It took me a little longer to post this chapter because I was kind of busy with college stuff. It's been a difficult month.
For those who are following, favoring and commenting, I would like to express my thanks. I really like to know what you guys are up to now and I really want to know your expectations for what's to come. Perhaps this chapter is the beginning of a watershed in this history. I hope to not disappoint you. Thank you very much and have a good reading.
XXX
Chapter IV
That afternoon the sky was closing. The dark, heavy clouds indicated that a strong storm was about to arrive.
The imposing gale dragged the most diverse objects through where it passed.
Everyone was running around trying to find a shelter to escape the rain that would soon begin to fall majestically from the sky.
But nothing really mattered.
At least not for the emerald-eyed girl.
She was there, sitting on the train station bench in her green dress, her black heels, her long dark brown hair now above her shoulders, fastened by staples on the side, showing off her beautiful curls.
She kept her posture erect and her gaze fixed on the railroad. Longing for the arrival of the train that would bring back the part of her that was missing.
The part that lay apart for five long years.
It was hard to say how she had survived all this time. However, somehow she had achieved it. And as soon as the train arrived, everything would return to its proper place. Everything would fit and make sense again. The earth would turn again around the sun, and the universe would return to its natural balance.
The cathedral's bell near the station sounded indicating that the hour had arrived, and at any moment the train would be there.
The tip of the black leather heels repeatedly hit the ground in short intervals of time as she continued to stare toward where the train was supposed to come from.
A loud rumble of thunder roused her from the state of stupor she was in and then she looked around. There was no one else.
The staff, the passengers, everyone had gone somewhere, she just did not know where, although the fact remained.
She was alone.
But not for long.
The train whistled across the horizon, and she glanced back at the railroad. It was slowly approaching, slowing as it got closer to the station.
Standing, she straightened her dress and smoothed the curls of her hair.
She was nervous. Her hands were sweating and the chills ran through her body more and more intensely as the train came closer.
When it finally stopped, the girl's heart stopped as well.
The seconds passed, and the more difficult the task of breathing became. Her lungs seemed not to want to cooperate enough. She stared at the door of the train waiting for it to open, every minute it remained closed, the girl felt more and more agonized, until at last it opened.
Only one passenger disembarked. A tall, thin boy with big blue eyes and a blank expression.
And it was at that very moment that the world seemed to stop spinning. Had the earth stopped its constant rotation to witness that moment?
The boy put the bag on the floor and looked from side to side as if looking for someone.
"Sheldon."
The girl screamed but he did not seem to listen. He was very far away and looked in the opposite direction of hers, as if expecting someone to emerge from there, but no one appeared.
"Sheldon, over here."
Again he didn't hear, instead he took the bag he had left on the ground, and began to walk in the direction he was previously looking. Amy wondered if he had not listened and stood with a confused expression on her face until she realized that he was walking away and decided to run to catch up.
"Sheldon." She shouted this time closer and he stopped.
He looked around trying to locate where the voice came from, when he turned his eyes met hers and she smiled. Keeping her pace, she kept rushing toward him. He nonetheless continued to look at her without expressing any emotion.
She stopped only when she was a few inches away from him, breathing heavily and feeling the rush of adrenaline through her body, the smile she carried doubled as she continued to stare at him. Her eyes glittered and filled with water, flooded with a deep and genuine happiness she had not felt in the past five years.
He looked at her without expressing any emotion, yet his gaze was still penetrating, making her feel as if she were naked and exposed. As if only with that look he could read her soul as if he were reading a poem or a book.
She was totally delivered, exposed and above all, bound to the spell hidden within his sapphire eyes. And the two remained in that state for long minutes before the silence was broken.
"Why is the station empty?"
He asked, and the reality came back violently, making her heart contract so tightly inside his chest that her voice was like a mere sigh.
Years away and that was the most important question he had to ask?
"Surely people must be fleeing from the rain." She said.
She put both hands to her heart, as if the gesture could contain the beats so strong and fast that they made echoes within her body. He looked around again, still with the same expression.
"They sent you to get me?" He asked after turning to her again. The voice as expressionless as the face itself.
