**** They left Benji to be babysit by their good old neighbour's daughter informing her that they will be back in a hour or so time. She couldn't help but feel nervous as Ben drove her to her brother's loft. He could tell she wasn't looking forward to this conversation and was playing around with her hands. "do you think he will listen?" Maria asked. He kept quiet knowing what the verdict will be.
"It depends on whether he wants to give his marriage another go, without the interference of others," Ben told her. They walked up after parking the car and looked unsure to walk in. "look just play it by ear," Ben told her holding her back by the wrist. "I'll try," Maria agreed.
She knocked on the door while moments later she watched Gabi open the door. Maria eyed her with raised eyebrow while Gabi looked surprised to see her. "Maria what brings you here?" Gabi questioned her while Maria glanced back at Ben who only read her eyes. "I guess you have your answer," Ben whispered in her ears as while Maria shook her head. She could sense from the dull lighting and the music on the duke box where this was all leading. "Gabi, who's here?" Ricardo asked while he walked up to slowly.
"What are you two doing here?" Ricardo questioned them both. "your sister was worried about you," Ben responds while Maria stood in silence. "well it's a good thing you escorted her," Ricardo replies. "It's what I remember you were so good at doing," Ben added while smirk appeared on both the old friend's faces. "you were good for her and she was just as good for you," Ricardo mentions. "but you know she saw many traces of me in you," Ricardo mentioned. "Ricardo you and Ben are nothing alike," Gabi stated the obvious. "Oh they are more alike than ones ignorant mind could comprehend," Maria finally stated digging at Gabi and gazed back at her husband. Ricardo could feel this unease tenseness in his sister as she still remained standing by the door.
"why are you still standing by the door for?" He asked his sister. "get in," he ordered harshly as Maria did. She still looked tense and reserved. "So... has he been taking good care of you?" Ricardo asked walking up to her slowly ready to almost integrate her. "as always. Don't you know that a Kingdom was built for me a decade ago to live in it forever," Maria reminded him. "Its pretty hard to forget something this extraordinary like that," Ricardo tells her. "He is a very good husband and provides me the very thing that I need," Maria continued as she glanced back and forth at Ben and her brother. "which is?" Ricardo wanted to know. "security, stability, assurance, guidance and strength," Maria expressed while Ben shook his head amused.
"no love," Ricardo had to ask as he knew his sister will never have stayed in a marriage without it. "Passionate souls need no love because they are creator of love and such passion," Maria observed while Ricardo laughed. "God Lightening you haven't changed one bit. That's exactly what you are," he complimented his sister. "you and I both..." Maria stated with frown and lost is deep, brooding thoughts. "Ricardo, when you love, you do so with so much passion and when you hate its with passion too," Maria observed her brother as Gabi liked how Maria observed Ricardo. She was beginning to see a side of him which he buried after her death. "And that's what worries me the most. Some emotions are very difficult to supress and bury and may end up getting caught in the web of it all causing more damage and destruction to one's own soul," Maria explained as Gabi began to realise Maria was so much wiser and deeper than Meg. She was beginning to understand what Ricardo meant when he talked about how beautiful and intelligent she was and everyone loved being around her. She saw glimpses of Antonio in her.
"And I can't help but not worry about you," Maria told him honestly. "Maria why don't you and Ben stay for dinner," Gabi suggested. "another time maybe Gabi, we need to get back to Benji," Ben cut in quickly. "well it's such a shame because i've become quiet fond of my sister in law," Gabi mentioned. "I kind of understand now what Ricardo meant that everyone loved to be around her." "and here I was thinking of being the destroyer of all happiness," Maria stated. "no you use senses to fight an unseen battle which others choose not to see," Ben corrected him. "Is it because they are sleep or because they choose to deny it," Maria questioned him. "it's because they choose not to believe because they are scared," Ricardo declared. "Scared about what?" Gabi asked. "the truth and what lies beneath the iceberg," Ben lets out.
"You want a cheeseburger," Ben offered with a very serious expression, as she burst into laughter. "Only if you sit with thou and count the ocean waves," Maria tells him. "I think that would be pretty easy to arrange."
