“I wish it was, but it’s not. The paper doesn’t know it, but I’ve turned in my very last story. It’s an exposé on my husband…it hurts so much to even call him that…and the men he was involved with. It will go to press in the morning, just before the voters start showing up at the polls. It will be over for him. You’ll win in a landslide and he’ll be locked away.”
“Just because you write a story doesn’t mean anyone’s going to believe it. It’s gossip after all.”
“I took his computers just now. Both of them. Laptop and desktop and drove them straight to the police station. I found the files yesterday when he was asleep. I was so worried he was going to find me and kill me, but fortunately he drank a lot before bed and when he fell asleep, he stayed asleep.”
“I’m not sure if I believe you.”
“You don’t have to believe me. You’ll see in the morning.”
“Why didn’t you just go? Why did you have to come here and meet with me?”
“I had to say sorry for what I did. I owe apologies to a lot of people, but unfortunately I only have time for one. Yours. Like I said, I really connected with Julia. I wanted to speak with her to get some dirt on you, if I’m being honest. But she was so warm and so young and optimistic she just made me want to hug her and keep her safe…something I know you’ll do, so I’m not worried. The evidence I’ve turned in will be enough to put him away for a long, long time. Julia won’t even have to testify and no one will find out she was even involved. She can just live her life, with you, the way life intended.”
I see Isaac processing everything that’s coming at him so quickly. The sushi chef arrives at our table and sits down a green tea for each of us. “Arigatou,” I say. He bows slightly and excuses himself as he can see we’re in the middle of a pretty heavy topic.
I tip back my tea even though it’s too hot. In some strange way I feel like it’s a sort of penance for what I’ve done. It’s not nearly enough, but I want to hurt right now, more than I already do. I want to feel the pain I’ve inflicted on others, and even though burning my mouth doesn’t come close to the damage I’ve caused, at least in some strange way it’s something.
“That’s all I’ve got. I’m sorry, Isaac. I really am. Just take care of Julia for me…please.”
He nods and takes his own cup in his hands. He slides it directly in front of himself, and removes his hands as it’s too hot. He looks down into the green liquid like it’s an abyss that he’s looking into hoping there’s an answer down there somewhere.
I rise up out of my chair and make my way to the counter. I place a $10 bill on the counter and before the chef can return with the change I’m out the door. I’ll spend the next few hours in the airport and then I’m gone forever.
CHAPTER 12
Isaac
The next evening
Congratulations!
Fire Chief Irons!
You deserve it! Look forward to working for you!
The text messages of support are pouring in. It’s a landslide victory. Abby’s story ran this morning, just as she said, and now she’s nowhere to be found. I think it’s the strangest thing I’ve ever been a part of, with one exception…
“You won,” Julia says.
“Thanks to you,” I say as she gives me a big hug.
“I guess you got what you wanted, so…that’s it, huh?”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I say.
“It does, Isaac. Deep down I believe in real love, true love, and I’m not going to settle for anything less.”
“That’s exactly what you deserve,” I say.
“Thanks.”
I pause, realizing for the first time just how much I’m going to miss her. She was kind, incredibly supportive, a great cook, and beautiful to boot.
“Where will you go?”
“Well, I guess they don’t need me to testify, and I still have some time left on my work and travel visa so I’ll just catch a bus and see where it takes me. I want to travel cross country, and see all the beauty that America has to offer.”
“Are you allowed to do that…I mean on your work and travel visa? Does it permit that?”
“Since when did you worry about the rules?” she says, tapping me on the nose.
“I guess you’ve got a point,” I say. I pause again and look into those incredible eyes of hers. I can see her sadness and her optimism at the same time. I guess the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. “What should I tell people who ask about you?”
“I don’t really know. I mean I don’t care…I’ll be long gone. Wait! I do care. Tell them thank you. Thank you for showing me their hospitality and helping me understand this American way. This American optimism and the way the people of your country always find a way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, where I’m from sometimes people get…how do you say…beaten into submission. The weather, the news, the government, the media. It’s all carefully orchestrated to keep you in place, to prevent individualism and keeping you from the things that you really want in this crazy little thing called life.”
“Even the weather?”
“Okay…maybe that’s just a product of our latitude, but anyways I like this can do attitude that I saw. I mean yeah, we had to bend the rules a little bit, but you got what you’ve always wanted in life. You didn’t let anyone stop you, and you didn’t hurt anyone in the process. And most importantly, even though you may have a rough exterior, I can see you care about people and that you’ll do a great job for them.”
