The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
LIES FEARS & LOVE
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
2 |
chapter 2
Part 1
LLANVIEW COUNTRY CLUB:
Carlotta Vega and her proud sons stood at the corner of the terrace looking all dressed up, nervous and completely out of place--poor, little fishes in rich infested waters. Vicki Davidson walked over to them and embraced Carlotta warmly.
"I don't know anyone who deserves this more, Carlotta," said Vicki with genuine admiration.
"Well, I feel a little foolish. I don't think I do any more than the next person."
"Oh, my dear, you’re so wrong. You're a single parent, you run a successful business and you still do more charitable work than anyone I know. You definitely deserve this award and I should know because I nominated you for it, and the vote was unanimous."
"Vicki, I had no idea. I'd wondered who put my name in for this. Thank you."
Hank Gannon and Bo Buchanan, along with his father, Asa, all came by to extend their congratulations to her. The Mayor of Llanview held court with other guests on the other side of the terrace while a few reporters and photographers stood, looking bored, waiting for the ceremony to begin. It was at this moment that Tea Delgado emerged from inside and stepped out onto the lighted terrace. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look in her direction. They all knew who she was.
Her hair was long and flowed half-way down her back in soft waves. She wore a deep red, slip dress that clung seductively to her slim, round body and red high-heeled sandals. Her only accessories were a glittering diamond bracelet on her wrist and deep red lipstick that matched her dress and shoes. She stood there for a moment, her eyes sweeping the terrace for Carlotta before heading toward the podium. Knowing all eyes were on her she deliberately walked slowly and casually with her head held high in defiance, refusing to cower or feel intimidated by many of the people who had so little respect for her simply because she had dared to love Todd Manning.
A reporter for The Sun nudged a reporter for The Banner.
"Man she's hot. Who is she?"
"Don't you know? That's your boss's ex-wife, Tea Delgado. They have quite a history. You should do your homework."
The press all moved closer and started snapping away as Tea and Carlotta embraced happily.
"MIA. I can't believe you're here. This is better than any award I could get."
"Well, when Antonio called to tell me about this award, how could I stay away."
Tea hugged Antonio and Christian warmly when she noticed Vicki standing near by. Vicki tried to disguise the shocked expression on her face, but Tea caught it. Tea walked over and embraced her politely.
"Vicki, how are you?"
"I'm stunned, like everyone else apparently. Well, I don't think I've ever seen you look more lovely. Things must be going well for you," said Vicki. She wondered if she knew about Todd and Blair.
"Very well, thanks. And how's your family?"
"They're all quite well, thank you."
Tea worked the room saying her polite hellos to all those she knew. She was cool and confidant as she endured all the patronizing salutations from all of Llanview's fine, well-respected citizens and then sat with Carlotta and her sons to help them celebrate.
The reporter for The Sun, Mac, pulled out his cell phone and dialed quickly. He called the paper looking for his boss, Todd Manning, but he had left early.
DORIAN'S MANSION;
"King me," yelled Starr as she placed a red checker on her father's end of the board. Todd looked across at his beautiful daughter and noticed her gloating, competitive nature. Sadly she had inherited many of her mother's uglier traits, but she still had her own intrinsic beauty, a sweet, childish innocence that he hoped would neutralize some of the damage that he and Blair had inflicted on her this last year. Starr had learned to deceive and manipulate to get what she wanted, just like her parents had unwittingly taught her. Todd was no DR. Spock, but he certainly knew that children learned by the example their parents set. Just look how well he learned from his own father....
"That's not fair! All your men are kings! How can I beat you now?" Todd put his hands to his head with a silly, worried expression on his face as Starr laughed with delight at her gamesmanship.
"Daddy, you're terrible at checkers. Do you give up?"
Todd loved playing with Starr, and it was great to spend an evening alone with her, without Blair's constant nagging, but tonight he wasn't in the mood for an evening of endless checker games. He couldn't concentrate on anything tonight except that all was not right in Todd World. His paranoia meter was off the chart.
The phone began to ring and Starr jumped up quickly to answer it.
"I'll get it. Hello....hi, Mommy."
Todd watched his daughter smile as she listened to her mother's voice. It was amazing to him how children loved their parents no matter what, and that parents loved them back the same way. He never had that. One parent taught him to love, then abandoned him, the other tortured him and taught him to hate then had the audacity to die before Todd could get even. He hated both of them and obviously they hated him. Maybe that was the key? If you didn't even possess the simple capacity to love your parents, could you ever really love anyone. And if your parents can hate you, how could anyone ever love you....
"We ate some pizza and now I'm beating Daddy at checkers. I already beat him 7 times in a row. Yeah, he's right here. I love you too, bye. Daddy, Mommy wants to talk to you,"
Starr held out the phone for Todd.
