Chapter 21
Through It All
Elizabeth was brisk while she was preparing to do the laundry, the next morning. After cooking for breakfast, she went upstairs to get all of her children’s clothes.
A knock sounded at the Sophia’s door.
“Come in, Mom.”
“Hey.”
“Good morning, Mom!” In a flattering V-neck floral-print dress, Sophia presented her mother with a cheery face, as she reached for the door.
Elizabeth, returning the same facial expression, examined her. “You look great with that dress I bought you! I’m glad you’re finally wearing it!”
Sophia’s preliminary response was to smile and thank her mom, but she caught something in the last sentence, that made her wonder. “Haven’t I worn it before?” she asked, showing a map of tiny lines across her forehead.
Elizabeth was put to a sudden pause. They shouldn’t dwell on the issue of her finally wearing the dress, but she couldn’t help but recall the day when she gave it to Sophia. It was one of the thousand clothes she’d bought for her sixteenth birthday, to buy some daughterly love and acceptance. But there was too much trouble during those days. Sophia was at the peak of her rebelliousness, against her. Heavens, she was quite unruly. There were no days that she would not come home free of mess. She was drawn to alcohol, and Elizabeth couldn’t resist putting the blame on Daniella—an overly-rebellious girl who dragged Sophia into a mob of foster-teenagers! But Sophia was different from them; she was definitely not a foster child. Elizabeth knew that and emphasized the point, hard, on Sophia but her daughter was, one way or another, disbelieving. (If only Elizabeth could tell her more.)
Pressing her eyes, Elizabeth was back to reality now. She went near Sophia and brightened up the atmosphere by changing the flow of their talk. “You’re early, by the way. You must be really excited for your class,” she said, after looking at Sophia’s alarm clock that had been clicking close to six thirty. The art class would usually start at eight and the building was just a twenty-minute drive away, but Sophia was clearly in an on-the-go mode.
Sophia tossed a chirp, “Yeah.” She nodded and began a move to put all her painting materials inside her bag. “By the way, Mom...”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to take a cab. Please, don’t bother driving for me.” Sophia dared to say, hoping to sway her mom.
“Why not?” Now, Elizabeth was the one showing puzzled lines across her face.
“Um, it would just exhaust you. Besides, I want to know more of the roads, on my own.” Sophia made sure her tone was infused with a confident quality.
“All right.”
“And Mom...” Sophia wanted to say more.
“Yes?”
“I have to go now. I promise, I won’t forget to grab a bite of sandwich later,” Sophia assured, while wearing her flat beige sandals, matching the imprinted flowers of her short dress.
In wonder, Elizabeth lingered, while observing her daughter. Something was odd. Yesterday, art class was dull for Sophia, but now, a sudden enthusiasm showed, and it just puzzled Elizabeth.
“Mom?”
Now, Elizabeth shook her head in hesitation. “All right. Be safe, then.” With a strained smile, she brought up her hands to touch Sophia’s shoulders, while trying to decode any mystery in her eyes.
Sophia suddenly blinked in haste but she had it all controlled, immediately, being able to shoot a look straight into her mother’s inquiring eyes. “I will, Mom. Bye now,” she mumbled, planted a kiss on her mother’s cheeks, then she left the house in one fell-swoop.
Arriving in class, Sophia was surprised by Jericho’s earlier appearance. And he was alone, so it placed Sophia into a sort-of-trap.
Jericho, displaying a euphoric impression, immediately stood up to meet her, and brought out the bouquet of red roses that he was hiding. Surely, the tips of his lips could almost touch his ears as he came forward and smiled. It was followed by a long and heartfelt kiss on her cheek.
Tomato-red, Sophia suddenly could not say a word. The heaven-scent of him just lavished her with amazement. And as his careful hands gently glided over her arm, they rashly sent electrical signals that ran through every part of her body.
She was rooted to the spot. Evidently, a graduated scale of tension was elevating, between them.
Jericho’s eyes lingered as he looked at her, trying to figure out any message in her eyes. There was something new in her. A better glow. And there was no denying that she was falling into his charm. Again.
