| Subject: Chapter 7 |
Author:
Dee
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Date Posted: 09:14:02 10/13/02 Sun
In reply to:
Dee
's message, "Chapter 6" on 05:29:56 10/06/02 Sun
Title: Love and Hope
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the NBC’s Passions characters.
***********************
Two months went by, and Theresa had begun the second trimester into her pregnancy. She was taking this first time experience very well. She didn’t have too many days filled with morning sickness like most women she met at the doctor’s office.
One frosty morning, she rose very early and began to make a few phone calls. About a month or so ago, she had papers drawn up to start construction on a new fashion store that was to be built in Harmony.
All the residence that have lived here for years were excited that there will be a retail shop in their town of one of the nation’s finest fashion designers.
Her clothesline was found in most of the more expensive department stores, but now it would be a separate store with more choices.
Theresa received a very large amount of money from Rick’s insurance and decided that it would be best if she stayed in Harmony for a few years. She missed working, and couldn’t wait until the new store, and warehouse was built. In the mean time, she worked on her newest summer line.
Several television stations asked her to do interviews on their talk shows. At first she declined all who asked, but one morning she decided that it was time to move on with her life.
She would always love Rick, and she knew life would never be the same without him, but she wanted to live for the little baby she was carrying. Rick would’ve wanted it this way.
After Theresa made her phone calls, she went into the kitchen and had a muffin and a glass of milk.
“Is that all you’re eating this morning?” Pilar asked her daughter.
“Yes mama. I don’t have time to eat much this morning, I have so much work to do.”
“Be that as it may, you still need to feed the little one inside of you. At least let me make you some bacon and eggs. You will feel much better if you ate a balance meal.”
Theresa smiled. “Grandmothers.” She whispered under her breath.
“Okay mama, I would love some bacon, but no eggs please. I’ll have an orange. There’s plenty of vitamin C in fruit.”
Pilar smiled and thanked her daughter for eating more. She placed a few slices of bacon on a plate, and sliced an orange and put it inside a bowl. Just as she was pouring herself a cup of tea, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll be right back dear.” She said running to the door.
Theresa sat quietly at the table eating her breakfast, and felt unusual movement in her belly. She placed a hand over the area and felt it much stronger then. The baby was kicking. Theresa’s eyes filled with tears as the life inside her was responding so forcefully.
“Mama! Mama!” She began to yell out.
Pilar came rushing inside the kitchen with the mail and a bouquet of beautiful red roses.
“What is it Terisita? What’s wrong?” She said placing everything down on the table.
“Nothing’s wrong! Everything’s right!” She exclaimed. “The baby is kicking! The baby is kicking! Here feel.”
Pilar placed her hand over the young woman’s belly and sure enough her grandchild kicked.
“Oh my goodness Mija. What a wonderful feeling.”
“I know.” She said wiping tears from her eyes.
After she dried her face she noticed the roses on the table.
“Are these from him again?” Theresa said rolling her eyes.
“Yes dear. I don’t think Ethan is going to stop sending you flowers until you accept his invitation to dinner.”
“I swear that man is persistent. He just won’t get a clue.”
“I do think he has a clue Terisita.”
“What is that suppose to mean mama?”
“I think you have feelings for him your not sharing with anyone.”
Theresa looked at her mother peculiarly.
“What do you mean feelings for him? I don’t feel anything for Mr. Crane. And how can I so close to Rick’s passing. My god mother. It hasn’t even been six months since he died.”
Pilar placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“Theresa, I didn’t mean anything by that. I just thought that maybe you hadn’t recognized that you feel more for him than you are willing to admit.”
Theresa turned away from her mother.
“I know you remember the little rag doll he gave you so many years ago. I know because it showed up in your laundry bag the other day. And besides that, the little thing is just as worn as can be. And you and I both know that things only become worn when they are used, and loved. You still sleep with her don’t you?”
Theresa wasn’t ready to admit a childhood secret to anyone yet. She bottled up these secrets many years ago. She wasn’t sure how to answer her mother. Lucky for her the phone rang.
Pilar answered it, and Theresa pasted a sigh of relief on her face.
“Oh, good morning Whitney. Hold on just a second.”
Pilar handed Theresa the receiver.
“Hey Whit. Are you still meeting me for brunch today? Okay great! I’ll meet you at you know where in an hour.”
Pilar wondered about all the secrecy. Where was she meeting Whitney? What was this all about? She wondered.
“Will you be home for dinner tonight dear?” Pilar said taking the breakfast plates to the sink.
