"Do you have any plans for the near future?"
Getting that question from anybody else would have bothered him, but somehow Javier answered honestly and easily.
"No. I keep practicing, but I'm not ready to work as an orchestral musician again."
"When you feel ready, I'm sure Diego can help you, he has contacts from his time as a concertmaster."
"He isn't playing anymore?"
"Not often, only for special events like fundraising for charities. You might also find work with him too."
"Work? With Diego?"
Before Esteban could say more, Raul intervened. "Are you sure, Esteban? I don't think Diego is good company for someone like Javier."
Raul's voice was similar to his brother's, but there was no tenderness in it, and his Jersey accent was deeper. Still, in spite of finding him somewhat aggressive, Javier liked the guy.
Esteban surprised Javier when he said almost between teeth. "Save it, Raul. Let Javier decide for himself."
"By the time he meets the real Diego it could be too late," Raul warned.
"Too late for what?" Esteban asked.
"He could end up perverted by Diego," Raul fumed.
"Raul!"
For a second Javier thought he didn't hear right, but Esteban's expression proved the contrary. He breathed deeply and turned to face Javier. "Don't pay attention Javier, because Raul and Diego hate each other. You will hear a similar version from Diego about Raul's immorality."
Before Javier could say anything, a cell phone rang. It was Raul's mobile, which was docked in the dashboard mount. He answered it in what sounded to Javier like Italian, but he spoke so fast it could have been Spanish. Both languages sounded similar to him. His parents always spoke English, so his Spanish was very limited and his Italian consisted mostly of musical terms. He distinguished the word speakerphone and Esteban saying.
"Hi, Mom. I'm okay. Listen, we're in Raul's car, and like he said, you're on the speaker, and we have a friend with us, so be polite and speak English."
A female voice asked, "A friend? What kind of friend? A girl?"
"No, Mom. A man. Actually, he used to be Mauricio's roommate. He's coming with us to visit Diego."
"Oh, I know who he is. I met him once. Hey! This is Doña Vibi!"
Of course, Javier remembered her. She had come with Diego one day to visit Mauricio, but Javier didn't remember anybody saying she was Esteban's mother. Mauricio had introduced her as his godmother, and explained to Javier that don or doña meant different things in Spanish than Italian. The term in front of an elder's name meant respect.
"Hello, Doña Vibi, this is Javier Lozano."
"Yeah, Javier, how are you doing, handsome?"
Jesus! Yes, that was Doña Vibi. The woman had been impressed by the way he looked, and said it very clearly, not in a lustful way though. She seemed to be the kind of person who simply expressed her mind, and was affable to everyone. Esteban came to his rescue.
"Mom, you're embarrassing Javier."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but he's cute, you know."
After that, Esteban whispered to Javier. "I didn't know you met my mom."
He answered in the same tone. "Yeah, she visited Mauricio once."
She heard that in spite of the whispering.
"Oh, my poor Mauricio, I miss him so much."
"We all miss him, Mom."
Esteban had said that patiently, but Javier felt his own pain coming back at once. She added, "Javier, Mauricio was my godson, you know?"
"Yes, I know, he told me when you were coming over."
Esteban interrupted her, "Mom, we can talk about this when we get there."
"Oh, Esteban, you can't come over."
"Why not?"
"Your cousin Antolin said the town is full of journalists asking about you."
"Fuck!"
Raul blurted as soon as she talked, so she asked more quietly, in a tone that reminded Javier of Esteban's.
"That was Raul, right?"
The culprit sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Mom. What else can I say in a situation like this, eh?"
She ignored him and asked, "Esteban, what happened? Why are these people so interested in you?"
"Mom, I'm leaving the church, that's what happened, and I'm no longer working with the case I was."
"I'm glad you're not involved in that awful matter. Oh, Esteban. You're quitting the church?"
"Yes. Don't tell Dad until I can talk to him."
"Too late, I am listening too." A deep male voice said on the other side.
"Damn!"
"That was Esteban!" Raul announced and Javier held a grin.
Esteban was leaving the priesthood. That was all Javier cared about in that moment, he refused to question why he liked the news so much.
"Dad, this time nothing is going to stop me."
"We'll see about that. Like your mother said, you can't come home right now."
Esteban replied to his father, "Maybe if we get in via Jersey City, I can make it to Diego's house without being seen."
Doña Vibi informed them, "Esteban, Diego is in South Jersey with Camila. Do you have your set of keys from Diego's house?"
"No, Mom, I left them inside Diego's house, because I only need them if I'm in Jersey. Let me think what's I'm going to do, I'll call you back."
She quickly added, "Esteban, I'm so glad you're leaving the church. I don't care if they blame me."
Their father voice was heard over hers, "Valeria! How could you say such a thing?"
"Sergio, they're going to blame his Italian blood as usual, so what? He's twice Italian, and we better deal with it."
"Mujer!"
Javier knew that meant woman, and it had been a clear warning of some sort. Esteban seemed alarmed. "Please don't fight over this because it is a personal decision, so there is nothing any of you can do. Dad, Mom has nothing to do with it. And forget all that stupid argument about Italian blood. We all descend from Romans."
