After Tobias left, Tris had a good cry in the privacy of her bedroom, and actually cried herself to sleep. When Natalie checked on her daughter before she and Andrew retired for the evening, she was more than a little surprised to find Tris sleeping in pink silk pajamas and surrounded by new luggage and shopping bags.
.
Tris woke late the next morning to an empty house and a new text from Tobias.
4: Good morning, beautiful! We just landed in Tirana. I hope you slept well. I miss you.
T: Miremengjes! I slept very well, but I miss you, too. I hope you had a good flight.
Tobias' answer came almost immediately.
4: I assume we had a good flight. I was asleep for most of it. I like flying at night. I went to sleep near Chicago and woke up when we got fuel in Paris. It makes you feel less far away when I can know I can just take a nap and I'll be there.
T: The speed of your text reply did the same for me. You don't feel so far away when you can reply instantly. What time is it there?
4: 16:10 - seven hours ahead of you.
The couple texted for a while. They kept the conversation light and talked about their plans for the day and the week ahead. Tris ended the conversation when Christina arrived with the promised ice cream.
"Holy crap!" Christina said excitedly when Tris led her upstairs and she saw the luggage and shopping bags in her friend's bedroom. "This is awesome!"
The two girls eagerly got to work. They took everything out of Tris' closet and dresser and dumped it on her bed. Tris quickly recognized a few items that belonged to Natalie, and returned them to her parents' bedroom. When the closet was empty, Tris dusted the shelf above the hanging bar. She planned to store her new shoes and handbags there in their original boxes.
"Oh my god!" Christina exclaimed when she saw what Tris was doing. "We should totally take pictures of what's in the boxes and put the pictures on the outside. That will help you find things later."
"Brilliant!" Tris complimented.
"I know," Christina said snarkily as she twirled her hair for effect. "I'm smart like that. Okay, actually I saw it online."
They got Tris' new shoes and bags out one by one and took pictures of them, then printed the pictures on plain paper and attached them to the boxes. Christina oohed and aahed over every bag, and more than once bemoaned the fact that she and Tris didn't wear the same size shoes.
After the shoe and purse boxes were in place, Tris went through the rest of her shoes, purging things that didn't fit well and things she no longer wore. She gave her small collection of bags the same treatment.
"I think we should go through my old suitcase next," Tris said. "Amar got me this new set after all the shopping we did, so I won't need that old one anymore. We can put the rejected items in there and donate them somewhere."
"Brilliant," Christina said.
When Tris opened her old suitcase, she was touched to realize that all of the clothing in her bag was freshly laundered. She checked the time, then sent a quick text to Tobias.
T: Tell Amar I said thank you. I'm unpacking, and everything in my suitcases is laundered and packed with care. He was so kind and helpful the whole time you were here. You are really lucky to have him.
4: I know. He's incredible. I gave him the day off, but I will forward your message.
When the girls finished going through Tris' wardrobe, they had a suitcase and a shopping bag filled with things to donate, and another bag filled with items that were ready to serve as rags or be thrown away. All of the new undergarments and pajamas were in Tris' dresser drawers, along with the older things that she wanted to keep. Other drawers held jeans, tshirts, and sweaters. The closet held dresses, skirts, slacks, jackets, and blouses. The new suitcase set was nested together and stashed on the closet floor with Tris' old shoes.
The two girls looked at their work with satisfaction. Tris even snapped a picture and sent it to Tobias.
"You are going to be the best dressed girl at DU this semester," Christina said. "You have an awesome wardrobe."
The friends spent the rest of the afternoon sharing stories and showing one another pictures of what they had done over winter break. They laughed about Christina's family's reaction to the helicopter visit at her grandma's farm. Christina squealed over the possibility of Tris attending Lauren and Eric's wedding in England.
When Natalie came home from work, the girls proudly showed Tris' mom the work that they had done. Natalie was as touched as Tris had been that Amar had all of her clothes laundered before they came back to Chicago.
When Christina went home and Natalie went downstairs to put dinner in the oven, Tris realized that it was four o'clock, making it eleven in Albania. She sent a quick text to Tobias.
T: Am I too late to call and say goodnight?
Tobias didn't answer the text. Instead, Tris' phone lit with an incoming call.
"Hello?" she said shyly.
"Tris," Tobias breathed, relieved to hear her voice. "How are you?"
