The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
LIES FEARS & LOVE
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
17 |
chapter 17
NEW YORK, TEA'S APARTMENT:
The elevator opened its heavy doors on the twenty-third floor and Todd walked out slowly. He checked the number of Tea's apartment on the slip of paper she had left him and walked toward it. Looking around he noticed that the building was old, but elegant and well maintained. The lighted wall sconces were of an art-deco, frosted glass design, the plush, beige carpeting had an intricate fern-leaf pattern, and the white, lacquered doors of the apartments had glass door knobs and heavy brass knockers. It smelled clean and polished--like old money.
Her apartment was at the end of the hall, a corner unit.
He stood at the door for a while but couldn't bring himself to knock. Placing the large shopping bag he was carrying by his feet, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pale, gray suit and leaned against the wall. Nervous anxiety was choking him and he took some long deep breaths as he prepared to see Tea, and his son for the first time. Finally, he pulled back the doorknocker and tapped three times.
Todd noticed the large, antique brass peephole above the knocker and saw a dark shadow slip in front of it.
"Yes, who is it please," asked an unfamiliar voice with a slight trace of a Spanish accent.
"Todd Manning."
The door opened and a small woman with curly brown hair, dressed neatly in a white blouse and black slacks, was standing there looking up at him.
"Mr. Manning, we weren't expecting you. I'm Lourdes Santiago, Ms. Delgado's housekeeper. Please come in," she said politely as Todd brushed passed her and she closed the door.
"I'm afraid Ms. Delgado is still at work. She didn't inform me that you were coming."
"I'm here to see my son," Todd said.
"Of course. Ms. Delgado said you might be stopping by sometime," she said observing him.
Lourdes was very struck by the resemblance to Leo. The hair was the same color and the eyes were perfect replicas. Todd Manning was a very striking man, very tall and slender and unusually handsome. His clothes were very expensive and his manner cool and slightly arrogant. He exuded a dark masculinity and there was an element of danger about him that was further enhanced by the long scar across his otherwise perfect right cheek.
Todd grew uncomfortable under her harsh scrutiny.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Manning, I don't mean to stare, but Leo looks so much like you."
"Does he have a scar too?"
Lourdes was surprised by his cockiness, but Tea had warned her abour his brisk manners and she smiled politely not missing a beat.
"No, but the way he crawls around bumping into everything, I'm sure he soon will have."
Todd looked down at this tiny woman. Usually most people he met were immediately intimidated by him, but not her. Lourdes Santiago was a tough little cookie, he observed.
Todd turned around and looked about the place, the place where Tea and his son lived. He took a few steps further into the livingroom and noticed that it was decorated like his own penthouse, mostly cream-colored with touches of black here and there--elegant and tasteful, but comfortable too. It was pretty spacious and had large windows on two sides being at the corner of the building. Over to his right, through white, sheer drapes hung on French doors, he could see a small patio that looked out over the city. On his left was a black marble fireplace, beyond him was a door that lead to the kitchen and to its left, a hallway that must have lead to the rest of the place. Not bad for the janitor's daughter, he thought to himself, smiling a little and feeling proud of his Delgado.
"Would you like something to drink, Mr. Manning?"
"No. Where's my son."
"Right this way," she said leading him down the hallway.
As he followed her toward the end of the hallway, he passed an open doorway to his right. It had a large, mahogany, sleigh-bed with a cream, brocade comforter, but what caught his eye was a heavy crystal vase of peach roses on the nightstand beside it.
"Mr. Manning? This is Leo's room," said Lourdes noticing he has stopped at Tea's door.
Todd walked slowly towards her, gripping the bag in his hand tightly and stopping before he entered. Lourdes noticed he was pale and anxious.
"Can I see him alone?" Todd asked softly," Or will he be too scared of me?"
"Mr. Manning, Leo isn't scared of anything as you will quickly observe. I left him in his playpen destroying his latest toy. I'll be in the kitchen down the hall if you should need me," she said as she left him standing in front of the door.
Todd entered the room. It was all done in shades of blue. Above his head were soft, white clouds drifting across a pale blue sky, painted on the ceiling. Along the middle of the white wall ran a blue border with white, flying horses painted on it. For a moment Todd thought of the story he use to tell Starr about the "air ponies" and he wondered if that was why Tea picked that particular theme. The furniture was all white and the room rather simple with a few shelves of toys and books and the usual array of necessary baby items.
