"They're here!" Maria called to her husband as she watched from her kitchen window as her daughter and granddaughter got out from the car.
Maria Montez had long dark hair that was highlighted with strand of gray that had happened over the years. These days she kept her hair back and out of her face in long braid that almost reached her waistline. Her nails were plain and worn form daily chores and minimal maintenance. Beauty was a given privilege to those who took care of their bodies the way god had intended. Wiping her hands on a dish towel she made her way into the living room to find her husband already racing towards the door.
"I'm so excited to see my girls," Luis said opening the door and waving to girls as they rummaged through the station wagon for their overnight bags.
His wife came to stand by his side in the doorway. She was a bit shorter compared to his 5'7, and she was curvy with the presence of grace that seemed to make everything better. The Montez couple had been married for 45 years and still in love with each other. Maria was the love of his life and always would be. Bringing his arm around her he placed a small kiss on her forehead and then made his way out onto the lawn to help with the bags.
As soon as Alex was out of the car she could hear Little Guy barking from the backyard. Stretching out her arms and legs she took a breath of the air and then seen her grandfather in a yellow polo shirt opening the door and smiling as he waved to them. Immediately after his appearance her grandmother was by his side both smiling as Alex frantically began waving as she ran around the car to greet them.
"Alexandra, Gabriella," her grandfather said stepping down from the few steps. "How are my two favorite girls?" he said coming across the lawn towards them.
"Grandpa I'm eight years old now!" Alex yelled running up to her grandfather and colliding into his stomach.
"Is that right?" he said getting a little of the air kicked out of him. "Well, do you think you're too old to give your grandpa some sugar?" he asked nervously holding his arms out with a smile.
"No," Alex let out a giggle as she shook her head and extended her arms as she gave him a kiss on the cheek one he was low enough for her to reach.
Gabriella closed the door to the car and walked past her father and daughter as she heard catching up on all the things they liked to talk about. Walking calmly up to her mother who was still in the door way Gabriella let out a small sigh.
"Hey mom," she offered leaning into give her a kiss on the cheek as Maria returned the kiss to her daughters other cheek.
"How was the drive?"
"Long and… long," she winced placing a hand on her neck and feeling the chain there. Reaching down she held the small ring between her fingers fiddling with it while she watched Alex talk to her father.
"Have you answered the boy yet?" her mother asked looking at the engagement ring between her daughters fingers.
Letting the ring fall she looked back at her mother and shook her head. "I don't know what to do, Alex doesn't like him and I'm having doubts. I mean, I love him, but I don't know if I'm in love with him," she said rubbing her hands on her pants.
"Well," her mother said offering a hand on the small of her back. "This is a brave thing you're doing Gabi, it's been a long time since you've seen him. I know it won't be easy."
"I'm not even sure if I want to open that can of worms just yet," Gabriella said looking back out to the drive way where her dad and Alex had already begun unloading the car. It was too late to turn back now.
"Sweetheart, every child needs to know who their father is?" her mother said rubbing her shoulders lightly as she now stood behind her. "It's not easy but it can only get better from here."
Gabriella was quite for a moment as she placed her hand on top of her mothers. "I just wish there was a way to avoid all the pain this is going to cause." Gabriella squinted in the direction of the house next door. Her entire body was running on four cups of coffee mixed with anxiety. She had no idea what to do or say? "Everything is just so messed up mom."
"You know what you need?" Maria said looking at her daughter with a smile.
"A time machine?"
Her mother let out a short laugh as she patted Gabriella on the shoulder. "You need a brownie, come inside and let's get a smile back on that pretty face. No one's going anywhere for a while no sense in rushing things."
Gabriella let out a sigh of relief as she brought her hands back up to the ring hanging around her neck. If only she could convince herself that everything was going to be alright. Convince herself that her daughter wouldn't hate her for hiding the truth, or blame her for keeping a secret. With a frown filled with so much uncertainty she walked into the house after her mother.
