Chapter 11 - The New Foundation
The hills of Silverspring were quiet in the late autumn, the old oak trees dropping their golden leaves onto the wide, green lawns of the new estate Victor had purchased far away from the dark memories of Mexico City. It wasn't a palace made of marble and gold molding like the Juriquilla mansion; it was a large, warm house made of river stone and cedar timber, with big windows that let in the sun from the south.
At 5:00 PM, the air was crisp, smelling of wet grass and the apple wood burning in the double-sided fireplace of the living room.
Catherine sat in a rocking chair on the wide wooden veranda, a thick knitted blanket over her lap. Her color was fully restored, her skin glowing with health, her fingers strong as she held a cup of warm herbal tea. Beside her, Brian Smith was carefully unloading a new set of physical therapy bars from the back of a company transport truck, his face bright with a quiet satisfaction.
"Put them near the rose garden, Brian," Catherine called out with a warm laugh. "Dr. Mendez says I need to do my exercises where the air is fresh."
"Right away, Mrs. Williams," Brian smiled, lifting the steel bars with the ease of a man who knew his place in the family was secure for life.
Down on the green lawn, Annie was running with a young German Shepherd puppy Victor had brought from the rescue unit the previous week—a son of his old canine partner, Thunder. The little girl’s ponytail was perfectly braided, her pink dress clean and new, her laughter ringing out across the hills as the puppy chased her canvas shoes through the leaves.
Victor stepped out onto the porch from the kitchen, carrying a plate of fresh sweet bread he had baked himself from an old family recipe his grandmother from the provinces had taught him before the money had ruined their blood. He set the tray down on the small table between them, then leaned down to press a deep, lingering kiss against his wife's forehead.
"The kitchen smells perfect, Victor," Catherine said, reaching up to touch his cheek, her fingers lingering against the faint lines around his eyes.
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"It’s a new foundation, Catherine," Victor said, his voice deep and full of a quiet, unshakable peace as he looked out over the lawn where his daughter was currently picking up the puppy and holding him against her chest. "Built on something that can't be bought, and can't be stolen."
He sat down on the wide wooden steps, his arm resting against his wife's knee, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun was setting behind the mountains, painting the entire valley in a long, unbroken light of pure and lasting gold.
