Life's Second Chances: The Show Me Series: Book One

by Anne Stone

  “Sounds like fun,” she said sarcastically.

  “Oh, come on now. You don’t still believe in Santa?” Angelina laughed as she helped peel the potatoes for dinner.

  Angelina’s family arrived at five thirty. They were early, but Jackie stressed that Maria could use the extra help. The men gathered to watch football while the women finished the last of the preparations. Dinner went smoothly as Maria served all of the Thanksgiving mainstays: roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, cranberries, and pumpkin and pecan pies for dessert. They all gave thanks for health, happiness, and the upcoming nuptials. They reminisced about past Thanksgivings, and it was decided that the families would take turns hosting Thanksgiving Day dinner.

  The dishes were washed and everyone was sitting at the table chatting. Alejandro reached for Angelina’s hand under the table. He squeezed it and smiled at her. She knew it was time to share their news with the remainder of the family.

  “May I have everyone’s attention?”

  Everyone stopped talking and glanced in her direction. Looking down at her hand entwined with Alejandro’s, she took a deep, deep breath. “There’s something I need to share with everyone. What I have to tell you, I’ve already shared with our parents. Now it’s time to complete the circle.” She closed her eyes and paused. “This isn’t easy. I’ve needed to be honest with everyone for a very long time, and the time is now.” Alejandro looked at her. She felt his strength being channeled to her and had a new-found confidence.

  “I know everyone remembers last year when Colleen and I went through the transplant surgeries.”

  They all nodded.

  “I know everyone remembers when I developed my infection last Thanksgiving.”

  Again, they nodded their heads.

  “Well, I was pretty sick, and I’ve been dealing with this secret since then. But I’m able to share it with you today because I have Alejandro here to support me. He’s my rock and without him I’d never been able to get to this point… Last Thanksgiving, Alejandro diagnosed my condition.” She paused as they listened intently. “As a result of my infection, I have severe scarring and can’t conceive.”

  No one said a word, staring at her wide-eyed.

  “I can’t have children.”

  Gabriella was stunned. Colleen stood and walked over to her sister. Standing behind her, she hugged her from behind. “I’m so sorry, Sis.”

  Kelly reached across the table for her sister’s hand. She didn’t know what to say—she had tears in her eyes. She squeezed her hand and tried to smile at her.

  And Gabriella, she didn’t know what to do. She turned towards her brother. Alejandro stood and walked towards her. She met him half-way and pulled him into a tight hug.

  She couldn’t speak. She just held onto her brother.

  “Gabriella, it’s okay. We’re going to be okay.”

  “You must be devastated.”

  “I’m fine. We’ve known for a year now. It’s been the hardest on Angelina.”

  “But I know how much you want children.”

  “We’ll have them. We’ll just have to adopt, that’s all.”

  She withdrew from his arms and walked towards Angelina who drew her into an embrace.

  “I wanted to tell you so badly. I just couldn’t.”

  “Why now?”

  “The field trip to the Indian Reservation made me finally confront my demons. That was a difficult day for me—I almost didn’t go. I realized that I would face this depression every year if I kept this secret to myself. I had to confront it. Alejandro’s been wonderful. On several occasions, when he came to St. Margaret’s during the Career Day planning, he caught me being an emotional mess. Each time he was supportive and understanding. He’s a special man with a kind heart. He hated seeing me go through this. He’s suffered almost as much as I have. He blames himself. He thinks he should have seen something… Or been more aware of my condition to prevent it. Even though he’s a miracle worker in a sense, he’s not a magician. He’s—”

  Gabriella interrupted her. “Angelina, is there something that I can do?”

  “Just be there for me when I have a bad day, which I’m sure will happen.”

  Alejandro stood by Angelina and placed his hand at the small of her back.

  “It’s hard, at times, working with my students. There’re days when I’ve just wanted to cry the entire day—”

  “Shh, Angelina,” he said. “Why don’t we go into the family room and—”

  “No, I’m alright, Alejandro. I want to talk to Gabriella.”

  He nodded and left them alone.

  Alejandro’s brothers confronted him in the study. Joe and Alec were concerned about them as a couple, but also for him. He’d been through so much with Tammy and Michael’s deaths. “Alejandro, you okay?”

  “Alec, I’m okay now that we’ve told everyone.”

  “Did you look at everything?” asked Joe.

  “Of course. The scarring is too severe for her to conceive. I was just too late. Too late…”

  “Stop beating yourself up.”

  “It’s just—”

  “Alejandro, be thankful that’s all that happened to her. Be thankful that she’s alive to share your life.”

  “I know, Alec. It’s just so hard seeing her have to face this. All she’s ever wanted was a family.”

  “And she can still have that with you.”

  “I know.”

  Both Alejandro and Angelina fielded questions the remainder of the evening. They were both exhausted when Alejandro said, “You ready?”

  “Don’t we have to stay?”

  “Mom will understand. Let’s just go be alone together. It’s been a rough twenty-four hours and I just want to hold you.”

  She agreed.

  “Mom, Dad, I think we’re going to go.”

