Danny: This is bio two, it's professor Carr?
Michelle: How did you know that??
Danny: Relax, I'm not checking up on you, I mean I had him too
Michelle: You?
Danny: Yeah, I went to Springfield, don't look so surprised - Mick and I kind of went our own ways
****
Danny: No, no Mick never wanted anyone to think he was anyone but a tough guy. I loved him, that's why I gotta find out who killed him
Michelle: Why are you telling me this?
Danny: Cause I don't want you to cringe everytime I look at you, look, I'm not here to make life difficult for people like you, you don't need to be afraid, in fact, I think maybe you can help me--- from the November 18th episode
*****
Three weeks later
My feet are killing me. All I have been doing is running around campus to trying to convince professors to let me into their classes. Registration is such a pain in the butt, and of course, it does not help that I have not been to school since last fall. The endless questions from professors have not made the day any easier. What am I supposed to say? Well, I was not in school because I killed Mick Santos, and I had to marry his brother, Danny. I am sure that will go over well. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. And I rather not go into the sordid details of my life with strangers. I can’t help but notice the looks people have been giving me as I pass by them. It is alittle unnerving.
As I fall into a chair, waiting to talk to an advisor, I begin to leaf through a course booklet. One of the classes catches my eye: Psychology 101. A small smile touches my lips. It was the same class that I found Danny sitting in one day, and of course, I was furious. But there was something about Danny that caught my interest. Stop it, Michelle, you need to focus on school. I thought that going back to school would help get Danny out of my mind, but instead, I was thinking about him even more. The mention of Professor Carr reminds me of the first time Danny talked to me. That night at Millenium when I was trying to study, and Danny had come over to talk to me. Having Danny so close to me shook me to the core. In that short exchange, Danny seemed to shed his tough skin, and he seemed so gentle, so nice. I had always wonder why I was the person he sought out. It was the calm before the storm. Before Danny learned the truth.
Then that night at the docks, I was so scared that Danny might kill me, but there was something inside of me that told me to trust him. Having my life on the line made the choice easier for me, but deep down, I knew that I could trust him. I knew that he would protect me. But I had a funny way of showing it, and now, it seemed that I would never be able to convince him of that. No matter what it takes, I will prove to Danny that I do trust him, and that I do care about him.
I am so engrossed in my thoughts that I don’t even hear when the secretary calls my name. Finally, the woman sitting next to me gently nudges me and points to the secretary. Embarrassed, I pick up my bag and saunter over to her. I have to stop doing that. I can’t keep daydreaming of Danny every second of the day. It does not matter what I am doing because my thoughts always drift to Danny. Danny has taken up a permanent residence in my mind, and it is impossible to focus on anything but him. The meeting with my advisor was uneventful. Aleast I was able to concerate on the task at hand, and I was able to pick my classes.
Of course, the idea of spending less time at Casa Santos was very appealing to me. I knew that my free time would be doing homework, so I would not have to worry about Carmen or being bored. School is really also an excuse to distance myself from Carmen, not Danny. As I walked around campus, I realized that I missed Danny. I felt so alone without him. But I can’t expect him to hold my hand all the time. I was just so used to having him around that, it was difficult to imagine not being around him. I know it sounds weird but it is true. A couple of months ago, the idea of being away from Danny would have been my heart’s desire, but now, I feel so empty, so alone.
As I open my eyes, a figure casts a shadow against the bright sun. My eyes widen in shock as I realize the identity of the person standing before me. A smirk begins to form on his face. Suddenly, the dark shadow starts to send shrivers down my spine. Nino’s smirk widens when he realizes that I am starting to shake. Damn him, I think. Damn him. He is enjoying every minute of this. I can’t let him imitadate me.
I try to get up from the grass but my knees are locked together, and my hands are shaking so hard that I have to stuff them in my pockets. Putting a fake smile, and what I hope to be a cool and calm tone, I address Nino. “Mr. Rivera. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?”
Nino’s eyes sweep over my body, and finally, lock eyes with mine. His eyes are dark and empty. That smirk is back. “Not wasting any time with formalities, are we, Mrs. Santos.”
I can hear the dripping sarcasm in his voice, and it is not hard to hear the bitterness in his voice when he says the name Santos. It is like he has to remind himself that I am his enemy’s wife, that he needs to distinguish me as a Santos. I know that is about Danny. It will always be about Danny, and that Nino only sees me as a means to an end.
“No, Mr. Rivera , I am not. But I don’t have time for any chitchat. I have a lot of things to do, and I am sure that you are not here for a chat.” My voice catches on the word heart. Does he even have one?
Nino lets out a laugh. “Well, Mrs. Santos, has Danny been coaching you? I am sure that he would be very proud. But yes, you are right; I am not here for a chat. Danny has been making some waves, and I am here to see if you can help me.”
“My husband has never discussed any of his business dealings with me, so I am sure that I will not be able to help. And I don’t want to be part of your feud. I know that you hate Danny, Mr. Rivera.” My voice sounds so far away, so afraid.
“Hate is a strong word, Mrs. Santos. Danny and I have never seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but he and I will be doing business with each other in the future, so we need to learn to deal with each other. Yes, of course, Danny would not tell you about the business. How sweet, he wants to protect you. But Danny can’t protect you all the time, Mrs. Santos.”
My hands are shaking so bad that even stuffing them in my pockets isn’t helping them. I lift my eyes to Nino’s face, and give him a cold stare. “Mr. Rivera, my marriage is none of your business. Danny is considerate, and you should be glad that my husband does not share his information with me. I am sure that our business associates would not like it, if I knew about how they operated, and you don’t want to lose any business because of that, do you?”