An hour seemed to go by. Finally, Sophia managed a not-too-obvious, delighted smile. “Thanks for the flowers. They’re lovely.”
“You’re welcome. Please, take a seat,” Jericho answered, in high spirit, spellbound, as he brought himself closer to her. It was still early morning but her face was already showing him what could possibly be the… fireworks of the coming night.
The moment he got his self-control back, Jericho sat down beside her. “You look really pretty,” he praised, as his smile continued to widen.
It made Sophia flush more and more. “Thanks.” She exerted a lot of effort not to look too excited.
Yet again, Jericho was lost in thought. He just sat there, facing her as if he was swimming in her aquatic eyes.
But such gape of him passed more tension on Sophia. She attempted to shift her look on the other side, but she knew he was still looking at her. She could tell it through the corners of her eyes.
Their taciturn situation was too much to handle, as they waited for each other to go on with their dialogue. A long wait ensued!
When they finally pulled through, Sophia asked why their classmates were not yet around.
It was a hard punch in the stomach for Jericho. He appeared to think hard, so that now, Sophia had to hypothesize about his gestures. He cleared his throat and began explaining that he did something.
“What did you do?” Sophia queried.
Detecting the concentrated curiosity in her stare, Jericho moistened his lips and began spilling the beans. “Yesterday, I...” Jericho’s tongue was sliding back. It seemed like sighing was the best opening for his vindication.
But Sophia seriously waited.
Then finally, Jericho found the words to say. “Yesterday, I decided to sponsor an art exhibit at the National Museum, and I asked Ms. Bun if she could host it...”
“Then?”
“She said yes and… I volunteered to tell our classmates about it.” Jericho slowed down, noticing the gradual pulling of her face. “That means... they will not be here today,” he tried to tell more.
“You told them without telling me?” Sophia’s face became completely screwed up. Surely, an ache was felt by her but Jericho was reasonably equipped to clarify more of his side.
“Please don’t get me wrong, Sophia. I did it to be alone here with you, with no one else around.”
Now, Sophia avoided his gaze.
Struggling to give more details, Jericho witnessed the pits of her frown. “I just want the two of us here. Besides, Ms. Bun would notice. She’s a good friend of your mom, remember?” His voice resonated with more worry, as he looked like he would be joining the world’s toughest tournament.
Nonetheless, it sounded pretty convincing to Sophia, so that straightaway, her scowl was changed into a plodding grin. She tried to bestow him an approving nod and remained silent again, contemplating the things that he just said.
Afterwards, Jericho had the guts to ask her for more favors. “Can we go somewhere else?”
Sophia’s first impulse was to say no, but Jericho’s tone and begging face motivated her to agree.
Ecstatic with something more than the effect of methamphetamine, Jericho leaned closer to her. “Thank you,” he spoke softly, as his lips were out an inch away from hers, now.
The same pleasure was felt by her, and so, they left the building together.
“Where are you taking me?” Sophia asked, as they walked towards Jericho’s glacier-white Toyota Prius, across the street.
“You’ll see. Trust me on this, Sophia,” Jericho winked and opened his car for her. “You’ll love it.”
“Thank you,” Sophia flashed a shy grin.
“My pleasure!”
Then, Jericho jumped to the driver’s seat, to join her.
Along the way, Sophia appeared blank, as if a thousand things raced in her mind, while Jericho quietly observed her. She wondered if it was right for her to agree to his offer, as she summoned up all her mother’s reminders. She continued weighing things as they passed by the busy boulevards and avenues of the city.
Clinging to the shreds of his wishes, Jericho attempted to break the awkward silence that was sickening him. He straightened his backbone and risked crawling his fingers, to reach Sophia’s edgy hands.
Sophia plainly felt it, the passing of unspoken comfort as he tightened his grip on her hand. Then, she swung her gaze towards him, capturing the grandeur of his stylized sideburns and blond highlights, that complimented his thick tousled hair.