"look Gabi and I decided to give our marriage and another shot and i might as well tell you both now," Ricardo says. "if that's what makes you happy," Maria declared. "my relationship isn't with her but it's with my brother," Maria reminds him. "i don't want any ill feelings between my wife and my sister," Ricardo told Maria firmly as she sensed that Gabi told him the awkward cold encounter they had in the Java Web. She bit her tongue and remained quiet nodding her head. "We need to build the bridges and move away from what has happened," Ricardo mentioned while she glanced back at Ben gulping. It sounded all too familiar to her those words as she recalls her husband telling these same words. Ben knew what she was thinking.
"and that's how it should be then," Maria answered and took hold of her brothers hand placing a respectful kiss on it. Ricardo only tightened his grip in her hand and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I love you more," Ricardo declared making Maria teary knowing her brother will never able to live with himself. "and forever though shall be," Maria stated and stared back at Ben. "I like to go home now please," Maria tells her husband as he grabbed her by the arm and placed her in front of him leading her out first.
"Evans..." Ricardo called him back while Ben looked over his shoulders. "I know Ricardo, I know what you going to say," Ben told him as he walked out with her...
**** He came and knocked on her room door to find changed into a silk white night gown. "Hey." "Hi," Maria greeted him. "I wanted to check up on you before I went to bed," Ben told her . "you didn't eat your cheese burger." "i'm not hungry," she responded as he came and sat next to her. "I'm fine Ben, you don't have to worry about me," Maria assured him. "your just worried about him aren't you," Ben asked. "Is it that obvious," Maria asked. "To me it is." "why do I get this unease within me that his making a mistake," Maria lets out. "you need to tell him." "how when he made a decision just as you did," Maria stated stubbornly. "How do you get one to see the implication of their action." "like how you showed me," Ben replied by placing a supportive hand around her shoulder while she leans her head under his neck.
"You know I would of have thought he would have been married by now, settled with children," Maria expressed while Ben listened. "and Annie would have finished law school and be one the best attorney of Southern California," Maria went on watching her thoughts drift. "Antonio would have made a commitment to someone instead of the church..." she paused as she looked at Ben. "Gregory would have taken an early retirement with his wife instead of taking his early retirement in prison," Maria observed more. "and you would have taken over the company by now." He could hear the sadness in her voice. "just a shame that with me getting ripped away from you, how much damage its caused bringing destruction and interruption to so many lives and making them make some poor choices and decisions." "That's not your fault," Ben made her see. "I can't help but not feel responsible just like you who has been carrying this burden over your shoulders for so long," Maria declared. Only his other half would have felt his pain, unlike Meg who always tried to understand his pain. "Would it make you proud if I did take over the Liberty co-operation," Ben asked wanting to know what her thoughts were. "it would be as though i have stepped into the future with you," Maria stated. "well there is definitely one good thing that has come out of all this," Ben says glancing at the photo frame of Maria and Benji together "Benji," Maria lets out. "that's right."
She lets out a big sigh. "When do you think we will get the results of the swab test?" Maria asked. "soon." "after the result what then?" Maria asked him. He shook his head not knowing what the next steps will be for them. "you know Ricardo told me that I should play married forever game with you," Ben informed her while Maria burst into laughter "we are that good huh," Maria wondered. "Oh the best." "well according to Annie, we give the best adult entertainment and refers us as her favourite soap opera," Maria continued as they both kept laughing. "well... we should give this small town something to talk about then," Maria implied With a cheeky smirk on her face. "oh this town definitely loves a good gossip," Ben assured her giving a manipulating smirk. "everyone envied us didn't they? And some still do," Maria stated. "they like what they see." "mama thinks we have been inflicted by the evil eye," Maria mentioned. "do you believe her," Ben asked. "i think we have been cursed," Maria answered. "have you ever felt like that?" "so many times," Ben confesses. "do you think it's true?" Maria wanted to know. "do you?" Ben asked her. "I asked you first," Maria tells him. "well i am asking you now," Ben threw back behaving impossible. "Maybe..."
"do you think Ricardo craves for the kind of marriage that we had?" "i think he wants the type of wife that will honourate him and you do it without even realising it. You have way of articulating and expressing things in such honourable, respectful way," Ben explained. "like how you said how I provided you what you need." "but its because you do," Maria reminds him. "You say and do things so naturally that anyone will find themselves lost in you." "are you part of that everyone or are you exclusive," Maria wondered as it was difficult her to know where she stood with him and what his true feelings are for her. "he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead but she tilted her head up and sealed a soft kiss on her lips. "That wasn't meant to happen," Maria told him. But she pulled him by his shirt and kissed him properly till they were both satisfied.