“I do care about people. More than I ever knew. You showed me that side of myself. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She releases me from her hug, and looks at the watch on her arm. It’s bright red, of course, and looks like something a college kid might wear. It’s fun, loud, and fits her perfectly. “I guess I better be going. My bus is leaving soon.”
“You know,” I say, thinking back to last night when I practiced this moment a thousand times in my head. I’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to expressing my feelings, but I’m ready to start now. “You don’t have to go.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Is it so silly?”
She says nothing.
“I mean, if you’re interested in staying I mean. I definitely enjoy having you around. And I think it would be fun to learn more about you and show you more of just what America is really about.”
“You have to get started as the fire chief,” she says. “You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.”
“That’s one of the misconceptions right there,” I say, smiling. “I do plan on working hard, but when you reach the top you have to learn how to delegate. That and there’s a transitionary period over the next month. But before that there’s a time to celebrate my victory, our victory.”
“Our victory?”
“None of this would have happened without you.”
“Aww,” she says. She takes a step back and looks me up from head to toe, as if getting her last look at me forever. She looks down at her watch.
“Can you drive me to the station?”
“Sure I say,” glad I’ve bought a little more time with this amazing young woman.
CHAPTER 13
Julia
All the way to the bus station we’re talking, laughing, and having a great time. I don’t want to miss this, but I don’t want to live in a fantasy world either. This isn’t real, even though I wish more than ever that it were.
We park the car and Isaac goes with me to the waiting area. I want to kiss him so bad, and for him to hold me, but I need to get used to this idea that the game is over. There’s no reason to make this any harder than it already is.
“Everybody on the bus,” the driver yells and the passengers start filing on.
Isaac walks with me to the door and after everyone is on the driver gives us that look like he’s seen this before, and he’s not about to wait any longer.
“Any bags ma’am?”
“Just my backpack,” I say.
“You can put that in the overhead then,” he says, moving to the side of the bus, and shutting the doors to the storage areas on the sides of the bus.
“We’ve got to go,” he says just a few seconds later. “We’re on a tight schedule.”
“Thanks for everything,” I say to Isaac. “I’ve got quite the story to tell when I get back home.”
He nods his head, but says nothing. I can tell this is as hard for him as it is for me. I need to be strong. I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him as hard as I can right on the mouth. Tears stream down my face, as I rub my hand on his, feeling him one last time.
I turn and quickly dart up the steps and onto the bus. I sit on the far side. I don’t want to wave or see him disappear in the distance. I don’t want to cry right now. Luckily there’s a seat with no one in the seat next to it. I put my backpack down on the seat next to me, and bury my head in between my knees.
I hear the air break release and the door shut. The bus driver fires up the engine and we back out of our spot.
I’ll never be back here as long as I live, but I’ll always remember this place, because I’ll always remember him.
CHAPTER 14
Julia
I wipe the tears from my eyes as we approach the front gate.
The gate raises halfway and then stops.
“What’s the hold up, Marge?” the driver says into his handheld CB communication device.
“Late comer. Hold for one more, Dave.”
“Since when do we wait for stragglers?”
“You’ll see,” comes over his device.
Suddenly there’s a frantic knocking on the door.
Great. I hope this maniac doesn’t sit down next to me.
I lean back in my seat and try to look like I’m asleep, putting my arm over my bag on the seat next to me.
“Is this seat taken,” the voice I’d recognize anywhere says in between huffing and puffing to catch his breath.
“Isaac! What are you doing here?”
“I’m going with you. We’re doing this together.”
“Are you crazy?”
“For you. Yes.”
“I can’t believe you came.”
“I can’t believe I let it get this far.”
“Sit yer butt down!” the driver yells.
“Yes, sir,” Isaac says, as I move my bag and he settles in next to me.
We hug, and I feel the goose bumps all over again, but this time they’re different. The moment outside the bus felt like our last, but oh how times have changed. Now the goose bumps are from the excitement of feeling his touch all over again. I didn’t ever want to miss that.
“But…what about?”
“It can wait. Everything can wait. Everyone will be expecting me to celebrate these next few days anyways. The timing is perfect.”
“The timing?”
“The timing to see where this adventure can take us. To see what’s next. I know where we’ve been and now I want to see where we can go together. I want to be with you. To try this for real…if you’re okay with that. I mean if I’m crazy I’ll get off at the first stop and leave you alone for good, but I know I’m not crazy. I know you feel the same things I do. And I know we owe it to ourselves to at least give this a shot.”
