CHAPTER 2
Christmas Vacation
They were having dinner when he spoke.
"May I be excused from the table?"
"Where are you going?"
"To visit Teresa."
"You will do no such thing."
"But Mother, I haven't seen her since the semester started. I have to let her know that I'm back from boarding school."
"I said no."
"And why is that?"
"Why do you always have to question everything our parents say to you?"
"Why don't you mind your own business Ethan?"
He got up and started walking, but then he turned and faces both his parents and his brother.
"One day, I will marry Teresa."
"You will do no such a thing. You are only 15 to be thinking about marriage and Teresa is the housekeeper's daughter. She isn't what we could call blue blood."
"I don't care, Father. I'm not the heir, Ethan is. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Listen to you father, Fox. Teresa is off limits. Take that stupid idea out of your mind right now. No son of mine will marry a Lopez-Fitzgerald."
He looked at her angrily, picked up his coat and walked out the door.
*****************************
She was sitting watching television. Then she turned to her mother.
"Mama, is Fox coming home for Christmas?"
"He was supposed to be here a week ago, but he got in trouble at school. Maybe Ivy and Julian will want to leave him in Europe."
"But that's so cruel. What did he do?"
"I don't know."
She tried to imagine Fox been yelled at by his professor or the principal and him looking at them and yawning in their faces. She cracked a smile.
"I miss him when he's gone."
"But you have Whitney to keep you company and she is your best fried."
"But it's not the same thing, mama. Fox is different."
A knock was heard and she got up to answer. She opened the door and a snowball hit her in her stomach. After she got over the shock of been hit by it, she looked up.
"Oh my God, Nicholas. You're back!"
"Yes I am."
She looked at his hand and he was holding another snowball, ready to fire it.
"I don't think so, Nicholas."
She ran inside the house and got her jacket.
"Where are you going mija?"
"Fox is back, and he attacked me with a snowball so I have to get my revenge."
She ran outside and left the door wide open. Pilar got up to close it, but stood there watching them smilingly for a few minutes.
"Fox and Teresa..I hope you are never torn apart."
***************************
"It's not fair. I can't run in the snow. It's too hard. Fine, I give up. You win."
"What happened to you Teresa? You never admitted to defeat."
He looked at her feigning disapprobation.
"It's just late and I'm tired."
"Well I took the plane from Paris and I'm doing just fine."
"Fox, what would have happened if you had shot that snowball at mama or Luis?"
"If it was Pilar, I would have apologized. If it was Luis, I would have ran as fast as I could."
She started laughing. They both sat in the snow and stared at the sky.
"So, what did you do at school? I bet your parents weren't very happy about it."
"I don't think they care. Of course, Father lectured me and Mother said that I was nothing like Ethan.."
"Ethan is boring, besides he is the heir. He has to be serious. So, tell me what you did."
"Well, I snuck in the kitchens, stole eggs, left them in a my closet to rot, then threw them inside the Dean's office."
She started laughing.
"That was a good one. Why did you do it?"
"He was going to kick me out because of my skipping classes, so I thought I would give him a really good reason to do it."
"Nicholas, you'll never change."
He walked her back to the cottage and waited for her to get in before he made his way back to the mansion.
**********************************
"You're finally back."
"Why? Were you waiting up for me because this is the first time, Father." "Fox, I am serious when I say that you cannot think of the Lopez-Fitzgerald girl like that."
"I was just saying that, Father. To get on Mother's nerves, you know."
"That's my boy."
He put his hand on his son's shoulder, but took it as soon as it had touched him. Instead, he picked up his glass of brandy. Fox looked at his father with a mixed feelings. He wanted to sit and speak to him but then, he didn't want to because he suspected that Julian would probably be drunk in a few minutes. He went up to his room and slept. He was in Harmony for ten days and he was going to spend them with Teresa because as far as he was concerned, she was the only one who cared.
They were having dinner when he spoke.
"May I be excused from the table?"
"Where are you going?"
"To visit Teresa."
"You will do no such thing."
"But Mother, I haven't seen her since the semester started. I have to let her know that I'm back from boarding school."
"I said no."
"And why is that?"
"Why do you always have to question everything our parents say to you?"
"Why don't you mind your own business Ethan?"
He got up and started walking, but then he turned and faces both his parents and his brother.
"One day, I will marry Teresa."
"You will do no such a thing. You are only 15 to be thinking about marriage and Teresa is the housekeeper's daughter. She isn't what we could call blue blood."
"I don't care, Father. I'm not the heir, Ethan is. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Listen to you father, Fox. Teresa is off limits. Take that stupid idea out of your mind right now. No son of mine will marry a Lopez-Fitzgerald."
He looked at her angrily, picked up his coat and walked out the door.
*****************************
She was sitting watching television. Then she turned to her mother.
"Mama, is Fox coming home for Christmas?"
"He was supposed to be here a week ago, but he got in trouble at school. Maybe Ivy and Julian will want to leave him in Europe."
"But that's so cruel. What did he do?"
"I don't know."
She tried to imagine Fox been yelled at by his professor or the principal and him looking at them and yawning in their faces. She cracked a smile.
"I miss him when he's gone."
"But you have Whitney to keep you company and she is your best fried."
"But it's not the same thing, mama. Fox is different."
A knock was heard and she got up to answer. She opened the door and a snowball hit her in her stomach. After she got over the shock of been hit by it, she looked up.
"Oh my God, Nicholas. You're back!"
"Yes I am."
She looked at his hand and he was holding another snowball, ready to fire it.
"I don't think so, Nicholas."
She ran inside the house and got her jacket.
"Where are you going mija?"
"Fox is back, and he attacked me with a snowball so I have to get my revenge."
She ran outside and left the door wide open. Pilar got up to close it, but stood there watching them smilingly for a few minutes.
"Fox and Teresa..I hope you are never torn apart."
***************************
"It's not fair. I can't run in the snow. It's too hard. Fine, I give up. You win."
"What happened to you Teresa? You never admitted to defeat."
He looked at her feigning disapprobation.
"It's just late and I'm tired."
"Well I took the plane from Paris and I'm doing just fine."
"Fox, what would have happened if you had shot that snowball at mama or Luis?"
"If it was Pilar, I would have apologized. If it was Luis, I would have ran as fast as I could."
She started laughing. They both sat in the snow and stared at the sky.
"So, what did you do at school? I bet your parents weren't very happy about it."
"I don't think they care. Of course, Father lectured me and Mother said that I was nothing like Ethan.."
"Ethan is boring, besides he is the heir. He has to be serious. So, tell me what you did."
"Well, I snuck in the kitchens, stole eggs, left them in a my closet to rot, then threw them inside the Dean's office."
She started laughing.
"That was a good one. Why did you do it?"
"He was going to kick me out because of my skipping classes, so I thought I would give him a really good reason to do it."
"Nicholas, you'll never change."
He walked her back to the cottage and waited for her to get in before he made his way back to the mansion.
**********************************
"You're finally back."
"Why? Were you waiting up for me because this is the first time, Father." "Fox, I am serious when I say that you cannot think of the Lopez-Fitzgerald girl like that."
"I was just saying that, Father. To get on Mother's nerves, you know."
"That's my boy."
He put his hand on his son's shoulder, but took it as soon as it had touched him. Instead, he picked up his glass of brandy. Fox looked at his father with a mixed feelings. He wanted to sit and speak to him but then, he didn't want to because he suspected that Julian would probably be drunk in a few minutes. He went up to his room and slept. He was in Harmony for ten days and he was going to spend them with Teresa because as far as he was concerned, she was the only one who cared.