And while he was melting from her stare, Jericho looked at her, too, with excruciating fondness. It was so intimate that Sophia immediately hurled her gaze, back to the other side.
Jericho broadened his grin and kept driving until they finally arrived at their destination. It was a romantic garden—a perfect place for a dating couple.
When the shadows of beautiful flowering trees fell over her face, Sophia rolled the window down to feel the cool breeze. Gentle was the wind that bestowed her with a dreamland scent, something that was so refreshing and relaxing.
Jericho settled his eyes on her again even as he struggled to focus on his driving. He pictured the same anticipation he had with her, many years ago, back at the lake house where they were always secretly playing.
Once he parked the car, he pleaded with her to stay put, for he would like to open the door for her.
Sophia felt how Jericho treated her like a princess, and it was very agonizing already. But by some means, she was heartily moved by it.
It always mattered to Jericho to provide her with all his love and tenderness.
A table for two was there, waiting to be occupied by them.
Gallantly, Jericho took hold of Sophia’s hands, looked straight at her, and said, “I can no longer wait for tonight, to ask you for a date.”
Sophia stood stock-still, beneath the undisguised love in his eyes. It felt like all her blood piled up on her cheeks, and she barely knew what to say, any longer, to compensate for his affection. A sincere smile was all that she could provide, in return.
At that exact moment, everything that Jericho did for her could be summed up as chivalrous ways.
They continued their walk to the table, their fingers slowly creeping into each other’s, as their heartbeats drummed in their ears.
Since the garden was near an ocean cliff, the magnificent deep waters beneath the bright blue sky was well-appreciated by Sophia. For a while, she submerged herself into all of it.
And Jericho joined her, in her nature-tour.
“It’s beautiful!” Sophia spoke, in an increasingly astonished voice.
“As beautiful as you, Sophia...”
Touched to the bones, Sophia let a shaft of light flash from her face and eyed Jericho. Looking at him, looking at those glittering sea-green eyes, Sophia was drowning more and more, and knew that Jericho did not need to say I love you anymore.
Before long, Jericho realized he needed to offer her a seat, and so, he rushed to pull a chair for her. By the time Sophia got seated, Jericho started to bring out a piece of paper. It was perfectly rolled and appeared like it was well-taken care of. Jericho rolled it over, and handed it to her.
“This is yours,” he spoke.
Sophia gracefully took it and saw a sketch, almost the same as those she had skimmed, from the artworks her mother said, belonged to her hand.
“You drew that when we were at the lake house in Forest Green. It was a peaceful sunny morning when you decided to paint the view but... pencil was all I had in my backpack. I had no painting materials for you to use, as paint,” Jericho detailed, accompanying it with a modest laugh. “You said pencil was all right and then, you started sketching. You were so exceptional, Sophia.”
Sophia looked at the sketch once again—now trying, at her utmost, to abstain from getting too emotional.
Though she remembered nothing of him, his voice kept echoing what was from their past.
“The moment you finished it, you gave it to me. You don’t know how happy I was, Sophia. I took good care of it. It was the only thing that relieved me since you... left.” Jericho exposed his emotions further. “And please, turn the paper around. You wrote something on it.”
Sophia obeyed him and read,
Deep down the sea of my sorrow,
you revived me with your love.
The pouring out of tears was intolerable. At his glance, Sophia fell in his arms.
Jericho, too, could not resist it all. They hugged each other, like they were never going to let go of each other. Later, he planted a kiss on her nose.
At home, Elizabeth was already done with the mountainous laundry, and noticed the quietness of the house, without the kids. Since Alex and Nadine went to the mall and Philippe went to work at the hospital, it was a chance for her to clean up their rooms.
She finished cleaning Alex’s room, then Nadine’s, and now it was time for Sophia’s. Removing Sophia’s bed sheet, unintentionally, Sophia’s diary fell from her bed—and a piece of paper came out from it. She picked it up and read a hotel address. Elizabeth pondered heavily. Whose hotel address is this? she asked herself, perturbed. Why does my daughter have this?