He looked lost. He didn't look like the same person who had left that same station five years ago. Something about his behavior was different.
"They?" She frowned.
"The staff of the Institute". He replied angrily. As if it were obvious who he was referring to.
She looked around, the station was deserted. The first raindrops began to plummet from the cloudy, dark sky.
"Why would the staff of the Institute come to get you?" She asked as she tilted her neck to the side.
"Maybe because I'm going to stay on the dormitory of the Institute?" He asked rhetorically.
She still looked confused.
Why was he acting like that? She thought.
"What's wrong, Sheldon?"
"I could make a list with all that is wrong, but what disturbs me most at this time is that they sent a madwoman to get me."
She definitely did not understand anything. A madwoman? Why was he treating her like that? Nothing made sense at that moment.
Unless...
Was he making a joke? Some joke that would end up with a bazinga, which he had explained to her in one of the letters.
It just might be.
Once more her smile widened.
"Sheldon, stop that. Let's go before the rain gets stronger."
She reached up and touched his arm, but his countenance expressed a sign of visible repulsion at the touch.
"Who are you? And who gave you permission to touch me?"
The red warning signal began to ring inside the girl's mind. Had her greatest fear come true? Had he forgotten her?
"Sheldon, why are you acting like this? If it's a joke, just know it's not funny at all."
Her words were filled with despair and sadness.
"I'll tell you what's not funny, miss." He was visibly nervous and started to raise his voice. "What is not funny is send a crazy person who apparently has no politeness, get me at the station."
He was screaming at the end of the sentence and Amy was crying wildly.
"You know what?" He said. "I'm going to find my way to the Institute, and don't you think I'm not going to express my deep indignation at the reception I had."
And with that he turned and began to walk hastily.
A thunder louder than the previous one echoed and the rain began to fall harder.
Amy just stood there.
Immobile.
Unable to absorb the latest events.
She watched him go without even looking back.
Her legs failed and she dropped to her knees on the floor, but she completely ignored the pain of the blow. She continued sobbing wildly, letting the tears mingle with the rain that now fell vigorously and without forgiveness.
"Sheldon." She tried to scream again, but he was already far away.
And even if he was not, he would not look back.
"Sheldon." She screamed again.
But it was already too late.
Lightning struck the sky, and then a thunder echoed. Amy woke up scared, sitting abruptly on the bed and looking around in the dimness of the room. The rain outside was intense.
It was only a dream.
Still breathing heavily, her chest rose and fell frantically. She ran her hand through her hair and lay on her back on the bed again, placing her forearm over her face and trying to steady herself.
It was just a nightmare. She thought.
The same nightmare in the last four years.
Almost every night since the day Sheldon left on that train she had the same nightmare. And every time she woke up scared the same way. Every time it seemed equally real.
Amy had even gotten used to it. But that night, she woke up with a strange feeling. As a kind of prelude that all this would become real.
It wouldn't it, would it?
"Stop this". She told herself.
Truth be told. She was getting more and more affected by that nightmare than she would like to admit. But that was bullshit.
Was not?
Sheldon would never forget her. They exchanged letters every month. They still shared every aspect of their lives with each other. They were promised.
What could happen bad?
A knock on the door of her room woke her from her thoughts.
Pamela came in and hold the door, leaving it half open as she looked at her older sister with a look of tenderness.
"That nightmare again?" She asked in a soft voice.
Amy sat on the bed and just shook her head as she looked at her worriedly.
"Did I wake you up?"
"I could not sleep." She glanced toward the glass door leading to the balcony. "These thunders ..." She could not finish.
Amy narrowed her eyes, understanding what the sister meant.
"Come here, sleep with me," she spoted the space next to her on the bed, motioning for her sister to lie down with her.
Pamela nodded and closed the door. As soon as she lay down the girl was shrouded in the embrace of her older sister.
The two sisters felt peace adorn their hearts as the rain fell vigorously on the outside.
It was not uncommon on such a stormy day that Pamela would look for her older sister. Although in recent times this happened less frequently, the girl was still dying for fear of the thunder and lightning that was manifesting in the sky. But Amy had a feeling that every time Pamela showed up in her bedroom at dawn they had less to do with the rain and more with concern.
