AN: Almost forgot to post today, glad people are reading.
Ryan had been with us only three days when the phone rang. It'd been days since the house phone had rang. Teresa had a prepaid cell phone that took all her calls and I rarely got calls unless they were from family.
I wish that Teresa had been more responsible, but she'd always been crazy over Ryan. I had to admit that I liked him more than I ever liked Eddie. I knew Ryan would take care of her. He'd come all the way from his rich new life for her. He was a good boy.
I tried to raise my kids in a way my mother would have been proud of, but we still couldn't shake what poverty and our men's history of criminality had given to us. Two boys in jail and Teresa pregnant at seventeen.
I couldn't put her out, not like my mother put me out. She'll go to church every Sunday from now on, and she won't be sharing a bed with Ryan, but I wouldn't put either of them out.
Ryan already had gotten a job that he would start the next week. He had done more for our house in three days than anyone else, even my own kids. He fixed the front door the first night, it'd been squeaking for years. The next day, our gate latched again. Eddie had never done things like that. It was nice to have a man around the house again.
I liked Ryan. I respected him for what he was giving up for Teresa. But it was half his fault, too. His or Eddie's, I didn't know for sure. Teresa wouldn't tell me, I didn't know if she even knew who the father was. She just knew who her heart belonged to. Ryan Atwood.
I answered the phone. "Hola?"
"Um…Can I speak to Ryan?" It was a man, an older man by the sound of it.
"Of course." I walked away from the stove for a moment and held the phone out to him.
He was setting the table while Teresa and I cooked. I watched him put the silverware down and pick up the phone."Hello?"
He didn't speak again but I saw something die in his eyes. His face lost all its color and he turned away from me. I nudged Teresa as I moved back to the stove. She gave me a look and I nodded toward Ryan.
Ryan was clenching a fork and spoon in his hand and his knuckles were white. He said something I couldn't hear and I thought that he was shaking. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Okay. Bye." He hung up the phone and set it on the table quietly. He was the quietest person I'd ever known, he barely made a sound even when he spoke. But even I could tell something was wrong.
"Ryan?" Teresa called. Ryan didn't answer her. He finished setting the table and turned and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.
The phone rang again. I answered it as Teresa went after him.
"Hola?"
"Yes, this is Sandy Cohen, I was just talking to Ryan…is he still there?"
"He just stepped out, is everything okay?" I had to ask.
"Well, I didn't mean to upset him but…are you sure he's not there?"
Teresa walked in without Ryan and made a motion to her mouth to tell me that he was smoking. She was worried, too, and it was clear she hadn't made any progress with him.
"He's outside. Hold on…" I lowered the phone. "It's Mr. Cohen."
Teresa took the phone from me and walked outside. I heard her talking softly to Ryan but she came back with the phone to her ear instead.
"He's gone? Oh no, Mr. Cohen…okay…okay…are you sure that you don't think…okay. I'll tell him to call you. I promise. Take care." She lowered the phone.
"What is it?"
"It's Seth. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen's son…Ryan's best friend… I know that Seth was pretty mad at Ryan for leaving…but he ran away. Mr. Cohen just wanted to know if Ryan had heard from him…"
"Oh no…"
"I'm going to…"
"Go ahead, Teresa. I'll finish dinner."
She gave me a relieved look and walked out again. I guess Ryan had more of an effect on Newport than he thought. Something was special about that boy. He changed people. I knew my Teresa would never get over him.
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