For a second, his cold glance wavers. I have gotten to him. And he is furious. “Mrs. Santos,” he says in a bored tone, “You don’t know how I operate, and I am not worried that I would lose any business. I am here to see if we can agree on a mutual agreement.”
“Agreement? What are you talking about?”
“Well, I see that I have your attention now. Good. The offer will ensure Danny’s safety, if you can do something for me.”
My blood turns cold at the idea, but instead I put on a disinterested look, and answer him. “Danny can take of himself, and I am sure that whatever you have in mind, um, I will not be any help. So, I think that you should leave.”
“Not so quickly. You are not going to get rid of me. Also, you are mistaken, there is something that you can do. You can tell your husband to back down. Tell him to keep away.” With an amused look in his eyes, he adds, “And don’t worry, Mrs. Santos, there is nothing that you can do for me. I like to keep my personal engagements as clean as possible.”
I want to smack him, but I am determined to walk away gracefully. I know that Nino is just like Mick, and I can’t bear to be in that situation again. “Mr. Rivera. This conversation is becoming tiresome. Either you tell me what you want or I will leave. And I hope for your sake, that Danny does not find out about your stalking me.”
Nino chuckles. “Yes, we don’t want to get Danny boy mad, do we? You are the only person who can change Danny’s mind, and I need his mind changed. Danny has decided to get all noble, and take some of the smaller business and go legit. Well, my dear, that is not going to happen, and Danny is a fool, if he thinks that it is. I need you to charm Danny, and convince him to leave it alone. Oh, also, tell him that he should not leave such his beautiful wife alone so much.”
Then he saunters away into the bushes leaving me dumbfounded. A million things are going through my head. I am still in shock. Danny is trying to legitimize the family business? Could it really be true? It makes perfect sense that Nino is worried. Danny is taking away business from the other families, and going legit would be a big blow. Elation and pride shoots through my body like fireworks. I knew that Danny could do it. This news means so much, and tells me, that maybe Danny wants a future with me. A future filled with hope, love, security and each other. I’m so proud of you, Danny. But all I can think about his Nino’s cold stare and it send shivers down my spine.
******
Carmen: You never spoke to me in this manner before...
Danny: Well I am now...
Carmen: ...she came along.
Danny: ...you back off! Leave Michelle alone. –March 8th
Mama is finally gone. I thought that she would never leave. I am able to breathe a sigh of relief when I hear the front door slam. All I seem to do lately is fight with Michelle, Mama, everyone. I am getting damn tired of it. My head is starting to pound. I guess that listening to Mama scream for almost an hour can give you a headache. I was foolish to believe that I could keep my recent business dealings a secret from her, but I had managed to get this far. Things started to fall apart a couple of weeks ago when Michelle announced that she was going back to school. Mama was, of course, thrilled but suddenly, she was making noise about stepping up the family’s business dealings.
With Michelle away, Mama saw it as a perfect opportunity to concerate on adding new companies, and Mama thought that with Michelle gone, I was not going to be threatened to back away. But she was wrong. As soon as Michelle told me that she was going back to school, I made been acquiring smaller companies, and blending them together. I knew that I had to careful in my planning. I could not afford to make a mistake because Mama would destroy all my plans. I knew that I was stepping into dangerous water, but I was determined to see it through, and I was afraid of the other families’ reaction. Nino was starting to become a nuisance, and he could blow my cover at anytime.
So imagine my surprise when Bernard paid me a visit and offered his help. I was skeptical at first, but Bernard, assured me that he was doing this out of respect for me. He knew that I would make a good legit businessman. Mama, he had told me, would have bigger fish to fry, and that she would never carry out her threats because they would go against her code. Bernard promised his support, and along with the other families, assuming that I did not step on anyone’s toes then I would be left alone. I knew that if the other families supported me, then Mama would support me too. It was too important for her to stay in the good graces with our business associates.
The late afternoon sun has started to stream into the study. I had always loved this part of the day, just before dark. I can still remember when Papa was still alive; he would take me to the open field near the house to watch the sunset. I can still hear him say, “Daniel, life is precious, and you must live each day to its fullest. Tomorrow is another day, a day filled with promise and hope; you can only enjoy its beauty when you learn to love life. Cherish it, and share it with someone that you love.” Tears start to fall down my cheeks. I miss Papa so much. I wish that he were here to see what I was doing. I know that he would have been proud of me, and he always had such faith in me. In his own way, he tried to protect me from the reality of our world because he didn’t think that I could handle it. The only thing that I could not handle was his death. It was a horrible blow. Now, I have Michelle, and I am determined to give her the life that she deserves. And some day, I will bring Michelle to that field, and watch the sunset with her. Someday..
Something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. I lean over Mama’s desk and notice an envelope addressed to me. I notice that there is no return address on it. That’s funny. Sense of dread washes over me. An alarm bell starts to go off in my head. It is the same feeling that overtakes me when I am at the docks awaiting a shipment. I can’t shake this fear. Whatever is in this envelope I know that I will not like it.
Taking a deep breath, I open the envelope. My eyes widen in shock as I look inside at the contents. My chest is starting to constrict, and fury starts to build in my body. Who would do this? They have destroyed something so wonderful and beautiful. This was a warning and it was only starting. I can’t let Michelle see this, but I know that it will not upset her as much as it upsets me. I can’t let people ruin this happy memory for me, it is one of the few happy times that I have had with Michelle, and they are marring it with anger. It was not like that, it wasn’t.
Staring at the envelope, I grip the arms of the chair so hard that my knuckles start to turn white. I need a drink. On uncertain legs, I stumble over to the table, and pour myself a scotch. I need to get that image out of my head. My hands are shaking so hard that the glass falls on the floor. The glass breaks and shatters on the carpet. As I sink down on the wet carpet sobbing, I don’t even notice that my hand is bleeding from the broken glass.