Chapter 20
Julie went to meet Mr. Thompson, he was waiting for her. “Julie! You’re here.”
“Hello Mr. Thompson, how have you been?”
“Good, actually I have to talk to you, about two things but first… what I’ve told you before, I really like you but I thought if I left I’d get over you, but I couldn’t. what I feel for you is strong, but I want to know what you feel.”
“Mr. Thompson…”
“Please call me Michael, I’m not your tutor anymore.”
“I don’t know what to say, you just left and I had no idea…”
He looked disappointed, “it’s ok it’s my fault I should have known the other thing I came to tell you was that I’ve seen Thomas and he told me that he just met his son, he wanted to know where Cassandra lived…” Julie was wide eyed, “but don’t worry, I’ll would never tell him, but as I told Cassandra she should try to talk to him.”
“Where did you meet Thomas?”
“He was the president for the company I went to work for, anyways I just found out he talked to me about Cassandra and he seemed pretty sincere…” he looked deep into her eyes, “well, I guess that’s all I came to tell you, and I wanted you to know how I felt, it just happened.”
He stood and she stood behind him, “Michael I don’t know how to tell you this but the first time you told me how you felt… I didn’t know what to say… after you left I really missed you.”
Mr. Thompson turned to her, “are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I do love you, but I’m moving. I’m going to start working for a private management company, and I’ll have to leave by the end of the month.”
“Then go, but I mean we’re both pretty busy anyways, that doesn’t mean that we can’t see each other. We can still make it work… listen to me will you?”
Julie was looking at him, she remembered when her parents were the same. Not that she wanted to judge them, she was witness of them saying the exact same words, but they lived and her father died working.
Mr. Thompson looked at her, like reading her mind, “I can work from wherever I’m at, and I’ll just have to leave when there’s a company emergency, but I don’t have to live in my job.”
“I heard my father say that to my mother so many times, and my mother waited for him to come home, don’t get me wrong I love them both and they were great parents, but my father lived in his work…”
“So why don’t you give me a chance? I can change your mind if you just give me a chance, I love you and I really want us to be together.”
Julie smiled, “I love you too…” suddenly she looked around the coffee shop. The people were gathering like if they were putting up a show, her face became pale, she hadn’t noticed she was being watched.
“We should leave,” he took her hand and they walked out of there, “I’m sorry I didn’t know that we were being watched.”
“Ha, ha, ha it’s ok neither did I, well I have to leave but about what you said, I love and no matter what, I think I always will.
I’m moving to San Diego, you have to promise not to tell Thomas, Cassandra is moving there too. It’s just that we found that we can open up our rental management there.”
“So you’re really moving…”
“I am by the end of the month… I really love you but I don’t know how we’re going to make this work.”
Cassidy, went to school with every intention of switching her classes, to make them online. But her mother was right she would have to face him first. She felt uncomfortable, to talk to him because of what had happened before.
Cassidy was sitting in the bench where she always sat, she hadn’t seen Jesse in any of her classes but she was somewhat glad she didn’t want to face him just yet. She was sitting by herself taking everything in.
Jesse was watching her from afar, he hadn’t come to any of his classes because he couldn’t face her. But finally he got the nerve to face her, he walked towards her.
“Cassidy, I think we need to talk, about yesterday…”
“I know, but I don’t know what I was thinking, it just happened, you reminded me of…”
“Cassidy, just listen please, I was thinking all night long about you…us I don’t want to lose you. I know you love me, when you kissed me you showed me how you truly felt…”
“But…”
“Wait let me explain…”
“I’m trying to tell you, I’m not in love with you!” Her face turned pale, did I just say that? Her words seemed stun him, and hurt at the same time, “I knew I should’ve never done that, but you reminded me of…”
“Wait a second, you have someone?”
“No! of course not, but I had someone and… you remind me of him.”
Jesse was silent he stood and turned to her, “so were you trying to make me look like him, all the time we were at the mall? How could you?”
“Don’t go like this, please just hear me out. My intention wasn’t for this to happen, we were suppose to stay friends. But…” Jesse ignored her, he walked away. Cassidy followed, “hey wait up, we’ll have to work on your manners next...I’m trying to tell you something.”
“Just stop it! I’m not like you, I’m not popular, and now I’m not… you don’t know how hard it will be to look at you.”