Meanwhile, in the next house door Troy leaned on the counter and looked at a blue print diagram he was studying with caution. "Dad, I don't think you have the right piece," he said looking up from the instructions and down at his father who was on his back with half his body under the sink. The sound of a loud clang echoed through the kitchen and Troy cringed as his father murmured a small slur.
"I thought this pipe was here before?" his dad voice echoed from beneath the sink.
"No," Troy shook his head as he watched his father wiggle his way out from under the sink. "I think this bent pipe is the next one because that one in your hands…" Troy looked back at the instructions to be sure. "I think that one lines it to the garbage disposal." Pointing at the image he looked at his father who had gotten up from the floor and looked at the bent pipe in confusion.
"Good thing your eyes are better than mine," he said with long breath. "Your mother is going to kill me if I don't get this right," there was a sincere sound of panic in his voice that made Troy smile as he took the other pipe from his hands.
"Happy to help dad," Troy said looking at screws left on the table and then at the bucket of putty.
"So how is Christina?" Jack said looking at piece in his hands and the beginning to bend over to get back under the sink.
"Not so hot." He'd been hoping to dodge this part of the afternoon. He wasn't in the mood to talk about another failed relationship with another model who was anything but rest of your life worthy. "Needless to say our days are numbered," Troy said reaching for an apple from the fruit bowl his mother always had on the counter.
"That's a shame son, your mother was just beginning to like her and that's not an easy task," Jack said from under the sink.
"No she wasn't," Troy let out a laugh as he pulled the apple from his lips. "Mom doesn't like any of the women I bring home."
"Aw don't worry son, she just wants you to settle down with the right girl."
"Yeah well at this rate there won't be a female left in the area," he said around a mouth full of apple.
"Hand me the putty will ya?"
Troy grabbed some putty on from the bucket with a spackle turning around he handed it to his father and then took another bite of apple.
"You're going to find the right one someday," he said with a grunt as he moved up a little more, "you'll see."
Troy smiled as he thought about the ideal perfect woman. One who would just get him and understand where he was coming from. Someone who would just know him, who wouldn't care about the fame or money. He just wanted to find the right girl with the right values and reminded him of that feeling he use to get whenever Gabriella was around.
At the thought of her another seeping wave of regret rolled though him and he stood up straight to look out the window and into the yard. The right women got away almost nine years ago. It was a pathetic, classic, cheesy story about two best friends living next door to each other. Who grew up and grew closer over the years of their childhood, he always had liked her but wasn't aware of how much he liked her until their senior prom night.
She was looked beautiful that night. Her skin was so soft under his touch, she radiant with glow that seem to just pull him in. Troy looked up at the tree house with a warm feeling and small frown. It had never been the same after that night. That night they had turned an 18 year friendship into some beautiful, something he never forgot but strived for and always fell short. He should have followed her.
"Troy, start putting the screws in that other piece for me please?" his father asked breaking him from his thoughts. Troy took another bite of his apple turned away from the window.
"Right away," he said walking back over to the counter placing his apple to the side he picked up the piece and the screws.
Next door, when the doorbell rang Gabriella instantly went to answer it, "I'll get it," she called as she made her way over to the door. Everyone was still in the kitchen talking with the easy comfort that came from Alex having an open line of communication with her grandparents.
When she pulled the door open she felt a cold sweat run up her spine and then fade into a full on anxiety filled panic. "Hello Mrs. Bolton," she greeted a pitch louder than necessary.
"Dear how many times do I have to tell you it's Lucile?" she said pulling Gabriella to her without a second thought. "It's so nice to see you."
Gabriella hesitated before returning the hug. In the years that past she was always so concumed with guilt by keeping her secret from Mrs. Bolton and today that guilt was mixed with fear and panic. Slowly she closed her eyes in an effort to calm herself, surly once the truth was out about her daughter this women would never greet her in a pleasant manner ever again.
The hug was over as soon as it started and Lucile smiled as she walked into the kitchen and said hello to Luis who stood up and smiled with a nod as he offered his seat at the table were everyone was eating brownies with milk. Gabriella watched cautiously as Lucile leaned down to pinch Alex's cheeks and tell her how cute she was.
