Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 19
 
 

" I can't believe that I let you talk me into this, Kay.", Simone said, as she settled into her work station for the cooking class.

" Simone, this is going to be so much fun. We'll be learning something new. Isn't that right Miguel?"

" Absolutely, Kay. Simone, this is going to be a blast."

" Is it just me, or are we the youngest people in the class by TWENTY YEARS?", Simone hissed.

Kay looked around. Simone was right. They were, by far, the youngest people in the class.

" What? You have something against older people, Simone? We're going to learn a lot, so suck it up."

Simone didn't get to respond because a tall, lanky man, in casual dress, entered the class and stoop front.

" Good Morning. My name is Michael Forsyth, and I'm your instructor for 'Everything You Wanted To know About French Cuisine.' By the end of this course, you will be able to prepare a ten course meal of purely French Cuisine.

My background is..I love to cook. From the time I was a little boy, I've loved being around the kitchen. I had a German Grandmother, and a Lebanese Grandmother, and both women loved to cook. They thought of food as an extension of the love towards their family. And, so, with that varied background, you can imagine the kinds of different foods that I was exposed to as a child. Not only did I get the foods of both cultures, but, I was in the strange position of both Grandmothers being absolute lovers of French cuisine. They loved the precision of it. The lushness of it, and imparted that love to me.

When I turned 18 and other guys were going to college, I applied and got accepted at the top cooking school in France. My parents were totally against it and wouldn't pay for it, but, somehow, Grandmothers always can provide a way.", he chuckles.

" Cooking is a science- you have to use the ingredients as carefully as a chemist uses his chemicals. Only the right combination of ingredients will yield something divine.

You're saying right now- ' I don't know how to boil water.' You will. The hardest thing about cooking is getting the right ingredients and patience to follow the recipe to the letter.

I can't say how happy I am to see the young people here. Cooking may not seem practical at your age, but, it is. For the young gentleman, this is an investment in your dating years- the women will love you, and be totally impressed. As for the ladies, it may be an old saying, but, it's partially true: a way to  man's heart IS through his stomach. A guy can't help but be impressed by a woman who goes all out for him."

For the first time since he began talking, Simone was actually paying attention. She thought about the look on Hakim's face when she cooked him a terrific meal. This class wasn't looking so bad after all.

Kay looked at Simone and knew that Hakim was running through her mind. Well, he should be gone soon from your life, Kay thought. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Kay looked over at Miguel. She couldn't believe that she had finally found a way for them to together for long periods of time, WITHOUT Charity. Kay was going to be the BEST French chef she could be, and Miguel was going to help her, every step of the way.

" SO", the teacher continued, getting Kay's attention. " We're going to go around and introduce ourselves and why we're in the class."

They did the introductions, and when they were finished the instructor chimed back in,

" Today, you are going to learn how to boil water."

The class laughed.

" I know. Sounds ridiculous, but, you will learn that everything in cooking has a purpose, and you'll appreciate it."

So, as silly as it sounded, they learned how to boil water. They learned how to stick the thermometer in it and read it accurately.  They learned how to time it, what kind of temperatured water to use, and how to guess the times on different sized pots.

When that was finished, the instructor brought a packet by  every student's desk, on a clipboard.

" I would like for all of you to look at the packet. The packet is essentially a diary. A diary of your progress in this class. Today is the ONLY day in this class in which you won't receive a grade for what you do. From now on, you will receive a grade on the dishes that you prepare. Don't get intimidated by the lists of things that we will be making in this class. Once you learn how to follow directions, and begin to trust yourself with the food, the list won't seem long enough.

Every week there will be an overall objective to the course. There will be something that everyone will make at the end of the week. And, you will spend the course of the week fine-tuning and experimenting until the goal dish is perfected.

If you look at the end of the sheet for this week, the goal dish is Crepes. You will learn how to fix a perfect crepe, as good as anything you'll find in Paris.

But, in order to make a crepe, you will have to get to know the egg."

He holds the egg up.

" You will know how to fix eggs in so many ways, a lot you didn't even know. Tomorrow, the egg awaits. Well, good day, and see you tomorrow morning."

Once class was dismissed, Kay, Simone and Miguel were walking out the door.

" Simone, you want to go get some lunch?"

" No. I think I'll go by and see Hakim."

Kay looked at Miguel, and her eyes said ' See what I'm up against?' Miguel looked back at Kay in sympathy, but, Kay knew that he had to return to his job at the construction site.

" Simone, come on. It's just lunch, and we haven't spent time together in awhile. "

" Yeah, Simone, we could go to lunch. They said that new place at the mall was pretty good.", Miguel chirped in.

" But, I thought you had to go to work, Miguel."

" I needed to eat lunch before I went there anyway, so, if you don't mind, I'll just go with you guys."

" Um…..well, ok. I guess it's the mall."