Tris told Tobias about her wardrobe purge and day with Christina. He told her about catching up with the mail and other things that needed to be done in person.
"I met with my housekeeper today," Tobias said. "She was my mother's maid, or assistant, or whatever you want to call it. When Mother died, Roza was fired. When Marcus died, our housekeeper was old. I looked up Roza, who was cleaning houses for work. I offered her the job as my housekeeper. She agreed, and Ermira was able to retire. It has worked out very well. Roza is an excellent cook, and she oversees the staff."
"How much staff do you have?" Tris asked.
"You know Amar," Tobias began. "He is my assistant and driver. He also oversees the whole staff. There is a groundskeeper, who is over the outdoor workers. He is also a driver and maintains the vehicles and equipment. He has an assistant groundskeeper, who also drives and maintains the pool, and there are two young men from the nearby village who work under them. Inside the house Roza is in charge. She does the cooking and managing. There are three part-time girls who clean and do the laundry. That's it, normally, but if there is an event we hire additional help to serve, cook, and mix drinks in the bar."
"That's a lot of people," Tris said, feeling overwhelmed. "Do they all live in your house with you?"
"No," Tobias said. "My house is nearly a thousand square meters, but Roza and I are the only ones who live in it. There is a servant's wing from the old days, and Roza has that all to herself. When I was a child we had five or six servants living in the house with us all the time.
"There are also cottages on the property. Amar and George live in one, and the head groundskeepers and his wife live in the other. The assistant groundskeeper lives in an apartment above the garages. The other workers live in the nearby village.
"I met with Roza today because I have decided that I am ready to make some changes to my house. When Marcus died, the most important thing to me was to take charge of Eaton Holdings and make sure our people were being paid well, that we were being responsible with the environment, and that we were good citizens of the business community. But now that I feel like we've made progress in those areas, I want to make some changes to the house. I still sleep in my childhood bedroom, which is fine, but I haven't wanted to move into the master bedroom because I think of that as Marcus' room. But after my trip to America, I feel ready. I'm ready to be the master of my home. I want to remodel the master bedroom and to make it mine."
"That sounds wonderful," Tris encouraged. "I'm so proud of you, Tobias. Will you send me pictures before and after? I want to see what your home looks like."
"I have a better idea," Tobias said. "What if I call you tomorrow on video chat, and I can give you a tour?"
"I'd love that," Tris said.
After a few more minutes of chatting, Tris and Tobias said goodnight.
.
The next day, true to his word, Tobias video called from the front lawn of his estate.
"Good morning!" he said cheerfully when Tris answered.
"Good afternoon!" Tris replied. "It looks like a beautiful day there."
"It is," Tobias replied, "but not as beautiful as you."
Tris blushed, and Tobias smirked. "Are you ready to see my home?" He hit a button on his phone, and the camera switched from Tobias' face to a gorgeous Mediterranean-style mansion.
"Oh my god," Tris said. "It's… It's stunning."
"Thank you," Tobias said. "T.M. Eaton started the house, and Tobias the second finished it. Marcus did some renovations and decorating. So far all I've done is live here. But that's about to change."
Tris could hear the eagerness in Tobias' voice. He looked and sounded happy and confident on his home turf, and it made Tris smile.
For nearly an hour Tobias walked around the house and grounds with Tris on video. He showed her the pool behind the house and the outside of the cottages and garages. He showed her the lavish entertaining spaces, including a massive foyer, dining room, and living room with a grand staircase to the second floor. He showed off the private study and the cozy den, and explained that those were the rooms he spent most of his time in.
He took Tris on a tour of the second floor, which had a balcony overlooking the living room. To the left of the balcony was the family section with five bedrooms, each with its own attached bathroom. Tris saw Tobias' bedroom and learned how the small attached nanny's room of his childhood had been converted to a walk-in closet and dressing room.
She saw Marcus' master suite, and instantly agreed that it was due for a makeover. While the rest of the house was bright, fresh, and had a Mediterranean vibe that matched the architecture, Marcus' room was dark, heavy, and fussy with Victorian florals. Tris asked Tobias what he had in mind for renovations - did he want paint and furniture, or a total gut job with a new floorplan?