“No mama, I’ll have to eat on the plane.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. You’ll be in Chicago tomorrow at the Oprah show right?”
“Yes, and I’m kind of looking forward to it.” She said smiling.
“That’s good to hear sweetie. You make sure you eat three well-balanced meals while you’re away. I don’t want you coming back here all bones.”
Theresa hugged her mom and agreed. And then she left the kitchen to get some work done before meeting up with Whitney.
****************************************
Theresa drove up to the old Russell’s house. No one lived there anymore. It was being torn down. Rows of townhouses were to take its place in the near future.
Whitney was standing out front when she got there.
The two women hugged one another and went out back behind the broken down shed. They grabbed a shovel that was leaning against the back door.
“Do you remember where you buried it?” Theresa asked her friend.
“Umm, I believe I do. I think it’s ten paces from this oak tree.”
They began to walk ten paces, and stopped. They looked at each other with glee.
“Don’t you worry about digging anything Theresa. You should be taking it easy. I’ll do all the work.”
Theresa laughed.
“Okay Dr. Russell. Don’t you get those $200 pumps messed up.” She continued to giggle.
“Very funny Theresa. I didn’t pay that much for these shoes. I caught them on sale. They were just $189.” Both girls burst out in laughter as Whitney began to dig.
Finally, after digging what seemed like forever, Whitney hit something hard.
“I think this is it.”
Theresa looked closely in the hole. She reached down and pulled out a small time capsule inside a plastic zip-lock bag.
“Yes! This is it. Wow, I can’t believe we’re about to open this thing.”
Theresa and Whitney looked at each other wondering if this was the right time to reveal what they put in the capsule so many years ago.
“Are you sure about this Theresa? Are you ready to reveal the secrets that lie in here?”
Theresa looked worried. She wasn’t sure one bit about revealing anything to anyone about her past. It was so long ago, and she wasn’t sure if spilling the beans now was such a good idea.
“Let’s go to brunch Whitney. We can hold off until we are waiting on our food to be served.” She said placing it in a new plastic bag.
Whitney agreed, and the two went to a nearby diner.
Once they ordered, Whitney asked Theresa if she was ready to open it. She could tell Theresa was very nervous about revealing what she put inside it, so she agreed to go first.
Whitney took it and cleaned it off. She opened it and looked inside.
Theresa was waiting patiently for Whitney to pull out what she put in. Finally she pulled out what seemed to be old ticket stubs.
“What is that Whit?” Theresa questioned.
Whitney laughed so hard.
“Oh my goodness. I had forgotten what I put inside here. It’s all coming back to me now. Look at this.” She said handing them to Theresa.
Theresa looked confused at first. She hadn’t seen stubs like this in over twenty years.
“Is this what I think it is?” She said looking at Whitney.
“Yes Theresa! Isn’t this just the funniest thing? Remember the summer after sixth grade, and we both went to the show for the first time without our parents?”
Theresa’s mind wondered back to nearly twenty-two years ago.
“Oh my goodness yes! I remember that. Luis had a fit telling mama I was still too young to be going out without her.” Theresa laughed. “He was so protective of me when we were kids. He always thought he was my papa.”
Whitney laughed remembering how over protective Luis used to be.
“Well, these are the ticket stubs I saved from the show.” Whitney beamed with pride.
“Oh wow Whitney. What a great thing to put inside here. It’s been so long since the theaters made tickets like this. You should frame these. I wish I would’ve thought about putting something like this inside here.”
“Theresa, what did you put in here? I want to know.”
Theresa picked up the capsule and looked inside. She looked at the paper that lied at the bottom waiting to be revealed.
“I put my thoughts and feelings in here. It’s really nothing. You would just be bored reading it.” She said hoping her friend would just forget about it.
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not getting out of this. I want to know what you wrote.” Whitney demanded.
Theresa reached inside and pulled out the paper that revealed a secret she’s been holding for years.
Just when she handed it to Whitney, her pager went off.
“Damn! This is the hospital. I have to take this call. I’ll be right back.”
Whitney rushed off from the table, and Theresa gave a sigh of relief.
She stared down at the note, and began to reach slowly for it. So many memories began to flood her mind.
She remembered when she had to go with her mother to the Crane’s mansion that year. It was the spring vacation of sixth grade. Antonio, Luis, and Miguel were off camping with papa, and Theresa wanted to tag along.