  “Of course, go ahead. It’s been a difficult couple of days for the two of you. We understand. Angelina, please come by soon.” Angelina hugged Maria and thanked her.

  “How about we go to lunch next week? We’re off school one day. I’ll call you to set up the time.”

  “That sounds wonderful.” Maria hugged Angelina one last time and watched as they left the house. John knew how rattled she’d become since hearing the news the previous evening. He hugged his wife as they watched their son pull away from the house. “He’s had a rough time of it these last few years.”

  “He certainly has. But he’s strong, and with Angelina by his side they’ll get through this together.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As Christmas approached, Colleen contacted Alejandro to see if he was still available to go shopping. She caught him just as he was headed off to see a patient. “Hey, Alejandro, it’s me Colleen.”

  “Well, hello there. How’re you feeling these days?”

  “Great. The reason why I’m calling is to see if you’re still available to go shopping this weekend?”

  “It’s on the calendar. What time should I pick you up?”

  “We like to get there when the stores open, but if that doesn’t work for you…”

  “Nope, it works for me. The earlier the better. That way we can get in a whole day’s worth of shopping, right?”

  “We’re not that bad. Generally, we shop a bit, have lunch and then shop some more. Usually we’re exhausted by early afternoon with the crowds and all.”

  “I promise I’ll be prepared and have my walking shoes on,” he said, laughing. “On a serious note, I can’t wait to spend some time with you and your sister. And after we get married, I want to be a part of your lives just as much as Angelina is. Even though I can be busy at times, it means a lot to me to have you in my life.”

  “Thanks. It means a lot to me, too. I know you were my doctor—I mean are my doctor, and I don’t want that to change with you marrying Angelina. Alejandro, you make her happy. I’ll be glad to call you my brother, too.”

  “Okay. Well, I’m
on my way back to the hospital. I’ll see you early Saturday.”

  “See you then.” Colleen disconnected the call and smiled. She cared a lot about Alejandro. She couldn’t believe that he’d made time to go shopping with them. That said a lot about him and she was very impressed.

  *****

  Saturday morning arrived and Colleen was anxious to finally go shopping. She wondered how he’d react to this yearly event. Only time would tell.

  Alejandro phoned Angelina just after five thirty in the morning. Sleepily, she answered. Never did she think he’d be calling her at that time of the morning. “Hello?” she said tiredly.

  “Good morning, sweetheart. Did I wake you?”

  Practically jumping out of bed, she said, “Wake me? What time is it? Did I oversleep?”

  “Its five thirty, and no you didn’t oversleep. I’m just up extra early. I’m on my way back from the hospital. I wanted to check on a patient before we went out.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I just wanted to look at some lab results. You know how I am.”

  “I know. What else is on your mind?”

  “I thought I’d come by earlier than we’d planned, if that’s okay with you. Thought I’d surprise Colleen and take you both out for breakfast. You know, so we could become fortified for our exhaustive day. I would assume that you start out like gang busters. Can’t have you both tiring out on me too quickly.”

  “Oh, Colleen would love that. What time do you want to pick us up?”

  “Seven?”

  “That’s early.”

  “Well, don’t the malls open extra early now with the holidays? Thought we could grab breakfast and be there by eight-thirty or so. After all, we have a lot of shopping and this maybe the only time I have. I’m pretty busy the next couple of weeks.”

  “Let’s see, it’s almost six. I’ll go wake Colleen. She’ll be thrilled. As it is, she can’t believe you’re taking the time to join us.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. So, I’ll see you in about an hour.”

  Alejandro knocked on the door promptly at seven. He didn’t want to ring the bell for fear he’d wake the remainder of the house. Colleen answered the door with a broad smile on her face. She was just too excited for words. She threw herself into his arms, thanking him for taking them to breakfast. “I can’t believe you want to do this. You’re the best!”

  “Stop inflating my ego. I want to do this. As I’ve told you before, you all mean the world to me and I want you to feel a part of my family, too.”

  “I do, and I know Wyatt does as well. Your family’s great. Your dad’s always been terrific with us. I’m just getting to know your mom, but I like her. Alejandro, we’re just lucky that Angelina is marrying you.”

  Angelina walked down the staircase with a huge smile on her face. “You’re here already?”

  “Yep, I was actually sitting in the driveway. Didn’t want to go home and come back. Thought I’d complete a few dictations while I waited. I didn’t want to wake everyone up.”

  “That would’ve been okay. You really didn’t have to sit in your car. I was up and Colleen flew out of bed when she heard you were coming to take us to breakfast.”

  He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her towards the kitchen where her parents were enjoying their morning coffee.

  “Are you prepared for your day? These two can really ‘shop ‘til you drop.’” Angelina’s father said as he drank his coffee.

  “I’ve heard about some of their past shopping expeditions. Worst case, if they out-shop me, I’ll just sit down with the packages and wait for them.”

  He walked behind Angelina and Colleen as they window shopped. They’d been shopping for almost two hours and had little to show in purchases. He couldn’t hear what was said, but he noticed that whenever Colleen pointed to something in a window display Angelina always had a smile on her face. She seemed really happy lately.

