Chapter: 2
Home, he had never really thought of calling anyplace home since he had left his home as a young teen. Heart Land that was as close to a home as he could have ever imagined he had loved his loft. Then he had made the "big" move out on his own to the Trailer. Again not exactly home but it had served its purpose. It was just 1 month till graduation and he had so much to do and when he had first come back to Canada he had felt like chucking it all and just leaving. But now after talking with Sonya he had found a little peace that would allow him to go on.
"What you thinking about over there?" Sonya's voice broke though the silence as they drove to her apartment.
"Sorry just was thinking how lucky it was that I know a great shrink, about how you called your place home and about my life and the places that I have been but never really called any of them home. I was thinking about school and the fact that it was almost over for me. How was it that all you have to do was ask a question and I seemed to ramble on forever?" He looked at her and asked "am I even going the right direction?"
"Yes", she smiled "it is just up the block a little bit. You should start looking for a parking place though as it is not the country, parking can be hard to come by. "
Ty found a place to park and grabbed his bags. Here he was 25 and everything you owned fit into two bags? His mind began to drift back to Europe and he thought of how grand everything had been for Amy. The room in the hotel had more rooms and room than his trailer. He had seen her closet and it was full of new clothes and shoes. He should have seen it coming he could never provide and give her the things that she wanted. She had changed and in that change she had just out grown this small time want to be vet.
"Anything else I can help you with" Sonya asked.
"Nope you are looking at my life here in these two bags."
Sonya opened the door of the apartment and Ty followed her in.
"Ok where do I stash my stuff to keep it out of your way? "
"In the bedroom over there she pointed to a door."
Ty stopped and looked at Sonya, she smiled as she saw the look on his face and before he could say anything she just shook her head "don't flatter yourself there cowboy. That is my old roommate's room she just moved out so it is empty."
Ty felt his face turn red, she had seen right through that look and then had smacked him down. It was funny though that she could be so cool about it and of course make him look like a fool. He would have never thought that she would want him in her bed or bedroom so when she had said the bedroom it kind of took him by surprise. "Whew I thought maybe this was an audition for a new boyfriend"! he said with a big smile. As soon as he had he wished he had just kept his mouth shut. "Sorry" he said the smile now gone from her face!
Sonya said" its ok I think I am going to bed now. "
What had he just done! Sonya had let him bare his soul to her all night and then to repay her he had brought up the one thing that she had pushed aside and he could see she did not want to talk or maybe even think about. Ty did not sleep the rest of the night he just lay there and thought about all that had been said that night. At least he was able to actually think about things and he began to put the last year into perspective.
…
Amy rolled over and looked towards where Ahmed was standing and thought how lucky she was to have such a caring friend. He had taken here to a place that she would never have been able to see and let her get away from life something she really needed right now.
"Time for dinner Ahmed said."
"What are we having?" Amy asked as she realized she was famished.
"Get dressed and I will tell you. I had your clothes laid out on your bed. "
Amy walked into her room off the beach and turned back and looked at the sunset through the glass wall of the villa what a site what a way to end a perfect afternoon. She went to the shower and marveled as it was bigger than the whole bathroom that the family all used on Heart Land. As Amy let the water pour down over her body she began to think about all that she had seen and done since she had left Heart Land. The helicopter ride to the airport then the flight on the Princes private jet to France something the likes of which she had never seen little lone thought she might experience. She was able to help the horses and riders become better as a team, as she had shown them some of her mother's ways of dealing with a spirited horse. They had won the first competition and it had given her a high like she had never really known. It had made her believe in herself again and that she had done it all on her own was such a boost to her self-esteem that was so much different to what she had felt at Heart Land. Everyone always said she could do it but this was actually living up to the reputation as the miracle girl. A reputation that had really weighed her down over the years of ups and downs, the accident and the loss of clients had put her in the dumps so to speak. Then Ahmed had believed in her, he had given her a chance that no one of her age and training had the right to have. Then to have it all work out well, to say the least she was on top of the world.
