by Anne Stone
“Why not sooner?”
“Gabby, you’re pushing too hard. If you can’t make it for dinner, then I guess we’ll have to do it another time.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you at five.” Gabriella wasn’t too happy with her brother. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.
Alejandro hung up the phone and looked at Angelina. She looked distressed. He just knew they were in trouble. Both of them were digging a grave. They had to decide what to do today, before Gabby came over and before Angelina had to deal with her mother again.
“Boy am I glad to see you,” he said as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
She immediately pulled away. “We have to talk, and now!”
Alejandro didn’t like her tone. What’s wrong now, he thought.
“Come on in and sit down. Something to drink?”
Looking up at him, she asked for a stiff drink.
“How about orange juice instead?” he said as he turned towards the kitchen.
“I guess I’ll have to settle for that.”
Alejandro returned and handed her the glass of juice. She immediately set it aside. Sitting next to her, he reached for her hands. Grasping them tightly, he looked into her eyes, “What’s wrong?”
“Alejandro,” she said. “We have to decide where this ‘whatever we have’ is going. I can’t continue to lie to my parents, to Gabriella…”
“I know.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m just not—”
“Not what?” she snapped at him, withdrawing from his arms and standing. “Alejandro, we have to figure this out.”
“I know.”
“Is that all you have to say is ‘I know?’”
“Angelina, it’s complicated.”
“How?”
“It just is.”
“Tell me what the issue is.”
“I can’t. I can’t deal with this right now.”
“Well, either you deal with it or I’m out of here. I can’t continue down this path. I’m on pins and needles all of the time. My mother knows something’s up. My relationship with Gabriella is strained…”
“I realize that. It’s just I can’t share this with you or anyone right now. I have to deal with it myself.”
Turning the tables on him, she said, “Maybe you should talk to someone about whatever’s going on with you.”
“Don’t have time…”
“You know what, Alejandro. All you seem to have is excuses. Until you figure this out, we’re over. You need to deal with whatever’s going on with you. If you won’t find someone to help you, then you’ll have to deal with it by yourself. I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Angelina, don’t do this. Please… Stay. Let’s talk. We can work this out.”
Angelina didn’t look back while he pleaded with her. She grabbed her purse and, with head held high, she waltzed through the front door and out of his life. Tears were streaming down her face as she left. She thought they could make this work. She thought she could help him get through whatever was troubling him.
Angelina got in her car and drove away from Alejandro. Her cell rang several times, but she ignored it. She decided to run by school and work in her classroom—she always found solace there. She was there for only a few minutes when she started crying. Maybe she would feel better if she went home instead. There she could try and figure out what had just happened.
Alejandro’s day was ruined. He’d planned on having a nice chat with Angelina, then that all fell apart. He spent the remainder of the day thinking about her. He knew he had to deal with his past, but he just couldn’t right now. He kept pushing the memories aside, hoping time would heal his wounds.
Gabriella appeared promptly at five. He’d completely forgotten about their dinner. He’d been dealing with his thoughts and feelings since Angelina had walked out. He knew he’d looked a sight when he answered the door. “Gabriella?”
“What’s up with you? You look like you’ve been through the ringer today.”
“It’s been a crazy day. How about a rain check?”
“How about you tell me what’s going on with you and Angelina.”
“What’re you talking about? There’s nothing going on with us.”
“Come on, Alejandro. Are you two dating?”
Emphatically he said, “No.” Now if she were asking him earlier in the day, he’d had to have lied. Now, his answer was the truth.
“Come on. You are.”
“No, we’re not. Now did you get out of me what you wanted?”
“Not really. I think you’re dating, but I’ll believe you for the time being. What about our dinner? Aren’t you cooking?”
“Let’s go out. I don’t feel like cooking.”
They went out for dinner. He enjoyed spending time with his sister, even though she could care too much about his personal life sometimes. They talked about the upcoming Career Day and what he was planning to present. They discussed the program he was trying to implement at the hospital. They finished eating and had been at the restaurant for quite some time when they started getting dirty looks from their waitress, so they decided to leave and call it a night. Alejandro gave his sister a hug, a quick peck on the cheek, and said goodbye. Alejandro drove by Angelina’s house on the way home, wishing he’d get a call from her but knew he wouldn’t.
The following Wednesday, Mary held her last planning meeting for Career Day.
Alejandro entered the teacher’s lounge prior to the meeting. He immediately saw Gabriella. “Where’s Angelina?”
“She went home with a migraine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she didn’t look too good either. She said she’s been getting them lately, but today she just couldn’t push through it.”
He wondered if he was the reason for her headache, but didn’t get into it with his sister.
Their meeting lasted longer than expected, and Alejandro got a call right at the end of it. He had to go back to the hospital.