Amy's screams at night were getting worse as the nightmare got more real.
More scary.
But Amy did not want to think about it. She wanted to have a quiet night's sleep.
Then she closed her eyes and slept.
But her sleep was far from peaceful.
XXX
Exactly at noon the sign echoed through the classrooms and hallways of the School, heralding the end of the period. Amy let out a sigh of relief before closing the books and notebooks that were on top of her table. She looked at the blackboard and noticed how it was full of equations, but these she had known for a long time, and could solve all without even thinking much.
But how had the board filled up so fast?
At some point in the last hour the girl had stopped paying attention to the teacher who explained the numerous mathematical formulas with refinement and elegance and let her mind navigate the rivers of apprehension. The dream she'd had the night before was still vivid in her memories, making her stomach contract and her skin twitch in horror. It was impossible to tell how many nights she'd had the same dream in the last four years. Except this time, it seemed so much more real that it made her terribly frightened.
That morning she had awakened with the sun entering the room timidly through the windows and porch windows. The thunderous rain of the previous night had left without a trace. Sometime during the night Pamela returned to her own room, since there was not even a sign of the girl in bed.
Like every morning, she got up, took her shower, prepared for school, had brakfast, and left the house. Nothing out of the ordinary. But still, something was different. She could feel inside herself as if something bad was about to happen. Still, she did not know what to say. But that feeling was there, consuming her like the flames of hell.
The grammar, etiquette, and math classes that morning passed like a blur. Nothing else seemed to catch Amy's attention.
All the girls left the classroom as usual. Some laughing, others most likely talking about their boyfriends. Or fiancé. This was high school senior year and many of the girls were already engaged, after all, it was not uncommon at the time.
"Hey, Amy, are you okay?" Penny asked after leaving the room with Amy and Bernadette.
Amy had kept her gaze always ahead, her face apprehensive, adding to the concern of the two sisters.
"I'm fine. I just ... I had a nightmare."
Penny and Bernadette exchanged worried looks. Amy's nightmares were not uncommon. However, the tone used to utter the sentence indicated something was very wrong.
"That nightmare again?"
Bernie asked as she put her arm around Amy's shoulder. The closed eyes and deep sigh she exhaled were affirmations enough. They guided Amy to sit on one of the benches on the patio. They failed, however, to note that in the next seat they had an audience.
"Amy, you know, it've been four years already, you should see a doctor, or maybe one of those hypnosis treatments."
Penny suggested but earned from Amy a look with the potential to kill. She swallowed hard and held her breath before the brunette opened her mouth to answer.
"I do not believe in this cheap psychology, Penny. You should know that by now."
The words came more friendly than the look she received.
"I just suggested." Penny defended before releasing the air.
"What was it this time Amy? You've never seemed so affected by this before." Bernadete asked.
Amy looked at Bernadette who was sitting to her left. Thinking about what she could answer. But even she had no answer to that question. But with every effort she made to think of a possible alternative, that sensation made her heart contract inside her chest. She swallowed hard as she looked into her friend's eyes that carried the purest concern, but that only made her anxiety increase.
"I don' know, I just ... I have a strange feeling." Amy placed her hand where she knew her heart was as she squeezed the spot.
"Maybe it's just the anxiety that's consuming you a bit," Penny said. "You and Sheldon continue to trade letters?"
The smile came to Amy's lips at the mention of Sheldon's name. And she felt herself warm inside.
"Yes, we do. I'm going to the post office today to deliver the letter I wrote to him."
The two sisters smiled as the love shone brightly into the emerald eyes. This was certainly the brightest and strongest glow.
The girl next them, who was listening to the conversation got up and cast a glare full of debauchery toward the three friends. But they didn't even have time to notice her presence before she turned toward the exit and walked on her heels.
"Amy's going to be okay, nothing bad can happen." The tone of comfort in Bernadette's voice added peace to Amy's thoughts.
"Bernadette's right." Penny agreed, looking directly into Amy's eyes and conveying every confidence she had within herself.
