by Julia Amante
She went back to the living room, where her parents and his stood talking among themselves. Victoria, too rattled to think logically, just paced back and forth. She wanted everyone gone.a
Lucia stopped her with her hands on her shoulders. “Tell me what happened.”
Victoria groaned inwardly. God, the woman was going to kill her. “Maybe he went back to your place,” she said, avoiding the question.
Lucia looked over her shoulder at Antonio. “Maybe.”
Victoria held her forehead. “I’m sorry, Lucia. I was just shocked and I thought he’d understand.”
“Understand what?” Victor asked.
She turned her attention to her father. “He wants to get married, and I told him I wasn’t ready for that just yet.”
The older adults all glanced at each other. Victor moved first, stepping forward and kissing her on the forehead. “No man takes it well when the woman he wants rejects him, but he’ll—”
“I didn’t reject him. I love him—and he knows that.”
“Still hard to swallow. Give him a few days to cool off.” He turned around. “Let’s go,” he said to everyone else.
“Can you call me if he’s at your place?” she asked Lucia. “Just so I know he’s okay.”
Lucia was clearly upset, but she nodded.
They all left her alone. She sat on the couch in her beautiful gown and waited. She didn’t sleep. She couldn’t. Lucia called to tell her he hadn’t gone to her house. Somehow, Victoria knew he hadn’t.
“I’m sorry, Lucia.”
“Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow,” she advised.
But she didn’t sleep. Thoughts kept her up all night. And at some point she stopped being upset or even angry. Eric needed time to sort this relationship out. She did, too.
The next morning, Victoria dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater and drove to Lucia’s house. It was Christmas Eve, and if Eric didn’t come back home no one would be celebrating.
They sat at her kitchen table to share a cup of coffee.
“I came to drop off a set of keys to the house. I’ll move my things out and notify the Realtor to contact you if she wants to show it.”
Lucia held on to the keys, stared at them as if they held answers about her son that Victoria hadn’t shared. “I don’t think you should move your things out yet, querida.”
“I’m leaving for Washington on January second.” She told Lucia about her new job.
“But you’ll be back,” she said.
“Yes.”
“Then stay in the house. I’m certainly not going to show it or sell it. It’s Eric’s responsibility.”
Which was why she thought it best to take her things out of the house. But maybe Lucia was correct. If Eric came back and saw all her things gone, he’d think it was all over between them. And Victoria didn’t want him to believe that. Just because she wasn’t ready for marriage just yet didn’t mean she didn’t want him. “Okay. I’ll stay,” she said.
Carmen made it home for Christmas, arriving on December 24. Victor picked her up at the bustling Burbank Airport, which was full of holiday vacationers leaving and arriving. She had a couple of carry-on bags, and two full and heavy suitcases.
Victor loaded it all onto a cart. “All this for one week?”
“You never know what I might need.”
“Sure you do. A couple of shirts, a couple of pants, underwear, and socks.”
“A week consists of seven days. A couple of anything isn’t enough.”
“Hmm.” He loaded her bags into the trunk of the car. Then they got in.
“I’m starving. That nasty food they allow you to buy on flights these days is barely edible. I can’t wait to eat some of Mom’s good food, and to eat at La Parrilla, and to eat good Mexican food.” She laughed. “I’m going to do nothing but eat for an entire week.”
“Good.” She looked too thin. Probably didn’t eat much. He wove out of the airport terminal and onto the freeway.
“I do need to go shopping this evening. I’m going to drag Victoria out and have her take me to the mall.”
“Might do her good. She had a fight with Eric, and she isn’t in the best mood.”
“About what? And when did this happen? She didn’t tell me about it.”
“Happened last night.” He shrugged. “Talk to her.”
“Ugh, men. I’ve dated five different guys this year. Each worse than the next. I swear I don’t get guys. Most of them have the attention span of a two-year-old and the memory of… what has a terrible memory? Anyway, late to dates or they forget all together. Unless it concerns sex or sports they can’t focus.”
Victor shot her a stern glance as he drove. She dated five men? A little much.
“Sorry, I know you’re a man.”
“Thanks for noticing.” He took the off ramp he needed and headed for home.
“But trust me. Guys these days, they’re not like you, Papi. They have no character. No substance.”
He needed her to change the subject. Not that it would be difficult to do. Carmen could talk nonstop about anything.
“So tell me about your idea to work for La Parrilla.”
“Well, when I originally thought about it, I thought I’d help you run the restaurant. Take care of payroll, hiring, and most of the back-office business stuff. Give you a chance to retire soon.”
“Retire? Who said anything about retiring?”
“Eventually. Aren’t you the man who has always talked about retiring to Argentina?”
“Well, that’s not going to happen for a long time.”
“Whatever. That’s what I was thinking. But now that you’re opening the other two restaurants, well, the stakes are even higher.”
“I’ve thought of this a lot since we spoke on the phone. If you’re determined to go through with this, you should change your major to business management. I’ll train you to run the restaurant. Victoria can help you as well.”
