CHAPTER 11
Time
She had a very hard time concentrating on her work. She was sitting in her bedroom, then she felt the sudden urge to run outside. She picked up a sweater and made her way to the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"No, you're not. You have homework to do."
"Luis, I'm not a child. I know what I have to do."
"I know you're not a child, Teresa."
She turned to her brother and looked at him for a moment.
"Do you want to join me?"
"I don't know, I'm tired."
"Come on Luis, we hardly do anything together anymore."
"Alright, I'll go with you."
They walked without speaking a word, then sat at the gazebo.
"Papa really did a wonderful job with this place, didn't he?"
"Yes, he sure did."
This is the time or never she told herself. She wasn't sure how he would react to her news. But she knew Luis and that any news of the sort that she was about to announce to him would not sit well with him at all.
"Luis, what do you feel about Fox?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what do you think of him as a person?"
"You grew up with him, why don't you tell me?"
"You promise you won't try to kill me or kill him if I tell you?"
He eyed her suspiciously.
"What is this all about Teresa?"
She pulled out her bracelet and showed it to him.
"He gave me this."
He took it in his hands and the first thing that he noticed was the heart and how big it was.
"What the hell is this?"
"He calls it a walk down memory lane."
"What? What are you talking about? The heart is a walk down memory lane?"
"No, he gave me the heart because this is the way he feels about me."
He looked at her with his eyes growing wider by the minute.
"No, Teresa. He is a Crane."
"And? I grew up with him."
"Do you have any idea of the kind of man he is?"
"A very good idea. He is a decent man with a huge heart and so much love inside him."
"When I thought that you came out of that dreamland you live in, you go and tell me this. Do you love him."
"As a matter of fact, I do."
"You can't be serious. He has a bad reputation."
"But that's all it is, a reputation."
She pulled out her ring from her pocket. And showed it to him.
"How long have you had this?"
"A few months. He gave it to me before he left."
"What? You're engaged or something? You're not even 18, Teresa."
"I know that and so does he. It's a promise ring."
"I don't care, I will break his neck when I see him. I can't believe you Teresa."
"Well, believe it because he is the one and only person I want to be with."
"What? You slept with him?"
"I didn't say that, but now that you mention it...."
He was on his feet, angry at what he was learning.
"I will not let anyone take advantage of my sister."
"Where did you get that from? He didn't take advantage of me. He would never do that."
"He is a Crane."
"Oh, spare me your 'he's a Crane routine.' I've had it. I wanted you to know because we are going to make this official when he comes home this summer."
"Over my dead body. Besides, his family will never allow it. You are the housekeepers daughter."
She was angry at him.
"This will happen without or without your and their blessing. I love him and he loves me and nothing will ever change that."
"Teresa, you're still young."
"I know he's the one."
"He is in Europe, you don't know if he seeing other women, if he has cheated on you."
"I know he hasn't."
"And how? Are you clairvoyant?"
"No, but I trust him. He wouldn't have said that he loved me if he didn't mean it."
"He's been gone for almost six months. Things change, he has needs like any normal man."
"Maybe, but he won't act on them."
"You are stubborn as hell Teresa. Obviously I will not be able to change your mind. Don't say I didn't warn you. Time will tell who was right."
He left her alone. It was dark and the sky was starting to fill with stars.
"Did you stare at the same sky as me tonight, Nicholas?"
***********************
Fox laid in his bed with his eyes wide open. He knew that Teresa was supposed to tell her brother about their relationship sometime this week. He wondered how it had gone.
"If I know Luis as well as I do, he probably had a coronary."
He could imagine steam coming out of Luis' ears and he repressed a laugh so that he wouldn't wake up his roommate.
"Poor Teresa had to face him all alone. I guess she'll feel bad for me when I have to face Julian and Alistair."
She had a very hard time concentrating on her work. She was sitting in her bedroom, then she felt the sudden urge to run outside. She picked up a sweater and made her way to the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"No, you're not. You have homework to do."
"Luis, I'm not a child. I know what I have to do."
"I know you're not a child, Teresa."
She turned to her brother and looked at him for a moment.
"Do you want to join me?"
"I don't know, I'm tired."
"Come on Luis, we hardly do anything together anymore."
"Alright, I'll go with you."
They walked without speaking a word, then sat at the gazebo.
"Papa really did a wonderful job with this place, didn't he?"
"Yes, he sure did."
This is the time or never she told herself. She wasn't sure how he would react to her news. But she knew Luis and that any news of the sort that she was about to announce to him would not sit well with him at all.
"Luis, what do you feel about Fox?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what do you think of him as a person?"
"You grew up with him, why don't you tell me?"
"You promise you won't try to kill me or kill him if I tell you?"
He eyed her suspiciously.
"What is this all about Teresa?"
She pulled out her bracelet and showed it to him.
"He gave me this."
He took it in his hands and the first thing that he noticed was the heart and how big it was.
"What the hell is this?"
"He calls it a walk down memory lane."
"What? What are you talking about? The heart is a walk down memory lane?"
"No, he gave me the heart because this is the way he feels about me."
He looked at her with his eyes growing wider by the minute.
"No, Teresa. He is a Crane."
"And? I grew up with him."
"Do you have any idea of the kind of man he is?"
"A very good idea. He is a decent man with a huge heart and so much love inside him."
"When I thought that you came out of that dreamland you live in, you go and tell me this. Do you love him."
"As a matter of fact, I do."
"You can't be serious. He has a bad reputation."
"But that's all it is, a reputation."
She pulled out her ring from her pocket. And showed it to him.
"How long have you had this?"
"A few months. He gave it to me before he left."
"What? You're engaged or something? You're not even 18, Teresa."
"I know that and so does he. It's a promise ring."
"I don't care, I will break his neck when I see him. I can't believe you Teresa."
"Well, believe it because he is the one and only person I want to be with."
"What? You slept with him?"
"I didn't say that, but now that you mention it...."
He was on his feet, angry at what he was learning.
"I will not let anyone take advantage of my sister."
"Where did you get that from? He didn't take advantage of me. He would never do that."
"He is a Crane."
"Oh, spare me your 'he's a Crane routine.' I've had it. I wanted you to know because we are going to make this official when he comes home this summer."
"Over my dead body. Besides, his family will never allow it. You are the housekeepers daughter."
She was angry at him.
"This will happen without or without your and their blessing. I love him and he loves me and nothing will ever change that."
"Teresa, you're still young."
"I know he's the one."
"He is in Europe, you don't know if he seeing other women, if he has cheated on you."
"I know he hasn't."
"And how? Are you clairvoyant?"
"No, but I trust him. He wouldn't have said that he loved me if he didn't mean it."
"He's been gone for almost six months. Things change, he has needs like any normal man."
"Maybe, but he won't act on them."
"You are stubborn as hell Teresa. Obviously I will not be able to change your mind. Don't say I didn't warn you. Time will tell who was right."
He left her alone. It was dark and the sky was starting to fill with stars.
"Did you stare at the same sky as me tonight, Nicholas?"
***********************
Fox laid in his bed with his eyes wide open. He knew that Teresa was supposed to tell her brother about their relationship sometime this week. He wondered how it had gone.
"If I know Luis as well as I do, he probably had a coronary."
He could imagine steam coming out of Luis' ears and he repressed a laugh so that he wouldn't wake up his roommate.
"Poor Teresa had to face him all alone. I guess she'll feel bad for me when I have to face Julian and Alistair."