We just pulled into TJ's driveway and the driveway alone looks like the main street of a small village. Her house is huge, it makes Banks' look like one of those trailers you see on TV after the owner sees a UFO. It's safe to say that I'm a bit nervous and I'm not even out of the car yet. Ignoring the fact that her family's obviously rolling in the dough, I'm also scared about spending the weekend in the home of a racist. This is going to be a first for me, the worst of it is, I don't think Tricia's told her parents I'm Latin. If she has, I don't think they were happy about it.
The door opens and a fair skinned, brown haired, blue eyed, long legged ballerina type girl is standing in foyer. She's really pretty, but I can tell by the way she's looking at me, she wasn't expecting to open the door and find TJ and her Hispanic boyfriend. If this is any sign of how the weekend's going to go, I should jump back in the car and leave right now. But Tricia wants me here and I want to help her through the situation she's in right now.
"Colette, this is Luis, Luis this is my sister Colette." TJ reaches around and pulls me out from where I'm partially hiding behind her.
Her sister nods and in a snooty voice snorts.
"Charmed."
"Nice to meet you." I mutter, I'm suddenly shy.
"Okay, well let's go in." Tricia declares and tugs me into the house.
We walk in and I'm even more awed, the foyer of the house is huge, maybe even bigger then my whole house. I feel TJ's hand slip into mine and let out my breath, not realizing I'd been holding it since we'd entered the property. I can't believe she invited me, after how things were between us in the beginning of the year. I haven't mentioned the other night to her though. You know the night when Mark attacked her and she told me she loved me? I guess I'm scared that if I say something she'll tell me she was upset and tired and didn't really mean it. I'm definitely falling for her, I never fall for anyone. This is insane.
"Just leave your bags, I'll have Stuart come get them." Colette decrees
"Who's Stuart?" I whisper quickly to TJ.
"Staff director." She explains.
I shake my head confused.
"Huh?"
"He's in charge of the household staff, the cook, the gardener, the pool boy, the driver the housekeeper and the nanny we had when we were little. Stuart's sort of the manager, you know makes sure everything runs smoothly, sometimes he plays butler as well."
"Oh."
Tricia smiles at me softly and I grin back.
"Where are mom and dad?" She asks her sister.
"Father is in his office, he asked not to be disturbed until dinner and mother is at a bridge club meeting." Colette told her.
"I see, what time is super?"
"Cook should have the first curse served at 7:00. Oh and Edward is roaming somewhere. If you happen to see our useless brother please remind him of dinner time." With that Colette set off down one of the endless hallways leaving the two of us alone.
"With all the money you guys have, you'd think your sister would buy herself a personality." I only halfway joke.
"No kidding, she's my mother's daughter that's for sure. Well," She looks at her watch. "we've got an hour before dinner, wanna see the house?"
"Yup."
The next thing I know I'm being pulled up a flight of stairs. I told you she had strong arms, I can't imagine how far she can throw a football. This girl is absolutely the best.
"This one, is my room." TJ pushes open a door at the end of a hall that could've doubled as an airport runway it was so long.
The room is absolutely not what I envisioned when I thought of it. The walls and furniture were white, the carpet pink, the curtains yellow and on her white bedspread were pink and yellow flowers and butterflies. It was basically what came to mind when you try to picture the room Snow-White would have. Right down to the lace and tulle canopy over the bed.
"This is your room…?" I raise my eyebrows in disbelief.
"Yeah." She nods. "My mother wanted me to have a typical girl room like Colette. My mother wanted me to do everything like Colette. But there's one thing they don't know about, daddy let me do."
TJ takes off toward the closet and I hang back a bit, before she turns and waves me forward. What I thought was a closet turned out not to be one at all. It was a small sitting room with autograph pictures of the last four Super Bowl championship teams on the walls and an official game ball from the Vikings. The walls are blue and the carpet and ceiling green and two leather couches are across from each other with an entertainment center at the end of them.
"As you can see it's still got Blake colors, I haven't gotten around to changing it to black and red yet, but isn't it cool?"
"It's awesome." I admit, sitting on one of the sofas.
Tricia sits down beside me and turns on the TV.
"It was a walk in closet but I'm not big on clothes and my father knew how much I hated the way my mother decorated my room, so he let me do this."
"You think I can just sleep in here tonight."