" Great.", Kay chirped, mouthing a silent thank you to Miguel as they changed direction for the mall.

" Thanks Theresa for coming with me.", Chad said, as they passed the doorman to enter the lobby of the Harmony Hotel.

" I told you that I'd help you, Chad. And, I think it's great that you're taking this first step with Dr. Russell. You won't regret it."

Chad smiled at Theresa. " Girl, will you stop being Pollyanna? This has DISASTER written all over it."

" Well, if I'm 'Polyanna', you're 'Mr. Doom & Gloom.' So, we're a perfect match."
As they approached the Front Desk, there was only one clerk there, Chad stopped and groaned.

" Chad, what's wrong?", Theresa asked.

" Damn! I told you this was a bad idea. Remember I told you that I got into some 'mess' the last time that I was here, THAT is the woman."

Theresa thought a minute and then spoke: " Chad, come on. Your mother is more important than this small-minded woman."

" You're right.", Chad mumbles before going over to the desk.

" Welcome to the Harmony Hotel, May I…", the clerk says before looking up and then sees Chad standing there. She remembers what her boss had told her, and realized that her attitude could very well get her fired. " May I help you, Sir?"

Chad was confused by the lack of attitude, but, went forth with his question.

" I'm here to check and see if Dr. Eve Russell has checked in for any of her messages."

" I'll see to it, Sir." The woman goes and comes back with a folder.

" No, Sir. Dr. Russell's messages and mail are all being kept in order of receivance, but, there has been no contact of the hotel on behalf of Dr. Russell."

" She hasn't called once to check in and see if she had any messages?"

" No, Sir. I assure you that all the staff was alerted to theimportance of Dr. Russell's call.", the clerk said with an air of something that Chad could only describe as deference in her voice.

" Well, um…thanks."

" You're welcome, Sir."

Chad walked out the Lobby, with Theresa hurrying to keep up with him, when suddenly, he stopped. He looked at Theresa with utter confusion.

"Chad, what's wrong?"

" What's wrong? I think I'm in the Twilight Zone. Theresa, I SWEAR to you, the last time that woman and I were in close proximity, I nearly wound up spending the night in the Harmony jail. I don't know what happened."

" I think I do."

" What?"

" She probably knows who you are now.", Theresa says plainly.

" Who I am?"

" Yes, Chad. She probably knows that you're a Crane."

Chad looked at Theresa will a confused look on his face. " You think?"

" Yes, Chad. And, she's probably scared for her job."

Chad took a minute to absorb it. He had never really considered himself a " Crane". That the rest of the world didn't see him as anything but that now, wasn't something that he was ready to deal with at the moment. He knew what he had to do.

Chad shook his head. " Well, I got more pressin' issues on my mind. I gotta find the Doc."

" Any ideas?"

" I still think that if she was going to tell anyone where she was taking her vacation, it would be 'him'."

Theresa didn't have to ask who 'him' was. Though Chad had found something comfortable in which to reference Eve, Julian was another matter.

" Chad, maybe you need to go see Mr. Crane. Even if he doesn't know where your mother is, I'm sure, if you asked him, he would locate her for you."

" I don't want to owe that man nothin'!", Chad exclaimed.

" Finding your mother isn't a big favor, Chad. And, don't think about this in terms of yourself. If you won't do it for your own sake, do it for Simone. If this thing with Hakim turns bad, Dr. Russell may be someone who can help. Think of Simone, Chad."

Chad looked at Theresa, and knew that she was right. He was about to open his mouth, when Theresa responded,

" No way, Chad. I came to the hotel for you. But, I've got too many 'issues' to go to the Crane Mansion with you. That, you gotta do solo."

Chad leaned in and kissed Theresa on the cheek. " I wouldn't put you in that position. I was going to ask you if you wanted to meet me for dessert later. "

Theresa put her hands on her hips. " Yeah, sure, I believe you." Theresa laughed, " And, I will of course, meet you for dessert…at the Book Café? I was going to go over to the University to check out and price my books. See you in a few hours?"

" Bet on it. "

Chad watched as Theresa walked away. He let out a huge sigh, and knew where he had to go.
 
 

Sheridan was walking around the grounds after her daily run, and thought she saw a figure walking up from the gate. She ran over to him.

" Chad! Hi! How are you?", Sheridan said with a smile on his face.

" Ok, I guess.", Chad mumbled.  There was an awkward silence between them, when Chad attempted a joke. " So, what am I supposed to call you now? Auntie? "

Sheridan laughed. " If you do, you'll be the first. It's one of the disadvantages of there being such a gap between Julian and I. No one gives me the 'Auntie' respect."

" Oh. So, your Moms must have really been surprised when you came along, after having him."

" I thought you knew, Chad. Julian and I don't have the same mother. "

" You don't? "

" No. Mine died in childbirth, and Julian's…..she passed away when Julian was five." There was something in the way Sheridan hesitated when she spoke of this that led Chad to believe that there was something more to the story, but, he thought that he might be imagining things.

