4



"But why would Mommy go without saying goodbye?" Ethan Martin asked tearfully. The young boy could not fathom the idea that Theresa would leave town without telling him goodbye. He was becoming very upset, and Pilar and Fox tried their best to placate the young child.

"You see, the bad judge told your mommy that she couldn't see you." Pilar replied quietly. "He thought she was a bad Mommy."

"But she was a good Mommy!" Ethan Martin protested. "She loves me!" He said jumping from the couch. "I want Mommy!" He said loudly. "I want her now!"
Ethan Martin stomped his small feet on the wooden floor and crossed his arms. His lower lip was protruded in a pout. Fox bent down and placed his hands around the little boy.

"She's not here, buddy. She was hurting a lot because she couldn't see you. She does love you very much."

"But why did she leave?" Ethan Martin asked. His young mind still could not fully comprehend the situation.

"Your mommy left because she is hurting a lot. Her heart broke when you were taken away from her."

"Her heart broke?" Ethan Martin said in a terrified voice. "Can you fix it?" He asked Fox with urgency. "Will you fix it for her, Fox?"

Fox glanced sadly at the little boy. He wished with all his heart that he could mend Theresa's broken heart, but Theresa claimed that she hated him. She already said that she never wanted to see him again.

"Fox?" Ethan Martin said nudging him. "Will you fix Mommy's heart so that she can come home?"

"I'll see what I can do." Fox replied softly. "But you have to hang in there okay? You've gotta be strong for your mommy."

Ethan wiped his eyes and sniffled. "I will." He replied. "I'll be a big boy for mommy."

"She'd be so proud." Pilar said tearfully.

"Uh- Pilar, if you don't mind I need to get some air." Fox said standing up.

"Oh no- go ahead. This must be hard for you too, Fox." She said softly.

Fox nodded. "Yeah, Pilar, it is. Excuse me." Fox quickly walked outside to the front yard and sat on the front step. He ran his hands through his hair and thought about nothing else excepting finding Theresa. "Where could she have gone?" Fox wondered to himself. Wherever Theresa went, Fox hoped that there would be someone to help ease her pain. Alone is the last thing Theresa needed to be. Fox desperately wished that he possessed some sort of power to transport himself to her, but nothing like that existed.

Fox rubbed his eyes and stared at the scenery before him. Restlessness was stirring within him. He had to do something to find Theresa. After pulling out his cell, Fox made a few calls to people who he thought could help in the search. Each person he called promised to get back to him as soon as they found any leads. Fox took a deep breath and went back inside the house. Pilar and Ethan Martin were no longer in the living room, but he heard Ethan laugh. The sounds of chatter and laughter were coming from the kitchen. Fox stood at the doorway and smiled as he saw Ethan Martin helping his grandmother make cookies. Most of the ingredients made it into the mixing bowl and all over the counter.

Fox decided to leave the pair alone and wandered around the Lopez-Fitzgerald home. He found himself gazing at the many photographs of Theresa and her family. He found an individual picture of Theresa on the mantle and gazed at it tenderly. "I'm going to find you," Fox thought determinedly. "Whether you like it or not, I'm coming for you wherever you are."

Fox put the picture down and walked down the hallway. He stepped in front of one doorway. Feeling somewhat like an intruder, Fox almost turned around, but instead he pushed the door open. Fox was surprised to find himself in front of Theresa's room. He debated whether he should enter. Fox finally decided to briefly walk in. He hoped that something in her room would offer a clue to where she ran off to.

Fox detected Theresa's familiar smell of lavender. It was somewhat comforting to him, but it also felt like she was all around him. Fox walked around careful not to disturb anything. He glanced at the pictures that were on her desk and bureaus. Fox heard a soft crunch under his feet and found shards of broken glass upon the floor. He bent down and picked up the two frames that lay among the shattered glass.

They both held pictures of her with Fox and Whitney. Fox felt a pang of remorse hit him as he gazed at the pictures. Theresa was sandwiched in between Fox and Whitney in both photos. Theresa smiled radiantly and appeared so happy, but Fox knew that Theresa was presently in pain.

"If I could only find her," Fox thought as he sat on her bed.

The ringing of Fox's cell jolted him out of his thoughts. He anxiously reached for his phone and answered hastily. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, it's me." Fox's hopes were once again shot down as he realized that it was Whitney who was calling.

"Oh. Hi." Fox replied disappointedly.

"I was just calling to check up on you." Whitney replied trying to sound cheerful.

"I'm at Theresa's." Fox replied.

"Oh." Whitney said. A long silence followed. "I've got to go. I'll see you later Whit."

"Fox wait," Whitney said hastily. "Uh- I thought that maybe we could go out. You know, take our minds of things for awhile."

Fox rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno Whit- I don't really feel up to doing anything."

"Okay," Whitney said obviously disappointed. "Uh- then just call me later okay?"

"Sure." Fox hung up and sighed. Fox was coming close to admitting that Whitney was not the woman that he loved. Fox rubbed his forehead and thought to himself. "If it wasn't love that I felt for Whitney that night I heard her sing, then what was it?" Lust immediately came to mind, but Fox knew what lust felt like. He had experienced it thousands of times before. "Admiration maybe?" Fox thought. Frustrated, Fox got up to leave the room. As he walked by the desk, his arm knocked into a photo. Reacting quickly, Fox caught the frame before it hit the ground. It held a picture of girl who resembled Theresa. She was standing behind a middle-aged couple. Curious, Fox took the photo out of the frame and read the back of the photograph.

To Theresa,
Maybe someday soon we will see each other again. I miss you dearly. Tia Maria and Tio Francisco send their love.

Paloma

Getting an idea, Fox rushed to the kitchen. Somehow he had a feeling that Theresa would be with them.