40 Days (in the Desert): Across the shifting sands

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After thinking about it for weeks, Lorna finally picks up the phone and calls one Zaladane Delgado. The prodigal isn't exactly pleased to be found.




Lorna turned the slip of paper Sofia had given her over and over, fiddling with it as she listened to the quiet jazz hold music. She had planned on what to say but it had all gone out of her head when she'd run up against the iron wall of Zala's secretaries. Talking her way past them pretty much destroyed her self-confidence and now waiting for her sister to answer, Lorna considered that perhaps it was better to just hang up and let things be.

Cyndi would mock her so much if she did. Lorna wasn't really sure she cared. She pulled the phone from her ear as the music stopped.

Lorna temporarily forgot how to breathe.

"This is Zaladane," The voice was female, older and businesslike. But there was a hint of boredom underneath it. Paolo said she would be very interested in this phone call, but unless it was Konstantin finally crawling out of his little hidey hole, whoever it was on this line better be very important and very quick.

Lorna swallowed hard and lifted the phone back to her ear. "Hello, I'm...my name is Lorna." She stopped, wondering if that would be sufficient shibboleth then took a breath and went on, "Lorna Dane. I've been trying to get a hold of you for a while now. Your secretary...he's very protective, isn't he?"

"Lorna Dane?" Zala pulled the phone away from her ear and stare at it for a moment. "Lorna Dane, like the cookie?"

"Uh, I think that's Doone, actually. No, I'm...my parents are Janice and Paul Dane. They have a daughter named Zala Michelle...is that you?" Lorna could have been even more inept about this but she didn't think that it was important to be the valedictorian of awkward reunions. She bite her nails instead and tried not to sounds like a stalker.

Oh. "Lorna! yes, yes of course, now I remember," Zala said in a way that meant that she obviously didn't. The last time she'd checked, her cousin now sister had been a snot-nosed little girl. What in the world was she doing calling now? And how did she gets this number? Paolo was in so much trouble. "To what do I owe the honor of this...very unexpected phonecall?"

Lorna jumped as she bit too hard on one of her nails and it cracked. She jerked her hand from her mouth and said brilliantly, "Um." She struggled to bring her practiced speech back. "I've wanted to meet you. My pa...Our parents didn't talk about you when I was growing up so I didn't know that you existed until recently. I...really hope you don't mind but I'm going to be flying home for Easter and I was wondering if maybe we could have lunch and we could get to know each other or something?"

Only years of training made Zala repress her snort. Instead she said, "I don't think so. Unfortunately I'm fairly busy over Easter," She examined one french-tipped fingernail before continuing. "I mean, I would just love to meet you, but, unfortunately duty calls."

Well that made sense. According to Sofia's notes, Zala was fairly active, even though it was the board who ran the company. "What about the week before? Maybe not lunch but drinks or something?"

The door to Zala's office opened and a tall, thin model in Armani swept in, the glasses on his face looking more like accessory than necessity. Trailing him was a severe looking woman in a bright red suit. The fact that Zala was on the phone seemed to make no difference at all.

"Lorna, darling, can you hang on for just one moment please, there's a dear," Zala paused to wave the newcomers in. The woman in red looked nervous, as she had every right to be. "Sophie, have a seat? Would you like a mineral water? This will be just a moment--Lorna, you still there? Sorry, the week before's not looking good either. I'm afraid I'm simply booked solid," the smile she gave the woman in red as she seated herself would not look out of place on a crocodile.

"Mrs. Delgado, I know you're disappointed...," began the woman only to be cut off as the man's hand landed on her shoulder. She shut up instantly.

In New York, Lorna experienced a moment of whiplash as Zala's voice went from bored to friendly to businesslike and back to bored. "You sound like Mom," she said without thinking.

"I do?" Zala sounded vaguely surprised. "Imagine that. Hang on one sec, Lorna," Zala covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "Sophie, my dear dear Sophie, I could go through the song and dance about how you've disappointed me, and how displeased I am, and then you'll tearfully beg my forgiveness, yadda yadda yadda. I've decided we're not going to do that. I'm a forgiving sort, Sophie, you remember that, right?" The man in the suit's expression didn't change, but his grip on Sophie's shoulder tightened imperceptibly.

"It's business, Sophie, only business. Arturo, please show Sophie into the green room, I shall be there to discuss how she can make things up to me shortly." Zala put the phone back to her ear as Arturo lead Sophie out. "Anyway, sorry, Lorna, sidetracked by business, what was it that you wanted?" There was a muffled bang. Zala didn't even flinch.

The sound didn't carry over the phone lines so Lorna only heard a somewhat brusque dismissal. Lorna'd told Jim that this wouldn't end well. She'd told him way back when this began. If this was a complete waste of time, she was going to make him pay and pay...once he got over whatever had been making him mopey recently. "I'm sorry, I know you're really busy. Look, even just five minutes would be good for me. I'll be in the neighborhood anyway and it would be really nice to be able to actually meet you. Then I promise, I'll leave you alone."

"Well then, I shall give you to Paolo and Paolo will see what will work best, okay? Gotta go, so lovely to hear from you finally, hang on the line, okay?" She clicked hold and then paged her assistant. "Paolo, my long lost baby "sister" is on the line. Yes, I know, I know, you're only keeping this job because I like you so much, Paolo, now get on the line, and get what you can from her, okay? Spin her a line, do a song and dance, but I want to know everything, especially how she found me, m'kay?" The line clicked as Lorna's call was transferred to Paolo, and Zala sat back in her chair and rubbed her temples.

"Arturo, clean up that mess and then get me something chocolate!"