Chapter 2

Daniel was already in the office on Thursday when Betty arrived. She had slept really well the night before and had come in on time today instead of super early like she had been doing for the last couple of weeks. She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer.

She hadn't heard Daniel come out of his office until he spoke.

"So, what did I get you today ?"

She laughed.

"I thought you said the gifts weren't from you."

"Oh, right."

"And, no gift yet, today."

"Maybe he thinks you are playing hard to get."

"How can I play hard to get when I don't even know who they are from ?"

She smiled.

"True. I'm going to run down to the closet to talk to Christina about this months shoot. I'll be back up in about thirty minutes."

"Okay, I'll have your folder ready."

"Thanks."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was around two when the now familiar delivery guy arrived at her desk. He handed her a box with a card attached.

"I don't suppose you can tell me who is paying for these deliveries ?"

Surprisingly, when he took the clipboard back from her he flipped to some pages in the back and replied.

"Nope. Cash, sorry, no name."

"Thanks."

He left and she opened the card. On the outside was a beautiful princess, with glittering wings. She opened the card and read :

Happy Birthday Week – Bedtime Stories

Great. She was being pursued by a pervert. No telling what was in this box. She lifted the lid and pulled back the tissue with a gasp.

Lying in the box was the most beautiful book she had ever seen. It was bound in rich leather and the page edges were covered in gold. It was Cinderella, the book her mom had always read her at bedtime. She lifted it up and looked inside. Each page looked like it had hand-painted artwork it was so exquisite. She flipped though the pages and saw that it was a first edition of a special copy that was made. It was one of only a thousand like it in print. Before she realized it, a tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away and laid the book back in the box.

Daniel came out of his office and walked toward her.

"I saw the delivery guy, is that…………Betty ? Are you okay ?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What is it ?"

She looked down at the box and then back at him.

"It is a first edition of a special printing of Cinderella. My mother always read this story to me at bedtime."

"Well, then you know it isn't me, because I didn't know that."

"No……but Henry does."

"Betty, are you sure there isn't anyone else it can be ? I don't think he would want to make you cry like this."

Daniel walked over and looked at the book, it was beautiful.

"I don't know, I don't know."

She put the lid back on the box after laying the card inside.

"Okay, well, I am gone for the day, so if you want to leave early you can."

She looked up at him still in a daze.

"Thanks, yes, I think I will."

"You sure you are okay ?"

She smiled at him.

"I'm fine."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Betty, are you okay ?"

Ignacio looked at his daughter who was sitting on the sofa in her pajamas deep in thought. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Betty."

"I got another gift today, and now I am sure it is Henry sending them. I just don't know why. He said he wasn't going to contact me so it would be easier for me to move on. But, it has to be him. I just don't understand."

She told him about today's gift and he agreed that it did seem to be Henry behind the mystery gifts. He thought to himself that he was surprised Henry had sent such a revealing gift but the boy seemed to have a plan.

"Why don't you go to bed ? It is late and tomorrow is your birthday !"

She smiled at him and got up from the sofa. She walked over, leaned down and hugged him.

"Goodnight, dad."

When she finally got ready for bed, she laid down, covered up and closed her eyes. She thought about the gifts and she thought about Henry. She remembered standing on that bridge and watching him go.

She remembered that kiss. That one desperate kiss. When he had lifted her face to him she knew he wanted that kiss and she wanted it too but she wasn't sure she could give in to it, it was to be the first and last kiss they would ever share. But, she could not be denied and neither could he.

She sighed.

Who was she kidding ? She couldn't sleep.

Why ? Why was he doing this ?

She pushed the covers down and looked over at her nightstand where her cell phone was plugged in charging.

She reached over and flipped it open. She skimmed through her contact list and selected his name and then entered the following text message :

"WHY R U DOING THIS ?"

She hesitated and then pressed the send button.

She waited. No reply. Maybe he had changed his cell number once he got to Tucson. She snuggled back under the covers and after clearing her mind, she finally fell asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry sat in his apartment and read the text message for the fifth time. He knew the Cinderella book was too much. He knew she would figure it out and she did. Now he hoped it hadn't hurt her.

He wanted to reply to the text but she would get her answers tomorrow and she would hear his story, he hoped.

He too, crawled back in the bed and slept.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Betty ! Betty !"

Betty stretched and moved around in her bed, looking at her clock, it was just a few minutes to seven. Her alarm was about to go off but something else had woken her.

"Betty ! "

She sat up in bed and yelled back.

"Dad ?"

"Can you come downstairs ?"

"I'll be right there."

She got up and took her headgear off and grabbed her robe. She headed down the stairs and there was Ignacio, Hilda and Justin with balloons and birthday donuts.

"Feliz Cumpleaños !!"

Justin took this opportunity to throw some homemade confetti at her which partially landed in her mouth and in her hair. She smiled at her family. She was so thankful for them and she loved them so much.

"Thank you."

She walked toward them and they all wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. Ignacio was the first to break apart from the group but before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door behind him. He looked at Betty and then the door.

"Why don't you get it Betty ?"

She looked back at him.

"I'd rather not."

"Okay, I'll get it."

Hilda looked between Betty and her father.

"What is going on ?"

