CHAPTER 1
HOLLOW VICTORIES
For some people, an inordinate amount of wealth can be a refuge from the anguish and disappointment that plagues a considerable portion of the human race. The adoration and respect that are ceremoniously heaped upon the rich can foster a sense of security that makes the miseries of the downtrodden seem worlds away. While no one should deny man’s inherent desire for personal fulfillment, there are certain realities that cannot be dismissed. An individual who attempts to hide behind a wall of opulent complacency could find himself grappling with the dark and virulent tendencies of a disaffected heart.
Eleanor Geary was convinced she’d defeated the demons of her past. After a lonely and disillusioned childhood, the socially awkward romantic boarded a bus to California with the dream of becoming a Hollywood actress. Even though she managed to keep her head above water for a while, years of knocking on doors garnered little more than demeaning bit parts and cheesy commercials. Ardent attempts to attract the attention of talent scouts and studio heads resulted in numerous disappointments. As time passed, homelessness and hunger compelled her to seek refuge in the arms of treacherous men with evil intentions. Eventually, she succumbed to the lure of drugs and alcohol. In less than ten years, a vibrant young woman who came to Tinsel town with stars in her eyes had spiraled into an abysmal pit of unattainable goals and disavowed opportunities.
When she hit rock bottom, Eleanor took stock of her existence and reached out to a community program that set her on the path to a better life. By the age of thirty, the recovering addict was making every effort to remain clean and sober. Around that time, she met and married a Texas oil tycoon named Langston Geary. The two of them enjoyed a cordial and comfortable relationship until Preston’s death seven years later.
Driving down Interstate 10 on a dark rainy morning was hardly the time for esoteric introspection, but Eleanor couldn’t suppress the poignant reminders of a world she’d fought so hard to leave behind. She was now a wealthy widow with the means to accomplish anything she desired. Nevertheless, there was no denying that every selfish act had been a prelude to calamity. So, realizing the importance of living in the present, this accomplished survivor resolved to return to her hometown with a renewed sense of purpose and discard the ancillary emotions that would only leave her floundering in a mire of self-defeating spite.
Although Eleanor’s family visited her in Texas when her husband died, the sanguine dreamer hadn’t cruised the streets of Emerald Gulf, Florida since leaving home two decades ago. As she drove past recently constructed luxury hotels, burger joints, nightclubs and shopping malls, the sentimental ponderer remembered brisk afternoons spent playing video games at Bobby’s Arcade. Back then, Bobby Pearlman and his wife, Julia, helped a chubby teenage girl realize the world’s superficial view of beauty couldn’t hold a candle to a forgiving nature and a loving heart. She’d always appreciated the time and compassion the Pearlman’s shared with her. Though she was well aware her friends had retired and moved to Miami, Eleanor was looking forward to having a look at the little white building that held so many special memories for her. Unfortunately, when she entered the parking lot of the Lafayette Plaza, the anticipating hometown girl discovered the structure had been demolished.
Adolescence was a moment in time the sophisticated heiress in the Sacramento green Cadillac had spent years endeavoring to forget. Thanks to the kindness of adults like the Pearlmans, Eleanor learned to view the world around her through a more seasoned pair of eyes. Now in her mid-forties, the resolute conqueror believed she’d stood up to life’s adversities and weathered the deadliest storms. As far as she was concerned, the best was yet to come. Of course, there was no way to determine what would happen when she found herself face to face with the source of all her teenage nightmares.
