Chapter 13:
The plane trip seemed like a blur. I was in tears nearly the whole time. I was
already missing Miguel. Lucky for me, Ricky slept through most of the trip without
wearing me out.
What am I going to do without Miguel in my life for four years? I thought to
myself.
Ricky woke up then and I began to feed him. It was not fair! Ricky was just 4
months old and now for the next 4 years of his life he was not going to be able to know
who his daddy was. Thank God I had brought a picture of Miguel with me. I would
keep Miguel alive in Ricky's heart no matter what.
All I know is, I told myself reassuringly, if Miguel really loves me, like he does,
he won't be with anyone else while I am away. He'll wait for my return, so then we can
be happily together again. I can't wait for that day!
About twenty minutes later, the plane landed in Connecticut.
Here's my new life, I thought to myself. As I got out of the airplane, holding
Ricky in my arms, I looked about.
The weather was pretty cold. The place around me looked beautiful. After
getting my luggage, I quickly hailed a taxi cab. I wanted to get to a safe homey place
as soon as possible. My dormitory was the only place I could go.
I hope Charity chose a nice dorm for me, I thought bitterly, one with a nice
roommate.
After having gotten my room key and taking care of the luggage and all that
extra hoopla, I was in my room, sitting on my bed. Ricky fell asleep by that time so I
put him in his little bassinet.
Just then I heard the door open and in came my new roommate. I was surprised
to see a boy around my age standing there.
This dorm is co-ed? I thought to myself? I didn't know that....
"Hi," said the tall, brown haired, blue eyed boy. "I'm Tony. My resident
advisor told me that I was going to have a female roommate. You're Kathleen
Elizabeth, right?"
"That's right," I said back, not very enthusiastically, since I didn't want to be
here, "But please call me Kay. That is my son, Ricky."
I pointed to where Ricky was sleeping.
"You have a son?" he asked, surprised.
I nodded. "Don't worry, though, he won't be a problem."
He nodded. Hmm, I thought to myself. This guy seemed pretty nice.
Tony closed the door behind him as he got inside. "When did you arrive?" he
asked, trying to make conversation.
"Just about a half hour ago," I replied.
"Oh," he answered. "Are you a freshman?"
"You could say that," I said a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice. "What
about you?"
He laughed. "I'm a junior actually. I transferred here from the University of
Pennsylvania. I wanted to be closer to home."
"Funny," he added, "you don't look like an 18 year old freshman."
"I'm not," I answered. "I'm 20 years old."
Tony's words made me remember the whole mess my life had become. Charity
threatening to kill Ricky and saying that she will be with Miguel once I leave. Forcing
me not to keep in touch with anyone in Harmony.
I turned my back on Tony and sat down on my bed. I didn't want him to see me
crying.
He saw my tears, or at the very least heard me sobbing.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I say something that brought back painful
memories? Cause that's what it seems like. I didn't mean to."
"I know," I said, facing him. "It's ok. Thanks." I wiped my tears away with the
back of my hand.
"Sure," he replied. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
I probably shouldn't have but after Tony asked me that question, I ended up
telling him everything. About how I stopped the wedding. About how I was pregnant
with Ricky. How just when Miguel and I were getting closer, Charity came up with this
devious plan to send me here and away from Miguel. I needed to vent out these
pent-up emotions. And I said all my whole story to Tony that afternoon in our dorm
room.
"Wow," he said when I finished. "And here I thought you were only going to tell
me you were homesick and missing your family. That's quite a story."
I laughed. It felt good to tell someone how I felt about this whole mess about
Charity, Ricky, Miguel and me.
"Your cousin seems like the bane of your existence!" Tony exclaimed.
I nodded a yes.
"So you decided to go ahead with her plan and come to this school and
eventually graduate from this university and return to Harmony in four years?" he
asked.
"What else could I have done?" I asked, surprised by his question. "She
threatened to kill Ricky; I knew she was serious. She would have killed me on her
wedding day had people not been restraining her. Charity's quite the psycho."
He gave a whole-hearted laugh.
I looked at him. We had just spent the last hour discussing my life and what
happened to me this past year. But I still didn't know anything about my roommate.
Who was this Tony guy?
"Why don't you tell me about yourself?"I asked him. "You know a little bit
about me - I want to get to know you."
He gave a wicked, mischievous smile. That grin made it seem as if his past was
worse than mine.
I looked at him, amused. In a way, his sly look reminded me of Miguel. Miguel
used to look at me like that back when we were 15 and almost "going out." That was
before Charity came to town.
Unfortunately, just as Tony was halfway through telling me about how he grew
up here in Connecticut, Ricky woke up from his nap, screaming.
"I'm sorry," I said to Tony. "Let me just try to calm him down and I'll get back
to you."
"No rush," he answered. "So this is the child you had with this Miguel guy. You
must really love him, I mean he's the son you had with the man of your dreams and he
got you and Miguel closer."
I nodded happily. Ricky had gotten me and Miguel to become involved
romantically, but could he still have that effect four years from now?
I frowned as I thought about how much it hurt me not to be able to keep in touch
with anyone in Harmony; what would Miguel think? I hadn't given him a phone number
or address he could reach me at here in Connecticut. He'd probably assume that I
wanted nothing to do with him and that was why I didn't communicate even once! But
that wasn't true! I was being threatened.....
I love you Miguel I silently screamed out to the harsh, cold world. Don't ever
forget it. Keep me alive in your heart no matter what!