The sudden banging noise drew Todd's attention to the white, mesh playpen right below the crib. Leo's back was to him as he pounded away at some colorful blocks with a red plastic hammer. Leo was wearing a royal-blue, hooded sweatsuit and completely focused on his hammering as Todd came around the side of the playpen, set down the large, brown shopping bag he was carrying and got down on his knees beside him. When Leo noticed him he stopped banging and just stared at Todd curiously.
Todd's heart stopped for a moment. A low gasp escaped from his parted lips and his body was shaking with a joyous emotion, a wonder that only the innocent love of a child can produce inside a jaded human being. Tears welled in his eyes and spilled over their corners as he reached out a trembling hand and poked his fingers through the mesh of the playpen, reaching out to his child.
Leo crawled over and grabbed his fingers as he struggled to stand, but quickly fell back on his diaper-padded bum. He looked up at Todd and broke into a smile, giggling with childish bliss.
Todd smiled at his son as Leo grabbed on to the mesh with one hand, raised himself up and grasped Todd's extended fingers, this time successfully. Todd's heart swelled with pride at Leo's small, valiant effort and he laughed out loud as Leo giggled and grunted, struggling to remain standing. He reached in and put his hands beneaths Leo's arms and carefully lifted him out of the playpen, much to Leo's delight. Todd lifted him in the air, pretending to throw him and brought him down again as Leo laughed and laughed.
Todd brought him close and scrutinized every inch of his face. Indeed, the resemblance to him was astonishiing, but when Leo smiled and laughed, all he saw was Tea, and this realization--that he came from both of them--filled him with an indescribable joy.
"Hey, Leo. Do you know who I am? I'm your Daddy..." said Todd, choking a little. "Now I'm going to give you a hug, but if you don't like it, you just say so and I'll stop, okay?"
Leo stared at him curiously as Todd drew him slowly into his arms and squeezed him softly. Todd closed his eys and inhaled his fragrant sweetness, that lovely scent that only babies possess. He felt his baby-soft flesh against his rough beard and sensed his warm breath against his cheek. Todd pulled him tighter, feeling the essence of his son's pure love, as he rocked him gently and cried softly into his little shoulder.
Leo squirmed, and yanked at Todd's hair, letting his father know he was bored. Todd laughed and threw him into the air again.
"I guess you've had enough hugging,ha," he said as Leo giggled wildly as Todd tossed him in the air again. Finally Todd placed him on the floor and reached over for the shopping bag.
"Look, Leo, I brought you some stuff, some toys since I bet your mother probably doesn't buy you that many cause she's afraid to spoil you."
Leo stared up at Todd totally attuned to the sound of his voice, as Todd started pulling things out of the bag. First he pulled out a stuffed parrot and handed it to him.
"This is Moose," said Todd as he watched Leo grab it by the beak and slam it against the floor a few times.
Todd laughed as he reached into the bag again, this time pulling out a large, plastic replica of a black Porsche. It had a vanity plate that read, "LEO REX."
"This is my favorite car, and when you turn eighteen, I'll buy you a real one. I don't know if your mother mentioned it,but I'm stinking rich."
Leo looked perplexed by the car. It was too large for him to hold, but his hands stroked and played with the wheels and the headlights as Todd looked on.
Finally Todd took a miniature, pigskin football, complete with laces, and placed in Leo's hands.
"This is my favorite sport, football. I use to play in school, and I was pretty good. When you get older, I'm going to teach you to play."
Leo held the football, looked at it for a moment with his sharp, hazel eyes, then put the end in his mouth and sucked on it as Todd laughed wildly.
"No, Leo, this is how you hold a football," he said, carefully placing Leo's tiny little fingers over the laces.
Leo looked up at Todd with uncertainty and then proceeded to suck the football again. Todd just smiled and pulled him into his arms again. This time Leo didn't pull away, but held on to Todd and rested his little head in the crook of his father's neck. Todd was overcome as he rocked him gently and closed his eyes.
to be continued...
2001 Copyright by Trog
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