December 23, 2005
Strong Like Bull
Lorenzo tried to enjoy what wasleft of his meal amidst Ric's conspicuous unhappiness with him.
"You know what Ric? I think you're just insecure. You should've known that when you started dating her."
Lorenzo grabbed his water to take a sip, but Ric placed a tight hold on his arm before hecould touch the glass to his lips.
"Ric, let go of my arm. It's not that deep."
"Lorenzo, I came to you as a friend in need of advice about my failing relationship with Alexis and then I find out that you're pursuing her too. So yea I'm a tad bit bitter."
"I wasn't pursing Alexis. We were going over case files. Ric, you're one of my best friends. You stood up for me when no one else would, as did Alexis. Her defense of me was conditional and yours wasn't so I appreciate you for that. I'm not gonna do your pregnant girlfriend even if she told me to tell you it's over."
Lorenzo stuffed a fork full of food into his mouth and avoided all eye contact with Ric.
"She told you what?" Ric's questions yielded nothing but silence from Lorenzo.
"Sorry Ric. That was all kinds of wrong. As your good friend, I feel the need to tell you that I think you and Alexis are over."
"She told you to tell me that? You? Tell me? That we're over?"
"I told her it was wrong of me to even get involved, but she didn't…"
"…She didn't what?"
"Just blame the pregnancy. Hormones. That's why I didn't even bother. She told me this info like a week ago. She hasn't even asked if I told you yet. I think she's bluffing."
Ric thrre his napkin onto the table and requested the check from the nearest waiter.
"Lorenzo, it was nice knowing you. I'm going to Kelly's for a cheap beer."
"Ric, come on Man. I am honest when I say that nothing has ever or would happen between Alexis and me."
"For the love of God why does this always happen to me?" Alexis tries to hold back the tears of pain as the nurse examines her hand for more glass.
"Alexis. When did you become so accident-prone? How did you manage to break a glass in your hand?"
Alexis looks up at Stefan leaned patiently on the doorframe of the hospital room.
"Sometimes I don't know my strength I guess."
Stefan takes her free hand in his. "You're welcome to squeeze my head my Dear. Just give me a warning."
The nurse bandages Alexis' hand. "No need for all of that. We're finished and lucky that the glass was thin."
"I always buy the best crystal."
The nurse gathers all of her materials and heads for the door. "I am done and you are free to go Alexis. Try not to stress out too much."
"I will." Alexis examines her bandaged hand.
"I'm guessing something that Sonny said upset you." Stefan inquires.
"He always upsets me. But really sometimes I fight with myself. Sometimes Natasha and I don't get along. She's just like Sonny. She has no conscious. At least she pretends not to."
"Well you're gonna have to tell Natasha to get lost."
"Oh no. I can't do that. She's really important to me. She's my strength. She's strong like bull."
Stefan nods his head and smiles. "She's a defense mechanism."
"I know what those are, but she's not in any of Freud's theories. I do know she rarely if ever gives a damn."
"She lives by the creed of carpe diem."
"Exactly."
"She gets you out of those emotional binds. She allows you the opportunity to be void of any type of social responsibility."
Alexis ponders for a moment. "Right?"
"Sonny Corinthos, do you know in how many cities my show is syndicated?"
Sonny tries to remained focus on Lois embarking on her angry rant.
"Uh. Five or six."
"Oh. You wanna be a wiseguy. A smart-alec. An ass. I see."
"You asked a question and I'm giving you an answer."
"Let me break it down for you. After your on the radio marriage proposal…"
"…Marriage proposal?" Sonny practically falls out of his chair.
"Shut up and listen! Miguel all the way in Puerto Rico calls to congratulate me. Guess who else called?"
"Who?"
"Brenda from London."
Sonny's eyes grow wide. "For real?"
"Yea. She said she had no clue that you had those feelings for me and had she known she would not have gone through all of the crap the two of you went through all of those years. She did laugh after she said it so I'm guessing it was her long and round about way of saying congratulations."
"Can I explain something Lois? Listen. I just went blank. I had to do something. I just couldn't do what I wanted to do…"
"…So you used me? You don't really love me?"
"Uh. I do love you, but like a little sister. That's it."