Without any delay, Elizabeth opened Sophia’s diary. It happened that she went to the last entry and unintentionally read,
Dear Diary,
I saw him today and I could not find the words to describe my first encounter with him, after the accident. I may have amnesia but I feel like I have always felt the same thing for him ever since we were young. His passionate look, his tempting eyes, and his tender lips that I could not resist. His touch so gentle... that triggered me... and his kiss, so magnificent, that wooed me.
Oh, Diary, I think I am truly falling in love!
Love,
Sophia
With the date so fresh, fear and worry howled through Elizabeth’s heart. If only she could fly straight away to her daughter’s art class and confront her about it, she would, without hesitation. She decided to visit the hotel. But calling Ms. Bun hit her head first.
Unexpectedly, she was informed that there were no classes and that Sophia was not with them at the museum, for the art exhibit.
It sounded like a thunder crush in Elizabeth’s ears. Very soon, negative things began to border on her mind. On the double, she dressed up and prepared herself. Calling her daughter, struck her head, but she deliberated, first. She wanted to surprise Sophia, and catch her in the act, to know if her daughter might be truly hiding… Something!
Jericho and Sophia were still at the garden, savoring each other’s company, just after they amorously fed each other during that early lunch.
“I love you, Sophia… and I’ll never get tired of telling you this,” Jericho showed copious genuineness, as he laid his thumb over her lips, and glided it over to the side.
She risked a smile but all of a sudden, a heavy feeling cropped up in her chest. It was as if it was going to crack her into pieces. Was it a premonition of something?
It was a deepening moment for Jericho, but it just kept on torturing Sophia. Sophia blinked really hard, trying to understand the clashes of her thoughts... when Giovanni’s face, all of a sudden, flashed, like a dim mental picture. A feeling of extreme guilt wrapped her up right away. She tried to beat it off but it was failing her. She knew how Giovanni loved her, from reading her own diary.
Sophia struggled to brush it all away. Then gazing at Jericho’s eyes, she wished for peace of mind, and so she spoke up. “Jericho, there’s something I want you to know.” Her tone quivered, with a wave of mixed emotions.
“What is it, Sophia?”
Slowly, Sophia distanced herself from him and thought of words to use, to help her explain herself, but Jericho crept nearer.
Under those optimistic eyes, Sophia spoke again, “I loved a guy, Jericho. After you. His name was Giovanni. I—I couldn’t remember, except for my diary.”
“Sophia, I don’t care about your past. What I do care about right now is... your present and future, with me.”
For a split second, she was wordless. “It’s just that... it’s been just few months ago since he passed away and I... I feel like I’m cheating on him, now that I’m with you. Like... it’s too soon for me.”
Jericho looked up, trying to grasp for some air. He couldn’t bear the squeezing of his heart, and it felt more unbearable than the sunrays penetrating his eyes. At length, he endeavored to walk closer her, while still trying to breathe.
“Sophia, what will I ever do? What do you want me to do, so you can love me completely? Even before, when we were young, I always felt like someone owns the half of your heart! When will that time come, that day that... the whole of it will be mine?” Please, tell me! When?” Jericho was now down on his knees, clutching her waist with his shuddering hands. “I don’t wanna lose you again, Sophia!”
It was tormenting her.
“Jericho, please, stand up,” she asked, with her voice on edge. “Please, Jericho... please.”
He did not want to. He merely laid his head over her tummy, like a little child, and clutched her hands tightly.
His stinging tears soaked her clothes, and Sophia struggled to carry on, but she turned weaker and weaker.
Shattered! They both turned shattered!
A moment went by. Still, they were at the height of their own wishes to end their mutual agony, and to put everything back into place.
“Sophia, you’ve killed me once! Do it one more time, and I’ll really die, forever!” Jericho cried out, holding her hands tighter, as if he never meant to release her.
Hearing those words, Sophia could almost collapse.
Moving seemed impossible, but he strained to clutch her closer and closer.