"Yeah, it's me. How's your wacko mother?"
"Todd I would really appreciate it if you didn't speak that way about my mother, specially in front of Starr," said Blair in a weak and strange whisper.
"Are you okay?...you sound kind of funny..out of breath like."
There was a long pause on Blair's end followed by a long sigh.
"I'm just tired Todd. Pregnant women get like that," she answered quickly.
"Well pregnant women shouldn't be driving around visiting loony bins either....do you want me to come and get you?"
"NO! No....I need to be here. I'm fine and I'll be home tomorrow. I have something very important to discuss with you."
"What, about the baby? You're not going to tell me it's not mine again..."
"No. It's yours," she whispered as her voice broke and fell silent.
"Blair, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong. I miss you and Starr that's all. It's all those raging hormones I guess. Anyway I'll be home tomorrow, late afternoon."
"Yeah, whatever."
Todd was about to hang up when he heard her call out his name.
Todd...are you still there?"
"Yeah."
"I just wanted to say that you and Starr are the most important things in the world to me, and everything I do is for us...so we can be together."
"One big, happy family, right," said Todd with little enthusiasm.
"Yes, Todd. Isn't that what we all want?"
"Sure. Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Todd hung up before Blair had a chance to respond. He hadn't quite forgiven her for deceiving him, but she was pregnant with his child and he just couldn't ignore that. He felt like his life was on some kind of weird cruise control, the ride was steady and the destination predictable, but it was all out of his hands. There was no shift in speed, no mystery around the bend, nothing new to experience, just an old, familiar destination. He thought about this kid they were having. For so long he hated it, thinking it was Max's, and he hadn't got use to the idea yet. It just seemed like another bind to Blair. Was it a reward, or a punishment? An accomplishment, or just another failure? Either way, soon he'd be a father again and strangely, he didn't feel very much about it.
"Que sera, sera," said Todd to himself, still staring at the phone.
Starr had abandoned the checker game and returned to play with her dolls which she had arranged carefully, end to end, across the sofa. There must have been a dozen of them.
"Starr, you have way too many dolls. How do you keep their names straight?"
She began picking them up and introducing them, one by one.
"And this is Kelly...And this is Renee...And this is Nurse Tee..."
Todd looked up quickly and snatched the last doll away from her. He remembered it came from Tea's "present box"--a suitcase filled with toys which she would give to Starr periodically in order not to spoil her.
"Smell her, Daddy! Tee put her perfume on her so I would always think of her when I played with Nurse Tee. She smells good, just like Tee."
Todd stood up and brought the small pink and white clad doll to his nose inhaling deeply. Yes, there it was. He remembered that scent all too well. He recalled the musky fragrance on her skin, in her hair,...on his skin...in his hair....
He quickly handed the doll back to Starr and walked over to the French doors leading out to the patio. Opening them quickly he stepped out into the cool night air, letting the soft breeze blow softly through his growing hair while looking out into the darkness as a thousand buried memories flooded his brain. He closed his eyes and let the memories come to him, a luxury he hadn't allowed himself for far too long. He remembered touching her, kissing her, being inside her and feeling a love he had no right to feel. Todd stumbled forward and opened his eyes.
"Tea," he whispered into the night as if she would suddenly appear there, but there was only darkness and empty space.
He was so full of her tonight. He wanted to go to bed and dream of her. That's where it was safe to love her. She had given him that. Sleep had always been a place where his nightmares would come to tear him apart, and he avoided it most of the time, but not now. Now, sleeping was worth the risk because sometimes, instead of nightmares, he would dream of being with her, and he would sleep peacefully thereafter. By day he existed in a sham of a life, but by night he lived in a dark, sensual world filled with torturous fantasies and beautiful dreams. It was like some wild and colorful, virtual-reality computer game filled with the potential for horror or rapture, absolute terror or complete joy.
"Daddy! Someone's on the phone."
He turned around to find Starr behind him holding the phone up to him.
"Starr, I want you to go upstairs and tell that lazy nanny of yours to get you ready for bed. I'll be up in a few minutes to read some of that Harry Potter dude book to you, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy," she said sweetly handing him the phone and disappearing through the doors.
"This is Todd Manning."
"Mr. Manning, Mac here."
"Mac here, who?"
"Mac Reilly, your reporter. I'm covering the award ceremony down at the country club and there's been an interesting development that may interest you."
Todd looked at the phone with visible annoyance.
"Unless aliens invaded, I couldn't care less."
"Well, Sir, someone did invade the celebration, but she's better looking than any alien I've ever seen."
"Wow! So you've seen aliens? No wonder Briggs hired you. What the hell are you talking about Mac Whoever-the-hell-you-are?"
"It's your ex-wife, Mr. Manning, Tea Delgado."