"Hmm, chances of my overprotective bigot father letting a teenage, Hispanic boy sleep in his daughters closet… not very good." She snuggles closer and rests her head on my arm.
"I didn't think so."
"You know, you told me you loved me the other day, but I'm still waiting for one of those heart stopping, mind melting patented Luis Mendoza kisses are the girls in school talk about." TJ says out of no where.
Okay so she didn't forget about the whole 'I love you' thing. That's a good thing I guess, it means she must have been awake enough to mean it when she said it to me as well. What am I going to do about this? I can't fall in love with this girl, I can't fall in love with any girl. I've got a reputation to up hold. Luis Mendoza is the very definition of a Latin Lover ask anyone. Ever since Mindy broke up with me, that's the person I've been. No girl has ever made me feel like I needed her more then air before, no girl has ever heard the words 'I love you' come out of my mouth. Except… TJ, this might be the real thing.
I slide my thumb under her chin and tip her head up, so our lips meet. The kiss starts out slow and gentle then grows with intensity. It's not a lip swelling, Earth shaking kiss like the one she's been expecting, but it's a good one just the same. It's the first one I've ever meant. Lastly I bring my mouth down to her ear and murmur.
"I do love you."
"I bet you say that to all the girls." She teases.
With unadulterated sincerity I look at her and say.
"No, I don't."
"I believe you."
We sit there for less then a minute before the red letters on her cable box read 7:00 and I'm whisked away again. Mr. Lyons must be a stickler for punctuality because we practically fly down the stairs. As we enter the dining room I feel the temperature drop, talk about nerve racking. Is hanging still legal? I've got a feeling if it is I'm going to finish the evening suspended from a tree on the back of the property.
Her parents are sitting at both ends of the table, Colette to their mother's right and Edward to her left. The only seats empty are the two nearest her father and TJ sits in the one next to Colette so I sit across from her. Yes, this means I am between her father and her brother. Not the most comfortable place I've ever sat while eating. Honestly I think I would have been less scared if I'd been a guest to Hannibal Lector's pot lock dinner.
"Mum, Daddy, Eddy, this is my friend Luis Mendoza. Luis this is my mother, Gloria Boudreaux Lyons, my father Jeremiah Lyons and my big brother Edward Lyons." TJ does the introductions again, the response much the same as it had been when I met Colette earlier.
"So Tricia-Jean," Her mother begins and TJ rolls her eyes. She hates being called that. "I hear Nancy Banks' son goes to Eden Hall with you."
"Do I hear wedding bells?" Mr. Lyons speaks up.
"No Daddy, I haven't dated Adam since I was twelve."
Gloria gives her youngest daughter a disappointed look.
"Nancy showed me a picture of the boy at bridge today, he's become quite handsome."
"Yes Mother, I'm still not interested. And didn't you think it's rude to talk about this in front of company." I don't miss the note of hostility in her voice and neither does anyone else.
"Of course dear, so tell about you self Luis, what are your plans for the future? Are your parents sending you to college or are you getting a scholarship. You do have parents and plan to go to college correct?" Jeremiah asks, it's a typical father question with an underhanded racist remark hidden inside.
I reply
"Yes I have parents, two of them. But no they can't afford tuition so if I'm getting into college I'm going to have to do it the old fashioned way, by working."
"Luis's plans are right up your alley Daddy, he wants to be an astronaut." TJ smirks at me from the other side of the table.
"Really, you don't strike me as the sort." Colette states snottily sipping her water.
"So how is it that you came to be friends with Tricia anyway?" Eddy inquires. "Mutual friends, however unlikely."
"Actually we do have some of the same friends. Luis is on the hockey team with Adam Banks and two boys from the football team too." Tricia riposte
I nod.
"Yeah, Fulton Reed and Dean Portman. Nice guys, gay, but nice guys." I hope the Bash Brothers don't beat me into a bloody stain on the rug for outing them to TJ's family, but I really want to see what they'll say about that. Their daughter hanging out with not only minorities but homosexuals as well.
"They allow homosexuals at your school?" Jeremiah looks up from his baked salmon.
"They can't keep them out sir, it's unconstitutional."
"Constitution, smunstitution, we didn't pay good money so our child could go to school with that kind." Mrs. Lyons deadpans.
TJ shakes her head disapprovingly.
"You're not paying anything Mother, I'm on a football scholarship."
"Don't talk back to you mother young lady!" Her father barks and I can tell he was simply looking for a reason to end the meal. "Dinner is over."