Leaning on the door frame she held her breath just as she had every time she met with the Bolton's. It was always there in the back of her mind. The fear that they would one day realize the small similarities her daughter shared with their son. That's why it was imperative that she made sure she only came around when she knew for sure he wasn't around. She couldn't afford for the two of them to ever be in the same room or close enough for anyone to notice.
Coming back home was always nerve wreaking to her and she always left wondering how long she could keep it up. After getting into an argument with Doug about Alex's father and the adoption papers her mind had been going back and forth on the issue. It wasn't until after he proposed to her that the possibility of telling Troy ever transferred from a nightmare into a realm of possibility. The problem was she just couldn't bring herself to give Doug an answer.
She missed Troy, she thought about him all the time and having Alex only made things harder for her to forget. Made it excruciatingly hard when Alex reminded her of Troy in almost every way. From the way her blue eyes twinkled when she laughed to her stubborn little pout that always made her cave. Alex was a constant reminder of man she loved and to some degree still loved. Making the decision to tell Troy about Alex was the hardest thing she ever decided to do but it was going to be the deciding factor for the rest of their lives.
"Gabi? Is something wrong?" her mother asked with concern as Gabriella came crashing back into the room.
"No, not at all," she said pushing herself off the door fame. "Alex, why don't you go play with Little Guy out back while the grownups talk," Gabriella said in a softer voice as she tucked the ring she been fiddling with inside her shirt.
"Grandma, Can I take Little Guy a doggy biscuit?" Alex said as she jumped down from the stool.
"Of course, here you go," Maria opened the cabinet and took out a box of dog biscuits and gave Alex one.
The two older women smiled as the little girl pulled open the screen door with all her might and made her way to the dog house where Little Guy was snoozing in the afternoon sun.
"She just keeps getting so big," Lucile said as she took a seat at the table. "I bet she's as smart as you were when you were that age," she said placing her purse over the chair back.
"Alex does gets very good grades for her age," Gabriella said taking a seat by Lucile and looking to her mother who stood their quietly resealing the box of doggy biscuits. "Three weeks ago she decided she wants to be a reporter," Gabriella said as she folded her hands on the table.
"I still remember when I met her she was so small and tiny," Lucile said with warm smile, "she was such a beautiful baby girl."
Gabriella felt that guilty ping in her heart as she looked down at the table and thought about how much her coming here was going to change everything not only for her and Alex but for Troy's whole family and even the friendship between her parents and his.
"Jack is finally fixing the garbage disposal," Lucile said facing Maria.
"Finally," Maria said placing the box back in the cabinet "I was beginning to think you might have to live without," she said turning to face them again.
"By the way did you hear about Laura and Charlie?"
Gabriella head perked at the sound of the Danforth's name. Chad was one of her best friends growing up not as close as Troy but she remembered him beating up a bully or two when she needed protecting on the playground.
"I know they're so thrilled, I hear they're having a big party to celebrate," Maria responded busying herself with a few dishes that needed to be put away.
"Celebrate what?" Gabriella asked looking at both women.
"40 years married," Maria said waving a hand in the air.
"Wow," Gabriella said with a smile as she leaned back in her chair. "You and dad have been together for 45," she said bringing her hand up to the ring around her neck once again.
"And she gets more beautiful every day," Luis said walking into the kitchen. As he made his way over to the fridge he paused for a moment to place a kiss on his wife's cheek. "I got me a hottie," he chuckled as he came to the refrigerator door.
"Oh my lord, Jack and I are going to be 43 come next month," Lucile murmured with a certain kind of fondness. "I feel so old."
Gabriella felt the blushed come to her cheeks as she thought about the "what if's and the could be's" of her life. There was warm feeling as she fiddle with the ring thinking about Doug and what he had promised her. However the longer she was here and all the memories that were going to be unleashed the past was slowly bubbling to the surface.