Todd stared at the phone for a moment, uncertain of what he just heard.
"Who did you say?"
"Tea Delgado, Sir."
Todd paused, taking a deep breath before speaking again.
"Listen...uh...Mac, I want the story and all related photos on my desk ASAP. And this phone call never happened. I don't want anyone to know you called. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir," said Mac before the phone went dead.
Todd stood very still for a minute before running inside, grabbing his car keys, and bolting out the door.
chapter 2
part 2
LLANVIEW COUNTRY CLUB:
Carlotta and her family (which included Tea) posed for a few photos along with the Mayor of Llanview who held up a gold plaque and smiled for his photo-op. Everyone joined in a final toast before they took their leave. One by one they congratulated Carlotta and left.
Vicki noticed that Tea had wandered from the crowd a little and walked over to her.
"Well this has been quite a night for Carlotta. I mean first the award and of course your coming in to surprise her," said Vicki as she eyed Tea closely. "So, what have you been up to?"
"I'm living in New York, I work as a defense attorney for a small, but prestigious law firm, and I live in the apartment building in which I grew up in, only this time I don't live in the basement....so....how is he?"
Vicki hadn't expected this but she wasn't surprised. Tea Delgado had always been one of the most direct people she'd ever met. Vicki wasn't sure how to respond or how much she should say. She knew how much Tea had loved Todd and she didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily. For a few seconds the question just hung heavily in the air between them unanswered.
"He's Todd! The same in some respects, but very different too."
"Still a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma," laughed Tea pensively, looking away from Vicki.
Vicki smiled. Tea was so brilliant and mysterious in many ways, so much like Todd. She turned to face Tea.
"Tea, I don't know how much you know about...."
"I know all about Blair and....their baby....if that's what you're afraid to tell me."
"Yes. They've had their share of problems in the last year, but they're trying to work them out."
Tea nodded her head slowly, looking down at the complex mosaic pattern that made up the terrace floor. Thousands of small, colored tiles arranged chaotically, and yet somehow coming together and fitting perfectly to form a beautiful picture. That's how it had been between her and Todd.
"I want him to be happy, you know. It's all I've ever wanted for him," said Tea looking up at Vicki with unshed tears glistening in her velvet brown eyes, "and if Blair does that for him, then it's a good thing for Todd."
"I think the word happy is certainly over-stating it, but he was such a mess after you left him...."
"Left HIM? Is that what he told you?"
"Well, yes. That's what he told everyone. Isn't that what happened?"
Tea stared at Vicki before looking away.
"Yes...I...uh...left him," said Tea quietly, "I'm sorry Vicki, but I should be getting back to Carlotta. It's been wonderful seeing you. Good-by," said Tea, shaking her hand and walking away.
Vicki watched her as she made her way through the crowd. She wasn't sure why Tea left so abruptly, but she suspected that discussing Todd with Blair upset her.
Todd wandered quietly, like a lone wolf, through the gardens of the Llanview country club unseen. Once again he had become a predator, driven by an ancient instinct, compelled by a powerful longing to be near her. As he got closer to the terrace he could hear the sound of voices and laughter and piano music coming from somewhere. It was very dark behind the tall hedges and he could barely make out the figures between the thick leaves. He prowled closer until he was right beside the terrace, behind a hedge wall that divided the terrace from the swimming pool. His large hands pushed through the thick brush and formed a large opening as the lights of the terrace came into focus giving him a clear view of people strolling around. He saw his sister, Vicki, disappear through the entrance followed by Asa and Bo Buchanan. The ceremony was obviously over and the crowd was thinning out. His hungry eyes darted in every direction, from corner to corner, but a lot of people were walking around and getting into his line of vision. He could make out the tall podium at the side, and he saw Carlotta and Antonio. Antonio suddenly stepped aside....and she was there!
Todd let go of the hedge and turned his back on it. He closed his eyes as a wave of intense pain shot through his chest causing him to double over and take half a dozen deep, slow breaths. When the pain subsided a bit, he pushed the brush aside and looked at her again. There were only a few people left now and she was standing by herself. He noticed her hair had grown long again and she looked thinner, but more beautiful than he'd ever seen her look. She was laughing at something Antonio said and he could hear it above the soft piano. Her laughter was like alcohol, calming and intoxicating. How she used to laugh at his stupid jokes. Todd smiled to himself at the memory of this small pleasure.