Career Day was scheduled for the end of the month and Alejandro didn’t know if he could wait that long to see Angelina. January always seemed like such a long month and two weeks was a long time to wait… He was going crazy not talking to her. He wondered how she was doing with their separation.
*****
The evening before the Career Day, Angelina was in her classroom reading through her students’ journals. She’d wanted them to write what their expectations of Career Day were, then she’d follow up and see if they were met. It was getting late and she was reading the last journal. Kevin expressed the desire to learn about the medical profession. She reread his journal. Her thoughts drifted to her sister Colleen and her surgery; then, onto the issues she’d had with her procedure. She realized she hadn’t thought much about her problems since she and Alejandro had their talk on New Year’s and began to tear up. She wiped the tears from her face, but they continued to fall.
She heard a noise and looked up. Alejandro was standing in her doorway. Just her luck, he’d caught her crying again. He walked into her room and looked her squarely in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. When he neared her side, he brushed his thumb across her cheek, catching one of the tears. Smiling, he said, “Last time I came in here you were crying.”
“Yeah, just thinking about some stuff. That’s all.”
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. But you know why this won’t work. Until you can deal with—”
“I know. I’m just sorry that it’s come to this. Can you just tell me what upset you?”
“I asked the class to think about what they wanted to get out of tomorrow. Kevin indicated that he wanted to hear about the medical profession.”
“That caused you to cry?”
“Yeah. I was thinking about Colleen and my infection, and I just teared up. I’m fine now.”
“Sure?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to get going. I have a
lot to do before tomorrow. My mom is expecting me for dinner and I need to pick Wyatt up from school.”
“I won’t keep you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Angelina packed her bag and locked her classroom. Alejandro waited and walked her to her car. “Angelina?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. He stepped back from her car as she got in and drove off. He’d really messed things up. He needed to fix them. He needed to open up and share things with her. Maybe he’d be able to do that soon.
The next day, Angelina was anxious. She didn’t want to face Alejandro or Gabriella during Career Day. She was afraid Gabriella would bring up her brother, and she just didn’t want to talk about him.
She made it through the day without any incidents. Alejandro was just as gracious as ever. Angelina attended his second-to-last presentation before the day was over. She sat in the back of the classroom while Alejandro spoke about his profession and described what he did as a transplant surgeon, how he changed people’s lives when they thought nothing could be done to save them. He discussed what it meant to be an organ donor.
Everyone was glued to their chairs while Alejandro spoke. He spoke eloquently about why he did what he did. He brought the presentation down to the level of the students so they could fully understand what he did—he saved lives. He got some excellent questions and received the loudest round of applause that Angelina had heard the entire day.
Angelina was proud of him. She left the room as the children stood to move onto their last speaker. Alejandro hadn’t realized she was in the room—he had been so engrossed in his presentation. By the time he looked towards the back of the room, she was gone and the last group of children was entering the room.
Mary gathered all of the speakers in the gym at the end of the day to thank them and to present everyone with a plaque. Alejandro and Angelina shared a glance across the room. She smiled at him then looked away. Gabriella caught the exchange and knew she had been right—something was going on between them.
Gabriella decided not to question them. She’d wait and see if anything more happened. Angelina seemed reserved as of late, and Gabriella didn’t want to push her. They shared everything when they were in college and, when they first rediscovered each other at the beginning of the year, she seemed like her old self. But since she’d had her medical issues, Gabriella had seen a change in her friend. She didn’t know if she should worry or not. Maybe she’d was imagining it and maybe not. If it continued, she’d contact Angelina’s mother to see what she thought. Something was wrong and, by God, she’d discover what was troubling her.
*****
Spring came early with horrendous rains. They’d had a terrific amount of snow pack and the rain was causing it to melt too fast. The ground was still partially frozen and the weathermen were forecasting flash flooding throughout the entire area.
Alejandro hated this weather. It brought back too many memories, memories he tried to forget… memories he knew he’d have to deal with if he ever wanted a relationship with Angelina.
Alejandro was off service for the week and had stayed close to home—he didn’t want to be out in the storms, and he had enough to do around the house anyway. He hadn’t ever completely unpacked from his move and decided he’d try and finish. All of the boxes were stacked in closets or were stored in the basement out of sight.
It was early evening and a huge storm was passing overhead. Warnings continued to scroll across the television. He was watching the news (which he rarely did) when his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw it was his sister.
“Alejandro, I’m worried.”
“What about?”
“Angelina. She was running home to change her clothes and then she was coming over to work on grades—”
Interrupting her, he said, “It’s that time again?” Alejandro’s mind drifted away. He recalled a conversation he’d had with Angelina earlier in the year. She was going to call him to help with grades. Well, he knew that would never happen.
“Alejandro, she should have been here a long time ago.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. Her cell phone just goes to voicemail. I tried her house, but there was no answer. I’m really worried about her.”
“Do you want me to go see if she’s home?”