Ignacio walked to the door and opened it. He stood talking to whoever was on the other side for a minute and then came back in, closing the door behind him. In his hand, he held a single pink Gerber daisy and a white envelope.

He walked over to Betty and handed them to her.

"Dad, why is he doing this ?"

"Open it, Mi hija."

He looked over and Justin and Hilda.

"Why don't you two go on upstairs and get ready for the day ?"

"Papi….."

"Hilda, please."

Hilda looked at Betty who was still holding the items in her hands with a strange look of confusion and pain on her face.

"Justin, let's go."

Justin knew better than to argue by the looks on everyone's faces so he nodded and he and his mother went upstairs.

"Betty, let's go sit down."

He led her to the sofa in the living room and they sat down. She looked anxiously up at her father.

"Go ahead, I'm right here."

She set the flower on the coffee table and turned the envelope over. She slid her finger under the flap and pulled out the card from inside. On the outside was a hand drawn picture of two people. They were standing apart on opposite sides of the card. As she looked at the pictures, she realized that the woman on the left was supposed to be her. The figure was simple, drawn in black but she had red glasses. On the right was a picture of a man, also drawn in all black with a lavender sweater vest. It was clearly supposed to be Henry. The man had his hand held out, reaching for the woman. She looked up at her dad. He was watching her intently.

She looked back down at the card and opened it. Inside in his own recognizable hand-writing was written :

Happy Birthday, Betty.

Please give me a chance to tell you why. Let me tell you a story. Have dinner with me tonight.

I'll send a car to pick you up at seven.

Henry

She handed the card to her father and just stared forward. Ignacio took it from her and read the card.

"You should go, mi hija."

She quickly turned to look at him.

"What ? You think I should go ? Why ? You were so mad at him when he left. And, now, he has been in New York, what, this whole week, sending me gifts and now this. Why all the mystery ? What does he want ?"

"You should find out. You should give him a chance to tell you himself. I don't know why he did it this way, maybe he was just nervous about seeing you. Maybe he wanted to make you smile before he sprang it on you that he was back in New York."

She put her head in her hands.

"I'm trying to move on. He promised we wouldn't do this. He promised we wouldn't hang on when there was no chance we could be together."

"Maybe there is a chance."

Her head snapped back up again.

"What ? No. He has to be with the baby. He can't give that up for me."

"Betty, I'm telling you, go tonight. See him. Hear what he has to say."

Betty looked at him. What was going on here ? It was like her father was now championing Henry.

"Dad, do you know something about this ?"

It was one thing for Ignacio to keep a secret from his daughter about Henry coming to see him but it was quite another to lie to her.

"Yes, I know something about this."

"Dad, have you seen Henry ?"

"He came by here on Wednesday."

"What did he say ?"

"It's not my story to tell, mi hija. Go to dinner with him. Take a chance."

She nodded slowly.

"Okay."

"We can have birthday enchiladas tomorrow night."

She smiled and reached over to hug him.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

She pulled back and looked at him.

"I need to get ready for work. I don't know how I am going to get through this day."

He smiled at her as reassuringly as he could.

"It's going to be okay."

She got up from the couch and took the card and the flower upstairs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Daniel came in, the first thing he saw was the flower on her desk and then the lost look on her face.

"Betty ? You okay ?"

She looked up at him and smiled.

"I don't know."

"Well, happy birthday !"

She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Gift today ?"

She looked toward the single flower she had brought to work with her and then handed him the card. He looked at the front and he also knew now that it was Henry. He read in the inside, closed it and handed it back.

"Are you going to go ?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. My dad thinks I should. Apparently, Henry has been in town all week, and he went to see my father on Wednesday."

"You're kidding ? What did he say to your dad ?"

"My dad says that I need to hear it from him and he is encouraging me to go. I trust my dad, so I am going to go."

"What are you thinking ?"

She looked up at him.

"I don't know. So many things. I mean, my dad's encouragement makes me hopeful. It makes me think that something has changed, that there is some second chance for Henry and I. But, I can't think that way. I can't get my hopes up. I don't know. Surely, Henry wouldn't come to town, give me all of these presents and have dinner with me, only to leave again. It just isn't him. What do you think ?"

He looked up and out the window and then back at her.

"I don't know. I tried to be mad at him when he left, but you wouldn't let me. So I learned to accept his decision and even admired it when I looked at it through your eyes. I agree, it doesn't seem like him to do something that would hurt you, but I don't know."

"It's frustrating at this point. I just wish it were seven and I could find out now."

"Well, if you want to leave early today, that's fine. And, you can reach me by cell tonight if you need me to come get you or anything. Or, if you need to talk, call me."

She smiled. Daniel had been really supportive since Henry left and she appreciated his friendship at times like this.

"Thanks, Daniel."

"Alright, so we have staff meeting this morning at nine. Make sure Christina is there because we have some changes for next month's issue that she needs to know about."

"I'll give her a call."

Betty called Christina and reminded her about the meeting. She then filled her in on the current Henry situation. Christina agreed that she needed to go to dinner with Henry to see what he had to say. She was also cautiously optimistic.

They agreed to get together after lunch to see if there was anything in the closet Betty wanted for her night out.

-- to be continued --