"Nothing ... Nothing can separate you both. You've fought so hard these past four years, I'm sure it won't be now that things are going to start going wrong."
If there was anyone in the face of the whole earth who hoped things would work out right between Sheldon and Amy, beyond themselves, this one definitely was Penny. Though she did not admit it aloud, the girl was an incorrigible romantic. Her friend's suffering in recent years touched her deeply. And in a way that scared her. Love, although it is beautiful, could sometimes be scary, and she herself was the victim of such fear. But she had watched the love story of the two close friends, and she had never seen anything so strong, so pure, so platonic...
Her heart broke the day Sheldon boarded the train. But it was not his departure that made her so sad. It was the sadness carved and scattered in Amy's face, from that data on she was never the same again.
Penny more than anyone wanted to see her friend happy. And she would do everything in her power to make it possible. Except the only person in this world who could make Amy happy at the time was Sheldon.
He and him alone.
Only the day he returned, the smile would shine on Amy's face again. But until that day came, she would still have a long year to go. She was content to comfort her friend and offer her words of comfort. But in a way, that was already a lot.
"Surely you're right, I think this is just insecurity on my part."
She stared down at the floor with both hands clutching the edge of the bench.
Was she just reacting badly? Letting herself get carried away by her subconscious mind. After all, Amy did not usually be the kind of insecure person, but when it came to Sheldon, since he'd left, things had changed...
The frequent nightmares were proof of this.
But they were only nightmares. Parts preached by the brain often as a form of self-sabotage. Sheldon would never forget her. He would never abandon her.
They sat for a few more minutes absorbing the silence.
"Would you like to come with us? We can have lunch and do our homework."
Bernadette suggested, and Amy shook her head.
"No, thank you, I have to go to the Post Office, and then I'll go to the Institute to sort out some business.
She gave a friendly smile and the two sisters smiled back when they got up.
"Okay, see you tomorrow, bye, Amy. Take care"
The two waved and made their way to the exit. Amy watched them walk away still lost in her own thoughts.
XXX
Ramona Kripke walked quickly to the post office hitting the heels as she walked in a way she thought was elegant. But it only sent shivers of agony to anyone close enough to hear the annoying noise. Her erect posture exuded confidence, her gaze was taken by something that anyone would say was complacency.
That was definitely not a good sign.
Over the years, everyone had witnessed the girl's tantrums. The servants of the house where she lived were the greatest witnesses of how she could earn anything from her father with only a deafening scream. She grew up in a spirit of superiority. Just like the brother. The two never knew limits. They never learned how to treat people well. But who would blame them if they never had the best example? Truth be told, no one could bear them, but they all had a lot of pity, and at the same time fear. The former because they grew up without their mother. The later because they used the position they were in to threaten, blackmail, and hurt anyone who got in their way or refused their demands. But again, they had not received the best of the examples.
She climbed the stairs to the building as the people she passed stared at her with concern on their faces. What is she going to do now? They wondered. She reached the door, gently pushed the glass frame and made her way to the counter where service was provided.
On his back and focused on some task the employee had not noticed her presence. And that annoyed her deeply. She was the kind of person who hated to go unnoticed anywhere she went. The attentions should all be on her. Ever. And that only made her lean even more to the malevolent plan she'd craved in her spoiled mind and the brink of psychopathy. His taciturn expression gradually shifted into a somber, sly smile.
"Hello Mr. Stuart," that thin, unpleasant voice caught the attention of the clerk, who turned in the direction of the voice only to feel shivers down his spine at the expression on her face, "how are you?"
Stuart swallowed dryly, sensing that whatever was the reason for her presence at the establishment, would not be a good thing.
"Oh, Miss Ramona, I'm fine. Is there anything I can help?"
He replied with the most articulate smile and expression he could muster. Still obtuse to the fact that had brought such an unpleasant customer into the establishment.
"Actually, yes! I need you to do me a favor."
Direct.
She was never wasting time. She never stopped to think about the consequence of her actions. What she wanted was thought and done, and let everyone go to hell with them.
"I'm listening".