“You won’t! you’ll never see me again, so at least we should part ways in peace…”
“What do you mean? you still have a month left.”
“I’m not taking my classes anymore. And do you really consider me to be a snobbish, conceited brat? Well I guess I deserve that.”
“Wait did you quit school because of me? You don’t have to…”
“I did not quit! I had to switch to my online classes.”
“But what about the classes that you have to show up for?” Cassidy looked down she wouldn’t answer, “you can’t just quit!”
“You were going to do the same thing, and I can take then next semester, I’ll be gone by then, and…”
“No you’re just being…”
“What? Immature? Irresponsible? No for once I’m making the best decision I could have ever made. I’m going to work at my father’s company, don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
“Look if it’s because of me, I can leave.”
“No, don’t you do that! You worked so hard for it, and I can always finish later, probably with honors since I’ll have experience.”
Cassandra arrived with Thomas and her mother was surprised to see him there, she came out to meet them.
“Is he alright? What happened?”
Thomas had his arms crossed, and his eyes were filled with tears, Olivia looked back at Cassandra.
Cassandra looked at her son, who was now looking at one and back to the other, “Thomas go inside, I’ll talk to you later ok sweetheart?” Thomas walked off, annoyed.
Cassandra looked back at him, “he got into a fight in school, a boy was teasing him, because he doesn’t have a father,” she listened silently.
“How did Thomas take it?”
“He doesn’t want to go back to school, I will talk to him he wasn’t suppose to fight, and he has to go back to school.”
Thomas and Cassandra spent the day together, and Thomas explained how their fight started. “He was making fun of me, and I just… couldn’t help it.”
“Honey I understand, trust me, but there are many ways to fix a problem and fighting is not one of them, the next time I want you to go to your teacher and tell her.”
Thomas looked up towards her, “ok mom, but… I just don’t want to go to school.”
“I’ll talk to your teacher tomorrow, and everything will be fine, ok sweetheart?”
“Ok,” he went up to his room, and Cassandra looked at him as he walked past her, and wave at his grandmother and she waved back.
“Are you ok honey?” Thomas nodded as he went up stairs.
Julie walked in just in time to see Thomas going into his room, “hey, is Thomas ok? I just saw him walking into his room.”
“He got into a fight at school, but he’s fine now…I never knew that little kids could be such jerks… guess I was wrong. Thomas told me that he was made fun of, because he doesn’t have a father…”
“What are you serious?… I imagine how he must be feeling, how are you? It must have been hard to hear it.”
“I’ll be fine, I think I’m going to spend today with Thomas, he needs to get out of that room. He’s been there everyday and he hasn’t been eating well, I’m worried, at first I thought that it was just him being a picky eater.”
“Oh no, I didn’t know, but I saw him eating well this morning.”
“I know but they were pancakes, he can’t keep eating pancakes everyday, I’ve forced him to eat well but… well he’s just being a picky eater. Anyways, I’ll go check on him, right now.”
She went up stairs with a bowl of soup in his hands, she opened the door to Thomas’ room, “Thomas honey you have to eat… Thomas?”
Thomas was laying in bed, sleeping. He must be tired again… right! “Oh well…” she turned to Thomas who had his back turned to her, and she walked towards the door and opened it and closed it.
Thomas sat up, and wiped his tears, he turned to look towards the door, “mom?” he looked surprised.
“Sweety, are you ok?” Cassandra walked back towards Thomas, and sat next to him, “it’s ok if you want to cry, but…”
“But I didn’t want to, that’s why I came here.”
“This is not going to make it any better, here, eat this soup, I made it for you, if you eat it you’ll feel better.”
“I am not sad! I’m mad! He said my dad wanted to die because he didn’t love me…”
“You know very well that it is not the truth, what he said is not the truth I am going to talk to your teacher about it.”
“Mom, did my dad love me? Really? How do you know?”
“Thomas! Where did you get this idea from?”
“I know that if he died he never really knew me, and that means he never loved me either!”
“Thomas that’s enough! I want you to listen to me, ok? He didn’t know you but that doesn’t mean he never loved you. He isn’t here, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t love you, or cared for you! He really loves you, and I know because I knew him, and I know he loves you, although he’s not here.”
