waiting for that girl anymore. I need to go and THAT IS IT! Stamping on the floor and yelling at the top of his lungs declared the boy.

If you do that I will break your head in two, said the boy’s mother between her teeth. Knocking at the bathroom door as hard as she could she added, Hey girl there, you do not own this plane. Are you alive there?

Open the door, please or I will open it, declared the stewardess who had arrived to control the situation knocking at the door. The plane is about to land. And questioning Marianne asked "Is the girl your daughter there? ‘

Marianne nodded her head. She is only seven added I am opening it now, declared and took in the action.

As soon as the door was open water ran out to the hall. The stewardess seemed purpled. A bunch of paper was barricading the water not go out of the door. The lavatory was topped flowing with paper as well as the small sink. A totally wet child with her wet doll was observing at the stewardess standing in front of the open door.

Alexandra what have you done? claimed Marianne obviously upset and grabbed the child by the hand and out of the bathroom. The eyes of the people followed her.

Alexandra had an upset face as her mother almost drag her by one arm to her seat. Soaking wet Alexandra, on the way to her seat, grabbed and threw the winning boy’s baseball hat off him and gave it a couple of kicks as he ran inside the damped bathroom too much in a hurry to pay attention to his hat. His mother looked at her with a frown on her face, but did not make any commentary. On purpose, she spilled a drink that another steward was handling to a gentleman and kicked a small bag belonging to another passenger as they rushed to the seats. Many disapproving eyes followed the incident. Marianne ignored many comments in low voices from other travelers about how she did not reprimand her daughter as if nothing had just happened.

When they arrived at the seats the old lady was deeply sleeping and had missed the incident.

Go now and seat, girl said Marianne as tried to lead Alexandra to the seat, but she refused and stood in the hall with attitude.

It is NOT my fault, said Alexandra in a very high voice. I just wanted to see if the papers were going to fall down to earth. We are in the air you know. Miss Luisa fell inside by accident. I just saved her and gave her a bath. She is my all-life-friend. I’ve had her since before my mom and dad went to heaven, I had to save her, I just had to. She added almost to tears. And my name is ALEX, not the girl.

Alex has just won the heart of the audience. Marianne felt convicted by the crowd.

gently.

Come  on and  sit  next to  mommy, please,  Marianna   said

Sra. Valdes woke up when she felt the wetness of the girl seated next to her and saw Alexandra’s pitiable face, wet and trembling.

Oh my, what happened to you? Are you ok my dear? Doesn’t your mom have a change of clothes for you? You are going catch a cold wet like that, and it is pretty cold right here. She questioned a bit lost having missed the whole show.

Marianne felt out of control. She did not have