The sentence uttered though confident was betrayed by the tone and swings in the voice, which together indicated a deep fear of whatever was to come. And she completely felt the fear that seemed to dwell in every space of her mind, making it a void, a blank.
She leaned over the counter, leaning on both arms, intending to get as close as possible, so that other employees or clients who were coming in couldn't hear what she was about to say.
"Amy Fowler is coming today, delivering a letter to be sent to Texas." She said unpretentiously, studying his confused expression.
"Oh yes, she always sends letters there, and always receives, too, you must know the beautiful love story between her and the son of the late Dr. Cooper." Fear had completely paralyzed his train of thought, and words rolled from his mouth without him having time to realize what he was saying.
"Yes, I know, they both think they love each other, but that will not last long."
The pupils of the young villain widened because of the fury. Why the hell did everyone think that Amy and Cooper were a nice couple? Had not they ever stopped to think that she might be a better mate to him? Just her. From the day she had first seen him in dance class at school. But Amy had come first, and they danced together in that class as well as all the others in the years that followed. While she had to dance with some other boy whose name she had not even remembered. The only memory in her mind was how Sheldon and Amy smiled at each other and laughed at any comment the other made, but that because of the distance it became impossible for her to hear.
They were both so innocent then. But she did not see innocence, nor the friendship they nurtured since they were still mostly babies. She could see only Amy stealing the boy she liked, but like anything else she could manage in her life, she would not have him from shouting. And that irritated her deeply.
"And why do you say that?" Stuart wondered still uncertain about what she came to do, but with a great fear of what could be.
"Because Sheldon Cooper will not receive the letter. You're going to have it return to Amy Fowler with the recipient's refusal stamp." Cold, rigid and direct.
"No, I will not. This is against the Courier code of ethics, I may be fired for it."
The look she threw at him might kill. But for the first time since he'd noticed her presence, the light of courage seemed to light in the background if his mind. He could not. No way. In addition to going against the ethics of his temporary profession, messing up a love story as beautiful and as pure as the two was a crime he was not willing to commit.
But she had her cards up her sleeve... What she could not gain from shouting was often won on the basis of blackmail, but she would still keep that letter for a while.
"My father is a friend of the Mail's owner, I can assure you that you will not lose your job."
"Never mind, this is wrong." He said firmly.
And the letter was about to be released.
Once more, that somber smile took over her face. And again Stuart felt the fear taking over his mind. Like a hypnosis, or a drug that paralyzes you.
"Oh Stuart, I didn't want it to be like this, but you're really making things very difficult," the artificially sweet voice made the man dizzy. "Let's put it this way: either you do what I'm asking you, or I'm going to tell my dad right now that you tried to harass me and so you get fired."
"Would not you have the nerve?"
Would she?
Benevolence and empathy were never, and would never be an attribute present in Ramona's character. She wanted what she wanted, no matter what it cost, give to whoever hurts and damn who she could hurt. She had.
"Do you want to pay to see?" She raised her eyebrow in defiance.
"Miss Ramona, I depend on this job." But that did not matter to her...
Yes, he depended on that job. His sister was about to enter the journalism school, and he was writing his first book. He had drems, just like anyone else. He wanted to have his books published, wanted to open his own publishing company in the distant future when he was a successful author. He wanted his sister to graduate and fulfill her own dreams. And she depended on him.
How many dreams and how many people harmed in favor of a selfish desire?
"Well, then, you better do what I'm asking." She laughed looking at his astonished expression and knew instantly: she had won.
Opening her purse, she took money out of it and slid slowly over the counter. A cynical smile on her face.
"Swallow your money." Stuart said fiercely taking the money and shoving it away. But she pretended not to hear and turned to walk away, stopping at her heels when she realized something had passed. She turned to him again and walked slowly, and when she was close enough she looked into his eyes in a gesture of intimidation.
"Oh, one more thing. She will not receive or send any telegram, i'm being clear?" He inhaled and exhaled heavily still enraged, and she understood what that meant
"Great". She replied contentedly and turned to leave definitely.
