" Hold me so you can't let go. "
- To Love You More, Celine Dion
" Ms. Sodi, a gentleman wants to see you. " my secretary informed with her soothing, formal voice as she opens the door surprisingly.
" Let him in, please. " I ordered her, she nods and signals for the stranger to come in. I looked away for a moment to organize something in my drawers
" Good morning, sir... " greeting while I still looked away. " How may I help you... " my voice slows down into a pause as I see the familiar face of the gorgeous man who enters my own office in a crisp white, long-sleeved buttoned up polo with tight pants that defines the figure of his tough legs.
" Hello. " he flashes a smile, walking towards my position. " We meet again, Miss Thalia Sodi." his smile is just heavenly that makes any woman fall down on her knees.
" How did you know my name? " surprised that he knew my name.
" Your placard. " he answered, pointing at the rectangular piece of silver with my name engraved on it. I giggled at his response.
" Please Mr. Levy, have a seat. " I offered him one of the seats across the desk, then I sat down on my swivel chair for a little chat. " How did you get to my office? " I interrogated.
" A woman came out from your office a couple of minutes ago... Jennylyn was her name I think? " he guessed, referring to Jennifer Lopez, my colleague and friend.
" Her name's Jennifer Lopez, that was my best friend you were referring to. " I answered, smiling like a little girl who has just seen her crush.
" She was actually nice and yeah, I got here. Nice place you got. " he complemented, moving his eyes around the office, examining its interior.
" Thanks for the appreciation. " I thanked him timidly. " So what brings you here, Mr. William Levy? "
" I believe Mr. William Levy is too long and formal. Just call me Will if you may. " he acquaints with a charming smile.
" And please address me as Thali, Will. " I beamed at him. Its like a have an appointment or an afternoon chat with a god in front of him, he grins like the curving of his smile possesses death. " What brings you here? " I quizzed.
" To be frank, ever since I've bumped into you last time by the elevator. I haven't stopped thinking of you, I scattered your beauty and timid behavior to my friends and they found you quite interesting regarding the fact that I didn't know your name back then... " He told me the whole story which made my cheeks flush in bright red. Never could I believe that a man who doesn't know me already scattered a little bit of trivia.
" I don't want to beat around the bush with you, I like your beauty, your smile, your timid actions in front of a man, I like the whole you... and I want to dig out more out of it. " He confessed, he's frank for someone who barely knows me.
" Lets get things straight, do you want to go out on a date with me? " I guessed with a flashing mischievous grin.
" Date, dinner, restaurants, coffee... that would be nice. " he says, then we start to exchange our phone numbers.
" So when? "
" Tomorrow, 7 pm, Lé Petit Gourmet, French resto. And please look good. " he reminds, he gets off the chair and fixes his top.
" Okay, see you tomorrow. " I smiled, leading him to the door.
" It was nice chatting a little bit, thanks for that. " He thanked me, patting me gently on the shoulder.
" No problem, anytime. " I opened the door and he waves a little then exits.
I walked back to my swivel chair, blushing and biting my lower lip and my fingers. I felt like my inner little girl is being brought back every since I had the chance to know the gorgeous, god like heir and international model. William, he's all in my mind like a sticker and he makes me feel special. I bothered my imagination about all of William's words and smiles. I know this might sound corny but I couldn't erase the moments when he calls me a beauty. A puppy feeling intoxicates me and keeps me blushing often.
Then I suddenly forgot about the papers, not the divorce but the annulment papers. They're right here with me, in front of me. The wave of anxiety comes back. That's right, I still have to let him sign somehow. I'll annoy him if I have to, I'll squeeze all his insides just to bring his hand onto a pen. But I have to make a move in privacy and on the right moment.
I stood up from the swivel chair and went out of the office. A cup of coffee from the vending machine would be nice, to lay off the stress thats clogging the nerves in my brain. The employees greeted me with warm smiles as I passed through their cubicles.
As I got a cup of white coffee, I slowly walked back to my office. Then the figure of the handsome devil surprised me as we crossed paths in the silent hallway, the people are usually working and a few witnessed our awkward meeting.
" Hi. " he scrunches up a small smile at me with his hands on his coat pockets.
" Hey. " sending a casual greeting. I sipped my coffee while looking towards another direction to avoid eye contact. I waited for his response but he said nothing more. It was uncomfortable to stay that way being silent and all, I walked pass by him since there was nothing more to talk about.
" Thali, wait. " he grabbed me by the arm. Startled by his action, my coffee almost spilled all over. I faced him and flashed him an annoyed, disgusted face.
" What, Fer? "
" I want to personally invite you to the 50th Golden Anniversary of the company. Tio Xavier will be expecting many guests, the high positioned business people and the elites of society. This Wednesday, 7pm. Wear something elegant for the occasion. I'll be expecting your presence. " the devil smiled like an angel, he invites me personally, handing me the invitation.
" I'll be there, of course. I wouldn't miss this grand celebration. " I timidly chuckled.