Tobias thought that new decor would be enough, and asked Tris if she might have time to look for pictures of ideas. He had booked an appointment with a decorator from Tirana, but he wanted to have ideas before she got there. Tris agreed to do the groundwork, and when they eventually hung up she spent the rest of the morning scouring the internet for opulent modern Mediterranean-style bedrooms and bathrooms.
.
After a few last days at home, Tris packed up her new pink suitcases to return to school. She was glad to be busy again with classes, friends, and her job at the campus coffee shop.
Tris and Tobias texted every day, and frequently spoke on the phone or on video chat. He kept her up to date on the progress that the interior designer was making on his house. She told him about school and her social life.
What Tris didn't tell Tobias was that she met an Albanian international student named Rebekah. Soon after returning to DU, Tris had contacted the university's international student club, and asked if there were any Albanian-speaking students at the school who might be willing to help her with her language lessons. After some emailing back and forth, Tris and Rebekah met for coffee.
At first Tris tried to hire the Albanian student. She had some money tucked away from Christmas and her campus job, and she was more than willing to spend it on an tutor. But Rebekah had a better idea. She wanted to be a translator or English teacher, so helping Tris was valuable work experience. She also really wanted to learn to drive. With permission to use Christina's car, Tris agreed to teach Rebekah to drive in exchange for help with her Albanian.
The girls became friendly. Rebekah had come to study at DU in a desperate attempt to escape from an arranged marriage. Her family was Muslim, and her parents had passed away, leaving her with a very strict and traditional older uncle. He hadn't allowed his niece to drive, and had arranged a marriage for her with another older man. A sympathetic teacher helped Rebekah apply to study in America, and had even helped her with the cost of a one-way airplane ticket.
Because of her uncle and her very limited finances, Rebekah had been stuck in America for two and a half years. She spent school breaks staying with friends when she couldn't be in the dorms. She had no family aside from her uncle, and no idea what she would do when she graduated.
"I don't want to stay in America," she told Tris. "I love my home, and it's easier to be Muslim there. Plus, Albanian translators or teachers aren't in much demand here, and English translators are needed in Albania. But if I go back, what can I do? My uncle will force me to marry his friend and live as his slave-wife."
.
In early February, Tris' friends began talking about Valentine's Day. Zeke and Shauna had reservations for dinner, and Uriah told Tris that his brother was planning to propose. Will and Christina had plans with Uriah and Marlene, who had "officially" started dating in January.
Tris wondered if Albanians celebrated Valentine's Day. She wanted to ask Rebekah, but felt self-conscious about it. She had told the tutor that her boyfriend was Albanian, but she hadn't explained that he was one of, if not the, richest businessmen in her country. Tris was protective of Tobias, and of her own privacy, so she hadn't gone into detail with anyone but her parents and Christina.
One afternoon Tris was lost in thought when she was supposed to be studying. She was so preoccupied that she didn't even hear Christina walk into their dorm room.
"Earth to Tris," her best friend said, waving a hand in front of her glazed-over eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" Tris replied. "Oh, hey Chris. I was just thinking about Tobias and Valentine's Day. What do I get for a guy who is on the other side of the world and has everything under the sun, including millions in the bank? Do they even have Valentine's Day in Albania?"
"Hmm," Christina mused as she tapped at her phone. "The answer is yes, they do celebrate Valentine's Day in Albania, and it looks pretty much the same as here. As for a gift, I'm stumped. If you want to mail something, like a care package, you should probably get on it, though. I'm sure it will take a while to get there."
Tris thought about it. A care package could be a lot of fun. Internet searches weren't much help. Most of what she found online was sexual or talked about love. She and Tobias hadn't gotten to either of those, and although she knew it would only be a matter of time, saying 'I love you' was something better done in person.
Tris came up with a plan, then did some shopping. She got a plain cardboard box, and lined the entire inside with paper that looked like the sky. In the bottom she wrote "You are worth every mile between us." On the inside of the box flaps she put the shape of the United States, with a heart over the midwest, and the shape of Albania with a heart where Tobias lived. One of the other flaps got an airplane cutout, and Tris drew a looping dotted line connecting everything.
She filled the box with little things. There was a box of conversation hearts with a note explaining that they were a common childhood Valentine's tradition. She included some snack foods that Tobias had enjoyed when he was visiting. She bought a touristy Chicago t-shirt, washed it, and wore it to bed for a few nights so it would smell like her. She framed a picture of them together in New York. Last but not least, Tris homemade a card for Tobias and wrote him a long note. She put some lipstick on and pressed her lips to the card several times.
