Theresa opened her eyes, thinking that she had just woken up from a nap. At first she did not notice him standing there in the corner, watching over her with those same eyes that she had once looked into and said "I'll always love you." As she ran over her eyes with her fingers, she noticed from the corner of her eyes a man. She could feel him staring at her continuously with watching eyes. Normally she would feel a bit uncomfortable, but for some reason she felt as ease around this man. Hesitatingly Theresa removed her fingers from before her eyes and slowly turned her head towards this man. The glare from the sun kept her from seeing just who he was, but what she did see was the contours of his face. A face so familiar...
'Who is he?' She questioned herself as though she had the answer on the tip of her tongue. She tried raising her hand above her eyes to try and see if the man would come in better focus, but instead he had disappeared suddenly. Theresa looked around in utter amazement, 'Now where has he gone?'
Theresa placed her robe around her petite frame and stepped outside of her room to find Pilar standing, looking out the front window with an uncertain look on her face. Pilar continued to stare out as Theresa made her way towards her. It wasn't until Theresa placed her hand upon Pilar's shoulder, nearly frightening her, that she realized that Theresa was up and about once again.
"Theresita, you need to be in bed right now. You need to rest," she said walking Theresa back to her room.
Theresa paused though, she wasn't going anywhere until she got some answers. She desperately wanted to know who that man standing in her room was. After all, it was her room and she deserved to know who was in her room at all times. Being the stubborn woman that Theresa was, she didn't have any plans of budging anytime soon...at least not until she got received some answers that only Pilar seemed to know.
'Who was that man standing in my room?' She asked, letting her hands and fingers do all the talking. Pilar remained silent as she seemed to squirm a bit. How in the world could she tell Theresa who was there? How could she say the man that broke her heart and made her lose what was most precious to her was back in town? It seemed impossible and even more, unfair that Pilar should say anything. 'Mama! Who is he?' she demanded to know.
"Theresita, please," Pilar cried as the tears sorrowfully began to fill up her eyes. Pilar turned to see that her daughter was now more confused and somewhat frightened. She knew that she could not just leave her like that. "Please, Theresita. It's for your own good if you don't find out right now. I...I'm not the one who should tell you."
'You're my mother. If your own mother can't tell you the truth, then who can?'
"Fine," Pilar said giving in, "I'll tell you who he was, but please...sit down." Pilar sat beside on her bed, just as she had done so many times before. Though she knew that Theresa was all grown up, every now and then when she looked at her daughter she still saw the small, fragile, impressionable little girl that she had raised on her own. At that moment, Pilar saw just that. She saw Theresa as a small child, so full of life and so innocent. It seemed almost a crime to have to go and break her heart witht he news that he was back in town.
'Mama...'
Pilar had drifted away for a moment there, but Theresa brought her back. she turned to face her daughter, but found it to be tougher than she had anticipated. "Theresita, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I guess the best way is just to tell you it flat out. I don't want to sugar coat the truth or prolong it any further. Theresita, the man you saw standing in your room was..."
center/center
Theresa had thought once a long time ago that things couldn't be more perfect, now she thought how could she be so dense to believe that. Things had become so different, so complicated. As Theresa walked around Harmony aimlessly she wondered if things would ever be okay again, not so much perfect or even happy, just okay. She could hardly believe her ears when Pilar told her that he was back in town. Was it meant to be?...after all he had come back to see her before anyone else...or was it just another problem for her to deal with? How Theresa wished she had a fortune teller that could see the future!
'He's back...' she thought to herself. 'How...why is it possible?'
As Theresa waited to cross the street that lead to the Book Cafe, she noticed Fox sitting in his car waiting for the light to change as well. Very quickly she glanced at him, she didn't want to stare and have him notice her looking at him, not especially after the fight that they had. Fox had still yet to apologize and Theresa believed that she deserved that least of him. The light changed and Theresa went going unnoticed by him.
'If he won't apologize, I won't say a word to him.' Though she thought that, she felt quite differently. As she watched his car turn before her she couldn't help but look longingly at him. Fox was her best friend and perhaps she felt something more for him, but she pushed that thought out of her head as she remembered that he was her best friend and yet he wanted her to remain mute for the rest of her life. 'Some kind of friend he turned out to be.' She thought bitterly.
Theresa paused outside the door of the Book Cafe. Her hand was on the door, but she wasn't budging and she wasn't exactly sure why, but then she heard him call out her name and it was as though the world stood still for that small moment.