“Would you? With the rain and potential flooding…”
“I’ll call you when I know something.”
Alejandro put on his raincoat, grabbed his phone, and headed out. He was sure she was on her way over to Gabby’s, but thought it didn’t hurt to check. As he pulled out of his garage, the rain fell hard on his windshield. When he got to the end of his driveway, he noticed how much water was actually standing in the street. He wasn’t going to panic. He turned out of his driveway and headed towards Angelina’s. He had to drive much slower than normal due to the ponding on the road, but made it to her house without incident. There were no cars in the driveway. He called Gabby again. She said that Angelina still wasn’t there and hadn’t returned any of her messages.
Alejandro didn’t know what to do, so he drove towards Gabby’s. As he approached the intersection near her house, he looked ahead and saw Angelina sitting in her car. Luckily, he was at the top of a hill while her car had stalled at the bottom and her emergency flashers were on. The water was rising quickly and panic was starting to set in. Grabbing his umbrella, he left his car in the middle of the street and headed towards her car. The current was getting swift and he was having a difficult time getting to her—the water almost upended him, but his adrenaline kept him going. When he reached her car, she looked panicked.
“Alejandro, please help me,” she said through the window.
He pulled open her door and she threw herself into his arms. As quickly as possible, he made her grab her backpack and purse.
“Hurry up,” he yelled to her. “We need to move to higher ground.” She grabbed onto his sleeve as he led her back to his car. He opened his car door and practically threw her in. He got in the driver’s side and, before he knew it, she’d thrown herself into his arms again.
“Oh my God,” she said. “Those waters came out of nowhere. My car stalled. My cell wasn’t working. I knew I needed to get out of there, but I was so frightened.” Angelina gasped for breath.
“It’s okay,” he said as he stroked her back. “You’re okay. Hey, I need to call Gabby and let her know you’re fine. Then we’ll call a tow truck and have your car towed. She was worried and sent me out to look for you.”
“Thanks,” she said as he made his calls. She watched his face and hands while he was on the phone. He seemed composed, but his hands were shaking. When he got off the phone and told her he was taking her to his house, she sighed in relief. They waited for the tow truck and then headed for his house. Her family was out for the night and she didn’t want to go home alone.
They pulled into his garage and he turned off the motor. She watched him. He didn’t move, but continued to grip the steering wheel. She asked him if he was okay, but he just sat there with his shaking hands glued to the wheel. She touched his forearm. With a look of panic in his eyes, he turned his head towards her. “Alejandro,” she said. “Are you alright?”
He slowly nodded. Releasing his hands from the steering wheel, he looked her straight in the eyes and said, “It’s time.”
She looked perplexed.
“It’s time that I share my past with you.”
He exited the car and reached for her hand as he opened her door. He pulled her from the car and placed his hand on her cheek. “It’s time I told you about Tammy and Michael.” She had no idea what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. She had the feeling that he needed her strength. Hand in hand they walked inside, removing their coats as they entered through the mud room. He reached for her coat and hung it up in the closet next to his. He led her directly to the couch in the family room. She sat while he
turned to watch the rain fall in sheets against the window. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath and turned to Angelina. “I need to tell you about my wife and son.”
Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t say anything. Wife and son? she thought. Gabriella had never told her that he’d been married and had a child. Angelina was shocked to say the least, but she would give him the benefit of the doubt and hear what he had to say.
He started pacing back and forth and his hands were clenched at his side. He seemed as though he was reliving an event. Abruptly, he stopped. Turning to her, he said, “They died on a night like tonight. This is what I’ve needed to deal with. I guess I’m being forced to face it tonight. Tonight I was able to rescue you, but on that night I wasn’t able to save my family.” He walked over to the sofa and sat down. He leaned forward and folded his hands between his legs. Sighing, he sat back on the sofa. Staring straight ahead, he began to tell her his story.
“I met Tammy at UW Hospital. She was a nurse in Pediatrics. I’d performed a heart transplant on an infant and she was my patient’s nurse. We made friends quickly and then began to date. We had so much in common. I’d never been in love before, but I fell head over heels in love with her almost right away. We were married within a year and Michael came along just after our first anniversary. We were ecstatic. He was the sweetest little boy. He looked exactly like his mother.”
Pausing, he continued. “Tammy and I had been married four years. We’d been trying to have another baby. It was late spring and we were inundated with heavy rains. It had rained nonstop for three days. The rivers were all overflowing their banks. The farm fields were flooded. Tammy hadn’t been feeling well, so she decided to go to the doctor. I’d been on service and couldn’t go with her. Actually, I was in surgery at the time of her appointment. As I said, it was raining heavily. She was on her way back from the doctor when her car was swept away in a flash flood. The car overturned and she and Michael drowned.” Closing his eyes, he finished his story. “She’d just found out that she was expecting our second child.”