It took over a week for Tobias to get the package, but he called Tris as soon as it arrived.
"Zemra ima," Tobias said when Tris answered. She could hear the emotion choking his voice, and instantly teared up. "I got your package. I just keep staring at it. Your hands packed this box, and your lips kissed the card. It even smells like you."
"I washed the shirt and wore it to bed," Tris said shyly. "I didn't know if it would work since it spent about a week in transit, but I was hoping you would smell me." She giggled, making Tobias smile. "That might be the strangest thing I've ever said," she added, making Tobias chuckle too.
"I think it's okay to be silly," Tobias said. "After all, it is Valentine's Day. Well, tomorrow is. Your gift is being delivered tomorrow."
"You didn't have to get me anything," Tris protested.
"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't spoil you on Valentine's Day?" Tobias argued.
.
The next afternoon, Tris was in the library when Christina called.
"You have a delivery," Christina practically sang. "Pink roses and a package. You have to sign for it, and it has to be you, so get back here! I'll bet it's something ah-mazing from your man!"
Tris hurried back to the dorm, where a delivery man waited in the lobby with a very eager Christina. She signed for the small package, and Christina helped her carry the flowers back to their room.
Tris' hands shook as she opened the box. It was a little larger than a sheet of paper, but about six inches thick. When she opened the end flap, an envelope and a stuffed toy that looked like a cartoon slice of pizza with a happy face fell out. Her name was written on the envelope in a masculine script. Tris traced the letters with her finger thoughtfully as she hugged the plushie.
"Open the rest of it!" Christina exclaimed, noticing that the box wasn't empty.
Tris smiled and hugged the card and plush toy to her chest again. She opened the box and slid out a framed painting. It was clearly an original oil on canvas. On the background in strong black lines was the image of Tobias' tattoo. The ancient symbols and flames created a backdrop for a cacophony of bright colored flowers.
"Woah," Christina said. "That's beautiful. Is it, like, real? An original? Who painted it?"
"His friend Tori," Tris said, tracing the tiny raised lines she found hidden among the flowers. She recognized them as the scars inflicted by Marcus.
"Are you crying?" Christina asked.
"The black image in the background is Tobias' back tattoo," Tris said quietly. "The pink streaks under the flowers are the scars of his father's abuse. The tattoo covers them, but you can feel them."
Thanks to the email hoax story, Christina knew about the abuse Tobias suffered as a child. She put her arms around Tris and hugged her tight. "I'll leave you alone to read your note and call Tobias," she offered.
"But you need to get ready for your date," Tris objected.
"Marlene and I can get ready in her room," Christina offered, then grabbed her clothes and makeup. With a last hug for Tris, she left.
Tris changed quickly into pajamas and opened the envelope from Tobias.
My Beatrice,
Happy Valentine's Day, Beautiful! More than anything, I wish I could be with you today. I miss you so much. Call me when you get this, no matter how late it is.
I'm sure you recognize some things in your gift, and can guess that Tori painted it. She has done some really nice paintings of flowers lately. They reminded me of you, so I asked her to paint something for you. When I saw the finished product, I loved it, because it is perfectly us - my tattoo, improved by your flowers, just as my life is improved by you.
Thank you for being my valentine this year and hopefully many more. I look forward to tasting all the world's pizzas with you!
Yours,
Tobias
Tris wiped her eyes and checked her reflection, then video called Tobias. He answered after just one ring, and Tris saw him sitting up in bed, wearing the Chicago t-shirt she'd sent him.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Tobias greeted.
Suddenly overwhelmed, Tris burst into tears again.
"Tris! What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Tris said, her voice choked. "I just got overwhelmed. It's so good to see you."
Tobias smiled gently. "It's good to see you, too," he said.
"Did I wake you?" Tris asked. "What time is it?"
"Almost midnight," Tobias said. "I was just reading and waiting for your call."
The couple caught up on what they had been doing. They exchanged a few stories and sweet sentiments. After a half hour, Tris insisted on ending the call so Tobias could go to bed.
She didn't feel like walking across campus to the cafeteria, so Tris grabbed a yogurt from the mini-fridge in her room and opened a box of crackers. She decided that a sappy chick flick and an early bedtime cuddled up with her new pizza plushie was the best way to spend her evening.