Thomas started to cry, and Cassandra hugged him, “sweety, you don’t have to listen to those people that say that to you… who said all those things?”
“It was that boy… he’s in my class, I don’t want to see him anymore.”
“Well guess what?”
Thomas looked at her, “what?”
“You won’t have to see him for at least a week, remember? The principal told me what was going on, and I didn’t know what he said to you, but I’m taking you to school tomorrow…”
Thomas looked afraid, and Cassandra hated seeing him like that, “I don’t want to go… I don’t want that boy hitting me.”
“I know, but he won’t hit you I promise, I want you to go to your principal and tell him what you just told me, and we’ll go tell your teacher as well, that will keep this boy from hitting you again.”
Thomas looked at his mother, with wide eyes, “ok mommy.” He gave her a hug, he sniffed, “thanks mom.”
“Ok sweety, do you want to come down stairs and eat?” Cassandra smiled.
Thomas looked at her and nodded, “ok,” he got up and they went down stairs, after he ate.
He went outside and started to play, while Cassandra went to meet her mother. Cassandra couldn’t help but smile as she watched Thomas playing and being the same as always again.
“What happened? Is everything ok?”
“Thomas is happy and so am I…” she remembered what Thomas told her, “but tomorrow I will have a serious talk with his principal and his teacher.”
“What did he say to you?”
“That boy, was making fun of Thomas because he didn’t have a father, and he was telling my son that his father didn’t love him because he never knew him, I know the principal suspended him but I want Thomas to learn to stand up for himself, and that I’ll be there, too.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him, that although his father isn’t with him, he would still love him… now I know that someday I’ll pay for all the lies that I’ve told him but after today…”
“You don’t mean you’re going to tell him?”
“I’m afraid he would hate me… but I‘m confused, although I can’t, his father died to me he left. When I found out he knew… I felt like he rejected him. Then I found out why he left… he didn’t trust me! How could he?”
“Well what did he say?”
“Nothing I’m not talking to him, I’ve heard enough excuses. He didn’t want to trust me when he had to, and I have been doing this alone…I don’t need him.”
“What happened with Charlie? Did he ever call again?”
“No, why would he call again?”
“To tell you the truth I was hoping he would.”
Cassandra sighed, “I’ve been thinking of the management company, you and Julie will have, why don’t you promoted with the company at San Diego?”
“We are,” she grabbed some mugs from the cupboard, “I think I’ll make us some coffee, do you want some?”
“Ok,” she took out the coffee maker and smiled at her, “can’t wait until we move to San Diego, I bet it’s warmer there.”
“I hope so.”
They sat at the sofa, Cassandra watched Thomas playing by the pool, she went out the door, “Thomas what are you doing? Get in the house.”
“But can’t I get in the pool?”
“It’s going to get cold, but I’ll make you some hot cocoa.”
Thomas ran to her, “ok,” he grabbed his t-shirt and shoes.
Cassandra shook her head, “next time you can’t do this, I want you to ask me before getting in the pool next time, I don’t want you to get sick. Ok now come on, hurry your hot cocoa will be ready in two minutes.”
Thomas smiled, “oh… ok.”
Cassandra was amazed, not five minutes ago Thomas was annoyed, for good reason. But now you wouldn’t guess this was the same boy, he was content.
Finally classes were over, Cassidy was sitting in her car, but who could blame him? He was right, she was using him because she had wanted to turn him into… she sighed.
Jesse was sitting at the other end, glancing at her from across the class. Cassidy would found herself glancing back at him, concentrate! You can’t do this.
Cassidy was trying so hard to stay concentrated in class, but she found it hard. After she spoke to Jesse somehow things didn’t get easier for them.
Finally when the class was over, Jesse left while Cassidy stayed in to talk to her teacher. When she went out she didn’t expect to see Jesse waiting for her.
Cassidy was motionless, looking at him leaning against the wall, “what are you doing here? I thought you didn’t want to…”
“I’ve been thinking, and I forgive you but with one condition. Will you go out on the last date with me? After that we‘ll say goodbye.”
Cassidy wasn’t expecting this, if she were to expect something it would be his hostility, “you don’t have to pretend to be nice to me, I hate it when people pretend.”
“Did Arthur pretend? You don’t trust anyone after…”