As we leave the dining room two things come to mind, 1) that's the most eventful meeting the parents I've ever taken part in and 2) I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. We're suppose to take the Lyons's family yacht out on one of the Great Lakes, let's home they don't push me over board.
The door opens and a fair skinned, brown haired, blue eyed, long legged ballerina type girl is standing in foyer. She's really pretty, but I can tell by the way she's looking at me, she wasn't expecting to open the door and find TJ and her Hispanic boyfriend. If this is any sign of how the weekend's going to go, I should jump back in the car and leave right now. But Tricia wants me here and I want to help her through the situation she's in right now.
"Colette, this is Luis, Luis this is my sister Colette." TJ reaches around and pulls me out from where I'm partially hiding behind her.
Her sister nods and in a snooty voice snorts.
"Charmed."
"Nice to meet you." I mutter, I'm suddenly shy.
"Okay, well let's go in." Tricia declares and tugs me into the house.
We walk in and I'm even more awed, the foyer of the house is huge, maybe even bigger then my whole house. I feel TJ's hand slip into mine and let out my breath, not realizing I'd been holding it since we'd entered the property. I can't believe she invited me, after how things were between us in the beginning of the year. I haven't mentioned the other night to her though. You know the night when Mark attacked her and she told me she loved me? I guess I'm scared that if I say something she'll tell me she was upset and tired and didn't really mean it. I'm definitely falling for her, I never fall for anyone. This is insane.
"Just leave your bags, I'll have Stuart come get them." Colette decrees
"Who's Stuart?" I whisper quickly to TJ.
"Staff director." She explains.
I shake my head confused.
"Huh?"
"He's in charge of the household staff, the cook, the gardener, the pool boy, the driver the housekeeper and the nanny we had when we were little. Stuart's sort of the manager, you know makes sure everything runs smoothly, sometimes he plays butler as well."
"Oh."
Tricia smiles at me softly and I grin back.
"Where are mom and dad?" She asks her sister.
"Father is in his office, he asked not to be disturbed until dinner and mother is at a bridge club meeting." Colette told her.
"I see, what time is super?"
"Cook should have the first curse served at 7:00. Oh and Edward is roaming somewhere. If you happen to see our useless brother please remind him of dinner time." With that Colette set off down one of the endless hallways leaving the two of us alone.
"With all the money you guys have, you'd think your sister would buy herself a personality." I only halfway joke.
"No kidding, she's my mother's daughter that's for sure. Well," She looks at her watch. "we've got an hour before dinner, wanna see the house?"
"Yup."
The next thing I know I'm being pulled up a flight of stairs. I told you she had strong arms, I can't imagine how far she can throw a football. This girl is absolutely the best.
"This one, is my room." TJ pushes open a door at the end of a hall that could've doubled as an airport runway it was so long.
The room is absolutely not what I envisioned when I thought of it. The walls and furniture were white, the carpet pink, the curtains yellow and on her white bedspread were pink and yellow flowers and butterflies. It was basically what came to mind when you try to picture the room Snow-White would have. Right down to the lace and tulle canopy over the bed.
"This is your room…?" I raise my eyebrows in disbelief.
"Yeah." She nods. "My mother wanted me to have a typical girl room like Colette. My mother wanted me to do everything like Colette. But there's one thing they don't know about, daddy let me do."
TJ takes off toward the closet and I hang back a bit, before she turns and waves me forward. What I thought was a closet turned out not to be one at all. It was a small sitting room with autograph pictures of the last four Super Bowl championship teams on the walls and an official game ball from the Vikings. The walls are blue and the carpet and ceiling green and two leather couches are across from each other with an entertainment center at the end of them.
"As you can see it's still got Blake colors, I haven't gotten around to changing it to black and red yet, but isn't it cool?"
"It's awesome." I admit, sitting on one of the sofas.
Tricia sits down beside me and turns on the TV.
"It was a walk in closet but I'm not big on clothes and my father knew how much I hated the way my mother decorated my room, so he let me do this."
"You think I can just sleep in here tonight."
"Hmm, chances of my overprotective bigot father letting a teenage, Hispanic boy sleep in his daughters closet… not very good." She snuggles closer and rests her head on my arm.
"I didn't think so."
"You know, you told me you loved me the other day, but I'm still waiting for one of those heart stopping, mind melting patented Luis Mendoza kisses are the girls in school talk about." TJ says out of no where.
