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Prologue
Mona
Three Years Ago
I can’t believe I’m here right now, in the middle of paradise. I’ve never been to Portugal, but it was always on my bucket list of destinations. I knew at some point I’d eventually get here, but I’ve been so focused on finishing my degree and graduating that it wasn’t high on my priority list.
When my Uncle Sean called and told me he had a vacation booked here, I wasn’t shocked by it. He loves to travel as much as I do, and for the most part, he’s constantly on some kind of trip. He does a lot of it for work. You’d think he’d want to stay home for a little while after traveling so much, but he doesn’t. When he gets enough vacation time, he wants to jet off somewhere else, which is why he booked this week’s stay in Portugal. He originally planned to take his girlfriend with him, but they broke up.
He told me that she wasn’t happy with how much he was working and that she felt like she wasn’t a priority in his life anymore. I think there are things he could’ve done to show her that he really, truly cared… but he didn’t. Instead, he invited me to go on this vacation with him so he wouldn’t have to go by himself. I’ve just finished taking finals for the last semester of classes before officially graduating, so he pitched it to me like it was a well-deserved vacation and that I needed a break.
I’m not like a lot of young women my age. Most of them would major in one degree and then possibly go back for another. Not me, though. Instead, I’ve been busting my ass getting a bachelor’s degree in business studies and Russian at Trinity College. I figured picking up a second language would only make me more appealing to companies when I begin looking for my first big-wig job in the city. After all, how many people in Ireland are completely fluent in Russian? Not many, I’m sure.
I don’t know if I’ve passed my finals, but I should know within the next week or so, right around the time we get back to Ireland.
We’ve been staying in Lisbon, the country’s capital, but we’ve taken day trips up to thePraia de Marinha, which has some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. It’s on the Atlantic coast of Caramujeria and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Portugal. There was so much to do there, so the long trek from Lisbon was well worth it.
We walked through the unique rock formations and explored some caves, and I even did some snorkeling. People can also go diving, but I didn’t have any equipment, and I also didn’t wish to pay a team on a boat. Some people even go deep-sea fishing or charter boats around the area to take them to unique spots around the beaches.
We’re staying at the Lisbon Wine House, and it’s on my list of favorite hotels, for sure. My uncle managed to upgrade his room to a two-room suite, where we share a common area but still have our own separate spaces, which is lovely. So now I’ve just finished doing my hair, and I give myself one last once-over before I walk out into the common area.
My uncle is sitting on the couch, eyes glued to his phone. “I thought you’d be running amuck somewhere in the city,” I say, momentarily pulling his attention away from his screen.
For the most part, we’ve been together, although we’ve had some times where we go off and do our own thing. Since I know my uncle isn’t too keen on shopping, I haven’t forced him to come along with me once.
“I thought about it, but I have a few things with work that are calling my attention.” My uncle looks up from his phone again and then rolls his eyes, showing his dissatisfaction.
“They can never seem to give you a few days to yourself, can they?” For as long as I remember, my Uncle Sean has busted his ass for this global communications company. He’s worked there since I was a little girl. I have some memories of my father taking me into his corporate office, but I don’t remember too many details. I was so young that it was mainly a blur.
Mmm, my father. It’s been so long since I’ve even thought about him. He passed away two years ago from small-cell lung cancer, which I guess was his punishment for smoking his entire life. He was only forty-two, and it was a huge blow. He was diagnosed six months before he passed away, and it spread through his body like wildfire. I tried to help him, but he kept telling me the only thing I could do was stay in school and focus on my future. If I had known he was as bad off as he was, I would’ve come home and been with him… but he didn’t want that.
He lied to me for ages, making it seem like he was doing better, but he wasn’t. He was only giving me semblances of hope to hold on to when, in reality, my father never had a chance in the first place. Sure, there were new trials for that type of cancer, but most of the studies were happening in the United States.
I struggled after his death because I felt so lied to. I was furious at him for keeping the truth from me, and for a time after his death, I hated him. I hated him, yet I loved him. Imagine that… the two emotions ripping me in half, conflicting with everything I ever thought. I didn’t realize it until later, but while I loved my father, I also hated him for what he did. Essentially, he lied to me and robbed me of my last few months with him.
Uncle Sean told me that my father was trying to save me from seeing him near the end, from seeing the way the chemotherapy and radiation were tearing through his body. He tried taking my father’s side, but it didn’t work. My father hurt me, and even now, I still have some anger toward him.
If I had known we were nearing the end of our time together, I would’ve spent more time with him. I at least deserved that, and now I have nothing. I have nothing except a few phone calls over the course of those six months. I didn’t even get to see him over Christmas because the flu had broken out at school, and he said he couldn’t see me. Basically, he couldn’t risk getting sick because of his compromised immune system.
I believed him at the time, but now I don’t. I think he lied to me. I think he didn’t want me to see him so sickly.
My uncle’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “No, I’m afraid not. They don’t trust anyone else to handle things with our clients as carefully as I do.”
“Ah, so you’re dealing with a big problem then today, huh?”
“If they’re bothering me while we’re on holiday, it has to be a massive one.” Uncle Sean groans and then shakes his head.
“Of course. Listen, I wanted to say how grateful I am for you inviting me on this trip. I really needed the break.”
“There’s no need to thank me. You deserved this trip, Mona. You’ve been busting your arse off for years now. Truthfully, I’m glad you came. I’m constantly traveling by myself for work, and I didn’t want to be on my own again for this trip. So you did me a favor. I’m just glad you’ve enjoyed your time.”
“I have, so much. It’s so hard to believe that we’re leaving in a couple of days, isn’t it?”
He nods. “Yes, I don’t know if I’m ready to go back home.”
“Me either, but I am ready to find out if I passed my finals.”
My uncle looks right into my eyes. The look tells me, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” and then he shakes his head. “Mona, you’ve had an almost perfect grade point average since you were a wee little lass. I know for a fact that you’ve passed those exams. You’ve likely completed them with perfect scores, knowing you. Give yourself a break and calm your anxieties. I need to handle a couple of things for work, but what are your plans for the day?”
