Chapter 10: Insight
Miranda tossed and turned over in her bed for what felt like the billioneth time. Rolling over, she looked at the clock and groaned. 3:14 AM. She was having serious issues with falling asleep tonight. She knew why, too.
"Gordo." she sighed. Without thinking about it for a moment longer, she got up and threw on her sneakers, heading to the window.
***
Gordo was still half asleep as he heard what sounded like a rapping on his window. Forcing himself to wake up, he rolled over and looked at the window. Miranda! He leapt out of bed and went over to the window, pulling it open.
"Fancy meeting you here." he said.
"Can I come in?"
"Well I sure as hell don't want you hanging out of the window." Gordo replied. Without another word, he helped pull her through the window.
"Note to self, get a ladder." Miranda said, dusting herself off.
"Why are you here?" Gordo asked, looking at her peculiarly.
"I...I came to apologize." Miranda said.
Gordo nodded. "Right. Apologize. Let me guess. Sorry you made a move on me? Sorry you screwed up our friendship?"
Miranda shook her head. "I'm sorry I freaked out."
"Yeah, well, so am I." Gordo said.
"You're still mad." Miranda said.
"Well of course I am, Miranda! I mean...God! Just...God!"
"Gordo, this hasn't been easy on me either!" Miranda yelled.
"Compared to what I've been going through? It's been a freakin' picnic!"
"Gordo, you don't know what's going on inside my head, okay?"
"I have a pretty good idea!" Gordo shot back.
"I was scared!" Miranda stated.
"Scared? Why were you scared?" Gordo asked quizzically.
"Gordo, what happened between us..." Miranda started.
"What happened between us was amazing. Nothing short of amazing. How could that scare you???" Gordo fired back.
"Gordo shut up and let me talk!" Miranda said. "God, always an opinion about everything!"
Gordo harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Gordo, you're right. What happened between us was amazing. But god...intense? Yeah. In fact I don't even know if intense is a word I'd use to describe it! Those feelings, didn't they catch you off guard a little? I've never felt anything like that before! Never. I felt like every nerve in my body was going to snap...and it scared me!" Miranda said. She sat down on the bed. "Is it supposed to be like that?"
"From what I've heard, yeah." Gordo said. He sighed, and sat down next to her. "You could have talked to me."
Miranda shook her head. "No I couldn't have. It was something I needed to work out on my own. Gordo, I don't like this. Us being mad at each other I mean. I'm not going to be here much longer."
"I know." Gordo sighed. He pushed her hair back off her face. "I don't want you to leave."
"I don't wanna leave either. But I'm gonna. I have no control over it."
"Have you tried talking to your mom?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head no.
"She hates me."
"She's just angry."
"Well she's angry at the wrong person! I didn't cause her marriage to fall apart, you know."
"And no one disputes this!" Gordo replied. "I'm just telling you..."
"I know. I shouldn't take my problems out on you."
They sat there for a minute, silent.
"Look...I guess...I mean...I think that...maybe...we should go back to just being friends." Gordo said.
"Really?" Miranda asked.
"Of course. I mean...can you really see us as a couple? We're best friends." Gordo replied.
"Gordo, do you really mean it or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
"No, I...I mean it. I do." Gordo lied. "Let's just be friends."
Miranda smiled. "Okay. Back to normal." she hugged him. "Alright, well I'm gonna go back home now that we've got everything sorted out."
"Okay." Gordo replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Miranda said. She kissed him on the cheek and then headed to the window, climbing out of it and taking off down the street.
Gordo sighed and fell back on the bed.
**The Next Day**
Gordo nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he knocked on the door of the Hernandez home. Or so he thought. This was the address Miranda's father had given him. The door opened, and Daniella Sanchez appeared.
"David, shouldn't you be in school?" she asked.
Gordo shrugged. "I think I can survive missing one class. Mrs. Sanchez, I came to talk to you about Miranda."
"I thought as much. Come in."
Gordo followed her inside the brick, Spanish style home into the living room, which was adorned with Mexican and Mexican-American style furniture and accents.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Daniella asked.
"No, that's alright."
"Have a seat." Daniella said. Gordo sat on the huge red couch, and Daniella sat down in the wooden chair across from him.
"Mrs. Sanchez, I came to ask you a favor. About Miranda."
"Go on, David."
"Please, Mrs. Sanchez..." Gordo took a deep breath. "I'm begging you, don't make her move with her father to Mexico. Miranda's coming into the age where she NEEDS a mother. Please don't take that away from her. She's at a crossroads right now, and she could go either way...please don't have anything with her going the wrong way."
"David, is this really about Miranda going the wrong way, or is this more about you don't want your girlfriend moving away?" Daniella asked.
"Mrs. Sanchez, I care about your daughter. I do. I think I'm in love with her, even. And I know she has feelings for me. We're close. I know Miranda better than anyone, probably moreso than Miranda knows Miranda. And I know how much this is killing her."
"Are you saying I don't know my own child?" Daniella replied.
"I'm saying if you let her go like this, you never will." Gordo replied.
"David, I think you should get to school." Daniella commented, standing up.
"Yeah, I get the point." Gordo said. "Mrs. Sanchez, you're making a huge mistake here, just letting her go like that. She's your DAUGHTER. If you let her go...you obviously know nothing. She's a great person, she is. You just don't give her the chance to be." He turned and left, letting himself out the front door.
Daniella sat back down, Gordo's words still echoing in her head. How could a fourteen year old be so insightful?
As much as Daniella Sanchez hated to admit it, he was right.
