A.N.: First of all – thanks for the reviews. Second I have to admit that posting regularly

doesn't necessarily mean often, for I'm only home at weekends right now. Please have

a little patience...

Chapter 2:

The next morning was a warm sunny day. It was showing nothing of the difficulties and angry words there had been yesterday in the middle of the night. Joane felt refreshed and encouraged to have a try and talk to Joaquin. Maybe he had slept over it too and had come to a decision, a positive decision – one that made him realize the words of the night hadn't been meant as bad as they might have sounded. Maybe he had realized they didn't mean to punish him, but really cared about him. She knew this was just a desperate dream – but maybe he was at least willing to talk to her.

She went down the stairs at first to make some coffee and set the kitchen table for breakfast. She went up again when the coffee was starting to drop down, to kiss her husband good morning and get some moral assistance from him before she would enter the lion's cave. She knew she couldn't take David with him. He had gone too far yesterday night and Joaquin would just be upset once again if he would join her. David was already awake when she came back to the bedroom.

"Morning honey!"

"Good morning."

"You already had breakfast?"

"No, I just set the table – we can have breakfast in about twenty minutes. Always taking into consideration I'm finished talking to Joaquin up to that point and we're both still alive."

"Don't you worry Joe. The boy had a whole night to think about it, to come clean with his own feelings. He can't still be mad at us!"

"You would be surprised..."

"You want me to join you?"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. We would be one too many. You know he really wishes to be equal to us and if we are both going to talk to him, he will feel underestimated and treated like a child once again and I can't listen to the same old discussion once again this morning. I'll have a try on my own and we'll see what it'll lead to."

"I love you honey. You'll get along with him. I wish you all the luck in the world."

She smiled at him and turned around to leave the room.

"I'm in a desperate need of it!" she thought by herself.

She took a moment to find her courage, before she knocked at her son's room's door.

"Joaquin, you awake? Would you please open the door, I would like to talk to you."

There was no answer audible from inside. He probably was still mad at her and didn't want to talk to her.

"Please, Joaquin – open the door. Don't be mad at me. Just let me come inside and talk to me."

Still no answer – the desperation grew in her.

"I know we have been pretty rude yesterday, but I honestly mean this: we didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanna have a conversation with you – from person to person. This isn't a mother-son talk. I want us to find a solution, I want to listen to your proposals. Please Joaquin, I'm completely serious about it. Open the door."

She waited a few more moments, but there was still no answer and no movement inside the room. She sighed soundlessly. She had hoped this would be easier and he would be more understanding, but she obviously had been wrong. He wouldn't open up on her. She actually hadn't planned to do this, but he was leaving her no choice. She fetched the keys from her bathing-gown, she was wearing above her night-dress and searched for the keys to Joaquin's room.

"I didn't want to do this, but you're leaving me no choice – I will come in now, Joaquin."

She opened the door and halfway expected loud protest, something flying into her direction or the door being blocked. But nothing like this happened. She stepped into the room and surprise welled over her, followed by panic – all overwhelming, complete, pure panic. Joaquin's bed was made, his room was orderly and his cupboard was empty. There were no clothes inside, but the most worrying thing was the window. It was open. She frantically scanned the room for any sign of him or at least a sign of where he had gone to. A note, a letter or an opened diary – something like this, but there wasn't. She could feel tears rise as she yelled for her husband.

"David!"

She could hear him jump from the bed in the room next door and run across the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"The boy! He's gone – Joaquin is gone!"

"What do you mean – gone? Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He didn't leave a note or anything... But his clothes and most of his personal things are gone. He's gone, he ran away from us."

"Try to calm down honey. Maybe there's a logical explanation for it. Wait a second – I'll be back in a moment."

"Where do you go?"

"I have to check something – so we can be sure if he really ran away."

David went down the stairs and seemed to search for something in the living room. Then she could hear him curse loudly, that loud it was still audible upstairs, and he ran back upstairs.

"What are you so mad about? What were you searching for?"

"Our cash-box... The money – it is gone, he has stolen from us. He has taken the money!"

"So he really ran away. He took his clothes, his personel things and the money and he ran away!"

"I think we should call the police..."