Chapter 29
Chad could tell Maria was excited about discovering a letter inside her Post Office box. The moment she noticed it, her luscious red lips rapidly transformed into a large ear-to-ear smile and her eyes, Oh. Those gorgeous dark-brown eyes, not only widened; they began to sparkle as she read its address and postmark.
“Look Chad. It’s from José,” she said holding the envelope out so he could read it. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from him before I left.”
Chad's smile was superficial. However, if one looked closely, you could tell that way down deep inside, he wasn’t feeling particularly overjoyed. “That’s nice,” he said, being courteous. “I’m sure you can't wait to start seeing him again.”
Maria enthusiastically nodded, and while doing so, a flood of romantic scenes from the past seven years they spent together as a couple instantly flashed before her eyes as if they were being played on a video cam stuck in fast forward.
Quickly ripping the top of the envelope open, Maria exhibited the excitement of a few weeks old puppy upon receiving its first doggie treat. However, as fate sometimes is, it seemed her excitement wasn't going to last long.
“Why that no-good bitch!” Maria shouted soon after reading her boyfriend’s first few paragraphs. “How dare Michelle try to pull a stunt like this?”
Chad raised a single eyebrow and slid a foot closer. “Like what?”
“Like this.” Maria held the handwritten letter directly in front of him, while maintaining such a tight grip, her fingers almost perforated the paper. “Michelle’s trying to claim she’s pregnant, and that José’s the father.
“She is?” Chad appeared to be puzzled. “Why would she do something like that? Wouldn’t it ruin her reputation?”
“Yes. … Of course it would.”
Chad, at first, didn't have the slightest clue what to say. If he remarked how Michelle’s claim was physically possible; most likely, the comment would backfire on him, and Maria would assert he was declaring José guilty. On the other hand, if he claimed that her archenemy was probably lying, Maria would respond by stating José possibly did exactly what he was being accused of, and that he was just sticking up for him since he's also a man.
“Oh,” he said, after determining that was probably the safest way to stay out of trouble. “So what do you think?”
Maria grimaced, and then turned and slammed her post office box shut.
“I don't know,” she said when they started for the door. “José IS only a man. And since I’ve been gone so long, it is possible that he could have caved in to Michelle's desires and actually got her pregnant.”
“But you don't really believe that.” Chad said in a matter of fact tone as they stepped outside and began to head toward the dorms.
Maria unexpectedly halted and began to watch a seagull as it gently coasted above the shoreline.
“No,” she then answered. “Just ask anyone in Arica … Michelle’s been trying to steal José ever since the two of us became serious during our freshman year in High School. Therefore, I highly suspect that this is just another one of her schemes to try to steal him away from me.”
Chad glanced upward and began to chuckle. “You know … what you're describing sounds similar to something you might see while watching a soap opera.”
“It does?” Maria twisted around to face him.
“It sure does,” Chad continued as they resumed toward Maria's dorm. “Haven't you ever watched ‘Days Of Our Lives’ or ‘The Young And The Restless’ and seen the scandals those shows continually come up with.”
“No,” Maria answered. “But I'm sure my mother has. … I'll have to ask her about them.”
Two Days Later
Even though they suspected it was going to happen, Mike and Eric watched in disbelief as Chad removed his suitcase from the closet the Friday afternoon before the week-long school holiday, and began to pack his belongings.
“You ARE going to return after Thanksgiving and finish the semester, aren’t you?” Mike asked as he watched his dorm mate.
Chad stopped, and glanced at the two of them. “Why should you care, Mike? After stealing my one and only soul mate, you and Eric are now an item … so what does it matter?”
“But it does matter, Sweetie,” Eric replied. “Even though the two of us are no longer one, it doesn’t mean Mike and I don’t care about you.”
Chad chuckled. “Oh, really. You sure have a funny way of showing it. … I’m certain every weekend while you two are busy humping each other; you paused for a second and wonder where I might be or might be doing.”
Eric laughed, and took an affectionate hold of Mike’s hand. “I’m afraid neither one of us has to,” he said, giving a loving glance toward his country bumpkin boyfriend. “We know where you are every night. Ever since the Fall semester began, you’ve been with Maria every free moment, Sweetie. … That’s why I left you.”
“But Maria and I are only friends,” Chad said in his defense. “You know that, Eric. And so does Mike. … Maria already has a boyfriend she's downright serious about, and very soon she’ll probably going to be out of my life.”
Mike negatively shook his head. “I honestly doubt that, Chad. … If what you say was actually cprrect, then why in the world are you taking a plane for Arica, Chile?”
Chad paused for a moment as if stunned.
“Arica? Who said anything about me going to Arica?”
Both Mike and Eric grinned.
“You didn’t have to, Chad,” Mike answered, gazing toward the top of their dresser. “Didn’t you think I’d notice the American Airlines envelope you left it in plain view? It certainly doesn't show San Francisco as your destination … so you’re obviously not going home. ”
Chad looked in the direction where he had placed it, and his skin paled and cheeks blushed.
“Ah-h-h. You’re right,” he stammered. “I’m not going home.”
“And you wonder why Mike and I decided to become a couple?” Eric stated. “There’s no doubt that you're obviously head over heels in love with Maria. Why else would you be going to Arica with her?”
Chad looked out their open doorway and upon not seeing anything he could use as a distraction, took a seat at the end of his bed.
“I just want to see the countryside,” he eventually said. “Both of you do know that I’m gay and have been all my life. … So there’s no possible way anything is going to develop between Maria and I.”
“Yeah … Right. If you say so,” Mike responded. “But for being so absolutely GAY,” he added, raising his fingers and making accent marks. “You two sure do hug and kiss a lot.”
“You’ve seen us?” Chad asked, giving both Mike and Eric a hard stare.
“Seen you?” Eric turned his eyes temporarily upward. “You two would be hard to miss. Every time anyone looks around, you’re either holding hands, hugging or kissing … in the dorms, at the post office, in the student lounge … and let’s surely not forget the library or the beach.”
“Oh. Come off of it. You couldn’t have seen me in all those places.”
Mike guffawed. “You alone? Certainly not. … But you and Maria … together? You’re definitely an item.”
Chad paused and remained totally silent for an extended moment.
“So it's that obvious?” Chad said in a low tone.
Eric nodded. “Yes. And this is a permanent good-bye … isn’t it?”
The sky rapidly darkened over the Florida International University campus, and it began to rain just moments before Chad exited his dorm and met a cab.
Is my decision a right one? Or will I end up coming back next week? he wondered, opening the taxi's door and entering inside. Not to mention, what is Maria going to say when she discovers me at the departure gate?