  From what Angelina had told him, they’d grown closer since Colleen’s transplant. Angelina tried to spend more time with her—they went shopping weekly and made it a point to have a spa day once a month.

  Angelina stood outside a store while Colleen went in to make a purchase. She watched her sister interact with the clerk. She was thankful that Colleen had recovered without any complications from her surgery. There was always the concern that she could reject Angelina’s liver, but so far she didn’t show any signs that this would happen. She knew Alejandro always had an eye on Colleen. She knew that he’d be there for the family in the event that happened.

  Alejandro came up behind Angelina and put his arm around her waist. “She’s definitely in her element,” he said. “Isn’t she?”

  “That she is. She loves to shop. And, on that note dear sir, I think we need to do some shopping ourselves.” They waited for Colleen and then Angelina and Alejandro decided to do their own separate shopping. Colleen and she paired-up leaving Alejandro to shop alone. This allowed Alejandro the time he needed to pick-up a few gifts for Angelina and her family. He wanted them to be a surprise. They met for lunch and then shopped the remainder of the day together.

  By four o’clock, Alejandro was exhausted as he dragged the packages along—he'd become the package carrier after lunch. He was amazed by the stamina that both of them had for fighting the crowds and bargain hunters.

  While Angelina was shopping in the last store for the day, Colleen sat next to Alejandro. She reached over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the best day ever. I had a fabulous time.”

  “As did I. You and your sister are quite the shoppers. I didn’t believe your father this morning, but you certainly can… what is it they say?”

  “Shop ‘til we drop?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So have you bought Angelina’s gift yet?”

  “Would I tell you?”

  “Yes…”

  He smiled at her and told her he was having her gift made. Other than that, he wasn’t telling her. Angelina joined them and asked if they were ready. Alejandro nodded “You two have about killed me. I’m beat.”

  “You do look a little worse for wear.”

  “This was truly a demanding day—almost as bad as one of my longest surgeries. I’m so glad that I wore comfortable shoes. I don’t know how either of you could shop in those heels.”

  “We’re used to it,” chimed in Colleen.

  “Come on now. It wasn’t that bad,” added Angelina.

  He pulled her into his arms. Placing a kiss on her forehead he said, “I’m just kidding. I had a blast!”

  *****

  The weeks leading up to Christmas passed quickly, and before they knew it Christmas Eve was upon them.

  Both families attended midnight mass together on Christmas Eve. A light breakfast was scheduled to be held at the Samuels’s after mass (although it wasn’t nearly as impromptu as the previous year), while the Alvarez’s were hosting dinner the next day.

  Angelina rose early on Christmas morning after going to bed at nearly four in the morning after enjoying her mother’s party. She arrived at Alejandro’s just before noon. He’d given her a house key, so she let herself in.

  Angelina recalled the day that he’d given her the key to his house. She was supposed to meet him at his home after work one evening and he was late. It was a cool fall evening when he finally showed up. Angelina was tired after dealing with inside recess at school for the umpteenth time in the last two weeks and she just wanted to get warm by the fire and relax. She snapped at Alejandro when he arrived, letting him know that she didn’t appreciate him letting her sit in the driveway on a cold fall day.

  Alejandro had taken her mood in stride since he knew she’d had a rough couple of weeks at school. He’d been thinking about giving her a key to his house for a while, so he decided to make a big deal out of it.

  That weekend Alejandro made her a steak dinner with all of the trimmings: salad with baked potatoes, green beans almandine, and a chocolate cak
e for dessert.

  She had run off to the bathroom when he went to serve the cake. When she returned, a box wrapped in brightly colored paper sat next to her cake. A huge bow sat on top of the box.

  She looked at him. “What’s this,” she asked.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “You’ll have to open it to see,’ he said as he watched her shake the box.

  “There’s nothing in here,” she said.

  “I’ll guess you’ll have to just open it and see.”

  She pulled the bow from the box and plopped it on his head.

  “Whaddya do that for?”

  “So you can celebrate, too.”

  “I’m celebrating just watching you open it.”

  She ripped the tape off the box and pulled aside the paper. A small white box the size of a jewelry box sat before her. She hadn’t a clue what was inside since she already had her engagement ring. They weren’t celebrating anything special that she was aware of.

  She eased the lid off the box and looked inside. She flipped the box upside down and another box similar to a jeweler’s ring box fell into her hand. She turned it over and stared questioningly at it.

  “Open it,” Alejandro urged her, nodding at the box.

  She flipped open the lid and that’s when she saw the key. “What’s this for? I don’t need a new car.”

  “Silly, it’s a key to my house.” He smiled at her. “After what you put me through the other night when I was late… I don’t want to have to go through that again.”

  “I wasn’t that bad.”

  “Yes you were and, even if that hadn’t have happened, it was long overdue. You’re going to be my wife soon, and you should be able to come and go as you please. My house will soon be your home, too.”

  She smiled at him. His gesture meant the world to her.

  “Thank you. I promise not to abuse it until after we’re married.” She reached over and kissed him. She then grabbed a fork and shoved a mound of cake into her mouth.

  She found Alejandro sitting in front of the Christmas tree, staring into his clasped hands.