Chapter 4
Ain't That Sad
"No way? Are you serious?" Maddie and Anita laughed as they sat in the lobby. Maddie was listening to stories of Esteban as a child while she was on break.
"And then, there was one time when we were in the town market. There was a man who had a stand selling chickens. Well, Esteban decides that he doesn't like the idea of chickens being in cages, so he waits 'til the man leaves his stand for a little while, and then he lets out all of the chickens!"
"That sounds so like him!"
"You should have seen it! There were chickens everywhere! Everyone was screaming and knocking over things. Esteban was in so much trouble that he spent the entire night cleaning everything up."
"Did you help him?" Maddie was curious.
"I started to, but eventually I got too tired. I guess I was just a little too young to be that selfless," Anita answered. It was obvious that there really wasn't any regret in the tone of her voice.
Maddie wished she could have been there to help Esteban. She knew how he probably felt. "One time," she began her own confession, "when I was in the pet store with my mom, I opened all of the bird cages. Then, I freed all of the guinea pigs and hamsters and everything else I could!"
"Wow! Maybe you and Esteban have more in common than you think."
"Really?" Maddie asked innocently, but secretly she relished the idea of sharing a common bond with Esteban from a time before she had even known him.
Esteban, who was carrying some luggage, stopped for a brief moment to listen to the sound of his two closest friends giggling as they continued to share reminiscents with one another. His heart was so overjoyed that he could barely contain his excitement. Although he had not yet reached an explanation, he knew that he wanted more than anything for the two girls to accept each other and become close friends.
He had not dared to dwell upon the questions for more than a few fleeting seconds, but he couldn't help wondering whose acceptance meant more to him and why. He took another look at the bubbly, carefree girls and then continued with what he had been doing.
"Morning, Maddie," London said approaching the candy counter.
"Hey, London ," Maddie was in a cheerful mood. She and Anita had dinner plans with Esteban that night. And Anita had been dropping hints the day before about something that would be a pleasant surprise to Maddie- and it involved Esteban! This was enough to send Maddie's imagination soaring in just about every direction.
"I'd like a magazine, candy girl."
Being called "candy girl" didn't even annoy her this morning. "Which one would you like, London ?"
"Hmmm. Decisions, decisions. I think I'll take a walk on the gossip side and go with the tabloid."
Maddie was about to hand London the magazine, but upon seeing the cover, she froze. She stood, gripping the tabloid tightly, glaring at what she saw.
"Maddie! Maddie, what is it!" London struggled but finally managed to rip the periodical from Maddie's hands. "Oh my goodness!" London looked at the picture of Esteban and Anita sitting at a table; Anita was showing off an engagement ring as Esteban held her hand, admiring the ring. The cover read: Engaged To Be Married!
"So that was her "pleasant surprise"!" Maddie's voice displayed betrayal, sadness, fury, embarrassment, and so many other emotions that she found it hard to maintain her composure. As she looked again at the picture, she couldn't help but notice the proud gleam in Esteban's eyes.
"That would explain all of those news people flocking outside," London called attention to the rapidly increasing stampede of reporters and photographers outside the Tipton. "And I thought they were for me," she said in typical London fashion.
To Maddie's dismay, she saw Esteban, his grandmother, and Anita emerge from Mr. Moseby's office. The small group of news people that had managed to make it into the lobby surrounded them within a matter of seconds.
"Wow, it's like a mosh pit out there," Zack exclaimed.
"And a feeding frenzy over there!" Cody pointed to where Esteban and the other 2 were engulfed by reporters.
"Cool! Let's go see what's happening!" Zack said and Cody followed.
"You guys are just going to make things worse," Maddie chased after them, as her baby-sitter instincts kicked in. Unfortunately, it was too late. The two boys had already disappeared among the small -but growing- crowd of people. Maddie's curiosity got the best of her, something which she'd live to regret- and she held her position listening to the questions that were shouted almost all at once.
"Will it be an American wedding?"
"Is this just a publicity stunt?"
"Is it an arranged marriage?" When Esteban answered "no" on this one, it caused someone to semi-ask, "So you do in fact love this woman standing beside you?"
Esteban's reaction was quick, "Of course I love her."
Maddie's heart sunk. She couldn't stay and listen anymore and so she ran towards the exit. In the course of doing so, she bumped into Carey.
Zack and Cody's mom immediately noticed something was wrong, "Maddie? What's wrong, sweetie? Where are you going?"
"I can't talk right now, Carey. I just can't." By this time tears were welling in Maddie's eyes. "If Mr. Moseby asks just tell him I couldn't work today." She continued in her mad dash away from the Tipton.
Carey watched the 17 year old girl in her escape, "Something tells me I should go after her." She was about to follow her motherly instincts when she heard Cody from behind her.
"Hey! Ow!" A reporter had pushed Cody to the ground in a greedy attempt to get closer.
"Oh no he didn't!" An even stronger motherly instinct formed, pulling her away from Maddie's aid.