Theresa turned her head as she heard a soft knock against her bedroom door. She smiled the moment the visitor stepped foot inside her room. The smiles exchanged between the two caused only a long period of awkward silence. Theresa turned her head and smiled to herself as soon as she could tear away from looking into his eyes. He had fallen instantly into her trance, it had been that way since they met. Staring just at her he found hard sometimes. He had discovered that as long as he didn't look into her eyes, he could continue to talk some sense rather than a bunch of mixed up, incoherent phrases and words.
"Someone looks happy on this gloomy, rainy day," Fox remarked with one of his sarcastic smiles as he set down his umbrella and removed his soaked coat. "I was going to call your mother and tell her that I was going to stop by, but I couldn't. Theresa, I need to tell you something and I just hope that your reaction will be of one that I can accept."
Confused, but not stupid Theresa wondered if Fox could be thinking the same exact thing that had been on her mind lately. Taking a seat next to Fox, she looked up into his eyes as she ran over all the clues that he had given her. Theresa recalled how Fox had kept away for quite sometime. It wasn't like him at all not to even email her, let alone visit her. Then there was the fall. Theresa had tripped over a shoe, falling on top of Fox. Just as they had today, they shared another long awkward silence before moving away from one another. Theresa thought that she sensed some kind of chemistry between the two, but thinking logically she placed it all in the back of her mind never to be thought of again...until now. There were the little things like the flowers he was always sending her, the way he would never miss any of her sign language classes, the dinners they shared, and even the little talks they had. Things were suddenly becoming more clear for Theresa. Fox had always shown that he cared, but just now she realized that he cared for her in a different way. He felt something more for her than he had ever felt for any other girl.
"Theresa, I know I haven't been a great friend to you lately. I haven't been around and I haven't even tried contacting you. I think it's time that you know why," as Fox spoke Theresa could feel the butterflies forming in her stomach. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately...and well, I've been sorting my feelings too. Remember when I told you that if I didn't find a wife, my parents would? Well, my time is up and the woman, the only woman I want is in love with another man. She'll never love me the way I could only hope that she could." Although the glimmer still shined in her eyes, it was fading fast with every other word he spoke. "I'm getting married in a few months, T, to a person I have never even met." That was the last straw, the final shot to her heart. Theresa felt disappointed more than anything. Her heart had tricked her into thinking that maybe Fox was going to confess to her that she was the woman he loved. Again though, the dreams that she held were broken into tiny fragments too small to collect and put back together. It was over, Theresa did not think that she could ever love again.
"Theresa," he spoke softly, "say something."
'Say something?' Theresa thought to herself as the hurt that she felt spread through her heart like a disease. Then again, love was just that...a disease. Love was a disease to Theresa that would forever be incurable. Always left there to cause some form of heartbreak to those she loved. i'I can't say anything,'/i she thought now as she began to feel depressed once more about her bleak future.
'I don't know what to say,' she signed to him in sign language as she hugged him. 'I'm sorry the woman you love doesn't realize just what she's missing.
center/center
Theresa could hardly contain her excitement when she met Fox for lunch the next day. She knew he was still feeling down about the whole arranged marriage, but she was just too excited to keep her great news to herself. Theresa handed Fox a letter once she sat across from him at the Book Cafe. Fox looked at her with a bit of unease as he quickly skimmed over the letter. A little shocked and a little confused he looked at Theresa and asked, "Is this for real?" Theresa nodded her head and smiled as her eyes seemed to dance with delight. "Your not actually considering this are you?" Again she nodded her head. "Theresa, Dr. Russell told you that there was nothing that could repair your voice. Why do you think some procedure in a different country can do anything?"
'I have to believe that God would not want me to stay silent for the rest of my life, Fox. I need to do this. If it works, great, if not at least I can say I tried.'
"I still don't think this is a good idea. Tell you what, I'll set up an appointment with this guy and we can go together and see how good this procedure really is."
'Have you forgotten that you have a wedding in a few weeks?' she told him as she felt a little pain in her heart. It still hurt her to think that their relationship was just platonic.
"No..." he said hesitating a bit. "Olivia is planning everything. I prefer it that way."
Theresa just rolled her eyes and smiled. 'Fox, listen, no matter what, I don't think anything could persuade me not to have this precedure.'
"That's an answer that a child would give," he said as he stood up from his seat and stormed outside.
'What's your problem?' Theresa asked as she latched onto his arm tightly as people walked by and stared at them. 'If you were really my friend you would want me to do this. What am I suppose to do? Just live a totally silent life? I don't think so and if you don't like what I do, don't bother being my friend!'
And just like that Theresa high tailed it out of there, ready just to throw their friendship away like it had meant nothing to either of them. Anger run through her veins as Theresa slammed her bedroom door shut. She couldn't help, but feel that maybe Fox didn't care what was best for her. As she extended her arms wide open and fell back on her bed she noticed a picture of her and Fox that she had stuck on the ceiling in her room. It had been taken about 5 months ago, not too long after Theresa and Fox had met. Staring at it only stirred her blood more. She quickly rose to her feet and stretched on the tip of her toes just to pull it off. In the process of doing so she almost fell off her bed, but luckily she was able to stay on just long enough to reach the photo. Theresa stared at the photo hesitating a bit. It seemed for a moment that she would hide it away so where, but suddenly Theresa tore savagely at it. She tore in into as many tiny pieces as she could. Nothing bigger than the size of her fingernail would satisfy her. She hoped as she ripped Fox up that some way he would feel some kind of pain, as though the picture had something to do with voodoo. Emotionally exhausted Theresa fell back on her bed and happily remembered that soon she would have her voice back.
center/center
"Mija," Pilar said waking Theresa up after finally falling asleep only an hour ago, "there is someone here to see you. I think you should see him."
'Him?' she thought of Fox instantly. She wondered what he had come to say to her. Was he going to be okay with the procedure? Or would he just lecture her on all of the dangers? Theresa wanted to know either way so she threw on her old robe, the one that Theresa dared only to wear in front of her family and close friends. If it was anyone else she would probably die.
Pilar led Theresa to the living room where she expected to see Fox playing around with her tv or radio or staring at some family picture that was laying out. But instead Theresa got one the biggest shock of her life.
Her eyes were wide from the shock of seeing him standing there in her living room like that. She could feel the room around her begin to spin, but one thing remained the same. The image of him stood perfectly still. She tried reaching out for him, their finger tips barely touching one another. Theresa could move no further though. She could feel her body weakening and out of no where she collapsed, falling safely into his arms.
"Theresa, wake up," he said brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "Don't leave me too."