She finished her shower and stepped out into the bedroom realizing that she had forgotten to close the curtains and yet for some reason she did not care as she was not really in this world any more but in a world that was a life time away from what she had known. She walked over to the bed and dropped her towel and began to get dressed. As she looked at the clothing on the bed she realized that they were not the things that she had picked out on the way to the Villa. Wow the things laid out on the bed were like nothing that she had ever even thought of wearing. The lingerie made her blush, where had this stuff come from? It was all made of pure silk and she was afraid of what it must of cost. But she slipped them on feeling somehow that she deserved this pampering. The dress showed a bit more of her that she was used to as well the bra had pushed her up to fill out the scoop necked silk lined dress and felt so good against her skin. And she was surprised how well it all fit as if it was made for her! She turned and looked in the mirror and realized how much she had changed. The woman in the mirror was not the same the little girl who had first gotten on that helicopter 3 months ago. She fixed up her hair feeling that there was nothing she could do with it to match the clothes she had on. When she stepped out of the room Ahmed was there, and a big smile came across his face. "Where did these clothes come from" Amy asked, not really caring, but wanting to hear what the prince would say?
"I am sorry I took the liberty of calling the tailor who made your uniforms and had him sent your measurements to a tailor here and she made the dress for you."
"And what about the rest of it" Amy asked with a smile?
Now the prince's face turned red as he knew what she was asking! He said that he had one of the servants go and pick something out. This was a lie but he did not want to tell her how he had been planning this ever since they had left Canada. One more lie would not hurt and now was not time to upset the apple cart so to speak. As he was very aware that she had taken the bait and he had to wait for the right time to set the hook then slowly begin to real her in. She had been a temptation to him since they had first met. He had never met a girl who was not willing to do whatever he said whenever he said do it. As a matter of fact no woman had ever talked to him the way Amy had and try as he might he had never been able to crack through the shell that was her love for Ty. Now that shell was gone and he knew that just like the other women who had been in this house she would soon be doing his bidding just like they had. The Prince even had to ask himself if it was really Amy or the idea of having something that he actually had to work for. He also knew that his money and position in life would get him anything he wanted.
He had had to work hard with the team to make them understand that Amy was not really in charge but that he was. He had asked each one of them to help him out with this and he would make it worth their while. These men had been raised as the prince had, their view or a woman was not that of the western world. A woman was not someone they had to listen to rather someone who only spoke when spoken to and to be use for their pleasure. An Arab man would never allow his woman to look or act like a western woman in public nor would they stand to be talked to by a woman like she was in authority! They had all learned how to play their part while in the western culture and they loved the freedom of it though deep down they held their traditional ways. He was the prince and they would let him do what he wanted and follow along and if they kept on winning then it would be much easier.
….
Ty woke up and realize that it was now light outside. He could smell a wonderful smell coming from the apartment and so he got dressed and walked out into the living room. Sonya was in the kitchen humming a song dancing and cooking and it smelled wonderful. Is there anything you can't do he asked?
Sonya was startled as she did not know he was up. Without turning around she said "afternoon sleepyhead".
"Afternoon? "
"Yep it is almost 2 I was beginning to wonder if I still had a live body in the room or if I was going to have to call the morgue."
"Guess I was a little tired" he said. It had been almost 48 hours since he had really had any real sleep so the fact that he had slept in was not surprising. "Sorry about that I should have been up and out looking for a place now I may have to ask if I can stay another day."
"While you were sleeping I was thinking about that. My roommate moved out and has paid the rent till the end of the school year so maybe you could rent the room from me so I have a little spending money? With my double major and not having a car to get around I have not had an easy time trying to find a part time job. I will finish the counseling part of my degree this spring when you graduate but I still have another year of vet school so I could use the cash right now."
How could he resist such a plea that face and the way she played the little school girl look to the hilt. "Oh, Ok but only if I don't have to cook." He had never even given it a second though and that surprised him. But right now anyplace away from the Hudson area was preferred and besides he has a ton of studying to do as he had not really done a lot while he had been away.