“She doesn’t want to be involved.”
“She won’t mind training you. Although it won’t be for a while. She’s—”
“Leaving for Washington. That I know.”
He wondered if he would ever get to finish his thoughts with all the interruptions. He turned onto their street. “If I think you can do it, I’ll move my current manager from Burbank to Newport Beach and leave you the original to run. It’ll be the easiest since it’s established. But, Carmen, if I think it’s too much for you or that you’re not serious about this, I won’t hesitate to remove you.” He pulled into their driveway and cut the engine. Then he turned to look at her. “Clear?”
She looked serious for a change. “Absolutely. I can do this. And I want to.”
“You wanted to follow a career in science, too.”
“No, I was good at science. It was fun. You and Mom decided I should make it my life. But, Dad, I want to make money. I want to be rich someday.”
“Doctors make good money.”
“And they’re stuck inside a clinic with sick people all the time. Not for me. I want to be around people who are happy, having a good time, eating a good meal. You’ve got the best job in the world.”
He’d never thought of it that way. “All right. You make the degree change and when you’re finished with college, we’ll start your training.”
She threw herself across the seats and wrapped her arms around him.
“Your mother is definitely going to divorce me now.”
“I won’t let her.” She pulled back and opened her car door. “Let’s go.”
Jaqueline welcomed her baby home, tears in her eyes as she hugged her for a good, long minute. Victor stood at the door, watching.
“Come in,” Jaqueline said to him, grabbing his arm.
He walked inside and closed the door. The three of them sat on the couch while Carmen talked about everything on her mind, jumping from one topic to another. Then she grew serious. “I need to tell you something, and you can’t freak out.”
“Okay,” Jaqueline said cautiously.
“This was my idea. My decision. And I begged Dad to consider it.”
She glanced at Victor who looked scared. That didn’t make her feel any better. Carmen went on, explaining how she planned to change her major and eventually move back home to help Victor in the restaurant business. That was the crux of what she was saying, but she danced around the idea for nearly fifteen minutes and took another ten minutes to explain how it would work.
When she was finished, she stared at Jaqueline. “What are you thinking?”
They both looked at her expectantly. Carmen was coming home. She couldn’t think of a better Christmas present. She pulled her forward for an embrace. “Whatever makes you happy, amorcito.”
* * *
In a suburb of Austin, Texas, Eric cruised the neighborhood, a list of repos in his hand. Pulling over, he killed the engine. He slid out from behind the wheel of the truck and crossed the yard, like he’d done millions of times in the past. The house was nice, didn’t seem to need much work. Someone probably overpaid for it and found they couldn’t handle the expense. He glanced at the sheet of paper listing the specs of the house. Three bedrooms, two baths, one story. Typical. The kind of house most families liked.
In the backyard, the previous owners had left a playground. He checked it out. It was in good condition. He sat on the swings, bummed, not finding a thrill in much of anything these days. He’d missed Christmas with his family, and he’d thought that it might be the first he’d actually spend with them in seven years. Now tomorrow would be New Year’s Day, and the only resolution he’d made was to wake up the next day.
He’d called the Realtor in California and told her to take the house off the market. He’d called his mother and apologized for leaving so abruptly. She hadn’t been very understanding this time around. She’d told him he was immature and unreasonable, and he owed Victoria an apology. He probably did. At first he’d been angry and just needed to get away. His ego had been bruised and he wanted to drift in his self-righteous anger. But once he reached Austin he crashed in a motel room, sleeping for almost two days, and he stopped being angry. And when he checked his voice-mail message, he almost turned right around and went back to her. But as he thought of how he would apologize and beg her to reconsider his marriage proposal, how he would do everything in his power to convince her that they’d be happy forever, he realized he couldn’t do that to her.
This was her moment. She was absolutely right. He was the one who’d encouraged her to do exactly what she was doing. Explore herself and all her possibilities. Leave the comforting security of the known for the unknown. He was proud of everything she’d accomplished in the last few months. He’d watched her grow and blossom, and his heart swelled with something much stronger than love. Respect. Real affection—he liked her and enjoyed her and wanted the best for her. He was completely devoted to her. And for that reason, he decided not to return home. Not to make her reconsider her decision. Not to appeal to her emotions.
He couldn’t explain any of this to his mother, of course. He told her he didn’t owe Victoria anything, and that he’d be back to wrap everything up once she was gone. She assumed he didn’t want to see her because he was hurt. But he didn’t want to see her because he knew himself, knew he would have a difficult time doing what was best for her when his heart was crying out to do what was best for him.
He swayed gently on the swing. The outside air held a crisp chill and he shivered. He reached for his cell, turned it on. Most of the time he had it off now, because Victoria called three or four times a day. This time, he didn’t have any messages. He dialed his favorite contractor in Austin.
“Hey,” he said, when the guy answered. “Happy New Year to you, too. I think I might have a small job for you.” He glanced at the house. “Yeah, let’s meet in a couple of days.” He clicked the phone off and headed back to his truck.
