Chapter 9

The de la Vega garden...

Diego waited for the interrogation that he knew was about to come. Don Alejandro would not rest until he found out about his son's past and the woman that he was in love with...If I had not been so outspoken for once...none of this would have happened, he thought. How ironic...

"Diego! Diego! There you are, son, I was looking for you."

"I have been out here, Father."

"This was always one of your favorite places to go to when you wanted to think. How did things go with Margarita?"

"Not well, I am afraid. She is convinced herself that she is in love with Zorro and that she has a chance with him," Diego sighed.

"Margarita is merely infatuated with Zorro. I am sure that this will pass, Diego. I wanted to talk to you about something else, son..."

"I knew you did not come all the way out here just to talk about your nephew's love life... You want to know about what I said to Rafael about being in love."

"You have never shown the slightest interest in any of the ladies in the pueblo so I must assume that this happened while you were in Spain."

"I was in love...when I was in Spain."

"You never told me about any of this. Was it so painful that you could not share this with your own father?"

"Once I returned home...it did not seem as important at the time...so much was going on..."

"It saddens me to find out that you have hidden such an important part of your life from me," the old don placed a supportive hand on Diego's shoulder.

"I didn't want to bother you with my problems, Father."

"Who was she? What happened?"

"Zafira and I talked about getting married but then I was summoned to return home. Circumstances conspired against us. I don't know what happened to her."

"It must have been very painful for you. Is that why you are not interested in marriage, son?"

"What I felt for her was not the kind of love that you shared with my mother. I want a love that will last a lifetime..." Diego immediately thought of the woman who had captured his heart…her eyes, her smile, and the thought of seeing her everyday brought a wistful smile to his face.

"I have always wanted you to find a woman who would inspire you, challenge you. The time I had with your mother...I would not trade it for anything else in the world. Are you are in love with someone, son," Don Alejandro's question was confirmed by the look in his son's eyes. "Why haven't you done something about it? Who is this young lady?"

"She is in love with someone that I cannot compete with."

"What man could be so special that a woman would overlook a man like you?" Most of Diego's peers were married…There were only a few eligible bachelors in Los Angeles and the most coveted one was…No, it could not be…."Are you in love with Victoria, son?"

"Why would you think something like that? She thinks of me as a big brother..."

"How can be so certain of that, my boy?"

"Victoria does not even know that I exist. I could not possibly compete with Zorro."

"That's not true, Diego. She was very attracted to you when you returned from Spain...It was a plain as the nose on your face."

"That was years ago, Father," he protested, "She doesn't think of me that way anymore."

"How do you know if you have not even tried to court her? It is time that you think about marriage and a family of your own. Think about it. What woman would not be carried away by the romance of Zorro? The man cuts quite a figure on that stallion of his," Don Alejandro admitted.

"Don't you see, Father. I am just an ordinary man. I am not dashing or charismatic like Zorro."

"You give yourself too little credit. Sometimes, you are too modest for your own good. You have an advantage, son, if only you would use it... You actually spend time with Victoria...Use that to your advantage, my son," Alejandro smiled, "All I ask is that you think about it."

"But father," he protested.

"No, but father me, Diego de la Vega." Don Alejandro would not allow this golden opportunity slip through his son's fingers. Victoria would be the ideal wife for my son and mother to my grandchildren. "Court her, Diego. You can win her heart. She might chose you if only you would make the effort. Think about it, son."

ZZZ

Don Alejandro hoped that his words would spur his son to action or he would risk losing Victoria forever. No young man in his right mind would let such an opportunity slip through his fingers slip so easily. I hope my son has sense enough to heed my advice. Diego is skilled in scientific matters but in matters of the heart, he is woefully inept. To think that my son is in love with Victoria Escalante and evidently has been for years...I wonder if there is anything else my son is keeping from me...

ZZZ

Diego tossed and turned as he considered his father's words. Court her, Diego...It is time that she consider other alternatives...If only it were that simple.