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| REACHING OUT BY TIMA |
CHAPTER 36 |
PREVIOUSLY: Del: Your heart, if you have one, will stay off-limits.
Todd: My heart is a mirage that only Tea can see.
[Todd gets off Tea's bed and begins walking toward the door. Del follows him.]
Del: What do you want to do today?
Todd: Sleep.
Del: Good. I'll drive. You'll sleep. Maybe we'll make it through this day without killing each other, after all.
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chapter 36:
[Minutes later...
Del is in his rental car, in the rehabilitation center's parking lot, with Todd as his reluctant passenger. Before Del can drive off, Todd pulls a piece of paper from one of his pockets and hands it to Del.]
Del: What's this?
Todd: A list of houses we're gonna check out. Go to the one that's farthest away first, so I can get a few minutes of sleep.
Del: You've given up on the idea of finding a place on one of the smaller islands?
Todd: I was willing to have that one place fixed up so Tea could get around in it. She didn't want it. I'll find a place closer to here, if that's what she wants.
Del: Maybe she didn't want that place, not because of the distance of that particular island, but because she just doesn't want to live with you right now.
Todd: She wants to. I just need to find the right place.
Del: You really are determined to live with my sister again, aren't you?
Todd: I enjoyed being embraced as a loved, and respected, member of the Delgado family so much the other times I was with Tea, I thought I'd do it again.
Del: You better be careful, Manning. We may have allowed Tea enough room in the past to screw up her life by being with you, but now everything's changed.
Todd: So, you won't break your sister's heart by not showing up at our next wedding, the way you did by skipping the last one?
Del: You're lucky I had to work, because if I had been there when you humiliated my sister, the way you did, I would have humiliated you by kicking your butt in front of your friends and family.
Todd: I don't have any friends, and most of my family would have gladly joined you in kicking my butt that day.
Del: Why'd you do it, man?
Todd: It's not like I planned for any of that to happen. I never would have set out to publicly humiliate Tea. She's one of the few people, on this planet full of self-righteous losers, that I actually like.
Del: What happened that day just happened, is that it? You had no control over it?
Todd: Sometimes I control that sort of thing. That wasn't one of those times.
Del: Why should I believe you?
Todd: Because, for some stupid reason, I'm actually telling you the truth. Now, start driving so I can get some sleep and we can stop bonding before I start vomiting.
Del: I still don't like you, Manning. If I ever think that Tea really doesn't want you around anymore, especially if it's because you've hurt her again, I'll make sure that you disappear from her life...permanently. It may happen quickly, but I guarantee that it won't be painless.
Todd: And, my body will never be found. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Enough death threats. Hurry up and drive. We need to be back before Tea's done getting shrunk.
[Del begins driving as Todd settles himself into the most comfortable position he can manage.]
Del: Tea asked for some time alone to think. We're giving it to her, even if it means that I'm stuck spending the rest of the day with you. I told Tea we'd bring dinner back with us. That's what we're doing. So, forget any idea you have of crowding her this afternoon. We're not going back until dinnertime.
Todd: You don't get to make the rules.
Del: Tea does. She's made this one and we're going to respect it.
Todd: Maybe it's just you that she doesn't want to see until later.
Del: She specifically mentioned your name.
Todd: You probably just misunderstood.
Del: We'll both survive this day more easily if you just accept your fate the way I have. We're stuck with each other for the day. Deal with it.
Todd: She's got you trained well.
Del: If you want to destroy your chances with her by showing her how little you respect her feelings, go right ahead. In fact, I'll turn around right now and you can burst into her therapy session. That should guarantee that I'll never have to worry about my sister wasting her time with you ever again.
Todd: You shouldn't lecture me about respect. You're not showing any to me by talking so much while I'm trying to sleep.
Del: That's because I don't respect you.
Todd (with mock emotion): If you keep hurting my feelings, you're gonna make me cry.
Del: Just shut up and sleep, Manning.
Todd: Just shut up and drive, Delmonico.
[Del mutters to himself in Spanish, frustrated that he has to spend an entire day with his ex-brother-in-law. Todd smiles, enjoying Del's frustration. He closes his eyes and tries to sleep, knowing that he needs to sleep now, because he plans to stay up all night again, holding Tea's hand and watching over her while she sleeps.]
to be continued...
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