Chapter 32

Diego closed his eyes tiredly as he finished the chapter in his book. The tall caballero mentally prepared himself for a talk with his father. He was through being the coward that everyone thought he was. He risked the censure of his father but he knew that he had been wrong to deceive him. Diego looked up as his father entered the library.

"What are you doing up so late, son? You have been quiet all evening...Is it this business with Victoria that has you so upset? The two of you are not acting like a newly engaged couple."

"Father...We...We..."

"Don't bother to deny it, Diego. Victoria has not been wearing her ring lately. I was hoping that you would tell me what is wrong. Have you had another quarrel?"

"I...I...I lied to her, Father."

Don Alejandro had never seen Diego quite so serious or so nervous…All couples had their difficulties. Whatever he had to tell him had to be quite serious… A number of possibilities ran through his mind. Diego led a pretty uneventful life. What else could have caused such a rift between the couple? It was not as if he were Zorro...He looked into directly into Diego's eyes and realized what his son had hidden from him. He only needed Diego to confirm his suspicions...

"Father, I have kept something from you and Victoria for years… I am Zorro."

"You are Zorro, son. You must be joking!"

"I am quite serious, Father. Victoria knows my secret and that is the cause of all this friction between us..."

"You mean to tell me that you, a man who only interested in science, who takes to his bed at the first sign of illness is the masked bandit Zorro! I don't believe it!"

"I am not the coward that everyone thinks I am. Sir Edmund taught me how to fight. I let you think that I didn't complete my studies with him. I was his best student in fact, I carry his sword!"

"Zorro's sword...the one made of Toledo steel belongs to you...All those times you pretended to be sick or off conducting one of your experiments...you were off saving the pueblo...chasing bandits... Why are you telling me this now?"

"My deception has cost me Victoria's trust. I don't want to lose yours as well. I want to be honest with you...to stop pretending to be someone that I am not...to act like de la Vega for once in my life!"

"You said that sword fighting was rather tedious but that was a lie." Don Alejandro realized that Diego had pulled off the charade for years under his very nose. "You put yourself in danger, without me knowing."

"It is incredible to think that you fooled us all for years!"

"I have had a great deal of practice," Diego admitted ruefully, "Do you think that I enjoyed disappointing you? I want to be a man that you could be proud of! I never expected it to last this long. I was arrogant thinking that I could easily defeat the alcalde. I lost valuable time that I could have spent building a life with the woman that I love..."

"And I have been denied the opportunity to know my own son. We have both acted foolishly… I should have known. You could not have changed that much. What a fool I have been!"

"I want all the lies to end! I don't want anything to come between us ever again!"

"The de la Vegas will not be divided. There had better not be any more secrets you are hiding, Diego or there will be hell to pay!"

"There is one more thing that I need to show you. This way, if you please, Father." Diego walked toward the fireplace and pressed the hidden button…

ZZZ

"Now that I have seen this. I am amazed at your ingenuity, Diego," the old don stated as he looked around the cave.

The younger man raised his eyebrow at his father's remark. He had gotten away remarkably easy but he suspected that his father was about to say more. Don Alejandro was not exactly known for his subtlety or his patience...

"You managed to fool so many, son but now it is time that you put your life in order. I wondered what was going on between the two of you. Now, I understand. It is all so clear now..."

"She is upset, Father and rightfully so."

"It must have come as a shock to know that the man she loves and trusted implicitly has been hiding a part of himself…She trusted you more than anyone else."

"Yes," Diego sighed.

"Can you understand what she is going through?"

"I was only trying to protect her."

"That sounds very noble but look at it from her point of view. You were the one person she trusted without hesitation. To find out that you were capable of such a deception...That the man than she loved was hiding in plain sight...It would be an eye opener for anyone."

"I never said that I was perfect, Father. I am just a man..."

"Trust can be restored, Diego but it will take some time...Give it time. I love you, son...I am proud to call you son." Don Alejandro embraced his son feeling closer to him than he had in a long time. They would rebuild their relationship and become the father and son that they were meant to be.