"I know, but your grandma won't listen. Esteban, call us later, and don't worry, I'll keep them from killing each other."
"Thanks, Dad. Mom, don't fight with grandma, please."
The silence that followed promised that nothing would stop that fight, still, Doña Vibi ended the call saying, "Va bene."
"I hope so, Mom, that everything will be all right," Esteban agreed.
Raul let a deep breath escape and said, "I found it strange there was no press outside of the archdiocese when we left, but I never imagined they would dare to hunt you down at home."
Esteban combed his short hair with a hand. "Me neither. My hope is that once the trial starts, they forget about me."
"Yes, they probably will. For now you can stay with me." He looked at Javier in the back seat through the rearview mirror and added, "You're welcome to stay as well, Javier, my place is big enough."
For some reason Javier would never know, he answered, "Thanks, but before I accept, you should know I'm HIV positive."
Raul frowned, glanced at Esteban and back to the mirror before he shrugged and affirmed.
"So what? I'm not having sex with you."
"Well, there are some people who don't feel comfortable sharing their space with people who have the virus."
"Ignorant people! Everybody knows how the thing is passed from one person to another, right?"
In that moment, Javier noticed that Esteban had turned to look at him as much as the seatbelt allowed.
"Javier, you don't need to disclose your status to anybody unless you're planning to be intimate with that person."
"Really? I thought I should tell people."
"Well, it's up to you, but I think it's better if you wait until you know the person better, and this goes for any possible employer as well. I don't think you're a risk if the contact is casual."
Javier nodded, feeling like a kid. He wished that explaining his experience with his family was possible, but out of loyalty for them, he didn't want to tell about the way he'd
been treated. He felt grateful when Raul changed the subject.
"Listen, guys, I want to cross the river before the rush hour hits us, so I'm taking the Holland Tunnel right now, but instead of going to Hoboken, I'm heading for Jersey City. We can stop at the Exchange Place mall and get something to eat, while deciding what's next."
Esteban nodded. "It sounds like a plan. I'm going to see if I can get Diego on the phone."
Raul took his eyes from the road for a second, turning to look at his brother, and Esteban questioned him, "What?"
Raul shook his head putting his attention back on the highway.
Again, Javier wondered about Esteban's relation with Diego. His brother-in-law never mentioned having anything but friendship with Esteban, of course, with him being a priest and all even if there was something more Diego wouldn't confide to him. Mauricio never said anything either, but Esteban mentioned Diego's home and Doña Vibi asked if Esteban had his keys, obviously to Diego's home.
Javier wanted to ask so many questions, but he didn't dare.
Then Raul said, "Esteban, this might be for the best, because the last place you want to be is where the whole family is going to gather to discuss your tragedy."
"What tragedy?"
Raul drawled with mockery.
"You're quitting the church, that is a tragedy for the Hidalgo family in case you haven't realized it yet."
Esteban sighed, his shoulders sinking in the car seat. "I hope they don't blame Mom."
"It's inevitable. They blamed her when I divorced, when Tina divorced, and now, you're quitting the church. It must be the Italian blood."
"Sure, the twice Italian thing!"
To Javier's surprise they both laughed.
This time he had to ask, "Excuse me, but what is all that about Italian blood?"
Raul, still laughing, told Javier, "Esteban explains it better."
He said, "Well, it's a family joke, I don't know if you will get it, but I'll summarize it for you since you asked."
"Please. I really want to know, especially if I'm going to be around here."
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Esteban stared at him for a few seconds before explaining.
"Okay. My family is very traditional, we can trace our ancestors to the time Spain was still the Iberia Peninsula and ruled by the Ottoman Empire. By the way, Asturias was the only part of the Peninsula the moors never conquered."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"Yes, that can give you an idea of how stubborn Asturians are. Anyway, the Hidalgos emigrated all over the world, some moved to the States, but continued to marry brides imported from Spain. Except one Italian bride that joined the family around 1840, and everything bad any Hidalgo has done afterward has been blamed on this Italian blood addition to the family. More recently, my father met my mother, who is also Italian, and my family opposed their marriage, but they got married anyway. And there you have it, the twice Italian thing."
"Oh, I see. They are really conservative, aren't they?"
"Yes, you have no idea." He sounded worried for the first time since Javier spoke to him.
Raul added. "Conservative, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman, but still some don't appreciate the Italian blood."
Esteban commented, "We all descend from Celts and Romans so I don't see the obsession with it."
"It gives them a reason to gossip and complain, you know that." Raul remarked.
Javier told them, "Like your mom said, everything will be all right, don't worry."
"I hope so, Javier. Let me see if Diego will answer this time, he must be in the farmyard because he is not answering."
"A farm?"
"Yes, my aunt has a farm in South Jersey, and Diego is helping her to transform the place to be used by a charity foundation our family has."
"So he can inherit her fortune."
Raul had said this, and Esteban shook his head, looking at Javier, before dialing his cell phone.
"Again, disregard anything Raul says about Diego, and vice versa."
Esteban left a message for Diego and stayed silent for a while looking ahead as if in reflection.