" Five?"

" Yes. Chad, I know that it may not be my place, but, we're family, and as rotten as my brother can be sometimes, I do love him. I would like for you to give him a chance. "

" Well, damn. That's direct. "

" They say it's the 'Crane' way, though I admit I don't do it very often. You have every reason never to get involved with us as a family. But, we are your family. I think it would be a shame, after all the time that you put into trying to find your family, that you would write us off, without even trying to forge relationships with us. If, after you find out about us, you don't like us, then, you can say that you made an informed decision. But, now.."

" Now, Sheridan, I think I have a VERY good idea of the Cranes. I know what happened to me, Sheridan! How can you expect me to erase that from my memory, and pretend like it never happened!"

" I'm not asking you to pretend. I'm asking you to give people, who had NOTHING to do with Father's decisions, a second look. The ONLY one responsible for what happened to you is my father. And, I'm ashamed, disgusted, and absolutely sick to my stomach when I think of what the man was capable of. What he did to you. But, I KNOW this, Chad- Julian had NO idea about what our father did."

" Come on, Sheridan. You're telling me that Julian Crane would actually give a shit about having a Black Bastard? Come on. I didn't 'fit' into the program. From what I've heard, all the Old Man had to do is say 'Jump', and his response was 'how high'. My mother was 'inconvenient and improper' for the great Julian Crane. I'm a little too chocolate for the Country Club. Yeah, sure, I just bet he was too thrilled when he realized that he had knocked up a woman that he wanted to discard at a moment's notice.", Chad said with bitter and venom.  Chad raised up his hands in exasperation. " I must have been crazy to come here.", he said, mainly to himself. He turned around, and began to walk back down to the gate, when Sheridan ran in front of him, put her hands on his chest to stop him.

" Chad, please don't go. Be angry. Be pissed. Go into the house and smash things. But, DON'T walk away. Julian needs to hear what you think, Chad. Everything you just said to me? Say to him. Don't leave. You came here for a reason. Go into the house and complete whatever business you have with Julian. Don't go." Chad looks at Sheridan, and they stand there, until she gets the sense that Chad isn't going to go, then she lowers her hands from his chest. Without saying anything, Chad turns around, and walks towards the Mansion. Sheridan let out a sigh, and began a trot back to the cottage. She wanted to shower and change quickly, so as to be there for Julian after his confrontation with Chad.
 
 

Julian heard the knock on the door.

" Come in."

Julian looked up to see Chad in the doorway.

" Chad. Come in."

He motions to Chad to take a seat.

" Well, what can I do for you?"

" Do you know where the 'Doc' is?"

" By 'Doc', I'm assuming you mean your mother."

" Yes."

" Didn't we have this conversation before?"

" Yeah, we did. But, once again, I went to the Hotel to try and find her, and nothing. She hasn't called ONCE to try and get her messages. "

" I didn't know that you were so worried."

" Me? I'm not. But, like I told you, before, Simone's looking for her. So?"

Julian was silent. He was thinking. He could lie to Chad and keep Eve's whereabouts a secret. Or, he could take Sheridan's advice, and decide to make a leap of faith.

Chad was about to get up, and leave when he heard:

" Yes. I know where your mother is."

Chad shook his head. " I knew she would tell you where she was taking her vacation. So, where she'd run off too? Jamaica? The Bahamas? The Caymans? Or, is she sitting on the beach in Mexico. I remember Whitney telling me once that she spoke fluent Spanish. " Chad laughs bitterly. " She destroys lives, and skips out, while she's on the beach, working on her tan. What a gal."

" Oh, so you think you know your mother, do you?"

" Yeah, I do.", Chad challenged.

Julian gets up from his desk, and begins to walk to the door, opening it. He calls back to Chad, " Are you coming?"

Chad didn't know what was up,  but, he left the room, following Julian. They arrived at the Crane Garage. Chad had never seen that many cars in one place in his life. There were all sorts of cars there: Luxury, SUV, Mini-Van, Sports, Antique. Julian went to his Mercedes, and motioned for Chad to get in, which he did.

Chad didn't know what was going on, and the spent the drive in silence. It had been a little over an hour, when Julian turned onto what looked like a grand estate. He parked the car, and got out, with no explanation. Chad followed Julian, and they went around the side of the house to where it expanded onto a rolling, wide lawn. Chad saw all the people, and, those in the white uniforms that he thought were nurses. Julian kept on walking towards a lone figure sitting at a table, under an umbrella.  When they were about 100 yards away, Julian stopped.

" You want to know if your mother has been getting 'her tan', you self-absorbed punk. No, I'd say that was a negative. She's been too busy having a complete mental breakdown."

Chad looked at Julian, and then to the figure under the umbrella, and finally saw that it was Eve.