The plane trip seemed like a blur. I was in tears nearly the whole time. I was
already missing Miguel. Lucky for me, Ricky slept through most of the trip without
wearing me out.
What am I going to do without Miguel in my life for four years? I thought to
myself.
Ricky woke up then and I began to feed him. It was not fair! Ricky was just 4
months old and now for the next 4 years of his life he was not going to be able to know
who his daddy was. Thank God I had brought a picture of Miguel with me. I would
keep Miguel alive in Ricky's heart no matter what.
All I know is, I told myself reassuringly, if Miguel really loves me, like he does,
he won't be with anyone else while I am away. He'll wait for my return, so then we can
be happily together again. I can't wait for that day!
About twenty minutes later, the plane landed in Connecticut.
Here's my new life, I thought to myself. As I got out of the airplane, holding
Ricky in my arms, I looked about.
The weather was pretty cold. The place around me looked beautiful. After
getting my luggage, I quickly hailed a taxi cab. I wanted to get to a safe homey place
as soon as possible. My dormitory was the only place I could go.
I hope Charity chose a nice dorm for me, I thought bitterly, one with a nice
roommate.
After having gotten my room key and taking care of the luggage and all that
extra hoopla, I was in my room, sitting on my bed. Ricky fell asleep by that time so I
put him in his little bassinet.
Just then I heard the door open and in came my new roommate. I was surprised
to see a boy around my age standing there.
This dorm is co-ed? I thought to myself? I didn't know that....
"Hi," said the tall, brown haired, blue eyed boy. "I'm Tony. My resident
advisor told me that I was going to have a female roommate. You're Kathleen
Elizabeth, right?"
"That's right," I said back, not very enthusiastically, since I didn't want to be
here, "But please call me Kay. That is my son, Ricky."
I pointed to where Ricky was sleeping.
"You have a son?" he asked, surprised.
I nodded. "Don't worry, though, he won't be a problem."
He nodded. Hmm, I thought to myself. This guy seemed pretty nice.
Tony closed the door behind him as he got inside. "When did you arrive?" he
asked, trying to make conversation.
"Just about a half hour ago," I replied.
"Oh," he answered. "Are you a freshman?"
"You could say that," I said a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice. "What
about you?"
He laughed. "I'm a junior actually. I transferred here from the University of
Pennsylvania. I wanted to be closer to home."
"Funny," he added, "you don't look like an 18 year old freshman."
"I'm not," I answered. "I'm 20 years old."
Tony's words made me remember the whole mess my life had become. Charity
threatening to kill Ricky and saying that she will be with Miguel once I leave. Forcing
me not to keep in touch with anyone in Harmony.
I turned my back on Tony and sat down on my bed. I didn't want him to see me
crying.
He saw my tears, or at the very least heard me sobbing.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I say something that brought back painful
memories? Cause that's what it seems like. I didn't mean to."
"I know," I said, facing him. "It's ok. Thanks." I wiped my tears away with the
back of my hand.
"Sure," he replied. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
I probably shouldn't have but after Tony asked me that question, I ended up
telling him everything. About how I stopped the wedding. About how I was pregnant
with Ricky. How just when Miguel and I were getting closer, Charity came up with this
devious plan to send me here and away from Miguel. I needed to vent out these
pent-up emotions. And I said all my whole story to Tony that afternoon in our dorm
room.
"Wow," he said when I finished. "And here I thought you were only going to tell
me you were homesick and missing your family. That's quite a story."
I laughed. It felt good to tell someone how I felt about this whole mess about
Charity, Ricky, Miguel and me.
"Your cousin seems like the bane of your existence!" Tony exclaimed.
I nodded a yes.
"So you decided to go ahead with her plan and come to this school and
eventually graduate from this university and return to Harmony in four years?" he
asked.
"What else could I have done?" I asked, surprised by his question. "She
threatened to kill Ricky; I knew she was serious. She would have killed me on her
wedding day had people not been restraining her. Charity's quite the psycho."
He gave a whole-hearted laugh.
I looked at him. We had just spent the last hour discussing my life and what
happened to me this past year. But I still didn't know anything about my roommate.
Who was this Tony guy?
"Why don't you tell me about yourself?"I asked him. "You know a little bit
about me - I want to get to know you."
He gave a wicked, mischievous smile. That grin made it seem as if his past was
worse than mine.
I looked at him, amused. In a way, his sly look reminded me of Miguel. Miguel
used to look at me like that back when we were 15 and almost "going out." That was
before Charity came to town.
Unfortunately, just as Tony was halfway through telling me about how he grew
up here in Connecticut, Ricky woke up from his nap, screaming.
"I'm sorry," I said to Tony. "Let me just try to calm him down and I'll get back
to you."
"No rush," he answered. "So this is the child you had with this Miguel guy. You
must really love him, I mean he's the son you had with the man of your dreams and he
got you and Miguel closer."
I nodded happily. Ricky had gotten me and Miguel to become involved
romantically, but could he still have that effect four years from now?
I frowned as I thought about how much it hurt me not to be able to keep in touch
with anyone in Harmony; what would Miguel think? I hadn't given him a phone number
or address he could reach me at here in Connecticut. He'd probably assume that I
wanted nothing to do with him and that was why I didn't communicate even once! But
that wasn't true! I was being threatened.....
I love you Miguel I silently screamed out to the harsh, cold world. Don't ever
forget it. Keep me alive in your heart no matter what!