“No girls allowed!” Her brothers yelled at her. It was so unfair. Just because she was a girl didn’t mean she wouldn’t know how to handle herself in the woods.
But Pilar told her she had to come along with her, and that it would be cool if she visited the mansion where she worked everyday.
Theresa was devastated. She didn’t want to visit some big old stuffy house, and especially as the housekeeper’s daughter. She wanted to wear fancy dresses, shoes, and jewelry visiting a place like this. But instead, her mama dressed her in old worn blue jean pants with floral blouses.
Theresa let her mind wander back in time when she first arrived at the mansion.
___________________________
Spring of 1994 ~ Crane Mansion
“Come along Terisita!” Pilar yelled at her eleven-year-old daughter. “Don’t be this way. The week will be up before you know it. Now come inside.”
Theresa was dreading going inside the mansion. She had always dreamed of visiting the great big house on the hill, but she imagined being invited to the ball like Cinderella. But she wasn’t the little cinder girl all covered with ashes, who was lucky to be visited by a fairy godmother, and turned into a beautiful princess.
She was just Theresa, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. Nothing was special about that.
After drying her tears, she went inside with her mama. The foyer was huge. It looked like something out of a storybook. She wanted to enjoy being there, but wouldn’t allow herself to. She wanted to be with her brothers and vowed that she would not have a good time that week.
As she looked all around, the most beautiful woman approached Pilar.
“Pilar, don’t tell me this is your little Theresa. She is simply adorable.”
The woman pulled strands of hair back away from her face to get a better look. She paused when she looked into her eyes.
“Oh my, you have such mysterious eyes. It’s as if they can tell endless stories.”
“Thank you ma’am.” Theresa said bashfully.
“Theresa please call me Ivy.” The woman said smiling down at the child.
Theresa looked up at her mother, who gave her a disapproving look.
She looked back at Ivy and responded.
“If it’s okay with you, I would rather call you Mrs. Crane.”
“Wow, such manners. I like that in our youth today. We don’t see enough of this now a day. Mrs. Crane it is.” She said beaming and putting her arm around her.
“Would you like a snack or something?” She said looking at Theresa.
Theresa looked back up at Pilar once again whom this time had smiled down and nodded.
“Yes, if it isn’t any trouble.” She said looking back at Ivy Crane.
“I’ll fix a snack and tea. Come along Theresa.”
“Oh no Pilar. Please, let her come into the family room with me. I would like to talk more with her, and get to know her a little better.”
Pilar reluctantly agreed but left to fix something for her and Theresa.
Right before Theresa and Ivy began to chat, Ivy received an important phone call and left the room.
Theresa sat on the sofa looking around. There were so many valuable things in there, and she felt so out of place. She slammed back against the couch and began to pout.
Pilar entered with coffee cakes and tea. She wanted to take pictures of her while she was there so she could always remember visiting the mansion.
She sat with her arms folded and a frown on her face.
“I will not smile for this picture. I don’t want to be here. I want to be with papa and my brothers.” She yelled at Pilar.
Pilar snapped the picture anyway, and left the room to let Theresa deal with her own grief.
As she sat on the couch she hadn’t notice a boy standing by the door watching her.
He dropped a few of his marbles, and she turned around quickly and faced him.
“Hello.” He said wondering who she was.
Theresa sat there more embarrassed than ever and refused to speak back to him.
“Did you hear me?” He asked. “I said hello.”
Theresa spoke softly to the boy and said hello back to him. But because she didn’t feel comfortable about being there, she jumped up and ran out the room in tears.
She ran in one of the rooms that were filled with rows and rows of big books. She flopped down on a couch and buried herself in one of the pillows and wept harder.
*********************************
Theresa snapped back to the present, and felt flushed. She picked up the note that was still folded so neatly on the table.
Just as she began to open it, Whitney came back.
“Theresa honey, I have an emergency at the hospital. Will you be all right if I left you here?”
“Oh sure Whit. I’ll be fine.” She said thanking fate for her good luck.
“Great! I’ll jump in a cab back to the hospital, and I’ll see you in a few days. Have a great trip and be careful.”
Theresa stood from the table and hugged her friend goodbye. After Whitney left the diner, Theresa once again started to open the note she wrote many years ago.
Before she could get it opened, a very unexpected visitor showed up at her table.
“Is this seat taken?” The young man asked her.
Theresa couldn’t believe fate had giving her good luck and quickly took it from her as she looked into the eyes of Ethan Crane.
*****************************
End of chapter 7
Read Chapter 8
coming soon)
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