"I was used?"
"Kind of."
"I don't know if I can forgive you for this."
"Can I still sleep on your couch until you figure it out?"
Lorenzo finished up his reading and gaveAlexis his attention. "Why don't you go see Ric?"
"It's not something that I woke up this morning and decided I needed to do. I just don't think Ric and I are compatible."
"You don't need to explain that to me. You need to explain it to Ric. Just like you explained to Sonny that his daddy duties were not needed any longer."
"It wasn't exactly like that. I just told him that these threats he's been getting are wearing on my nerves and I moved to the city to get away from them. I've done so much more than I've needed to do in that relationship. Kristina and I take that four-hour trek to Port Charles for visits on his terms every freaking weekend. By the end of it I'm tired and annoyed. She's tired and annoyed. And then he's just annoyed so it never ends well."
"Speaking of Port Charles. We have to meet Justus there next week for that civil case."
"Right. I haven't forgotten."
"Ric is already there so maybe you should break the news then."
"Or you could. Friend. You owe me."
"We've been even for a long time Alexis."
"I'm giving your son part of the Cassadine fortune. You owe me. You're telling Ric that it's over or Natasha will see to it that you don't wake up the next morning."
"It's not that I used you. It's just that I have trouble expressing myself to her." Sonny tries to explain himself.
"Alexis?"
"Yea. There's a lot of guilt in me and she's always tried to help whether she realizes it or not."
"Why don't you write her a letter?"
Sonny drops his head towards the ground and runs his fingers through his hair.
"She's not into that kind of thing. I'm not really good with words."
"You're a smooth talker Corinthos. Just write it down. It's simple."
"Writing and talking is like trying to walk and chew gum at the same time. I can't."
"Brooke Lynn can write and you talk. What about that?"
"You're not gonna take no for an answer are you?"
"You want a nice warm couch or your backyard Superman tent? Stop playing games Corinthos. Just do it. Whatever it is you want to do with her. I'm not exactly sure and I don't need to know, but obviously it's a roadblock in you figuring stuff out."
Sonny crosses his arms and tries to hold back a smile. "I just know that Alexis is progressive. After one experience she always goes for something better."
"That's human nature."
"I know. But I know she loved Ric who was this smart, Ivy League brat and then I heard through the grapevine that she was falling for Lorenzo who was just as intelligent and quite suave I might add. I don't even fit into the same category as those guys now."
"They're dead Sonny. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter. She's holding on to them. They still mean everything to her. She bought Lorenzo's apartment after he died."
"For Zander maybe?"
"No. He doesn't live there. No one does."
Lois scrounges up her face. "Why don't you just live there?"
"That's my point Lois. I'm not good enough anymore. I have no job. No education. Nothing."
"You are a loser. How the hell was I offended by rejection like ten minutes again?"
Sonny can't help but laugh. "One thing Alexis does not do better than you is reverse psychology."
The gunmen lined them up along her wall. Each of them, Lorenzo, Ric, and Sonny, an important part of her life. The lament filled her heart. They didn't make it easier with the combination of dimples, gentlemen smiles, and witty speak. Instead of looking at them, she looked upward and continued her prayers…Alexis wakes herself up quickly to the sound Stefan combing through one of the boxes.
"I have a question." She projects her voice to him across the room to her closet.
"Sure. I'm listening."
"Have you ever had a terrible nightmare that inches towards a really bad ending?"
Stefan stops his search and brushes off his pants, dusty from the debris of the boxes. "If you count Helena, I'd say yes. But that nightmare still continues."
"No really. When I sleep at night, the day Ric and Lorenzo were killed plays in my head. It always starts right where it last ended. And it's inching closer to that part that I'd like to forget. What do I do?"
"I don't know if I'm the one to ask Alexis. You might wanna try Kevin on that one."
"If I can dig an apology out of him first."
Stefan goes back into the closet and continues his searching.
"No luck finding the Africa book? It's really big. How I managed to put it in one of those boxes is beyond me."
Stefan closes up the last box and steps out of the closet.
"No luck Alexis. I have a feeling that you sent it away."
Alexis covers her face with a deep sigh. "I have a feeling Kristina's going to lynch me on Oprah in ten years."