Javier got excited for this new adventure. He'd lived all his life in Manhattan, and had never gone through the Holland Tunnel—one of the two tunnels under the Hudson River connecting New York with New Jersey. He felt they crossed it fast, because it was definitely shorter than the Lincoln Tunnel, which he had traveled through in the past.
Soon they passed houses and tall buildings, everything looked modern, like it had been recently built, and the many trees announced why New Jersey was called the Garden State. It surprised Javier to see that it was not only green that dressed the trees, but many shades of reds.
Raul entered a tall building that happened to be a parking lot, and parked on the top floor. They walked into a mall and headed for the food court. Javier noticed how every female's eye within their wake riveted on them. The brothers didn't qualify as handsome, but they exuded sex appeal with their strong masculine features. Their dark hair contrasted with light eyes, and while Esteban was unpretentious, his calm stride displayed the length of his muscular body.
Sitting on one of the many tables in front of a Chinese restaurant, Raul said, "Enough Italian for today, I hope you don't mind, Javier."
Javier shook his head, while Esteban remained thoughtful. From where they were sitting, they could see the menus on the walls of the restaurant, so everybody chose, and Raul went to get the food.
"I'm sorry, Javier," Esteban said as soon as Raul was out of earshot. His voice touched him deeply.
"Why?"
"I invited you to come over without thinking that we might encounter difficulties."
"It's okay. I was so bored before, this is great for me."
Esteban's gaze fixed on his face and Javier found it hard to keep it with his own. "I have an apartment in Diego's home, but I only use it for storage. Since you're not in trouble, I can call Mom and you can stay with them until Diego comes back, and after that you can stay in my place as long as you want."
"What about you?"
"I don't know yet, I'm thinking of maybe leaving the country for a while."
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong, right?"
"Nothing I regret, but I need to distance myself from everything."
"Then take me with you, please?"
Javier spoke without thinking, and he could see the surprise in Esteban's face. At that moment, Raul put a tray with beverages on the table, and anything Esteban was going to answer was forgotten for the time being.
Chapter 4
After they finished eating, Javier excused himself to go to the restroom, and as he walked away from the table, before he could stop himself, Esteban followed him with his eyes. He'd seen pictures of Javier Lozano, but nothing had prepared him for meeting him in person. He knew Javier was handsome because he'd viewed the wedding pictures Diego had shown him, but Esteban never met anybody like Javier before. It wasn't only a matter of physical beauty, although Javier's bone structure reminded Esteban of the Hellenistic sculptures he had admired at the Vatican.
Javier oozed charisma and didn't know it, so he acted almost shy and without any pretense.
He felt attracted to him as if they were both magnets, everything about the younger man appealed to him. He'd resisted temptations before, but nothing like this. And Javier was not helpless, he wanted to be with him, or rather next to him. Esteban still remembered how his whole body thrilled when Javier asked him to take him with him.
A few minutes after he left, Esteban could still picture Javier in his mind with his short wavy chestnut hair framing his face and his expressive light brown eyes, which looked at Esteban with a mix of adoration and tenderness.
Raul waved a hand in front of his brother's face, winced, and exclaimed with an index finger pointing to Esteban. "Dear God! Esteban, you're leaving the church because of him."
The statement caught Esteban unaware, because in all honesty
it didn't cross his mind Javier had anything to do with his sudden choice. "No. I'm leaving the church because I don't think I can do anything to change it for the better."
"Yeah, right. Say whatever you want, but I'm not stupid, man. And for your information, I never bought that he was Mauricio's roommate only."
With those words he walked away to toss a paper cup in a nearby wastebasket. When he came back to the table, Esteban stood in front of him, face to face, and said slowly but firmly, "Raul, don't mess with Javier, are we clear? If you say anything offensive to him, anything at all, you will have to deal with me, got it?"
"Yeah. Threatening your brother over him, and you are still denying it?"
One of the reasons Esteban thought his friendship with his brother was positive, regardless of being tough at times, was because Raul didn't play games. He'd always said what he thought, especially to loved ones. Even if his opinion might hurt some feelings, and Esteban had a lot to learn in that sense.
"Raul, you can mess with Diego all you want, because when Diego can't take it anymore, he beats the hell out of you."
Raul raised a hand and clarified. "We beat each other, but he plays dirty, scratching like a girl. The whore made me lose a girlfriend, because my girl wouldn't believe I got all scratched in a fight with another guy."
Esteban held a grin, and continued with a serious expression. "See? You called him names, and wondered when Diego reacted. The truth is I have to pick up some letters Mauricio left for me with Javier."
"Letters? Written by whom?"
"By me. He's returning the letters I sent Mauricio during the last twenty years."
In that moment, Esteban had another question to ponder. What if Mauricio left the letters with Javier on purpose, so Esteban had to meet him, and check on his well-being? Yes, that probably had been the plan, because Mauricio could have returned those letters to him during any of Esteban's visits. On the other hand, if he didn't meet Javier before, it had been all Esteban's fault. At first, he avoided the encounter because he had been jealous, and later because his spirit knew what he confirmed today, that Javier Lozano could be his perdition.
A Magnetic Couple Dilemma (Unfinished Liaisons Series) Page 3