“Yeah,” I say, starting to cry again. “Let’s give it a shot. You and me and whatever the future holds.”
His lips meet mine and I’m not sure if he’s kissing me or attacking me. I’m just glad he’s so thrilled to be with me, and that he was willing to risk everything. And I’m most happy that the kiss I gave him before I hopped on the bus wasn’t our last.
I hope there are a lot more to come, as I set out to see America, and really find out what this American dream is all about.
EPILOGUE
Julia
Three months later
“There it goes!” I say.
“Right on time,” he says.
“Wow! It’s so beautiful.”
I stand in awe for the next three minutes as Old Faithful erupts. The day has been incredible and this is the ultimate ending.
We started off the morning with a trip to the Grand Prismatic Spring here at Yellowstone National Park. It looked like something from another planet. Part hole in the ground, part volcano looking…and all the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. I couldn’t have imagined something so beautiful, even after all the beautiful things we’ve seen these last few months.
Isaac has put the extra salary he receives now that he’s fire chief towards weekend getaways for the two of us. And I’ve been making some money too, teaching both languages and piano on the side. I never expected there would be such a demand for either. But that demand all started with him. Now that I was “with” Isaac, I was recognized everywhere I went. And Isaac’s public perception had grown as well. He was more open, more of a listener and empathizer, and people had really started to respond to him. There was even chatter that he’d make a good mayor one day, or even a state politician. He’d come a long way the last few months, and I was really proud of him.
But soon we’d have to face reality again, but I was putting off thinking about that. My visa would expire and we’d be faced with a decision. Luckily the only decision I faced this weekend was what amazing sights to take in each day.
These trips around the country that we had been taking really showed me the real America. I loved the straightforward nature of New Yorkers. They somehow reminded me of home. I guess it was their bluntness.
And Florida…what a beautiful place. An incredible melting pot, which made me feel so comfortable as a foreigner in this beautiful country. The sand in between my toes was also quite welcoming.
And Texas. I had heard so many things, but when I arrived I found most of these ideas I’d been told were misplaced. These were some of the most caring, loyal, and family oriented people I’d ever met. I absolutely loved it there, and I definitely got addicted to the Tex-Mex cuisine. I even learned how to make some things for us when we got back.
But this weekend in Wyoming was the best. The open plains. The feel of the wind in your hair. This was the frontier that I always pictured America being. A place of freedom where the American buffalo grazed and rivers ran for miles. Everywhere I turned was a postcard…picture perfect and even better than any photos I had seen online before I left home.
“What do you think?” he says, as I feel his arms wrap around me just as Old Faithful finishes her salute towards the sky.
“Of all the places I think this is the best.”
“You’re the best,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say, as I hug him tight. “Awww,” I say into his shirt as I bury my face in his chest.
“And not only are you the best, but you’ve brought out the best in me. You’ve shown me another side I didn’t even know I had. And now that I’ve seen that side, and seen what you can do to me, I don’t ever want to lose either.”
“But,” I begin, but his finger quickly comes up to softly meet my lips, silencing me.
“No more ifs, ands, or buts,” he says. “No more hypotheticals, I only want to deal in certainties when it comes to us, and that’s because I’m absolutely certain of this,” he says dropping to one knee.
The floor of our Premium West-Wing Hotel Room at the Old Faithful Inn creaks as he lowers himself down. I feel like I’m in an old movie where strong men and romance were the saviors of the day.
“Julia. You’ve reminded me just how beautiful this place is that I call home. And in doing so, you’ve shown me so many sides of your own beauty. But the most beautiful of homes isn’t a home at all, unless it has a princess in the tower. And right now you’re my princess, but I want to change that. I want to make you my queen, and turn my home into a castle. A castle where I’ll protect you and cherish you like the matriarch of the family we will begin. Join me on the throne of our little castle. Be my queen. Be my wi
fe. Will you marry me?”
He opens a small black box and an absolutely perfect diamond sparkles under the candlelight. This hardened fireman who battles blazes has become the most romantic man on the planet, and now the love and romance he has to give will be all mine. Forever.
“Yes,” I say. “I want nothing more than to be your queen.”
He takes my hand and slides the ringer on my finger. In my country the ring finger is on the right hand, but I’m not in my old country anymore. I’m in my new country, with my new life, and the perfect man to share it with.
Fireman's Fake Fiancée: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 26) Page 5