Outside the building, Amy climbed the short staircase with a wide, passionate smile drawn on her beautiful, thin lips. The flush on her cheeks exalted her beauty and the gleam in her eyes, making it clear why she smiled. And all the passers-by looked at it, too, but for totally different reasons.
She reached the top of the stairs and her smile gradually faded when she saw who was standing in front of the door. That sensation that had accompanied her since she had woke up early that morning latent again in her being.
"Why do you think you can follow me, Fowler?" Cynicism stamped on Ramona's face. It was noticeable throughout the gesticulating and breathing of her. But for a long time Amy had not been intimidated by it. Or her threats. She was no longer that scared little girl locked in the cleaning closet.
"Really now, do you think you are the only one who uses the post office's services or did you shout so hard that it became exclusive to you?" She laughed sarcastically, while the other watched her discredited by the subtle reaction. But that lasted a few seconds.
That damn cynical smile came back and she walked past Amy with her chin resting on one hand, pondering what she would say next.
"You look very brave, don't you? We'll see how long this lasts." She teased, but Amy wasn't buying any of it.
Ramona continued her walk toward the stairs. Amy watched her go, she had gone down the first step stopping when she heard Amy speak.
"You do not frighten me any more, Ramona, I'm not one of your employees to whom you can take whatever you want on the basis of shouting, the only thing you do is nauseating me. Now, If you excuse me, I have more important things to do".
And with that she turned toward the door of the building again, leaving a raging Ramona behind her. She could even try to separate Sheldon and Amy, she could even do it. For a short time. But fear? It didn't matter to Amy any more, and it pounded Ramona more than anything else.
XXX
Amy completed her assignments at the post office, all the time grinning heartily at Stuart. Failing to notice his discomfort. He waged an internal battle between what was right, and his sister's future. As soon as Amy left he decided to keep the letter and decide what to do after.
Later that day, she was still at the Institute. Walking through the various halls looking for her father. But he was not in the office. Not even in the library. She then decided to get into the boardroom. It was late afternoon, and they rarely had any meetings at that time. But it was the last place she could look.
She raised her hand closed to knock on the door, but then she couldn't. For some reason she didn't know, her heart contracted inside her chest and began to beat at a frenetic pace and then she felt it.
Again, that sensation disturbed her.
She could hear voices inside the room, but she could not distinguish them. Serious, male voices. They seemed to be in some discussion, but it was not possible to understand what they were talking about, and the discussion increased in rhythm and volume, at the same time that her anxiety increased.
She knocked but no one seemed to hear.
She knocked again with more force. And then, suddenly, they ceased.
Although no one had told her to come in she decided that now would be her chance. Slowly, carefully turning the door handle, she opened it and took a shy step into the room.
But his father was not there.
Two pairs of visibly troubled eyes stared at her.
Two pairs of nearly identical eyes. Eyes of father and son.
Owen and Barry Kripke.
The older one who was in the middle of the room, seemed to be passing from one side to the other. The youngest was standing by the huge window with his arms folded. Both with red face. They both looked at her as if she were a hunt.
Amy's breath stopped.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt."
That's all she could say. All the words of the vast vocabulary seemed to elude her at that moment.
"Miss Fowler, how can I help you?" Owen's face softened and he smiled a yellow smile. But what he carried in his eyes was frightening.
Barry just stared at her, not saying a word. The whole scene passing before her eyes, but it was as if she was not there, she started to act in automatic.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kripke, I'm looking for my father, did you see him?" She took a step closer to the door. A gesture of anticipation and fear. She was not very sure, after all she was not controlling her actions.
"Well, he left not too long ago. Is there something wrong?" He went towards the huge table and began to organize some papers that were on the object.
It took her a few seconds before she realized she should respond.
"No, I just needed to deliver to him some documents that arrived in the mail today." Her voice exuded more confidence than she actually had.
"If it is about the Institute, you can leave it with me. There are no problems." He offered.
"Actually, I don't know what it's about, I think I'd better take it to him, but anyway, thank you." She had gained control of herself again. And she was happy to realize that she didn't have anything else to do there. She would not stay a second longer in the presence of those two men.