" Can I ask you a favor, Thali. " he looks down while talking. A sign of timidity and nervousness he is feeling right now. I nodded, eager to listen to what he'll say. " I think this might sound a little uneasy for our rocky situation, Thali.... but can you be my escort to the- " he gets cut off by the ringtone of my phone, vibrating in my pocket.
" Excuse me, I have to take this. " I smiled at Fer. He beamed back, he was willing to wait. I faced another direction, taking the call which was from Mrs. Alcantara, the teacher in the daycare. " Hello, Mrs. Alcantara. What can I help you with? "
" Mrs. Sodi, its an emergency! Something happened to your son! " the teacher shrieked from the other line. The news quickly alarmed me.
" What happened to Mattheo? " I asked, already trembling in anxiety. I couldn't help but to let tears. If something happened to my son, I swear I am never going to forgive myself.
" Please proceed to St. Jude's hospital, Ma'am. And I'll explain everything. " she lastly said. Then I hung up the call and faced Fernando with teary eyes. He knows something bad was going on.
" What's wrong? Why are you crying? " he held me by the arms. Searching and guessing answers through my eyes filled with emotional liquid.
" Something has happened to our son. " I answered in a trembling voice. Fernando's beautiful eyes grew with shock. Then he pulled me to an elevator.
We silently went downstairs to the parking lot, into his car and drove to St. Jude's, the hospital where they sent my son. The whole drive has been silent, trying to bite back the tears and wasting tissue on my colds. I thought and guessed what could have happened to him in school. An accident perhaps? As we near the hospital, my thoughts grew more negative and terrifying for me as a mother. Fernando held my hand throughout the drive, he supported me even if my angst for him still remained inside of my heavy heart. As he parked his car by the driveway, we hurriedly went out and bursted into the hospital doors and dashed to the reception desk.
" Miss, any patient with the name of Mattheo Sodi Colunga? " I asked the nurse on duty in a hurried tone.
She quickly flipped the pages of the record book, scanning the list. " Room 216, Ma'am." she answered.
We dashed up the stairs. Every heart beat felt heavy, as if a dagger had pierced it a hundred times, then I feel drowning into a pool of worry knowing that there may be a possibility that his condition would be fatal. And that would break my heart into a million pieces if it means I would loose the only thing that kept me strong, the blessing that I received, thanking the heavens for it many times. In short, I love him so much that I grew so dramatic in my imagination, hallucinating the fatal incidents that affected him. And Fernando, despite the rocky situation and annulment he still hasn't been aware about yet. He has been through the same way I am feeling when it comes to fatal or light situations involving Mattheo, our son.
We reached the hallway of the rooms between 200 - 218. I recognize the figure of his teacher standing outside the room, leaning to the pearl white walls. We approached her in a formal way.
" Mrs. Sodi, I'm glad you finally came. Mattheo has been crying for you. " the teacher, clearly had the traces of weeping that could be seen from the redness of her eyes.
" How is he? " Fernando interrupted. " What happened to him? "
" As observed by another colleague of mine, the bullies from the higher grade scared the poor boy and cornered him by a tree. Mattheo climbed up the high tree, since the bullies were trying to get him down, they shook the tree and he fell hard into the ground. My colleague ran to playground to stop the commotion but it was too late. " she told us the whole story. I wish I could've talked back to her for her careless action of not watching over the students but I could't blame her since she has rights. " We already contacted the parents of these children and the children are suspended for two weeks. "
" That's good, now, they've learned their lesson. " Fernando mumbles to himself.
" How's my son? What did the doctors say? " I interrogated the teacher.
" I don't know the real result of the tests. The doctors will just come and tell you about it. All I know that he is stable and has stopped crying. " she flashed a crumpled smile. " You can get in if you want to see Mattheo. " she opens the door to the private room.
We entered the ward and on the wide, white bed laid the body of my poor son. His eyes shut in deep slumber, skin as pale as the dove's feathers, lengths of bandages covered his head and his body was like lifeless, like a dead corpse. I took little steps near to one side of the bed. I couldn't help but let all the tears flow from my eyes, to my cheeks and down to my clothes. I touched Mattheo's face, caressing his soft cheek. I couldn't help but burst out the feeling of being wretched. I searched for Fernando's presence, he was behind me all along. I clung to his coat and cried, wetting his clothing with tears, prisoning myself in his arms. He rubbed my back.
" Shh. " He hushed through my hair. " Everything's going to turn out fine. " he assured. I let all my despair out.
I'm just glad he's here as a father.
Mattheo slept on and we remained watching his peaceful slumber, resting his poor, worn out body. I cuddled and locked myself in the arms of Fernando on the couch, resting my head on his chest. I felt the warmth of his breaths against my hair, he fondles his fingers with the strands. I got up from Fernando's prisoning hug when we hear a knock on the door.
" Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Guerra. You must be the boy's parents. " A middle aged man in a lab coat with thick glasses comes inside the ward.
" Yes. I'm Mr. Fernando Colunga and this is my wife, Thalia. " more like ex wife. Still stuck in the time when we called it love, perhaps. He introduces and exchanges handshakes with the brilliant looking doctor. " What's wrong with my son, doctor?