Miranda tossed and turned over in her bed for what felt like the billioneth time. Rolling over, she looked at the clock and groaned. 3:14 AM. She was having serious issues with falling asleep tonight. She knew why, too.
"Gordo." she sighed. Without thinking about it for a moment longer, she got up and threw on her sneakers, heading to the window.
***
Gordo was still half asleep as he heard what sounded like a rapping on his window. Forcing himself to wake up, he rolled over and looked at the window. Miranda! He leapt out of bed and went over to the window, pulling it open.
"Fancy meeting you here." he said.
"Can I come in?"
"Well I sure as hell don't want you hanging out of the window." Gordo replied. Without another word, he helped pull her through the window.
"Note to self, get a ladder." Miranda said, dusting herself off.
"Why are you here?" Gordo asked, looking at her peculiarly.
"I...I came to apologize." Miranda said.
Gordo nodded. "Right. Apologize. Let me guess. Sorry you made a move on me? Sorry you screwed up our friendship?"
Miranda shook her head. "I'm sorry I freaked out."
"Yeah, well, so am I." Gordo said.
"You're still mad." Miranda said.
"Well of course I am, Miranda! I mean...God! Just...God!"
"Gordo, this hasn't been easy on me either!" Miranda yelled.
"Compared to what I've been going through? It's been a freakin' picnic!"
"Gordo, you don't know what's going on inside my head, okay?"
"I have a pretty good idea!" Gordo shot back.
"I was scared!" Miranda stated.
"Scared? Why were you scared?" Gordo asked quizzically.
"Gordo, what happened between us..." Miranda started.
"What happened between us was amazing. Nothing short of amazing. How could that scare you???" Gordo fired back.
"Gordo shut up and let me talk!" Miranda said. "God, always an opinion about everything!"
Gordo harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Gordo, you're right. What happened between us was amazing. But god...intense? Yeah. In fact I don't even know if intense is a word I'd use to describe it! Those feelings, didn't they catch you off guard a little? I've never felt anything like that before! Never. I felt like every nerve in my body was going to snap...and it scared me!" Miranda said. She sat down on the bed. "Is it supposed to be like that?"
"From what I've heard, yeah." Gordo said. He sighed, and sat down next to her. "You could have talked to me."
Miranda shook her head. "No I couldn't have. It was something I needed to work out on my own. Gordo, I don't like this. Us being mad at each other I mean. I'm not going to be here much longer."
"I know." Gordo sighed. He pushed her hair back off her face. "I don't want you to leave."
"I don't wanna leave either. But I'm gonna. I have no control over it."
"Have you tried talking to your mom?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head no.
"She hates me."
"She's just angry."
"Well she's angry at the wrong person! I didn't cause her marriage to fall apart, you know."
"And no one disputes this!" Gordo replied. "I'm just telling you..."
"I know. I shouldn't take my problems out on you."
They sat there for a minute, silent.
"Look...I guess...I mean...I think that...maybe...we should go back to just being friends." Gordo said.
"Really?" Miranda asked.
"Of course. I mean...can you really see us as a couple? We're best friends." Gordo replied.
"Gordo, do you really mean it or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
"No, I...I mean it. I do." Gordo lied. "Let's just be friends."
Miranda smiled. "Okay. Back to normal." she hugged him. "Alright, well I'm gonna go back home now that we've got everything sorted out."
"Okay." Gordo replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Miranda said. She kissed him on the cheek and then headed to the window, climbing out of it and taking off down the street.
Gordo sighed and fell back on the bed.
**The Next Day**
Gordo nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he knocked on the door of the Hernandez home. Or so he thought. This was the address Miranda's father had given him. The door opened, and Daniella Sanchez appeared.
"David, shouldn't you be in school?" she asked.
Gordo shrugged. "I think I can survive missing one class. Mrs. Sanchez, I came to talk to you about Miranda."
"I thought as much. Come in."
Gordo followed her inside the brick, Spanish style home into the living room, which was adorned with Mexican and Mexican-American style furniture and accents.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Daniella asked.
"No, that's alright."
"Have a seat." Daniella said. Gordo sat on the huge red couch, and Daniella sat down in the wooden chair across from him.
"Mrs. Sanchez, I came to ask you a favor. About Miranda."
"Go on, David."
"Please, Mrs. Sanchez..." Gordo took a deep breath. "I'm begging you, don't make her move with her father to Mexico. Miranda's coming into the age where she NEEDS a mother. Please don't take that away from her. She's at a crossroads right now, and she could go either way...please don't have anything with her going the wrong way."
"David, is this really about Miranda going the wrong way, or is this more about you don't want your girlfriend moving away?" Daniella asked.
"Mrs. Sanchez, I care about your daughter. I do. I think I'm in love with her, even. And I know she has feelings for me. We're close. I know Miranda better than anyone, probably moreso than Miranda knows Miranda. And I know how much this is killing her."
"Are you saying I don't know my own child?" Daniella replied.
"I'm saying if you let her go like this, you never will." Gordo replied.
"David, I think you should get to school." Daniella commented, standing up.
"Yeah, I get the point." Gordo said. "Mrs. Sanchez, you're making a huge mistake here, just letting her go like that. She's your DAUGHTER. If you let her go...you obviously know nothing. She's a great person, she is. You just don't give her the chance to be." He turned and left, letting himself out the front door.
Daniella sat back down, Gordo's words still echoing in her head. How could a fourteen year old be so insightful?
As much as Daniella Sanchez hated to admit it, he was right.