Antonio pulled her toward the piano and began dancing with her. They were laughing and doing some weird tango. Tea moved slowly and gracefully. He watched Antonio's hands sliding smoothly around her tiny waist and holding her firmly in his grasp. Todd remembered holding her that way and doing an altogether different type of dance, a primal, sensual dance that left them both breathless and delirious. He remembered her body moving and writhing with his, and how she laid in his arms afterward and whispered, "I love you, querido," in a low, silky voice filled with love. He watched her arms snaking around Antonio's shoulders, those arms that had brought his mouth to hers over and over again until their lips were too raw and swollen to kiss any more. He remembered exploding inside her and lying there without moving, never wanting to leave her body. Her hands caressed the back of Antonio's neck, those soft, strong hands that touched the most secret places of his own body and made him feel like a desirable man for the first time in his miserable life. And then, he went and ruined everything....
Tea suddenly pulled away from Antonio and stepped back. She looked behind her and stared out into the darkness beyond the terrace. Antonio watched her smile dissolve into confusion and sadness.
"Tea, are you okay?"
She looked back at Antonio and her faced turned into a radiant smile.
"Ghosts," she said,"only ghosts."
Antonio looked at her inquiringly, but Tea just looked away from him unwilling to give anything away.
"You know, Antonio, you should really go and rescue your mother. I think the Mayor is trying to hit on her."
Antonio laughed. She was so enchanting. He wondered why they never got together.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
She slapped him on the chest playfully.
"I'm fine, amigo, just go and invite your beautiful, honored mother to dance. I'm going for a little walk to remove the cobwebs from my brain."
Antonio kissed her cheek and walked off to find Carlotta. He pulled his mother away from the boring Mayor and dragged her onto the dance floor. Tea watched them enviously--she missed her mother most at times like this. And she hoped that Leo would some day dance with her in this way.
Todd's eyes were fixed on her. They were dry and burning because he hardly dared to blink, afraid to miss one second of seeing her. He was filled with pain but he welcomed it because along with that agony came another feeling--love. For these few minutes he was a sentient being once more. He could feel his heart pounding, he could feel the hot blood gushing through his veins, he could feel his muscles relaxing and contracting and his body becoming aroused at the mere sight of her. He was alive again.
Tea began to walk slowly toward the hedge bordering the terrace. For a moment he lost sight of her but a few seconds later he saw a flash of red passing directly in front of him and then she disappeared again. Todd started following her along the hedge, following the flashes of red dress visible between thinning spots in the thick, manicured bush. They walked side by side, separated only by a wall of leaves, Tea in the glittering light of the terrace, Todd in the covert darkness of the night.
As Tea got close to the end of the hedge wall, Todd moved quickly behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree, pressing his body tightly against it. He heard the sound of her high heels tapping lightly against the tiled terrace floor then he heard nothing as her feet reached the soft dirt path that lead to the lawn surrounding the pool area. He inched his way slowly, quietly around the trunk of the tree as he felt her approach. The delicate evening breeze carried her perfume to him as she passed within inches of him, heading further up the path past the pool area. He knew where she was going.
Todd moved quickly from tree to tree--a long line of weeping willows that paralleled the dirt path all the way up to the cabanas. Tea walked slowly, wistfully, as if in some sort of trance, her red dress glowing beneath the light of the full moon like a beacon which he followed instinctively. She passed the first cabana, then the second, but stopped at the third. She stood still and stared at it for a few moments before approaching the door. She tried the knob, but it was locked. She placed her hand on the smooth, hard wood and bowed her forehead against it. Todd heard Tea crying softly.
His hands clawed at the rough, gnarly bark trying to hold back, to hang on to his sanity. He wanted to run to her, to crush her in his arms, to break her into a million tiny pieces in order to absorb her into him and be one with her. He wanted to swoop her up and disappear with her forever into the mysterious night.
"Tea?"
Tea turned around quickly. It was Antonio.
"Hey, chica, you're crying!"
He stepped forward and embraced her. She took comfort in his arms until she felt calmer.
"I figured I'd find you here. Mommy just told me this is where you and Todd got married. Are you okay?"
Tea wiped her tears and forced a smile, nodding her head but still unable to speak.
"You know, Tea, You're one of the toughest, smartest women I've ever known. I can't believe a callous bastard like Todd Manning can get to you in this way."
Tea looked up at Antonio. Her eyes wet and filled with emotion.
"I loved him," she said plainly and emphatically.
Todd heard her words. "Loved". Past tense. An intense stab of pain entered his chest as he hugged the tree tightly for some rough comfort.
"He didn't deserve your love, Tea."
"Yes, he did. I just couldn't make him believe it."
Antonio hugged her and wiped her face.
"How about we all go back to the diner and have a cup of Mommy's famous espresso with a piece of her delicious flan, and talk about happier days."
Tea smiled up at her good friend.
"That sounds like exactly what I need."
Todd heard their footsteps move away until there was only silence. His legs finally gave way under him and he slid down the ragged tree trunk onto the cool grass, bringing his knees up to his chest. Alone in the darkness he buried his face in his hands and cried for the first time in a very long time.
to be continued...
2001 Copyright by Trog
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