Sophia pleaded with him to let go of her, when Jericho suddenly stood up, and kissed her, not allowing her to make any further move. He kissed her... over and over.
Now, the clouds revealed the sun, which heated up the place where they were standing.
Elizabeth was on her way to the hotel, and was filled with thoughts of unpleasant things, about her daughter. When she got there, she temporarily stayed at the lobby, to calm herself, and to prepare herself for any kind of explosion.
She was sitting beside a man in an elegant suit, then she dialled Alex’s number, and asked if he noticed something strange in Sophia. Alex couldn’t recall anything, but then he shared that he caught his sister gazing through the windows last night, as if she had seen someone outside.
Elizabeth’s suspicions worsened. She was still sitting there when Mr. Wakins, the owner of the hotel, saw her. He used to be her client.
Mr. Wakins approached Elizabeth and talked to her in obvious glee. “Attorney... you’re here at my hotel!”
Elizabeth was surprised to see him but she managed to stand up, and then shook Mr. Wakins’ hand.
“Mr. Wakins…” Elizabeth greeted back.
“Are you solving a case here, attorney?”
“Something like that,” Elizabeth put on a smile, appearing unperturbed.
“Okay, whatever that is, attorney, you are free to roam around my hotel,” Mr. Wakins offered with laughs. “After all, you helped me win my case.”
Elizabeth smiled once again, and appeared grateful.
“Attorney, I have to go now, and, thank you again!” In a hurry, Mr. Wakins ended their small talk, with a friendly grin.
Watching Mr. Wakins exit the building, Elizabeth, at long last, approached the receptionist. She asked who had checked in at Room 808.
The receptionist declined to reveal it, at first, but since she saw the boss talking animatedly to her, she finally mentioned the name Jericho Leivinhyde.
Upon hearing it, Elizabeth instantly felt like blowing up, in shock, but she was able to ask when he had checked in.
“A week ago, ma’am.”
Right away, Elizabeth thanked the receptionist and walked away. Immediately, she called up Grandma Lucy.
“Mom, what is the surname of Jericho? The one from Forest Green?” Elizabeth breathlessly talked to Grandma Lucy on the phone.
“Leivinhyde. Why, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth, with waning strength, accidentally dropped her cell phone and broke it. Though it was hard for her to do so, she managed to ponder if Sophia was seeing this Jericho. Finally, she hastened to the elevator, to clear up her suspicions.
Elizabeth was struggling with herself, and trying to stay relaxed. She knew she must not judge her daughter right away. But, it was this Jericho who truly bothered her of. She went to the elevator and surreptitiously tried to get to the eight floor.
Standing before the door of Room 808, now Elizabeth started knocking but no one was responding. She wanted to call her daughter, but she realized, her own cell phone was already shattered to pieces. In tears, she finally went home, disbelieving all of Sophia’s actions. How could Sophia do this? How could she?!
Sunset came at last.
“I’ll drive you home,” Jericho told Sophia, as they began to leave the place.
“You can’t drive me home. They will see you,” Sophia reminded him.
“I’ll drive you near your gate then.” Jericho managed a smile, and caught a strand of her hair that was flown away by the cold wind. Then, he tucked it behind her ear.
Sophia initiated a step, but she could not stop thinking of the kiss they shared, a while ago. Tracing her own lips, she seemed on the brink of discovering, something, until they reached his car.
Arriving near Sophia’s gate, Jericho’s face instantly saddened. He was silently begging for more time with her.
“I have to go now,” Sophia spoke in a low tone, and opened his car door.
“Sophia, please, wait.” Jericho moved fast to grab her hands. “I love you, okay?” he reassured, very seriously.
Sophia prioritized her own worry—that they might be caught together—rather than respond to his reassurance. “I think I better go. Mom is probably looking for me now.” Then, she got out of his car immediately.
Unsatisfied, Jericho let her go, and restarted the engine with a heavy heart.
Sophia entered her home, but her mother was already fuming... as if a wildfire was scattered through her every nerve. She was waiting for Sophia at the living room, her eyes alight with fury.