Okay so she didn't forget about the whole 'I love you' thing. That's a good thing I guess, it means she must have been awake enough to mean it when she said it to me as well. What am I going to do about this? I can't fall in love with this girl, I can't fall in love with any girl. I've got a reputation to up hold. Luis Mendoza is the very definition of a Latin Lover ask anyone. Ever since Mindy broke up with me, that's the person I've been. No girl has ever made me feel like I needed her more then air before, no girl has ever heard the words 'I love you' come out of my mouth. Except… TJ, this might be the real thing.
I slide my thumb under her chin and tip her head up, so our lips meet. The kiss starts out slow and gentle then grows with intensity. It's not a lip swelling, Earth shaking kiss like the one she's been expecting, but it's a good one just the same. It's the first one I've ever meant. Lastly I bring my mouth down to her ear and murmur.
"I do love you."
"I bet you say that to all the girls." She teases.
With unadulterated sincerity I look at her and say.
"No, I don't."
"I believe you."
We sit there for less then a minute before the red letters on her cable box read 7:00 and I'm whisked away again. Mr. Lyons must be a stickler for punctuality because we practically fly down the stairs. As we enter the dining room I feel the temperature drop, talk about nerve racking. Is hanging still legal? I've got a feeling if it is I'm going to finish the evening suspended from a tree on the back of the property.
Her parents are sitting at both ends of the table, Colette to their mother's right and Edward to her left. The only seats empty are the two nearest her father and TJ sits in the one next to Colette so I sit across from her. Yes, this means I am between her father and her brother. Not the most comfortable place I've ever sat while eating. Honestly I think I would have been less scared if I'd been a guest to Hannibal Lector's pot lock dinner.
"Mum, Daddy, Eddy, this is my friend Luis Mendoza. Luis this is my mother, Gloria Boudreaux Lyons, my father Jeremiah Lyons and my big brother Edward Lyons." TJ does the introductions again, the response much the same as it had been when I met Colette earlier.
"So Tricia-Jean," Her mother begins and TJ rolls her eyes. She hates being called that. "I hear Nancy Banks' son goes to Eden Hall with you."
"Do I hear wedding bells?" Mr. Lyons speaks up.
"No Daddy, I haven't dated Adam since I was twelve."
Gloria gives her youngest daughter a disappointed look.
"Nancy showed me a picture of the boy at bridge today, he's become quite handsome."
"Yes Mother, I'm still not interested. And didn't you think it's rude to talk about this in front of company." I don't miss the note of hostility in her voice and neither does anyone else.
"Of course dear, so tell about you self Luis, what are your plans for the future? Are your parents sending you to college or are you getting a scholarship. You do have parents and plan to go to college correct?" Jeremiah asks, it's a typical father question with an underhanded racist remark hidden inside.
I reply
"Yes I have parents, two of them. But no they can't afford tuition so if I'm getting into college I'm going to have to do it the old fashioned way, by working."
"Luis's plans are right up your alley Daddy, he wants to be an astronaut." TJ smirks at me from the other side of the table.
"Really, you don't strike me as the sort." Colette states snottily sipping her water.
"So how is it that you came to be friends with Tricia anyway?" Eddy inquires. "Mutual friends, however unlikely."
"Actually we do have some of the same friends. Luis is on the hockey team with Adam Banks and two boys from the football team too." Tricia riposte
I nod.
"Yeah, Fulton Reed and Dean Portman. Nice guys, gay, but nice guys." I hope the Bash Brothers don't beat me into a bloody stain on the rug for outing them to TJ's family, but I really want to see what they'll say about that. Their daughter hanging out with not only minorities but homosexuals as well.
"They allow homosexuals at your school?" Jeremiah looks up from his baked salmon.
"They can't keep them out sir, it's unconstitutional."
"Constitution, smunstitution, we didn't pay good money so our child could go to school with that kind." Mrs. Lyons deadpans.
TJ shakes her head disapprovingly.
"You're not paying anything Mother, I'm on a football scholarship."
"Don't talk back to you mother young lady!" Her father barks and I can tell he was simply looking for a reason to end the meal. "Dinner is over."
As we leave the dining room two things come to mind, 1) that's the most eventful meeting the parents I've ever taken part in and 2) I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. We're suppose to take the Lyons's family yacht out on one of the Great Lakes, let's home they don't push me over board.