" Internal bleeding, sir. One of the nerves in his head had a not so serious damage but we were able to stop the flow of blood, good thing it wasn't in the brain area or it would be serious. I suggest we give him monthly check ups to see the progress. We can release him as early as tonight. " the doctor informs and he exits after we thanked him.
" Thank God. " I mumbled to myself, placing my hands together like prayer.
" See? Everything turned out right, Thali. " he cheered me up.
I looked at Fernando with pleading eyes. " I just want to say thank you. Thanks for accompanying here, for the sake of our son. I appreciated your fatherly presence a lot. " I thanked him for being a real father.
" No problem. Just call me when Mattheo needs me or you need me. " he smiled like a little boy.
" Mattheo needs you more than ever rather than me, you know that. " I mumbled.
" I know that. " he said and he steps closer, pulling me into an affectionate hug.
He encircles one arm on my waist and the other behind my back. He deepens the grip, tightening it and uneasy for me to breath. Then he looks at me without detaching me from his body, encircling his arms around my waist. His look into my eyes were intimidating yet it made me felt safe like I was meant to be here. He cups one cheek of mine and he nears his face for a kiss, our lips once again almost touched. We nearly forgot about the rift we have. But the sound of his ringtone disturbed the moment. Thank God! I'm saved by the phone.
" Let me take this. " He says. Taking the phone out of his pocket.
" Sure. " I agreed, then I kept my distance from him.
______________________________________
I looked into the screen of my phone to see who dare to bother me when I almost intimately touched the lips of my beloved ex, Thalia. Lets see the bastard who called me, well, well, the dashing bachelor has the nerve to come back again to Los Angeles. None other than my international model and heir apparent cousin, William Levy. The son of my wealthy paternal uncle based in Florida. I clicked the answer button to know what this princely looking relative of mine wants.
" Hello cannibal. Nice to hear from you again. " I teased by calling him cannibal. We often got into serious fights in adolescence but remained fond of each other, a true and honest man I ever had met.
" Hello demon. Surprised I'm in L.A? " he spoke from the other line.
" No actually. Mother told me you arrived a few weeks ago, why show up to me now, cousin? " I said, its nostalgic to hear his deep, husky voice that hasn't change since he stepped into puberty.
" I wasn't in the mood the past few days. " he explains. " Listen, Fer. I have a huge favor to ask you for tomorrow. And please you have to agree on this. " he pleads.
" Alright, what is it now? Bail you out of trouble, Will? " I guessed. This gentleman cousin of mine often gets in trouble and chaos.
" No. I need you to help me out on setting a date. " he response. Is this for real? Did the handsome William Levy finally found someone who has potential to stick with him?
" Am I hearing what I am hearing? The last time you dated a girl was ever since never. You have to be serious, obviously you need my help since you don't have traces of experience, my dear boy. " clear enough, I agreed on helping him set up the date which he will be arranging in some fancy resto as we continued talking. He then thanked me for the positive and helpful response.
" So who's the lucky girl? What club did you meet her? " I asked out of curiosity.
" I won't tell you until the date is finished. I didn't meet her in some cheap club, I met her in your company when I visited Tio Xavier. Well, I have to describe her as beautiful, of course, charismatic, timid, has a sense of fashion and from the looks of her, she looks quintessential and embodies a working woman. " he started telling me his latest adventures. " We bumped into each other by the elevators. I tracked her and found her, We talked about dinner and dates then she agreed. I want to make it special for her tomorrow not just a normal coffee and chat. "
" You sound in love with someone you barely met. " I told him frankly.
" I am not in that level yet. But take note that we'll make it perfect. She's a girl, if I am desperate to court her then I'll make it special. " he answers.
" Okay, we'll see what we can do. " I said. " Bye. " then I dropped the call.
I placed my phone back inside my pocket. I joined Thalia beside Mattheo's bed, my son was now awake but still looked sickly, looking low of life or without energy. He really needs us both right now at times like this. I remembered I have a meeting with the board directors today, I want to ask permission to excuse myself.
" Thali, I have to go. There's a meeting back at the building. " I asked for her approve to leave.
" Papi, don't leave. I'm still not okay. Don't leave me, stay here, stay here with Mami. I need you both right now. " with his soft, sickly voice, he pleaded for me to stay. He needs my presence in these hours. I pity my little boy.
" I'm sorry, Matti. Papi, has a meeting- "
" Please Fernando. Don't leave yet. Mattheo needs you right now. " Thalia cuts me off of my sentence. She pleads not to let my leave and her words touched my heart. She comes near me and touches my shoulder. " Please, don't leave yet. For Mattheo. " her sorrowful eyes pleads, clearly showing the motherly love for Mattheo and the family, we once had.
Exempting all the rifts and the rocky situation we are handling, there is always time for family. She somewhat has a change of mood in these kinds of times, she's very vulnerable. I texted my secretary to cancel the meeting. I sat on a stool beside Thalia and watched over our son who was slowly gaining energy to live.
" I'm staying. " it made them smile.
" I want to leave all the rifts between us for this moment only. Thank you. " she whispers and beams at me, one of those precious smiles of a woman.
And in this moment, I felt being whole again.
End of Chapter Seven