“Where have you been?” At least, Elizabeth managed to ask, first, as she tried to calm herself, when she stood up from the couch.
Wordlessly, Sophia was rooted to where she was standing. The fire in her mother’s eyes sent her some silent warnings.
“Why can’t you answer me?”
Still, Sophia couldn’t say any word. It appeared like her mother knew something. Or everything.
Now, Elizabeth approached her, passing a stare, as if she could hurt her at any moment. “I saw this piece of paper in your room.” She began confronting.
Sophia saw it and could almost die. She didn’t know what to say. But she knew a bomb was about to explode now.
“Have you been lying to me, Sophia?” Elizabeth completely hooked her eyes on her. “I called Ms. Bun and she told me that you don’t have a class today, and you were not in the art exhibit either, so where have you been?”
Shaking prominently, Sophia remained mute.
“What are you hiding from us, huh?” Now Elizabeth stepped closer to her.
Still, Sophia couldn’t say anything. She felt more guilty than a suspect in a trial court.
“Are you seeing someone? Why the hotel address?”
Like a rock being pushed to the edge of a cliff, Sophia wished to escape, but her mom grabbed her, like there was no way out, for her.
“Tell me about this guy, Jericho!” Elizabeth demanded, her hand still encircling Sophia’s wrist.
Now, a heavy rainfall collapsed from Sophia’s eyes as she started to cry, and endeavored to face her mother, with vanishing strength.
But Elizabeth was determined enough to interrogate her.
It seemed that Elizabeth’s shout was heard by everyone at the house, all at once, and they now ran towards the source of commotion.
“Mom...”
“What, Sophia? Tell me! Have you been sleeping with him?”
Sophia struggled to look at the floor, to avoid her mother’s deadly stare. She didn’t have the nerve to show her face.
“I’m asking you! Did you sleep with him? A hotel address, huh?”
Sophia was about to clear herself, when her mother suddenly slapped her in the face.
Approaching, Philippe saw how Elizabeth hurt Sophia. For the first time... physically.
Sophia, ashamed of herself, attempted to run straight to her room, but her mother grasped her hand again.
“How could you do this to us? I may not be the one who raised you but I knew I taught you well! I never thought that you could do this to us!” Elizabeth delivered it all, with such gale-force, shaking Sophia’s shoulders, as if she was excavating Sophia for her very core. “Don’t you ever come back here if you find yourself pregnant, Sophia!” Elizabeth’s watery eyes persisted.
“Mom, it’s not like that. It’s not what you think!” Sophia would have gone through fires and oceans to explain, and willingly received her mother’s consecutive blows.
Alex and Nadine also rushed to the scene. They were very much surprised at what they were seeing.
Now, Philippe dashed to stop Elizabeth from slapping Sophia even more.
“Elizabeth? What’s going on? You’re hurting her!” Philippe grabbed Sophia away from Elizabeth.
“Your daughter!” Elizabeth cried, not finishing her sentence.
“What?!” Philippe yelled back, in response.
When Elizabeth finally breathed in enough air, she began howling. “Sophia, you’re grounded! Your art class is over! No more cell phones! No more tablets! No more laptops!”
Fleeing from her father’s grasp, Sophia ran upstairs.
Sob after sob, Sophia locked herself in her room. She wanted to convince herself to remain loyal, for Jericho.
A few hours after pouring out all her emotions, she rummaged through all her diaries. By coincidence, she saw some photos of Giovanni inserted in between the pages. She was so torn apart! Struggling with confusion and mixed emotions, she decided to read all her diaries, hoping to clear her heart out. Once and for all.
Page by page, no word slipped past her eyes. Diary after diary, it was all clear to her now. It was Jericho whom her heart was always longing for. Not Giovanni.
Bawling and bawling, Sophia couldn’t believe how she betrayed the deceased Giovanni, when the Jericho of her childhood was all she ever desired to be with.
“I’m so sorry,” she wept incessantly, over Giovanni’s old photos.