Victoria flew to Seattle with a heavy heart. She hadn’t been able to reach Eric, and she couldn’t believe he’d been so unreasonable. She hadn’t declined his marriage proposal, after all, she’d just told him it wasn’t the right time. His anger was way over-blown, and she just didn’t get it.
But now she had to put her personal problems on the back burner. At least for the next few weeks.
Her company put her and her project partner, Karrie, up in a condo close to downtown. They met with the client the second week of January to clarify her vision of the new building they would be moving into at the end of the month. From there, she and Karrie worked from sunup to sundown locating the perfect art pieces for the walls, the right furniture for each office and lobby, and creating the ideal look in general.
Victoria had created the design for the washrooms almost on her own, so she put them together while Karrie worked on the larger offices. The men’s room had black walls, which she contrasted with shallow white porcelain bowl sinks that rested on a slatted blond wood stand. The faucet tabs set into the mirrors were simple. She was happy with the dramatic masculine effect of the room. For the women’s washroom she allowed herself a few more frills. Even though this was an office building, women appreciated a few luxuries. Limestone counters, wicker baskets to hold the paper towels, a couple of pots of dried leaf plants, candles, colors. Everything subdued but still pleasurable to the eye.
As the end of the month approached and the project took shape, both she and Karrie were pleased with the result. Their clients also seemed happy on their final walk-through. Victoria had loved working as a designer. Even with the constant Seattle rain and the pangs of loneliness she felt at times when she wished she could spend Sunday at the Argentine Club or having dinner at her parents’ place, she knew that at least careerwise, she’d found a home.
Eric put his contractor in charge as project manager of the Austin house he purchased. He hoped he could get it turned around in less than a month. Having worked with this crew before, he felt comfortable leaving it in their hands. He drove back to Burbank and settled in to the home he and Victoria had invested so much time in. She had left it in perfect condition, but it lacked life. The Christmas tree was gone. He spent his first day home dusting, vacuuming, polishing. Then he went to see his mom. Although Lucia was obviously still disappointed in him, she was happy to see him back home.
“So what are your plans now, Eric?”
He’d thought long and hard about what he wanted to do. “I’m moving back for good.”
His answer seemed to surprise her.
“This is home. With or without Victoria. She helped me see that.” He smiled. “Which is sort of ironic. But this is where I fit in. This is where my family is.
“I may have to travel every once in a while for certain projects, but I’m going to keep the house I have here. Pay it off. Pay my subs. And wait for Victoria to come home.”
She ran a hand through his hair. “I hope she decides to do what you’d like her to do, but there are other women, Eric.”
“Not for me.”
She kissed his forehead. “She was devastated when you left. She really was.”
“I needed time to get my head clear. And she needed time away from me.”
“I’m not sure I agree. But everything will work out.”
“I’m not worried,” he said. “And I’m not in a hurry. She’s doing the right thing, Mom.”
Lucia nodded. “Yes, she is. And I’m proud of you for seeing that. You’re a good man, hijo.”
He chuckled. “Thanks.”
“And I have to show you something.” She pulled out a bank statement. “The money you sent us month after month. It’s all here in this account, and it’s yours.”
Eric looked at the amount and widened his eyes in shock. “But this was for you and Dad. So you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
“The first monies you sent, Antonio used to pay off some debt he didn’t want to talk about, but once that was paid, you kept sending money.”
“I know.
I wanted you to have it.”
She shook her head. “No, my love, Antonio and I both agreed we didn’t want it. So, here. Use it for your wedding. For your first child?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
She leaned across the table and kissed him. “Aside from your father, you have been my greatest love. Do you know that?”
Tears touched his eyes despite the fact he tried not to let her get him all emotional. “Oh, hell,” he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Well, to be honest, Victoria isn’t the only reason I wanted to live close to home again.”
She smiled, and stepped back away from him. “Oh, yes, she is. But I don’t mind. I love her, too.”
He stood, gave her one last hug and kiss. “And I love you. But I gotta go.”
There would come a time, in the next few years, when they would need him more. As they got older. As they were less able to be the strength always supporting him. He hoped those days were far into the future. But as he walked out of his childhood home, he was ready for the tables to turn when they had to. They were all the family he’d ever had, and he finally understood how precious that made them.
Later that week, he searched for a new property he could restore. Homes weren’t difficult to find. Seemed like a quarter of all California real estate was up for sale. An exaggeration, but he certainly had many options. Still, great deals were always hard to find. He got one lead on a beach house. This interested him. He went to check it out.
The wind blew off the Pacific. Dark clouds didn’t let much sunshine reach the beaches. The only people enjoying the sand and the waves were a few runners and a handful of die-hard surfers. Eric, wearing a black raincoat, walked along the beach. He could have parked in front of the beach house he was interested in, but he’d decided to spend a little time outside. The cool salt air, the cries of seagulls, and the crashing waves relaxed him. His thoughts seemed to flow more freely when he was outdoors.