" have one more thing to do" Ty said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He turned it on not knowing what to expect. He was crushed and relieved at the same time that he did not have a message from Amy. Would this hurt ever go away? He dialed the number, "hello Scott, it's me I am back but as you know I have finals this next month and I am so far behind, I need some time to study would it be ok if I did not come back to work till after then? Ok thanks and if you need help I know a vet student that has need of some part time work. Thanks I will be keeping in touch." Well that was over now he had no reason to go back to Hudson at all at least that part of his life could be put on hold for a little while. " Think I need to get my number changed not that many people know it and the ones that do I don't really feel like talking to right now."
"It has caller ID on it does it not," was Sonya's reply?
"Yeah I guess it does."
"Well then you only have to answer the calls you want. Who is the vet student you were talking about to Scott? "
"Well you of course" he said with a wink.
"I can't work in Hudson remember I don't have a car! "
"Well you do now if you can drive a stick shift that is. And if you can't I will teach you it can't be any harder than it was teaching Amy" There she was again popping up in a conversation and he had not even been thinking about her. She was in every part of his life even teaching someone to drive!
'Sit down and eat you still have to help me with the lab remember?'
Ty smiled and said "yeah seems like I do remember you mentioning something about that but that was forever ago."
They spent the rest of the day and night working on their homework conversation when there was one was about something that they were studying. Ty had not felt this at ease in years. He had always wanted to have a study partner but he had had to work, he did not live near campus as most of the students did and then of course there had been Amy. She never seemed to fit in with his friends from school so he had isolated himself from them to make her happy. There were a few like Sonya who would spend some time after classes talking about what he prof had said but never anyone with whom he could sit and talk with and go over questions and work together on labs and what not. Sonya was smart; she made him feel like a fool at times with the ease of how she grasped concepts. Amy had also be smart, not book smart though, he could never talk to her about his school and found it even difficult to get her to help him with his studying at all.
"Want to go get a pizza? Ty asked?
Sonya looked up from her studies and said "sorry don't have the money right now, you go ahead."
"I did not ask you to buy a pizza I asked if you wanted one" Ty said. "Besides you can take it off my rent if it makes you feel better" he said with a smile.
"Guess I could use a little break from studying."
Who was this man that she had just let into her life? Why had she had no worries about asking him to stay with her then asking him to move in? Sure she had known Ty for about 3 years but that was only in class or maybe a little study period between classes. He had always been there help her if he could and had always been the gentleman. He had talked and talked of his pending plans the wedding and setting up a practice or joining Scott's. He had told her about their plans to buy a ranch and Amy would continue to work with needy horses and their owners, with them being the problem most of the time. Of having children and growing old with the greatest woman in the world. Then he had come home from a trip that he had been telling her about for weeks, he had been on cloud nine the last time she had seen him and now, somehow Amy had turned him into an empty shell. He was still every bit the gentleman that she had thought he was but the light had gone out in his eyes and there was an empty void behind them. Hopefully she could help him get through school and he could help her out with the bills.
"What's the best pizza joint around" Ty asked"I only know of one place to buy one and that is Hudson at the diner?" Why did those things have to keep popping up in his mind and out of his mouth?
"There is a place just up the street, we can walk if you like" was Sonya 's reply.
"That sound s good to me" said Ty as they headed up the street, it was a small place, but very crowded and the smell was out of this world. Well if it tastes half as good as it smells this should be great. They finally were seated at a table and had ordered their pizza and sat there sipping on a beer when a voice yelled out above the crowd noise.
"Seems it did not take you long to find a new toy" the voice said. Ty noticed that the voice made Sonya very uncomfortable and he was now on alert. A man walked over to the table and began to yell at Sonya. "What did you tell your friends about me you are nothing but a lying bi… "That was the last sound to come out of his mouth Ty had stood up and knocked him out. Sonya sat there in shock she felt Ty's hand on hers , he said to the waiter who had just brought the pizza to "make it to go."
When they got back to the apartment Ty could see that Sonya was really shaken up. She had clung to his arm all the way home and had not said a word. He sat the pizza down on the table and went to sit Sonya on the couch.
"Don't leave" she said as he started to walk away. He sat down, she put her head on his shoulder and just stared off into the night. Later she looked up at him and said " I am sorry Ty I had no idea he would be there."