"You're welcome, miss." He nodded indicating a farewell commitment, which she answered vocally.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kripke, Mr. Barry." She said turning to the last, who was standing with his arms crossed still close to the window, staring at her with the same expression. Barry just as his father just nodded toward her. In the next instant she was already outside and the door closed behind her.
Barry kept looking toward the door. For two long minutes, until his father noticed. The clue his look gave away easy to recognize.
Admiration. Hope.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" Owen asked and Kripke seemed out of his stupor. Entering a state of alert by the tone of his father. Something terribly offensive would follow
"Yes, she is very pretty". He cast a suspicious glance toward his father.
"You know, her father told me the other day that Sheldon Cooper plans to marry her as soon as he returns from Texas. That's a lucky boy." Right there.
In that exact place. Between the lines of that sentence, Barry understood where his father would come with all that.
Once again.
Again he would say how much he would prefer Sheldon Cooper - or George Junior - to be his son, instead of him. It was the same subject since he was still very young. Owen spared no comparisons. Sheldon, though younger, was smarter. More polite. More cultured. More responsible. He was much more talented at whatever he was up to do. It was always Sheldon. Or George. But most of the time, Sheldon. The reason for such comparison was still unknown to Barry. Although he had his misgivings there that something very serious had happened in the past. At that time, that would still be kept, until he was sure of what it was. At that moment, he would use his best defense macanism: pretending he did not understand what he was talking about.
"And what do I have to do with it?" He looked back at the window, as he was a few minutes ago, and watched as Amy crossed the courtyard toward the gate.
"Well, he and his siblings lost their father and all the fortune they had." Owen clasped his hands behind him and began to walk slowly toward his son, who now watched the girl who had left the room a few minutes ago, talking to the doorman. "Sheldon will return in a year to study physics at the Institute and marry an equally intelligent, beatiful, astute, educated lady. Very different from those brainless stupid girls you're courting around in. Don't you feel bad knowing they've gotten much better in life than you?" The last sentence had been uttered so intimidatingly that Barry sat the size of a pea.
He cursed himself internally for letting his father exercise so much power over him.
"I don't give a shit about them, or what they make out of life." His voice a tenuous whisper, which wipes out all his insecurity. Owen laughed dejectedly as he walked away and walked quietly back and forth across the room.
"Well, you should, at least for Sheldon Cooper. I'm sure that a year from now when he returns, all the attention will be on him and his future bride. You know, they're going to study here. Surely, they'll be the power couple in the scientific environment".
Owen knew exactly what were his son's weaknesses. It took a long time before Barry decided to study at the Institute. After years of having to do his first school years over and over again, since he was not interested enough in school to devote himself, he decided to stay behind his father. Now that he would finally do something in his life, there was Sheldon again, proving without the slightest intention that he was much better than he.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" He asked rhetorically.
"I would be much more proud to have a son like Sheldon Cooper than I have of you. Twenty-two years and all you do is spend my money. You've never introduced me to a decent girl and does not give a damn about business nor education. You know sometimes I think it's good that your mother is not alive to see how disgusted you are as a son".
"That's enough," Barry shouted in fury. How could your own father be so low, so bad? "Do not put my mother in that," he warned, turning to his father.
"So act like a man, it's past time for that, Barry." His father screamed even louder. Anyone passing by could hear the argument, even with the door closed.
They stared at each other for a moment. Until Owen collected the rest of the papers on the table, he placed them in a briefcase and turned toward the door, not saying another word, but Barry was not finished. Not yet. There was a promise to be made. He swore with all his being, all his soul, more to himself than to the father and then, he voiced the promise, and once spoken aloud it became real.
"You'll still be proud of me. Keep my words."
Owen stopped suddenly. Surprised at first. But he would not take his son seriously. He did not even bother to look at him, just laughed debauchedly for a few minutes that seemed to have no end, until the laughter ceased and he let out a long sigh.
"That's what we'll see." He still laughed, and made his way to the door. Leaving Barry with his thoughts.
He turned back to the window, but Amy was gone.
A plan suddenly crossed his thoughts.
XXX
AN: OH MY! What does Barry Kripke have in mind? Let me know your thoughts, please. XX