"I am sorry that I punched him, in front of you anyway"
"It's ok he was a jerk ! You sure shut him up" she said with a smile. " Maybe we can have that pizza now. I told you that you would have to hear about my baggage but did not think it would be so soon. "
It was Ty's turn to listen as she laid out her life to him finishing with the jerk at the pizza joint. It was her turn to say wow as the sun was just coming up over the trees and shining on their one piece of pizza and a half warm beer. " Flip you for the last piece" Ty said.
Sonya said "no you can have it I think I will go get some rest."
He was again wondering how this all could have happened. Why had he hit that guy other than he was a jerk? How had he been able to sit through a whole night listening to Sonya and feel as though it had only been a few minutes? What was it about her that made life seem so easy when he was around her? He did not have an answer to that Question but he was willing to stick around hopefully long enough to find out.
….
Amy looked across the table at Ahmed he looked so dashing in his suit and he was always so funny when he did not seem to figure out what she was talking about. The restaurant had been full when they arrived but soon there was not one but them. It was as though they were late to supper but she knew that was not the case as supper was an all evening affair here in Europe. She did so enjoy that part of being here instead of cramming the food in as fast as possible so she could get out and do the chores before it was too late.
That memory seemed so far away now. She no longer had chores there were stable hands to do that. All she had to do was say she wanted a horse and it was brought to her ready to work with and as soon as she was through they would take it away to brush it down and put it away. No more mucking out the stalls. Everything was always clean seemed the horse did not even have time complete his business it seemed before the stall was cleaned.
Ahmed asked her how she like the food and all she could do was smile and nod as her mouth was full. They sat and talked about the tour and where the next competition was going to be. He told her about a side trip that he had planned and what they would see while they were there. 3 hours later they returned to the villa and said good night.
Amy went off to her room thinking about what she wanted to do next.
….
The week had gone by so fast and Amy was ready to get back to work. What she was not ready for was turning on her phone. When it came up there was a message from Lou saying that they must be having a great time as she had not seen or heard from Ty and could hardly wait to hear about their adventures. The second was also from Lou scolding her for not calling. That was it? No one else had called. She checked her emails only a note from Mallory but that was all.
What had happened to the explosion that she knew was coming. Had Ty not gone home? Had something happened to him? She had been pretty brutal to him that day and had not given him a thought till now! Did he do something, no that was not Ty's way but something was sure not right and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
She did something she said that we would never do again she called Ty's number it just rang and then went to voice mail. " If you are alright call me please" she said. Then she called Caleb and he said he had not seen nor heard from Ty. She called Scott's office only to get the answering machine that had been set up by Ty.
Hearing his voice caused her to a panic and she was not sure why, she had sent him out of her life, but she still cared for him and wished him the best. Had she conveyed that to him though? She had been so wrapped up in own little world at the time that all she could think of was getting him out of it.
Ahmed saw the look on her face and asked what was wrong.
She told him that Ty had not made it back home and she was worried about him.
Ahmed said "don't worry I will take care of it" Amy gave in and let the prince do the leg work. He reminded her that she now had work to do as they show in a week.
That night Amy had to try one more time as the suspense was making her hurt all over. She tried Ty's phone again, only voice mail. She called Scott's office again a new voice answered the phone" hello this is Scott's office, this is Sonya may I help you?" said the voice.
"Where is Scott and who are you" Amy said?
"Scott is on a call and I am the new vet assistant may I ask who is calling and your number I will have him give you a call when he returns".
"My name is Amy Fleming and I was looking for Ty Bordon. "
" Oh he is not working here for a while" Sonya said.
"Where is he is he alright" asked Amy?
"He is doing real well he is working on getting ready for finals."
"Do you know where he is no one seems to have seen him?"
"Yes I do he is living at my place and he does not want to talk with you so I will say good-bye"!
Amy just sat there in total shock the sound of the click on the other end of the line left her with nothing to say. Ty had already moved in with a girl! Who was she? She had walked away from Ty called it quits yet she was not ready to hear that he was doing fine and had already replaced her. That night no sleep was to be had in Amy's room. It was now her turn to ask all the questions that Ty had asked himself that first night. One's that could only be answered by one person and that person no longer was willing to answer anything
To be continued: