Chapter 12
Maria stared at Lyzette with astonishment and disbelief before saying “I promise.” But she wasn’t really sure if she could keep that promise, especially if the raw wounds on the back didn’t heal properly. Lyzette stared at Maria for a few tense moments before allowing herself to feel assured. She silently allowed Maria to continue cleaning her back. Maria worked diligently for over an hour just cleaning Lyzette’s back. She had sent a message down via Mrs. Parker to let the group know that she wouldn’t be coming back down. As she finished, she gathered up the used sponges and that discarded old gauze and threw them all in a garbage back. She turned back to Lyzette who handed her a container.
“This is the ointment that I have always used. It helps ease the pain and sting but it will also help prevent scarring.” She explained quietly, still unsure if the Maria person would keep her secret.
Maria took it from her and started applying it to her back, “If it works, you should sell this stuff. You’d make a fortune, chica.”
“I have tried explaining that to my friend too but she insists that it is an old family recipe.”
They fell into an uncomfortable silence and Maria searched her for something to say. “Well it at least it smells good.”
“Yes, it does.”
Maria finished applying the ointment on Lyzette’s back in silence. Once she was done with the ointment, Maria placed several large non-stick pads on her back, and then asked Lyzette to drop the shirt so she could wrap the gauze around her body to keep the pads in place. Maria turned to grab the gauze roll and promptly dropped it when she turned back to Lyzette. She simply could not believe what she saw. Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the black and blue body. There wasn’t an inch of her upper body that didn’t have a bruise on it. The bruises were so dark that Maria knew that they were fresh and they were deep. It would take months for a person to recover fully from the bruising alone. Combined with the belt marks on the back, she couldn’t imagine what kind of pain the tiny woman was experiencing.
Lyzette couldn’t look at Maria, she didn’t want to see the pity in her eyes. She bit her lip nervously and prayed that Maria didn’t notice her face on top of everything else.
Maria bit back her tears and wrapped Lyzette’s upper body completely with the gauze, “Well, the good news is you don’t need to wear a bra!”
Lyzette smiled weakly as she pulled her shirt back on.
“Now, I can’t prescribe anything for the pain, only a doctor can. But my soon to be step-brother might be able to prescribe something. Don’t worry – I won’t tell him about you. You just leave things up to me. Let me throw this away and I’ll be right back.”
Nancy followed Maria into the apartment kitchen and asked anxiously, “Do you think she has an infection? She felt really warm earlier.”
Maria pulled off her gloves and threw them in the garbage bag and said “No, I didn’t see any signs of infection. It was probably her body’s reaction to the pain. I have to tell you Nancy, what I saw in there is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. That poor woman wasn’t just beat up, she was tortured. Those bruise marks were too deep to have been made by a regular fist.”
“What do you think caused it?”
“My guess…” Maria shook her head “and I don’t even want to think I’m right…a pair of brass knuckles.”
“Brass knuckles?”
“Yeah - technically its a set of rings attached to a bar that can be fitted over the fingers to increase the impact of a punch. I’ve only seen one case where some guy got hit with one. The bruise that that guy got looked similar to several bruises on that woman.”
“Oh my god! What kind of monster does that to another person? Especially one so small?” Nancy reeled from her discovery.
“You tell me.”
Nancy placed her hand on Maria’s arm and pleaded “Maria, please don’t ask me. I swore I wouldn’t tell. That woman in there is scared out of her mind and I can’t risk having her run off!”
“Nancy! What I saw in there – doesn’t even count as abuse. That was torture I saw! And if I don’t get some answers, I’m going to go to Jim myself and make sure that he locks up the bastard that did that!” Maria threatened Nancy.
“You can’t!”
Maria crossed her arms over her chest, “I can and I will!”
Nancy quickly thought about her options and finally gave in “Let me settle Lyzette in for the night. I’ll try to get her permission and then I’ll send Jeff in to tell you.”
Maria sat down, arms crossed, and waited patiently for either Parker to tell her the truth. She still couldn’t comprehend that a human being could beat another so badly. She had seen some domestic abuse cases, but nothing came close to what she had just seen. In the living room, she could hear Nancy trying to convince Lyzette it would be ok to tell her and after another ten minutes of arguing, Jeff came quietly in the room and sat down across the kitchen table from Maria.
“Nancy told me that you are asking for answers.”
“Yes, after what I just saw, I deserve some answers.”
“What did you see?” Jeff asked, not know the extent of Lyzette’s wounds. Maria went into detail describing Lyzette’s back and the bruises covering the front half of her body and how they could have been made. Jeff grew paler and paler. Silence fell between them as Jeff digested what he heard. He took a deep breath and thought about lying to Maria but knew she would see through anything he came up with. So he told her the truth. He told her what Lyzette had told him and Nancy. By the end, Maria was crying in earnest and wished she had never asked.
Lyzette stretched out on her stomach on the Parker’s couch, trying to get comfortable. She thought about the evening and the people she had met that day. She really liked the Parker’s and felt that they would make sure to raise Ben with lots of love and comfort. She really didn’t know what to make of Maria but hoped that Maria would be able to keep her secret. The Parkers had convinced her that Maria needed to know in order to help her. As she drifted off to sleep, she briefly thought about what she would do next, now that she had Ben safe.
The next morning, Lyzette slowly blinked her eyes against the bright glare of the sun and became aware of her surroundings. Last night had been the first uninterrupted night’s sleep she had since her father had started to beat her. For so long, she had always slept tensely, expecting her father or Nicholas to come to her room to start beating on her. But last night, she had been so exhausted from the traveling, the fear of getting caught, and the pain, that she slept without dreams or fear.
She gingerly got up, trying not to cause any pain but had to moan from the ache of her bruises and her back. She had slept in her clothes and hat all night and would have loved to wash her hair, but knew a shower would be difficult. She thought maybe she could wash her hair in the bathroom sink later, with some help. She shuffled over to her suitcases that Jeff had brought up the night before and pulled out her toothbrush and hair brush before looking for the bathroom. She was distracted when she heard noise in the kitchen area. She cautiously approached and then smiled at the sight before her. Nancy was preparing breakfast but kept pausing to look at Ben and Jeff who were sitting at the kitchen table. Ben was sitting on Jeff’s lap, trying to read the paper with him while drinking his juice and Jeff his coffee. Jeff looked up at her and smiled.
“Good morning!”
“Bon Jour.” She smiled back.
“Would you like some breakfast?”
“I would love some coffee after I use your facilities.” She answered holding up her brush and toothbrush.
“The bathroom is right down the hall to your left. When you get back, Nancy and I want to talk to you about what you’re going to do next. We’ve got some ideas we’d like to run past you.”
Lyzette nodded and shuffled down the hall. As she closed the door, she took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since she had left the chateau. She pulled off her oversized hat and let her long oily dark hair tumble around her shoulders. Yes, she would need to wash her hair soon, she thought and smiled to herself as she briefly looked at her dirty tresses. Lyzette quietly picked up her hairbrush and stared at it for a moment as she lost herself in memory of her mother brushing her hair for her. It was one of the few good memories she had.
When she began to feel the tears well up, Lyzette shook herself out of her memories and started work on her morning ritual. She made sure to wipe off the fake tanning solution so she could inspect the bruises. As she looked at her face, she felt that the swelling had gone down-not much but some. She again thanked Nicole’s grandmother for her ointment. After braiding her hair and tucking it back into the hat, Lyzette made her way back to the kitchen.
Nancy looked up from her place at the table to greet her. Both Jeff and Nancy had spent a sleepless night talking about Lyzette, what Nancy had seen, and Maria’s suggestion. They both had agreed that the man who could have allowed the beating of Lyzette was surely a monster that would have destroyed their own nephew – they were both humbled and grateful for Lyzette’s daring to rescue him and return him to them.
“Good morning, Lyzette!”
“Bon jour, Madame, oh! Excuse me – I mean – Good morning, Mrs. Parker.”
“Bon jour Lyzette!”
“You speak French Madame Parker?”
“I actually took French in high school and college. I’d love to be more fluent and brush up on it. Around here, I don’t really get to practice that much.”
“I could help you practice if you would like?”
“Oh! I’d like that very much – thank you Lyzette.”
“I will speak French to you while I am here, yes?”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Lyzette. Merci!”
As Jeff finished his breakfast, they prompted Ben to go and finish his cereal in front of the TV. Once he became engrossed in the cartoons, Nancy again spoke,
“Lyzette, we’d like to talk with you about your future.”
Nancy placed a cup of coffee in front of Lyzette which she held clasped between both hands and her eyes lit up “Yes, um, I have not made plans. I guess the first thing is to find a place I would like to live. I have read about so many wonderful cities here in the United States – I do not know how to choose! New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Angeles, Seattle, Tampa, Atlanta, New Orleans! Oh yes, I would so much like to visit New Orleans!”
As she excitedly sipped her coffee, Nancy and Jeff looked at each other before turning back to Lyzette “What if you stayed here? In Roswell.”
Lyzette sat her coffee down in puzzled confusion and thought about the suggestion while Nancy continued trying to convince Lyzette to stay. “Think about it – it makes sense. At least here in Roswell, you have Jeff and I to help you with anything you need. Jeff and I know quite a few people that could help you at any time, if you run into any problems. And Ben would love to have you near by.”
Lyzette gazed at Ben who was munching happily on his cereal as he stared at the cartoons on the television. “I have become very fond of Ben.”
“Then you should stay and be a part of his life. Lyzette, we would love for you to stay. You’ve done so much for us, bringing Ben back to us, we want a chance to help you.” Jeff interjected.
“And besides, who would possibly think of looking for you here? Roswell is only popular to alien fanatics and the people who live around here.”
“And we can help you find a job, find an apartment, anything you need.”
Lyzette nibbled on her lower lip as she thought over her options. “Well, I…I would love to stay but I could not possibly put you or Ben at risk from my father. He will be looking for me – he wants to kill me after my 21st birthday in order to gain control over my inheritance. He would not hesitate to hurt anyone in order to gain information on my whereabouts. I am a threat to your safety, to Ben’s safety.”
“No, you wouldn’t. We’ll help you hide, Lyzette. Our friends can even help us keep track of any newcomers that might come into town asking about you. Please, stay.” Nancy pleaded.
Lyzette thought about it some more and finally smiled as she looked at Nancy and Jeff, “If you are sure, then yes. Yes. I will stay.”
Nancy and Jeff both smiled back and Jeff continued “Great! Let’s first talk about living situation. We’d like for you to stay here, but I’m afraid we don’t have that much room.”
Nancy interrupted, eager to share good news. “But, I do have a suggestion. You remember Maria, the nurse that helped you last night? Well, she’s looking for a roommate and thought you might be interested.”
“A roommate? What is a roommate?”
“Um, people, non-family, who share a house and expenses together. Maria’s old roommate just moved to another city so she’s looking for a new one. You’d have your own bedroom and bathroom, but share the living room, den, and kitchen.”
“She would be willing to do this?” asked Lyzette, wondering at this generous offer.
“Yes, she was the one to suggest it.”
Jeff quickly jumped in, “With Maria as a roommate, you’ll at least have someone to help look after your back and she’s great company. A real talker. So you won’t get too lonely.”
Lyzette bit her lip as she thought about it, “Oh. I think….I think I would like this, roommate, situation.”
“Great! I’ll call Maria and her know that you accept. In the mean time, I thought maybe you’d like to take a bath.” Nancy offered.
“Oh – yes! I would love that!”
Jeff chuckled at his wife, “I’ll take Ben downstairs with me and leave you two girls to do whatever girls do.” He got up from the table and called out to Ben. Ben got up from his seat in front of the TV and ran over to Lyzette to throw himself in her lap. Nancy was about to stop him when she noticed Lyzette blanche in pain but was silent as Lyzette smiled brightly at the little boy. She watched as the two had a short but animated conversation. It seemed that Ben was telling Lyzette about cartoons and cereal like she didn’t know what they were and it made Nancy and Jeff wonder at how much Lyzette had missed out on. After chatting for a few minutes, Jeff interrupted them and asked Ben if he wanted to downstairs to the restaurant and help cook. Ben eagerly agreed and crawled off Lyzette’s lap. After they were gone, Nancy put away the dishes and tried conversing in French,
“Lyzette, vous aiment un bain?”(translation: Lyzette, would you like a bath?)
“Merci Madame Parker – oui. Votre Français est très bon!’ (Thank you, Mrs. Parker, yes. Your French is very good!)
“Merci. Un moment, er…je dessinerai le bain pour vous et…..vous obtiendrai des serviettes.”(Thank you. One moment, I will draw the bath for you at get you towels.)
Lyzette smiled her approval and finished up her coffee as Nancy went to draw her bath and get her some clean towels. She blushed at the thought of asking but she knew she had no choice. When Nancy came back, she asked before she could change her mind “Madame, pourriez-vous m'aider à me laver les cheveux? J'ai besoin de quelqu'un pour m'aider à rincer mes cheveux ainsi je veille à obtenir tout le savon dehors.
Nancy tired to translate but Lyzette had spoken too quickly, “I’m sorry, could you translate please?”
“Um, could you help me wash my hair. I need someone to help me rinse my hair so that I get all the soap out.”
“Oh. Um. Bien sur! Appelez-moi quand vous êtes prêt à rincer. J'entrerai et vous aiderai.”(Of course! Call me when your ready to rinse. I’ll come in and help you.)
“Bon, merci.” (Good, thank you.)
Lyzette went to the living room and grabbed a fresh change of clothes to put on and a new hat. In the bathroom, Lyzette carefully undressed. Since she didn’t want to get her bandage too wet, she left her shirt on as she tipped her head under the bath faucet in order to wet her hair. The pain in her back and the ache in her arms protested loudly, but she fought back the pain. Lyzette kept her head tipped forward as she sat on the edge of the tub to lather up her hair and when she was ready, called out to Nancy. Nancy had thought she had seen all there was to Lyzette’s injuries, but she was unprepared to see Lyzette’s legs peaking below her shirt which were also covered in bruises and some deep cuts. She only hesitated briefly as she tried to cheerfully talk with Lyzette and pretend to ignore the further evidence of Lyzette’s nightmare.
As they rinsed the soap from Lyzette’s hair, Nancy couldn’t help but ask, “Lyzette, how often would your father beat you.”
“Whenever he was bored.” Came the matter of fact answer. “He did not always beat me either. Sometimes, he would watch as Nicholas would beat me.” Lyzette shivered with the memories. “Sometimes, I do not know which was worse. His beatings or his enjoyment when he watched Nicholas.”
Nancy fell silent. “What would he have done to Ben?”
Lyzette hesitated before looking at Nancy, “Are you sure you want to know?”
Nancy nodded, “I have to know everything.”
“I have never witnessed this myself, but my assistant, Nicole, would tell me what she and the other servants saw. My father bought male prostitutes that were trained in submissiveness. I do not know what he actually did to them because he locked them in his room, the White Room. But I can tell you that they often did not leave until weeks later and in terrible condition. He spent a fortune on the prostitutes because they often left in such bad condition. I and my friend Nicole who had told me about Ben, both believe that my father must have wanted to keep Ben and raise him so he would not have to keep buying prostitutes.”
“You mean…oh my god.” Nancy gasped, stopping to stare at Lyzette with wide eyes. “That man is a monster! He should be locked up!”
“My father is a very influential man. He knows the right people, people like him, who would make sure that his particular tastes would never be known. Remember, he had arranged for everyone to think that Ben had died with his family. You even saw the autopsy reports and death certificates.”
“Oh god!”
Nancy rushed out of the bathroom leaving a very puzzled Lyzette to finish bathing and get dressed. Nancy ran downstairs to Jeff and Ben in the kitchen who was watching a cook mix pancake batter.
“Jeff! I need to speak with you right now!”
Jeff grabbed Ben and walked questioningly over to Nancy. In whispered tones, Nancy spoke to Jeff, “Jeff, Lyzette was telling me about her father and how powerful he is. How are we going to explain to anyone about Ben and how he came to be here? I don’t want that monster to even know Ben is here with us.”
Jeff pulled Nancy further away from the kitchen and explained “I’ve already thought of that. You remember my college buddy that does private adoptions? I was going to ask him to come up with some papers and we could say that we’ve adopted him. We’ll have to rename him and try to talk him into calling us mom and dad.”
“Oh Jeff – that’s perfect. You’ve always wanted to adopt. I…I’ve been so selfish, I’m sorry.”
Jeff drew Nancy into his arms for a quick hug and they both faced Ben. Jeff knelt down to look Ben in the face, “Ben, Nancy and I would like for you to be our little boy. Would you like that?”
Ben looked puzzled at the question, ”Huh?”
“Um, we want to adopt you.’
“Whath ‘adopt’?”
Nancy leaned down next to Jeff, “It means that we could be your new mommy and daddy and we….we could call you our son.”
“Doeth it hurt?”
“No, sweetie, it doesn’t. We would pick out a new name for you and everything.”
“Can we adopt Lythette too?”
“Oh sweetie, no, she’s a grown up.”
“Oh.”
Nancy and Jeff waited anxiously “So what do you think?”
“Ok.” He nodded “Can I be Yugi?”
Laughing, Nancy asked, “What?”
“I want to be Yugi from the cartoon.”
“Um that’s, um, an interesting name, but we were thinking of something else.”
“What?”
Nancy looked at Jeff and he answered, “How would you like to be Lucas? Lucas Parker?
“Lucuth?”
“We could call you Luke.” Offered Nancy.
Ben smiled and started to nod, “Ok, I be Luke!”
Nancy smiled and hugged the new Luke. “Welcome to the family Luke!”
“Are you my new mommy now?”
“Yes sweetie, I am.”
“And he’th my new daddy?” pointing to Jeff.
“Yes.”
Not knowing how important his answer was to the two adults, little Ben quickly nodded his head, “Ok.” And hurried off back to man who was mixing up pancakes. Jeff and Nancy smiled at each other over how quickly Ben accepted the situation.
The Nightmare and The Dream- COMPLETED 09.9.05
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Erina, Hunter, Forum Moderators
The Nightmare and The Dream Chapter 12 posted 4/11/05
Last edited by Believer2 on Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm a believer!
Chapter 13
Upstairs in the apartment, Lyzette was staring at the clothes she had pulled from the suitcase. Over the two years they had plotted, Nicole had been able to smuggle some her clothes and pack them for her escape. But Nicole seemed to have also packed in some other clothes for her. Lyzette held up bottoms and saw that they were made out of black plastic material. She didn’t know what to make of them. Her shirt was long sleeved and had a name on it, Nike. She hoped that whoever Nike was didn’t mind her wearing his clothes. She walked barefoot out to the living room to braid her hair. She knew if she didn’t braid it right away, it would become a wavy mess. When she was done, she looked at the hat she was going to put on and noticed that it, too, had the name, Nike, on it. She really did hope that Nicole had compensated Nike well.
As she finished putting her socks on, Lyzette saw Nancy come back into the apartment wiping her eyes, “Madame Parker? Êtes-vous bien?”
“Yes. I’m alright. Jeff and I thought it would be best if Ben stayed dead We’ll tell everyone that we adopted Ben through a private adoption agency and that the reason we didn’t tell anyone before was because we weren’t sure if it was definite. Oh and we are calling him Lucas, Luke for short. ”
“Ahh, yes. I see the wisdom in that.”
“Um, I’ve called Maria and she’s very happy you are going to be her new roommate. She said that she would pick you up after her shift at the hospital. She’ll be getting off at 2:00PM.”
“Oh, wonderful.”
“I thought maybe we could talk about you and how you’ll handle things. Perhaps you could even tell me more about your mother.”
For the rest of the morning Lyzette told Nancy about her mother, Nicole, and her grandfather. Around lunch time, Jeff brought up Lucas and they all had lunch together. They discussed the adoption and Jeff told Lyzette about his long standing friendship with the Sheriff. He explained that he would tell Sheriff Jim Valenti that there was a kidnapping scare with the adoption and ask that Jim keep an eye out for strangers who might be looking for a little boy. Only as a last resort would he actually tell Jim the true circumstances and true identity of Lucas. Afterwards, Nancy took Lucas and laid him down for a nap. Half an hour later, both Nancy and Lyzette, who had been sitting in the living room, heard little Ben whimpering in his sleep.
Both the women went to go see what was wrong and their hearts broke when they saw Ben, his hair tousled and cheeks red, sitting up and whimpering with tears in his eyes. Nancy moved to rush Ben in her arms but Ben cried and reached out for Lyzette. Lyzette gave Nancy a sympathetic smile and reached down for Ben.
“Shhh – what is it? Another bad dream?”
Ben hid his face in the crook of Lyzette’s neck and nodded. Lyzette looked over to Nancy, “Since we left the Chateau, Ben sometimes has bad dreams about Khivar and Nicholas.”
Nancy nodded quickly to indicate she understood and she looked longingly at Ben, wanting to be the one to give him comfort. Lyzette gently smiled in understanding, “Ben, you have a new mommy now. Do you know what that means?”
Ben shook his head, still hiding his face.
“It means your new mommy will make sure that the bad men never hurt you.”
“Weally?”
“Yes, really. In fact, I am sure that your new mommy can chase away your bad dream with a nice story. Would you like that?”
A brief silence was followed with a quick nod. Nancy took her cue, “Ben, I can tell you the story better, if you sat with me.” she said hopefully. Nancy held her breath until Ben slowly lifted his head from Lyzette’s neck and reached for her. Nancy smiled gratefully at Lyzette as she settled Ben down on her lap.
Lyzette slowly backed away and walked towards the living room. She thought perhaps a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea for her either. She gingerly laid back down on her stomach and let herself drift off to sleep. Nancy came back out to the living room, expecting Lyzette to be waiting for her, but she found Lyzette fast asleep on the couch and she didn’t have the heart to wake her. Nancy did wake Lyzette when Maria arrived. Lyzette freshened up while Nancy gathered her things and Jeff had loaded Lyzette’s suitcases in Maria’s car, which had been parked in the back of the restaurant.
“Hey roomie! Nice threads!” Maria cheerfully called out to Lyzette as she walked down the stairs from the apartment. Maria had taken the time to change clothes and wore something similar to Lyzette’s outfit.
“Threads?”
“Clothes. Nice clothes.” Maria waved up and down Lyzette’s figure
“Oh, thank you. I am grateful that Nike has loaned me his clothes.”
“Huh?” Maria asked.
“Nike. I think that is how you pronounce his name. It is written all over on my clothes and shoes.” Lyzette explained pointing to her shirt. She was startled and puzzled when Maria and Jeff both started to laugh. Nancy tried to hide her smile behind her palm.
Maria explained “Lyz, chica, Nike isn’t a person. It’s a company. They make clothes, hats, shoes, lots of stuff.”
Lyzette blushed at her ignorance, “There really is much for me to learn. I am so sorry for my lack of knowledge.”
“Hey, hey, chica. Don’t sweat it. You’ve got lots of time to learn and I’m willing to help you! Now, since it looks like you only have the two suitcases and I don’t have any furniture for the bedroom, I suggest we spend the rest of the afternoon shopping.”
Before Maria could start on a full rant, Jeff interrupted her “Lyzette, we’re leaving you in good hands. Here’s your backpack. Maria is a wonderful person and if she causes you any problems, we know her mother, so just let us know.” Jeff winked teasingly at Maria before handing Lyzette a piece of paper. “Here’s our phone number and you of course know where we live, so if you need anything, just let us know. Now, do you need any money?”
“Oh, ah, no. I have everything I need. Thank you.”
Nancy pulled Lyzette into a light hug, “No, Lyzette, thank you. We can never tell you how much.”
“Please, tell Be..Lucas that I will see him soon.”
“We will.”
“Come on, chica! We’re hitting the mall!”
Maria gently hustled Lyzette into the car and drove off with a wave to the Parkers. “Now, I figure you probably are on a budget and don’t have too much money, but that’s ok. I can loan you some until you can pay me back when you get a job. The most expensive thing you’ll have to buy is your bedroom furniture. I know this great place that offers really good deals so we’ll head there first. I’ll chip in and pay for the extra cost of having it delivered today…”
Lyzette interrupted Maria’s long speech, “It is alright, I have enough. I can pay for it, but thank you for your generous offer.”
“Cool. Now, if you find something you like, let me do all the talking and I’ll try to get you the best price.” Maria kept up her cheerful banter while they pulled up to a large furniture shop and entered. She gave a running commentary on everything they looked at. As salespeople tried to approach, she would wave them off with a flick of her wrist. Lyzette couldn’t believe all the choices she had in front of her and wandered all over the store. Maria watched Lyzette and felt a rush of emotion as Lyzette gingerly touched every piece of furniture in a bit of awe.
As they were looking at mattresses, Maria rushed to explain that one had to try it out before buying one. Maria then flopped on the bed and moved around on it a bit before declaring it wouldn’t do. She moved on to the next one and did the same actions. Lyzette watched with an amused smile. After five other mattresses were discarded, Maria finally found one she thought was a good fit. Lyzette carefully sat down on the mattress to try it out too. At last, she made her selection of a queen sized bed, mattress and box spring included, with a matching dresser made out of white pine wood. She let Maria negotiate the price and arrange the delivery while she continued to look around.
When Maria had called her over to pay for her stuff, Lyzette discreetly pulled out some of the traveler’s checks. She still had the majority of the traveler’s checks hidden in the lining of her suitcase but she did have about $5000 hidden in her bag and shoe. She had taken Nicole’s advice very seriously and kept her money a secret, until she figured out how expensive things were and how to manage the money.
Maria had looked astonished that Lyzette would have enough money to pay for the furniture but didn’t want to seem too nosey by asking about it. She made a mental note to ask her about it later and then took Lyzette to Target to shop. Lyzette was very excited about shopping at Target again. She loved the store and couldn’t wait to get there. She excitedly told Maria about her first visit to Target, her French accent growing thicker the more excited she got.
Maria could only smile at Lyzette’s excitement. She still couldn’t believe how isolated Lyzette’s life had been even though the Parkers had told her that Lyzette had been under lock and key. She had assumed that Lyzette would know something about life from television but after Lyzette’s description of her first encounter with TV’s she realized that Lyzette hadn’t watched TV at all either.
Maria led an excited Lyzette all over the store getting things she would need for her bedroom and bathroom, trying to keep costs under control. The Parkers had generously paid for Lyzette’s rent for the first two months but Maria wanted to make sure that Lyzette didn’t spend too much of her money right away.
Lyzette decided to wait on buying any art for her room, she really wanted to get some prints of Georgia O’Keefe’s work but she didn’t say anything to Maria. She had a lot of fun picking out a bedspread, sheets, and new pillows. She had never decorated anything in her life and loved the freedom of doing so. Finally after two hours of shopping Lyzette was tired and her body was beginning to ache.
On the way to her new home, she listen to Maria give her a tour of the city and then the neighborhood. Maria had to explain what a movie theatre was, what fast-food was, and what a grocery store was for. Eventually, they pulled up to a small white house with a terra cotta roof. Lyzette got out and started to grab her suitcases but Maria stopped her,
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? No, you don’t carry those suitcases, not in your condition. That’s what my boyfriend is for. He came over earlier and waited for the bedroom delivery. Come on, I’ll show you around the place.”
Lyzette grabbed her backpack and followed Maria to the side of the house to its door “Michael!! I’m home! Did you set everything up?”
“Yeah.” A deep voice called out from another part of the room.
“Great! Thanks! Now could you go unload the car? I’ll come help you after I give Lyz a tour. Come on Lyz.”
Lyzette entered the house that was to be her new home and stepped into what Maria called the kitchen. The kitchen had lots of cupboards and large white metal boxes that Maria explained were the stove, refrigerator, and microwave. The large white kitchen had three different doorways. One of them led to the orange and white painted dining room that held a chrome dining table and chairs that had been used in the 60’s, then the light olive green colored living room. A fireplace on the far wall was the centerpiece that the dark brown leather furniture and TV was arranged around. Two dark brown wood floor to ceiling bookshelves framed the fireplace. Brightly colored quilts were flung over the chairs and couch while various plants decorated the room.
Lyz tried to keep up with Maria’s commentary but there was just so much to look at and take in, she only half-listened to Maria. Maria led Lyz back through the kitchen and through the doorway on the right.
“The best things about this house are the bedrooms. Mine’s on the other side of the kitchen and this one’s yours. It faces our back yard so you don’t get much of a view, sorry chica.”
The room was spacious and painted a dark cream. The two large windows had a white trim frame and some kind of coating on them, which puzzled Lyzette. “What is covering the windows?”
Maria explained, “Oh, it’s this stuff you put on the windows to protect your privacy. No one can look in your room and spy on you because they just get a distorted image. That way you leave the shades up for light but still keep your privacy.”
The bedroom furniture had been set up but Maria rearranged it a little for Lyzette. Lyzette fell in love with the dark yellow bathroom and was grateful that Maria had suggested that she pick out green accessories for her bathroom. A heavy cream colored curtain covered the doorway to the walk in closet.
“Whoever built this place, knew what a woman needed! These closets rock!” Mara exclaimed. Lyzette had to agree that the closet was generous. She looked around her new bedroom and fell silent. Maria, thinking that Lyzette was displeased, started to apologize, “I’m sure it seems small compared to your chateau…”
“No. Don’t. This room, this house…for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a home. A home, not a pretty cage. A real home.” Lyzette turned to Maria and smiled brightly. Maria grinned back, fighting the tears that had just welled in her eyes in reaction to the rush of sympathy that had flooded her.
“Some help would be nice!” grumbled Michael as he walked through the bedroom dragging Lyzette’s two suitcases.
“Why? Too weak to handle it by yourself?” Maria sarcastically replied.
“Shut up and introduce me to your new roommate.” Michael said as he arranged the cases away from the door. He faced Maria, then Lyzette who suddenly ducked her head a little lower. The Nike oversized baseball cap covered most of Lyzette’s face, so Michael couldn’t really tell what she looked like. All he saw was someone tinier than Maria’s small frame and who seemed to drown in her clothes. The only apart of her he could really see was the lower part of her neck.
“Hi I’m Michael.” He tried peeking beneath the hat but gave up as he reached out his hand. A tiny thin hand grasped his and a slightly accented voice met his ears, “Hello, I am called, um. Please, call me Lyz.”
“Well Lyz, nice to meet you. You must not be from around here.” Michael commented, watching the bowed head jerk a bit.
“How can you tell?”
“You’re wearing wind pants, long sleeve shirt, and a wind breaker in the middle of the desert. You’ll be die from heat stroke. Don’t you have any shorts or tanks?”
Maria broke in before there were any awkward questions about Lyz’s choice of clothing, “Hey – less talking, more unpacking!” she ushered Michael out of the room towards the car. “We’ve still got the rest of the car to unload, then we have to help Lyz make her bed, and we have to have dinner. Pizza or Chinese?”
“Pizza!!” Michael shouted as Lyz followed behind Maria. Lyz agreed with Michael “Oh yes, please. I want to try pizza.”
Michael stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare with wide eyes at the petite girl behind Maria “What do you mean ‘try pizza’? Haven’t you eaten pizza before?”
Lyz shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as she avoided Michael’s stare “Um no, I have not. My father did not allow pizza in the chateau. I am not sure he has even tried it either.”
Michael’s eyes bugged out and thought it was outrageous that anyone had lived without pizza “No freakin way! Are you kidding me? Man, you are in for a taste explosion!! I live on pizza and I’ve had just about every kind there is. But I gotta tell ya, stick with pepperoni or the works. The other stuff is just junk.” Michael explained as they walked back out to the car for more stuff, “ Yo’ Maria – turn up the stereo! Need some tunes while I’m working.”
Lyz grabbed a few bags from the car while Michael grabbed the heavy stuff and Maria called the Pizza Palace to place their dinner order. Instead of the Metallica that Michael preferred, Maria put on some dance music. The beat of Rod Stewart’s “Do You Think I’m Sexy” dance mix came on the airwaves. Maria started to dance her way out to the car and brought the rest of the bags in from the car. Lyz looked curiously at her gyrations.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing, chica! Don’t tell me you’ve never danced before!”
“I was taught dancing several years ago. I know how to waltz, tango…what is wrong?”
Maria was shaking her head. “That’s formal ballroom dancing. That’s not the same thing as dancing, dancing. The kind of dancing we do, is freestyle. You just move your body to the beat of the music - like this.” Maria started dancing again and Lyzette studied her moves intently, trying to understand the steps and moves. When Lyzette asked what steps Maria was using, Maria quit dancing, “Tell you what. I’ll take you dancing soon, so you see what I mean when I say free style.”
Lyzette smiled gratefully, “Oh yes, please. I would like that very much.”
The three of them dumped all the bags in the living room and organized the unpacking. While waiting for their pizza, Lyz and Maria made up Lyz’s bed, while Michael put up the shower curtain and shelves in the bathroom.
As Michael finished his small chore, he came out to watch Maria and Lyz as they put the pillowcases on the new pillows. The cream colored walls complimented the plain dark orange bedspread and light yellow sheets. “So Lyz, where you from? What’ca do?”
“Geez Michael – this isn’t an interrogation!” Maria tried to distract Michael.
“So I’m curious – sue me.”
“It is alright, Maria. I actually lived abroad for most of my life in a private boarding school. I have not finished universite, but I am hoping to be an interpreter – I speak seven languages fluently, eight technically and can read ten. I could probably learn more, I have been blessed with a gift for learning languages.”
Michael whistled, impressed “Whoa - eight languages? Really? Which ones?”
“Well, not including French which is my, ah, what you call native language, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Slavic, Russian, Japanese, and the obscure language, Latin. I read, Polish and German but can not really speak it.“
“Cool – can you teach me how to swear in Russian, no wait, Dutch? That stupid cook Jose bugs the shit out of me and I want to be able to swear at him with him not knowing what I’m saying.”
Lyz let out a small laugh “Of course, if you would like. I will even teach you some Spanish so you can understand if this Jose is cursing you.”
“Cool – hey, that’s our pizza. You can start over dinner!” Michael went to answer the door and pay for the pizza. Maria leaned over to Lyz over the bed,
“Good cover, chica! I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even think to have a cover story.”
“Well, thank my father. He came up with the story to give out as a press release a couple of years ago to explain my absence from the public.”
“Let’s not and say we did.”
Lyz laughed and followed Maria out to the dining room. She looked at the table that Michael was sitting with a large cardboard box. Maria grabbed plates and napkins and sat next to Michael. “Come on chica, it won’t kill ya, I promise!”
Lyz sat down across from Michael and Maria and watched with curious fascination as Michael picked up a piece of the cheesy blob from the cardboard box and began to eat – with this fingers. She sat there, staring at Michael, then Maria, not quiet sure how to proceed.
“Dig in, chica. You just pick it up and start eating. It’s a pepperoni, my favorite!”
Lyz tentatively sank her fingers into the gooey mess, “I do not believe I have ever tasted pepperoni.” She lifted a piece of the pizza and looked at it in her hands. She looked over to Michael and Maria to observe how they ate and tried to follow them. As her teeth sank into the hot gooey cheese, red sauce spurted out and dribbled down her chin. She tried to catch it but forgot she had the pizza in her hand and ended up with pizza all over her chin and down her chest. Michael laughed as he watched Lyz try to eat pizza for the first time and handed her several napkins as she made a mess.
“You eat pizza – not wear it.”
Lyz hesitated then started to laugh with him.
It felt good to Lyz to eat with others and enjoy herself. She wiped way her mess and tried again. This time she was able to take a bite without making a mess. After eating one slice, Lyz wasn’t able to eat anymore. She pushed away her plate. Remembering how thin Lyz was, Maria knew that Lyz probably wasn’t use to eating that much. She pushed away her plate too, even though she had only eaten two slices and was still hungry. She didn’t want Michael to ask any awkward questions “Ugh – the pizza is so heavy. I can’t eat any more.”
Michael kept eating “Speak for yourself. So Lyz – how do I say “You lazy pile of worthless shit” in Dutch.”
“U luie waardeloze stapel van shit.”
Michael busted out laughing. “That sounds so cool! What about French?”
“Vous pile sans valeur paresseuse de merde.”
“Spanish?”
“Usted pila sin valor perezosa de la mierda.”
“Ok, now let me try. Um, the Dutch version sounds best.” Michael pushed his pizza away after eating the majority of it.
“Repeat after me, U luie.”
A half an hour later, both Michael and Maria could repeat the phrase, U luie waardeloze stapel van shit. Michael’s accent wasn’t as good as Maria’s, but it was passable. They then both learned it in Spanish. Afterwards, Maria saw Michael off and she went back to Lyz’s room to help her finish unpacking the Target supplies. She found Lyz trying to lift one of her suitcases on the bed,
“Here, let me help.” Maria grabbed one end and they both lifted the heavy suitcase on to the freshly made bed.
“Chica! What do you have in here!”
“Just two years worth of packed things.”
“Two years, huh? You planned on escaping for two years?”
“No, for five years. I would have left when I was sixteen and father started to beat me on a more regular basis, but he threatened my grandfather, then mother, then my friend Nicole. After mother died, I had no choice but to leave because father would have killed me in order to gain my inheritance.”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“I am unsure. I was not present during the reading of the will.”
“I can’t believe people would kill over a couple thousand dollars.”
“I think it will be more than a couple thousand dollars. But people would kill over $20 if they were desperate.”
“True. So what’s in here?” Maria picked out a large heavy blue velvet box with a gold lock on it.
“My mother and grandmother’s jewelry.” Lyz leaned over and opened the box. Maria gasped in stunned envy. There were several strands of pearl necklaces and chokers, several diamond pendants, and ruby and emerald necklaces. There were rings, earrings, and bracelets to match. Even more impressive were the rows of unique and rare cameos.
“Oh my god – these are real aren’t they?”
“Yes. They are. Even if they were not real, they are very special to me. I could not leave them behind for my father.” Lyz gently traced one delicate cameo. “This belonged to my grandmother. She had very little time for me but when I was eight years old, my grandmother came and helped me prepare for my first ball. I was so nervous and scared, but she handed me this cameo to wear. She told me that she had received it on the eve of her first ball from her mother and she wanted to pass on the tradition. For that one minute, she acted like she cared about me. I will never forget it.”
Maria looked at Lyz’s sad face and decided to change the subject.
“Make sure to put these in a safe place.” Maria handed the box back to Lyz. She turned back to the open suitcase and sat down next to it. “What else you got in here? Panties, panties, bra, panties, more bras – girl, where are all your clothes?”
“I only packed only a few clothes because most of what I had was impractical. I will have to shop for clothes but for now, the baggy clothes work best for my back. If I was at the chateau, I would be laying in bed without clothes, trying to heal my back.”
“Well, I think that’s what you should do. I have to work the midmorning to mid-afternoon shift over the weekend then I have practice afterwards, so maybe you could take these next couple of days to just lay in bed and let your back breath. Give it a chance to scab over.”
“You are most probably correct. Will you put the ointment on my back before you leave in the morning?”
“Are you sure that stuff works? I can get some stuff from the hospital.”
“No, it works. I have used it ever since I was six years old. It even healed the bite wound on my hand. Look.” Lyz held out one small hand and showed it to Maria.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Exactly. When I was seven, I received a rather large dog bite on my hand. After using the ointment, I did not even have a scar. I am unaware of what Nicole’s grandmother uses, but it has worked wonders for me for the last fourteen years. Nicole’s grandmother even makes perfume and soaps; she just made me some new perfume of strawberries and honey.”
Maria fell silent as she thought about fourteen years worth of beatings. “Were all you beatings as bad as this one?
Lyz didn’t pause in her unpacking “Sometimes they were worse. At least this time I was only passed out a couple of hours. Sometimes I would not wake up from a beating until days later.”
Maria jumped to her feet “How can you be so calm about it? That man, you father, tortured you for fourteen years and yet you’re so calm about it!”
Lyz put away the last of her underwear and faced Maria “What would you have me do, Maria? Cry? Scream? Swear? I have done all of that and yet, the pain does not lessen, nor does it go away. I deal with the pain because it is the only thing I can do. I know my father is a monster but what could I have done? Who could I have turned to? My mother who would rather watch her only daughter be beaten in front of her rather than risk getting one herself? My grandfather who was so fragile that one beating would have killed him? Appeal to a country whose officials are bribed to look the other way? Or run away to my ancestors’ county whose officials would rather kill all the royal family than help any of us, even now, 100 years after we left? Under my father, I had no money, no contacts, no existence. Even now, what can I do? Tell me Maria, what can I do to fight such a monster?”
Maria slumped back down on the bed, “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Lyz sat down next to Maria, “I thank you for your concern. It has been years since I have felt like I matter to someone. Even my mother was more concerned about avoiding a beating than taking care of me. All I can do is try and survive until my 21st birthday. Once I take control of my inheritance, my father will no longer have a reason to kill me since I will make sure to name an heir.”
Maria looked at the young woman sitting next to her and thought out loud “I know this sounds like a terrible question, but why didn’t he kill you right away? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“It would have been but my inheritance is locked in a trust until my take control of it in my 21st birthday. If I die before taking control, the money is to be given to charities. That’s why he had to keep me alive.”
Maria mulled the information over “What are you going to do with it once you get it?”
“Give it all away to charity. I do not want my father to have any excuse to come after me.”
“Alright, so we just have to make sure you keep a low profile until your 21st birthday. Ok –that’s doable. Now, let’s get off this gloomy subject and talk about something else!”
Lyz allowed Maria to help her undress her back and help her prepare her bed. Lyz lined her bed with towels and then applied the ointment to the front of her body and legs before laying down on her stomach. Maria sat down and inspected the back. Once she felt that Lyz would be ok, she left and went to her own bedroom. As she prepared for bed, Maria vowed to help Lyz make it to her 21st birthday.
During their first week together, the two of them developed a routine. Maria would help Lyz clean herself up and then re-apply the ointment before leaving for work. Lyz would spend most of her day in bed, reading or writing letters to Nicole, and at night, Maria would help her wash and re-apply the ointment while filling Lyz in on the latest hospital gossip. Some nights, Maria would come home late because she was practicing for a play. Maria sometimes even practiced with Lyz, which made Lyz feel more comfortable in her new home.
After Lyz’s first week at her new home, Maria invited Lyz to go grocery shopping with her and Michael. Lyz jumped at the chance to go to the store since she had never been to one before. Maria laughed quietly at Lyz’s enthusiasm while Michael was once again stunned that she had never been to a grocery store.
Upon entering the brightly lit store, Lyz’s eyes grew wide with amazement. She became so excited at everything she saw that neither Michael nor Maria couldn’t help but laugh. But Michael couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious too. He watched as Lyz walked around trying to look at everything and then looked at Maria who looked like she was about to cry and yet looked so happy. He leaned down to Maria and whispered,
“She’s never been grocery shopping? Come on Maria – where has she been all her life? A convent?”
“No, just a cage.” Maria answered without thinking, lost in Lyz’s excitement.
“A cage?!?” Michael repeated loudly causing Maria to whip her head around to stare at Michael. “What are you talking about, Michael?”
“I just asked you where had Lyz been all her life and you answered that she been in a cage!”
Maria swore at herself and thought fast, “Duh Michael – those damn private boarding schools are worse then convents, they’re like a prison, a cage. Get it?”
“Oh. Yeah – I guess you’re right. Man, I can’t believe she’s never been grocery shopping before.” Michael stared at Lyz who was busy pointing at things on the shelf in the cereal aisle and asking a little boy what each item was. He then watched as Lyz grabbed a box of each cereal and juggled them to their cart. As she dropped them into the cart, Maria tried explaining that they only needed one box but Lyz was gone in a flash, down another aisle picking out things that she had never tried before.
“I guess we’re going to need another cart Michael.” Maria said as she watched Lyz run back to their cart with arms filled with various items. In the end, they had four carts of groceries which they then discovered couldn’t fit into the little Jetta that Maria had. Laughingly, Michael called up a taxi and had it carry the rest of the groceries home.
Maria grumbled good naturedly as she helped unpack all the groceries from their bags and made filled all the cupboards. They soon had piles of canned goods and boxes of various foods lined up in the dining room as well. Maria shook her head, “We have enough food to feed all of Roswell!”
“Hey – why don’t you have a party? You get rid of some of the food and you can have them meet Lyz.” Michael suggested. Maria was about agree enthusiastically when she caught sight of Lyz who had frozen as she heard what Michael suggested.
“Why don’t we wait until Lyz becomes more settled in the place, Michael? You know, I just got Lyz as a roommate and I don’t want your friends to scare her off!” Maria teased, all the while keeping an eye on Lyz’s reaction. She saw Lyz’s shoulder’s slightly relax and resume unpacking.
To be truthful – Lyz was still feeling self-conscious and conspicuous about her bruises so she kept wearing large baseball hats, oversized sunglasses, long-sleeved baggy shirts, and baggy pants around the house whenever Michael came by or went outside. One morning, shortly after her first trip to the grocery store, Lyz ventured to the living room in a pair of loose boxer shorts and tank top that she had borrowed from Maria that morning before she left for work. She left her hair in its loose knot on top of her head and walked barefoot through the kitchen. Since it was Saturday, she had decided to watch some cartoons, the Yugi-Oh! show that Ben, no, Lucas had talked about so much. She flipped on the tv and then went to the kitchen to mix several kinds of cereal together before sitting down in front of the television set.
Michael had woken up late that morning since he didn’t have to work until the dinner shift. He had spent the night with Maria and she hadn’t woken him up when she left that morning. He pulled on his tank top as he walked out from Maria’s room to the kitchen. He stopped dead in tracks as he got his first look at Lyz without her hat or without the baggy clothes she hid behind.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Michael shouted, scaring Lyz from her fascination with the television. “Answer me! Who beat you?”
Upstairs in the apartment, Lyzette was staring at the clothes she had pulled from the suitcase. Over the two years they had plotted, Nicole had been able to smuggle some her clothes and pack them for her escape. But Nicole seemed to have also packed in some other clothes for her. Lyzette held up bottoms and saw that they were made out of black plastic material. She didn’t know what to make of them. Her shirt was long sleeved and had a name on it, Nike. She hoped that whoever Nike was didn’t mind her wearing his clothes. She walked barefoot out to the living room to braid her hair. She knew if she didn’t braid it right away, it would become a wavy mess. When she was done, she looked at the hat she was going to put on and noticed that it, too, had the name, Nike, on it. She really did hope that Nicole had compensated Nike well.
As she finished putting her socks on, Lyzette saw Nancy come back into the apartment wiping her eyes, “Madame Parker? Êtes-vous bien?”
“Yes. I’m alright. Jeff and I thought it would be best if Ben stayed dead We’ll tell everyone that we adopted Ben through a private adoption agency and that the reason we didn’t tell anyone before was because we weren’t sure if it was definite. Oh and we are calling him Lucas, Luke for short. ”
“Ahh, yes. I see the wisdom in that.”
“Um, I’ve called Maria and she’s very happy you are going to be her new roommate. She said that she would pick you up after her shift at the hospital. She’ll be getting off at 2:00PM.”
“Oh, wonderful.”
“I thought maybe we could talk about you and how you’ll handle things. Perhaps you could even tell me more about your mother.”
For the rest of the morning Lyzette told Nancy about her mother, Nicole, and her grandfather. Around lunch time, Jeff brought up Lucas and they all had lunch together. They discussed the adoption and Jeff told Lyzette about his long standing friendship with the Sheriff. He explained that he would tell Sheriff Jim Valenti that there was a kidnapping scare with the adoption and ask that Jim keep an eye out for strangers who might be looking for a little boy. Only as a last resort would he actually tell Jim the true circumstances and true identity of Lucas. Afterwards, Nancy took Lucas and laid him down for a nap. Half an hour later, both Nancy and Lyzette, who had been sitting in the living room, heard little Ben whimpering in his sleep.
Both the women went to go see what was wrong and their hearts broke when they saw Ben, his hair tousled and cheeks red, sitting up and whimpering with tears in his eyes. Nancy moved to rush Ben in her arms but Ben cried and reached out for Lyzette. Lyzette gave Nancy a sympathetic smile and reached down for Ben.
“Shhh – what is it? Another bad dream?”
Ben hid his face in the crook of Lyzette’s neck and nodded. Lyzette looked over to Nancy, “Since we left the Chateau, Ben sometimes has bad dreams about Khivar and Nicholas.”
Nancy nodded quickly to indicate she understood and she looked longingly at Ben, wanting to be the one to give him comfort. Lyzette gently smiled in understanding, “Ben, you have a new mommy now. Do you know what that means?”
Ben shook his head, still hiding his face.
“It means your new mommy will make sure that the bad men never hurt you.”
“Weally?”
“Yes, really. In fact, I am sure that your new mommy can chase away your bad dream with a nice story. Would you like that?”
A brief silence was followed with a quick nod. Nancy took her cue, “Ben, I can tell you the story better, if you sat with me.” she said hopefully. Nancy held her breath until Ben slowly lifted his head from Lyzette’s neck and reached for her. Nancy smiled gratefully at Lyzette as she settled Ben down on her lap.
Lyzette slowly backed away and walked towards the living room. She thought perhaps a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea for her either. She gingerly laid back down on her stomach and let herself drift off to sleep. Nancy came back out to the living room, expecting Lyzette to be waiting for her, but she found Lyzette fast asleep on the couch and she didn’t have the heart to wake her. Nancy did wake Lyzette when Maria arrived. Lyzette freshened up while Nancy gathered her things and Jeff had loaded Lyzette’s suitcases in Maria’s car, which had been parked in the back of the restaurant.
“Hey roomie! Nice threads!” Maria cheerfully called out to Lyzette as she walked down the stairs from the apartment. Maria had taken the time to change clothes and wore something similar to Lyzette’s outfit.
“Threads?”
“Clothes. Nice clothes.” Maria waved up and down Lyzette’s figure
“Oh, thank you. I am grateful that Nike has loaned me his clothes.”
“Huh?” Maria asked.
“Nike. I think that is how you pronounce his name. It is written all over on my clothes and shoes.” Lyzette explained pointing to her shirt. She was startled and puzzled when Maria and Jeff both started to laugh. Nancy tried to hide her smile behind her palm.
Maria explained “Lyz, chica, Nike isn’t a person. It’s a company. They make clothes, hats, shoes, lots of stuff.”
Lyzette blushed at her ignorance, “There really is much for me to learn. I am so sorry for my lack of knowledge.”
“Hey, hey, chica. Don’t sweat it. You’ve got lots of time to learn and I’m willing to help you! Now, since it looks like you only have the two suitcases and I don’t have any furniture for the bedroom, I suggest we spend the rest of the afternoon shopping.”
Before Maria could start on a full rant, Jeff interrupted her “Lyzette, we’re leaving you in good hands. Here’s your backpack. Maria is a wonderful person and if she causes you any problems, we know her mother, so just let us know.” Jeff winked teasingly at Maria before handing Lyzette a piece of paper. “Here’s our phone number and you of course know where we live, so if you need anything, just let us know. Now, do you need any money?”
“Oh, ah, no. I have everything I need. Thank you.”
Nancy pulled Lyzette into a light hug, “No, Lyzette, thank you. We can never tell you how much.”
“Please, tell Be..Lucas that I will see him soon.”
“We will.”
“Come on, chica! We’re hitting the mall!”
Maria gently hustled Lyzette into the car and drove off with a wave to the Parkers. “Now, I figure you probably are on a budget and don’t have too much money, but that’s ok. I can loan you some until you can pay me back when you get a job. The most expensive thing you’ll have to buy is your bedroom furniture. I know this great place that offers really good deals so we’ll head there first. I’ll chip in and pay for the extra cost of having it delivered today…”
Lyzette interrupted Maria’s long speech, “It is alright, I have enough. I can pay for it, but thank you for your generous offer.”
“Cool. Now, if you find something you like, let me do all the talking and I’ll try to get you the best price.” Maria kept up her cheerful banter while they pulled up to a large furniture shop and entered. She gave a running commentary on everything they looked at. As salespeople tried to approach, she would wave them off with a flick of her wrist. Lyzette couldn’t believe all the choices she had in front of her and wandered all over the store. Maria watched Lyzette and felt a rush of emotion as Lyzette gingerly touched every piece of furniture in a bit of awe.
As they were looking at mattresses, Maria rushed to explain that one had to try it out before buying one. Maria then flopped on the bed and moved around on it a bit before declaring it wouldn’t do. She moved on to the next one and did the same actions. Lyzette watched with an amused smile. After five other mattresses were discarded, Maria finally found one she thought was a good fit. Lyzette carefully sat down on the mattress to try it out too. At last, she made her selection of a queen sized bed, mattress and box spring included, with a matching dresser made out of white pine wood. She let Maria negotiate the price and arrange the delivery while she continued to look around.
When Maria had called her over to pay for her stuff, Lyzette discreetly pulled out some of the traveler’s checks. She still had the majority of the traveler’s checks hidden in the lining of her suitcase but she did have about $5000 hidden in her bag and shoe. She had taken Nicole’s advice very seriously and kept her money a secret, until she figured out how expensive things were and how to manage the money.
Maria had looked astonished that Lyzette would have enough money to pay for the furniture but didn’t want to seem too nosey by asking about it. She made a mental note to ask her about it later and then took Lyzette to Target to shop. Lyzette was very excited about shopping at Target again. She loved the store and couldn’t wait to get there. She excitedly told Maria about her first visit to Target, her French accent growing thicker the more excited she got.
Maria could only smile at Lyzette’s excitement. She still couldn’t believe how isolated Lyzette’s life had been even though the Parkers had told her that Lyzette had been under lock and key. She had assumed that Lyzette would know something about life from television but after Lyzette’s description of her first encounter with TV’s she realized that Lyzette hadn’t watched TV at all either.
Maria led an excited Lyzette all over the store getting things she would need for her bedroom and bathroom, trying to keep costs under control. The Parkers had generously paid for Lyzette’s rent for the first two months but Maria wanted to make sure that Lyzette didn’t spend too much of her money right away.
Lyzette decided to wait on buying any art for her room, she really wanted to get some prints of Georgia O’Keefe’s work but she didn’t say anything to Maria. She had a lot of fun picking out a bedspread, sheets, and new pillows. She had never decorated anything in her life and loved the freedom of doing so. Finally after two hours of shopping Lyzette was tired and her body was beginning to ache.
On the way to her new home, she listen to Maria give her a tour of the city and then the neighborhood. Maria had to explain what a movie theatre was, what fast-food was, and what a grocery store was for. Eventually, they pulled up to a small white house with a terra cotta roof. Lyzette got out and started to grab her suitcases but Maria stopped her,
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? No, you don’t carry those suitcases, not in your condition. That’s what my boyfriend is for. He came over earlier and waited for the bedroom delivery. Come on, I’ll show you around the place.”
Lyzette grabbed her backpack and followed Maria to the side of the house to its door “Michael!! I’m home! Did you set everything up?”
“Yeah.” A deep voice called out from another part of the room.
“Great! Thanks! Now could you go unload the car? I’ll come help you after I give Lyz a tour. Come on Lyz.”
Lyzette entered the house that was to be her new home and stepped into what Maria called the kitchen. The kitchen had lots of cupboards and large white metal boxes that Maria explained were the stove, refrigerator, and microwave. The large white kitchen had three different doorways. One of them led to the orange and white painted dining room that held a chrome dining table and chairs that had been used in the 60’s, then the light olive green colored living room. A fireplace on the far wall was the centerpiece that the dark brown leather furniture and TV was arranged around. Two dark brown wood floor to ceiling bookshelves framed the fireplace. Brightly colored quilts were flung over the chairs and couch while various plants decorated the room.
Lyz tried to keep up with Maria’s commentary but there was just so much to look at and take in, she only half-listened to Maria. Maria led Lyz back through the kitchen and through the doorway on the right.
“The best things about this house are the bedrooms. Mine’s on the other side of the kitchen and this one’s yours. It faces our back yard so you don’t get much of a view, sorry chica.”
The room was spacious and painted a dark cream. The two large windows had a white trim frame and some kind of coating on them, which puzzled Lyzette. “What is covering the windows?”
Maria explained, “Oh, it’s this stuff you put on the windows to protect your privacy. No one can look in your room and spy on you because they just get a distorted image. That way you leave the shades up for light but still keep your privacy.”
The bedroom furniture had been set up but Maria rearranged it a little for Lyzette. Lyzette fell in love with the dark yellow bathroom and was grateful that Maria had suggested that she pick out green accessories for her bathroom. A heavy cream colored curtain covered the doorway to the walk in closet.
“Whoever built this place, knew what a woman needed! These closets rock!” Mara exclaimed. Lyzette had to agree that the closet was generous. She looked around her new bedroom and fell silent. Maria, thinking that Lyzette was displeased, started to apologize, “I’m sure it seems small compared to your chateau…”
“No. Don’t. This room, this house…for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a home. A home, not a pretty cage. A real home.” Lyzette turned to Maria and smiled brightly. Maria grinned back, fighting the tears that had just welled in her eyes in reaction to the rush of sympathy that had flooded her.
“Some help would be nice!” grumbled Michael as he walked through the bedroom dragging Lyzette’s two suitcases.
“Why? Too weak to handle it by yourself?” Maria sarcastically replied.
“Shut up and introduce me to your new roommate.” Michael said as he arranged the cases away from the door. He faced Maria, then Lyzette who suddenly ducked her head a little lower. The Nike oversized baseball cap covered most of Lyzette’s face, so Michael couldn’t really tell what she looked like. All he saw was someone tinier than Maria’s small frame and who seemed to drown in her clothes. The only apart of her he could really see was the lower part of her neck.
“Hi I’m Michael.” He tried peeking beneath the hat but gave up as he reached out his hand. A tiny thin hand grasped his and a slightly accented voice met his ears, “Hello, I am called, um. Please, call me Lyz.”
“Well Lyz, nice to meet you. You must not be from around here.” Michael commented, watching the bowed head jerk a bit.
“How can you tell?”
“You’re wearing wind pants, long sleeve shirt, and a wind breaker in the middle of the desert. You’ll be die from heat stroke. Don’t you have any shorts or tanks?”
Maria broke in before there were any awkward questions about Lyz’s choice of clothing, “Hey – less talking, more unpacking!” she ushered Michael out of the room towards the car. “We’ve still got the rest of the car to unload, then we have to help Lyz make her bed, and we have to have dinner. Pizza or Chinese?”
“Pizza!!” Michael shouted as Lyz followed behind Maria. Lyz agreed with Michael “Oh yes, please. I want to try pizza.”
Michael stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare with wide eyes at the petite girl behind Maria “What do you mean ‘try pizza’? Haven’t you eaten pizza before?”
Lyz shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as she avoided Michael’s stare “Um no, I have not. My father did not allow pizza in the chateau. I am not sure he has even tried it either.”
Michael’s eyes bugged out and thought it was outrageous that anyone had lived without pizza “No freakin way! Are you kidding me? Man, you are in for a taste explosion!! I live on pizza and I’ve had just about every kind there is. But I gotta tell ya, stick with pepperoni or the works. The other stuff is just junk.” Michael explained as they walked back out to the car for more stuff, “ Yo’ Maria – turn up the stereo! Need some tunes while I’m working.”
Lyz grabbed a few bags from the car while Michael grabbed the heavy stuff and Maria called the Pizza Palace to place their dinner order. Instead of the Metallica that Michael preferred, Maria put on some dance music. The beat of Rod Stewart’s “Do You Think I’m Sexy” dance mix came on the airwaves. Maria started to dance her way out to the car and brought the rest of the bags in from the car. Lyz looked curiously at her gyrations.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing, chica! Don’t tell me you’ve never danced before!”
“I was taught dancing several years ago. I know how to waltz, tango…what is wrong?”
Maria was shaking her head. “That’s formal ballroom dancing. That’s not the same thing as dancing, dancing. The kind of dancing we do, is freestyle. You just move your body to the beat of the music - like this.” Maria started dancing again and Lyzette studied her moves intently, trying to understand the steps and moves. When Lyzette asked what steps Maria was using, Maria quit dancing, “Tell you what. I’ll take you dancing soon, so you see what I mean when I say free style.”
Lyzette smiled gratefully, “Oh yes, please. I would like that very much.”
The three of them dumped all the bags in the living room and organized the unpacking. While waiting for their pizza, Lyz and Maria made up Lyz’s bed, while Michael put up the shower curtain and shelves in the bathroom.
As Michael finished his small chore, he came out to watch Maria and Lyz as they put the pillowcases on the new pillows. The cream colored walls complimented the plain dark orange bedspread and light yellow sheets. “So Lyz, where you from? What’ca do?”
“Geez Michael – this isn’t an interrogation!” Maria tried to distract Michael.
“So I’m curious – sue me.”
“It is alright, Maria. I actually lived abroad for most of my life in a private boarding school. I have not finished universite, but I am hoping to be an interpreter – I speak seven languages fluently, eight technically and can read ten. I could probably learn more, I have been blessed with a gift for learning languages.”
Michael whistled, impressed “Whoa - eight languages? Really? Which ones?”
“Well, not including French which is my, ah, what you call native language, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Slavic, Russian, Japanese, and the obscure language, Latin. I read, Polish and German but can not really speak it.“
“Cool – can you teach me how to swear in Russian, no wait, Dutch? That stupid cook Jose bugs the shit out of me and I want to be able to swear at him with him not knowing what I’m saying.”
Lyz let out a small laugh “Of course, if you would like. I will even teach you some Spanish so you can understand if this Jose is cursing you.”
“Cool – hey, that’s our pizza. You can start over dinner!” Michael went to answer the door and pay for the pizza. Maria leaned over to Lyz over the bed,
“Good cover, chica! I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even think to have a cover story.”
“Well, thank my father. He came up with the story to give out as a press release a couple of years ago to explain my absence from the public.”
“Let’s not and say we did.”
Lyz laughed and followed Maria out to the dining room. She looked at the table that Michael was sitting with a large cardboard box. Maria grabbed plates and napkins and sat next to Michael. “Come on chica, it won’t kill ya, I promise!”
Lyz sat down across from Michael and Maria and watched with curious fascination as Michael picked up a piece of the cheesy blob from the cardboard box and began to eat – with this fingers. She sat there, staring at Michael, then Maria, not quiet sure how to proceed.
“Dig in, chica. You just pick it up and start eating. It’s a pepperoni, my favorite!”
Lyz tentatively sank her fingers into the gooey mess, “I do not believe I have ever tasted pepperoni.” She lifted a piece of the pizza and looked at it in her hands. She looked over to Michael and Maria to observe how they ate and tried to follow them. As her teeth sank into the hot gooey cheese, red sauce spurted out and dribbled down her chin. She tried to catch it but forgot she had the pizza in her hand and ended up with pizza all over her chin and down her chest. Michael laughed as he watched Lyz try to eat pizza for the first time and handed her several napkins as she made a mess.
“You eat pizza – not wear it.”
Lyz hesitated then started to laugh with him.
It felt good to Lyz to eat with others and enjoy herself. She wiped way her mess and tried again. This time she was able to take a bite without making a mess. After eating one slice, Lyz wasn’t able to eat anymore. She pushed away her plate. Remembering how thin Lyz was, Maria knew that Lyz probably wasn’t use to eating that much. She pushed away her plate too, even though she had only eaten two slices and was still hungry. She didn’t want Michael to ask any awkward questions “Ugh – the pizza is so heavy. I can’t eat any more.”
Michael kept eating “Speak for yourself. So Lyz – how do I say “You lazy pile of worthless shit” in Dutch.”
“U luie waardeloze stapel van shit.”
Michael busted out laughing. “That sounds so cool! What about French?”
“Vous pile sans valeur paresseuse de merde.”
“Spanish?”
“Usted pila sin valor perezosa de la mierda.”
“Ok, now let me try. Um, the Dutch version sounds best.” Michael pushed his pizza away after eating the majority of it.
“Repeat after me, U luie.”
A half an hour later, both Michael and Maria could repeat the phrase, U luie waardeloze stapel van shit. Michael’s accent wasn’t as good as Maria’s, but it was passable. They then both learned it in Spanish. Afterwards, Maria saw Michael off and she went back to Lyz’s room to help her finish unpacking the Target supplies. She found Lyz trying to lift one of her suitcases on the bed,
“Here, let me help.” Maria grabbed one end and they both lifted the heavy suitcase on to the freshly made bed.
“Chica! What do you have in here!”
“Just two years worth of packed things.”
“Two years, huh? You planned on escaping for two years?”
“No, for five years. I would have left when I was sixteen and father started to beat me on a more regular basis, but he threatened my grandfather, then mother, then my friend Nicole. After mother died, I had no choice but to leave because father would have killed me in order to gain my inheritance.”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“I am unsure. I was not present during the reading of the will.”
“I can’t believe people would kill over a couple thousand dollars.”
“I think it will be more than a couple thousand dollars. But people would kill over $20 if they were desperate.”
“True. So what’s in here?” Maria picked out a large heavy blue velvet box with a gold lock on it.
“My mother and grandmother’s jewelry.” Lyz leaned over and opened the box. Maria gasped in stunned envy. There were several strands of pearl necklaces and chokers, several diamond pendants, and ruby and emerald necklaces. There were rings, earrings, and bracelets to match. Even more impressive were the rows of unique and rare cameos.
“Oh my god – these are real aren’t they?”
“Yes. They are. Even if they were not real, they are very special to me. I could not leave them behind for my father.” Lyz gently traced one delicate cameo. “This belonged to my grandmother. She had very little time for me but when I was eight years old, my grandmother came and helped me prepare for my first ball. I was so nervous and scared, but she handed me this cameo to wear. She told me that she had received it on the eve of her first ball from her mother and she wanted to pass on the tradition. For that one minute, she acted like she cared about me. I will never forget it.”
Maria looked at Lyz’s sad face and decided to change the subject.
“Make sure to put these in a safe place.” Maria handed the box back to Lyz. She turned back to the open suitcase and sat down next to it. “What else you got in here? Panties, panties, bra, panties, more bras – girl, where are all your clothes?”
“I only packed only a few clothes because most of what I had was impractical. I will have to shop for clothes but for now, the baggy clothes work best for my back. If I was at the chateau, I would be laying in bed without clothes, trying to heal my back.”
“Well, I think that’s what you should do. I have to work the midmorning to mid-afternoon shift over the weekend then I have practice afterwards, so maybe you could take these next couple of days to just lay in bed and let your back breath. Give it a chance to scab over.”
“You are most probably correct. Will you put the ointment on my back before you leave in the morning?”
“Are you sure that stuff works? I can get some stuff from the hospital.”
“No, it works. I have used it ever since I was six years old. It even healed the bite wound on my hand. Look.” Lyz held out one small hand and showed it to Maria.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Exactly. When I was seven, I received a rather large dog bite on my hand. After using the ointment, I did not even have a scar. I am unaware of what Nicole’s grandmother uses, but it has worked wonders for me for the last fourteen years. Nicole’s grandmother even makes perfume and soaps; she just made me some new perfume of strawberries and honey.”
Maria fell silent as she thought about fourteen years worth of beatings. “Were all you beatings as bad as this one?
Lyz didn’t pause in her unpacking “Sometimes they were worse. At least this time I was only passed out a couple of hours. Sometimes I would not wake up from a beating until days later.”
Maria jumped to her feet “How can you be so calm about it? That man, you father, tortured you for fourteen years and yet you’re so calm about it!”
Lyz put away the last of her underwear and faced Maria “What would you have me do, Maria? Cry? Scream? Swear? I have done all of that and yet, the pain does not lessen, nor does it go away. I deal with the pain because it is the only thing I can do. I know my father is a monster but what could I have done? Who could I have turned to? My mother who would rather watch her only daughter be beaten in front of her rather than risk getting one herself? My grandfather who was so fragile that one beating would have killed him? Appeal to a country whose officials are bribed to look the other way? Or run away to my ancestors’ county whose officials would rather kill all the royal family than help any of us, even now, 100 years after we left? Under my father, I had no money, no contacts, no existence. Even now, what can I do? Tell me Maria, what can I do to fight such a monster?”
Maria slumped back down on the bed, “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Lyz sat down next to Maria, “I thank you for your concern. It has been years since I have felt like I matter to someone. Even my mother was more concerned about avoiding a beating than taking care of me. All I can do is try and survive until my 21st birthday. Once I take control of my inheritance, my father will no longer have a reason to kill me since I will make sure to name an heir.”
Maria looked at the young woman sitting next to her and thought out loud “I know this sounds like a terrible question, but why didn’t he kill you right away? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“It would have been but my inheritance is locked in a trust until my take control of it in my 21st birthday. If I die before taking control, the money is to be given to charities. That’s why he had to keep me alive.”
Maria mulled the information over “What are you going to do with it once you get it?”
“Give it all away to charity. I do not want my father to have any excuse to come after me.”
“Alright, so we just have to make sure you keep a low profile until your 21st birthday. Ok –that’s doable. Now, let’s get off this gloomy subject and talk about something else!”
Lyz allowed Maria to help her undress her back and help her prepare her bed. Lyz lined her bed with towels and then applied the ointment to the front of her body and legs before laying down on her stomach. Maria sat down and inspected the back. Once she felt that Lyz would be ok, she left and went to her own bedroom. As she prepared for bed, Maria vowed to help Lyz make it to her 21st birthday.
During their first week together, the two of them developed a routine. Maria would help Lyz clean herself up and then re-apply the ointment before leaving for work. Lyz would spend most of her day in bed, reading or writing letters to Nicole, and at night, Maria would help her wash and re-apply the ointment while filling Lyz in on the latest hospital gossip. Some nights, Maria would come home late because she was practicing for a play. Maria sometimes even practiced with Lyz, which made Lyz feel more comfortable in her new home.
After Lyz’s first week at her new home, Maria invited Lyz to go grocery shopping with her and Michael. Lyz jumped at the chance to go to the store since she had never been to one before. Maria laughed quietly at Lyz’s enthusiasm while Michael was once again stunned that she had never been to a grocery store.
Upon entering the brightly lit store, Lyz’s eyes grew wide with amazement. She became so excited at everything she saw that neither Michael nor Maria couldn’t help but laugh. But Michael couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious too. He watched as Lyz walked around trying to look at everything and then looked at Maria who looked like she was about to cry and yet looked so happy. He leaned down to Maria and whispered,
“She’s never been grocery shopping? Come on Maria – where has she been all her life? A convent?”
“No, just a cage.” Maria answered without thinking, lost in Lyz’s excitement.
“A cage?!?” Michael repeated loudly causing Maria to whip her head around to stare at Michael. “What are you talking about, Michael?”
“I just asked you where had Lyz been all her life and you answered that she been in a cage!”
Maria swore at herself and thought fast, “Duh Michael – those damn private boarding schools are worse then convents, they’re like a prison, a cage. Get it?”
“Oh. Yeah – I guess you’re right. Man, I can’t believe she’s never been grocery shopping before.” Michael stared at Lyz who was busy pointing at things on the shelf in the cereal aisle and asking a little boy what each item was. He then watched as Lyz grabbed a box of each cereal and juggled them to their cart. As she dropped them into the cart, Maria tried explaining that they only needed one box but Lyz was gone in a flash, down another aisle picking out things that she had never tried before.
“I guess we’re going to need another cart Michael.” Maria said as she watched Lyz run back to their cart with arms filled with various items. In the end, they had four carts of groceries which they then discovered couldn’t fit into the little Jetta that Maria had. Laughingly, Michael called up a taxi and had it carry the rest of the groceries home.
Maria grumbled good naturedly as she helped unpack all the groceries from their bags and made filled all the cupboards. They soon had piles of canned goods and boxes of various foods lined up in the dining room as well. Maria shook her head, “We have enough food to feed all of Roswell!”
“Hey – why don’t you have a party? You get rid of some of the food and you can have them meet Lyz.” Michael suggested. Maria was about agree enthusiastically when she caught sight of Lyz who had frozen as she heard what Michael suggested.
“Why don’t we wait until Lyz becomes more settled in the place, Michael? You know, I just got Lyz as a roommate and I don’t want your friends to scare her off!” Maria teased, all the while keeping an eye on Lyz’s reaction. She saw Lyz’s shoulder’s slightly relax and resume unpacking.
To be truthful – Lyz was still feeling self-conscious and conspicuous about her bruises so she kept wearing large baseball hats, oversized sunglasses, long-sleeved baggy shirts, and baggy pants around the house whenever Michael came by or went outside. One morning, shortly after her first trip to the grocery store, Lyz ventured to the living room in a pair of loose boxer shorts and tank top that she had borrowed from Maria that morning before she left for work. She left her hair in its loose knot on top of her head and walked barefoot through the kitchen. Since it was Saturday, she had decided to watch some cartoons, the Yugi-Oh! show that Ben, no, Lucas had talked about so much. She flipped on the tv and then went to the kitchen to mix several kinds of cereal together before sitting down in front of the television set.
Michael had woken up late that morning since he didn’t have to work until the dinner shift. He had spent the night with Maria and she hadn’t woken him up when she left that morning. He pulled on his tank top as he walked out from Maria’s room to the kitchen. He stopped dead in tracks as he got his first look at Lyz without her hat or without the baggy clothes she hid behind.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Michael shouted, scaring Lyz from her fascination with the television. “Answer me! Who beat you?”
Last edited by Believer2 on Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I'm a believer!
Chapter 14
Michael rushed towards Lyz. Lyz jumped up from the floor and moved away from Michael. She wanted to hide and began to blush from embarrassment. She couldn’t believe that Michael had caught her unaware; she had thought he went home last night.
“Lyz, answer me! Who did this to you and have you reported him to the police?” Michael demanded angrily.
“Michael, please, calm yourself. It is not as it appears.”
“Don’t lie to me – I know a fist mark when I see it and I’m seeing it all over your body!” Michael still couldn’t believe what his eyes were telling him. The bagginess of the shorts and the tank top only emphasized the fragility of Lyz’s small frame and made the bruises stand out more prominently. After week one, Lyz’s back had mostly scabbed over and some of the minor welts were losing their scabs. The bruises on her body didn’t look as dark or menacing, some were even turning yellow which was a sign of healing. Lyz’s face had no swelling but it was still covered with bruises of varying shades – she was far from being healed.
“Michael…” Lyz tried to think of something to tell Michael.
“If you don’t tell me right now, I’m calling Sheriff Valenti.”
“Michael….I can not, will not tell you, but please believe me when I say that I am fine.”
“Bull! If you won’t tell me, I’ll find someone who will!” Michael yelled as he slammed out of the house. The roar of his motorbike let Lyz know that he took off and it made her anxious. She didn’t know what he would do or whom he would go to! She rushed to the phone and dialed Jeff Parker.
When Jeff heard about what happened, he immediately became concerned and left to meet Lyz at the house. Nancy and Lucas had gone shopping that day so he left them a note telling them where he had gone.
Lyz paced anxiously in the house, not knowing what to do and getting more nervous by the minute. When she heard the knock on the door, she was relieved Jeff had made it over so quickly.
“Oh Monsieur Parker, I did not know what to say to Michael! I do not want him to know! The more people I tell, the more likely my father will find me, find Lucas!” pleaded Lyz.
“Lyz, calm down. I’ve known Michael for a while and I trust him. And I believe you can too. Come on, sit.” Jeff gently but insistently led Lyz to the living room couch. He was actually surprised too at Lyz’s condition. This was the first time he had actually seen the bruising, her back and her face. It made him sick to think about how she got that way. Both Nancy and Maria had tried to explain what they had seen, but nothing prepared him for the reality.
The door slammed as Maria came home and she came to an abrupt halt as she saw an upset Lyz and Jeff Parker; puzzled, she asked, “What’s going on? What are you doing here?” She caught sight of Lyz sitting anxiously in her baggy shorts and tank top.
“Uh, guys?” Maria asked.
“Maria, you need to call Michael and get him over here right now. He saw Lyz like this and he ran off when she wouldn’t tell him what happened.” Jeff explained.
“I’m sorry, Maria. I did not know that he was still here – I thought he had left last night.” Lyz spoke up, trying to apologize for the mess they were in. Maria shook her head.
“Don’t worry about chica – it’s my fault. I thought I’d be home before he woke up – I just had to run to the hospital for a couple of hours. I’ll call Michael.”
The two of them heard Maria talking to Michael in the kitchen “Michael, just get your ass over here right now!” she snapped the phone shut and walked back into the living room and cracked out “Well, this is awkward.”
“Oh Maria, I am so sorry! I never should have stayed here!” Lyz cried out with anxious tears welling up in her large eyes.
Maria immediately felt sympathy for Lyz who looked scared and anxious. She walked over to the girl, sat down beside her and placed a gentle arm around her shoulders. Over the last week, Lyz had slowly opened up to her, telling her about her life or lack of which made Maria feel a fierce sense of protectiveness towards the younger girl.
Maria had never really been close to anyone besides her mother – in high school she was the outsider that outsiders didn’t want to associate with because of her kooky mother, weird clothes, and fierce temper. Even now, she didn’t have any close girlfriends. She was friendly with Ava, Tess, and Isabel only because of Michael and Kyle. But Lyz was different. Lyz would listen to Maria without judging her, without thinking she was weird or crazy, and she wanted Maria to talk instead of trying to get her to shut up. Lyz asked for Maria’s opinion and advice on everything, which made Maria, feel like an older sister, wanted, and she loved that feeling.
“Oh chica. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be ok.” Maria stood with Lyz glued to her side. “I think I’m going to take Lyz to her room and let her change. Let me know when Michael gets here.”
Maria felt Lyz stiffen with embarrassment at the thought of Michael seeing her again and gave her a light squeeze of encouragement. They walked back to Lyz’s room and Lyz quickly changed into a long sleeved t-shirt and baggy yoga pants. She went to the bathroom to take out her hairpins and braid her hair before tucking it up and putting another hat on. When she came back out of the bathroom, she looked solemnly at Maria who was sitting on her bed.
“I think it would be for the best if I leave town. If I stay, my father would not hesitate to hurt anyone that may know his secrets and to find me. I could not stand it if he hurt you or Michael or even the Parkers.”
Maria shook her head and reached over for Lyz’s hands, “No Lyzette, listen to me. Chica, you can’t do this alone. Let us help you; we want to help you. So get the thought of leaving out of your head, right now. Ok?”
Lyz reluctantly but gratefully nodded.
“And of all the people in the world, Michael is the one who understands best about what you went through. Let me tell you a little about Michael.” Maria explained to Lyz how Michael had suffered at Hank’s hands and thought he could survive on his own. It wasn’t until he asked for help from the Evans that he was freed from Hank.
Lyz’s lower lip trembled and tears stood on the verge of falling before she sat down and leaned her head on Maria’s shoulder. “Except for Nicole, I have been alone my whole life. You and the Parkers have shown me more concern than my own mother ever did. That you and others would be willing to risk harm to assist me…I do not know what to say.”
“Hey, just accept it chica. That’s what friends are for.”
“Friends. I like that word very much.”
Maria gave Lyz one last gentle squeeze and led her back to the living room. As the two of them approached they could hear Michael demanding,
“Jeff, I want some answers right now! And the truth! I know what I saw.”
“Michael! Shut up and sit down!’ Maria shouted at her boyfriend with hands on her hips. He whirled around to look at her and look for Lyz. “Oh great! You brought Max too? Geez Michael!”
“Hey – don’t blame me. I couldn’t find you so I went to Max’s. That’s where I was when you called. He stays.”
Before they could continue to argue, Lyz came out from behind Maria and looked straight at the new man standing next to Michael. Lyz’s breath hitched in her throat as she gazed at the stranger. He was not as tall as Michael but he had strong firm features and hair darker than her own. But it was his eyes that made her gasp breathlessly. His eyes were warm amber – just like HIS! This stranger had the same eyes as the man in her dreams!
Michael rushed towards Lyz. Lyz jumped up from the floor and moved away from Michael. She wanted to hide and began to blush from embarrassment. She couldn’t believe that Michael had caught her unaware; she had thought he went home last night.
“Lyz, answer me! Who did this to you and have you reported him to the police?” Michael demanded angrily.
“Michael, please, calm yourself. It is not as it appears.”
“Don’t lie to me – I know a fist mark when I see it and I’m seeing it all over your body!” Michael still couldn’t believe what his eyes were telling him. The bagginess of the shorts and the tank top only emphasized the fragility of Lyz’s small frame and made the bruises stand out more prominently. After week one, Lyz’s back had mostly scabbed over and some of the minor welts were losing their scabs. The bruises on her body didn’t look as dark or menacing, some were even turning yellow which was a sign of healing. Lyz’s face had no swelling but it was still covered with bruises of varying shades – she was far from being healed.
“Michael…” Lyz tried to think of something to tell Michael.
“If you don’t tell me right now, I’m calling Sheriff Valenti.”
“Michael….I can not, will not tell you, but please believe me when I say that I am fine.”
“Bull! If you won’t tell me, I’ll find someone who will!” Michael yelled as he slammed out of the house. The roar of his motorbike let Lyz know that he took off and it made her anxious. She didn’t know what he would do or whom he would go to! She rushed to the phone and dialed Jeff Parker.
When Jeff heard about what happened, he immediately became concerned and left to meet Lyz at the house. Nancy and Lucas had gone shopping that day so he left them a note telling them where he had gone.
Lyz paced anxiously in the house, not knowing what to do and getting more nervous by the minute. When she heard the knock on the door, she was relieved Jeff had made it over so quickly.
“Oh Monsieur Parker, I did not know what to say to Michael! I do not want him to know! The more people I tell, the more likely my father will find me, find Lucas!” pleaded Lyz.
“Lyz, calm down. I’ve known Michael for a while and I trust him. And I believe you can too. Come on, sit.” Jeff gently but insistently led Lyz to the living room couch. He was actually surprised too at Lyz’s condition. This was the first time he had actually seen the bruising, her back and her face. It made him sick to think about how she got that way. Both Nancy and Maria had tried to explain what they had seen, but nothing prepared him for the reality.
The door slammed as Maria came home and she came to an abrupt halt as she saw an upset Lyz and Jeff Parker; puzzled, she asked, “What’s going on? What are you doing here?” She caught sight of Lyz sitting anxiously in her baggy shorts and tank top.
“Uh, guys?” Maria asked.
“Maria, you need to call Michael and get him over here right now. He saw Lyz like this and he ran off when she wouldn’t tell him what happened.” Jeff explained.
“I’m sorry, Maria. I did not know that he was still here – I thought he had left last night.” Lyz spoke up, trying to apologize for the mess they were in. Maria shook her head.
“Don’t worry about chica – it’s my fault. I thought I’d be home before he woke up – I just had to run to the hospital for a couple of hours. I’ll call Michael.”
The two of them heard Maria talking to Michael in the kitchen “Michael, just get your ass over here right now!” she snapped the phone shut and walked back into the living room and cracked out “Well, this is awkward.”
“Oh Maria, I am so sorry! I never should have stayed here!” Lyz cried out with anxious tears welling up in her large eyes.
Maria immediately felt sympathy for Lyz who looked scared and anxious. She walked over to the girl, sat down beside her and placed a gentle arm around her shoulders. Over the last week, Lyz had slowly opened up to her, telling her about her life or lack of which made Maria feel a fierce sense of protectiveness towards the younger girl.
Maria had never really been close to anyone besides her mother – in high school she was the outsider that outsiders didn’t want to associate with because of her kooky mother, weird clothes, and fierce temper. Even now, she didn’t have any close girlfriends. She was friendly with Ava, Tess, and Isabel only because of Michael and Kyle. But Lyz was different. Lyz would listen to Maria without judging her, without thinking she was weird or crazy, and she wanted Maria to talk instead of trying to get her to shut up. Lyz asked for Maria’s opinion and advice on everything, which made Maria, feel like an older sister, wanted, and she loved that feeling.
“Oh chica. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be ok.” Maria stood with Lyz glued to her side. “I think I’m going to take Lyz to her room and let her change. Let me know when Michael gets here.”
Maria felt Lyz stiffen with embarrassment at the thought of Michael seeing her again and gave her a light squeeze of encouragement. They walked back to Lyz’s room and Lyz quickly changed into a long sleeved t-shirt and baggy yoga pants. She went to the bathroom to take out her hairpins and braid her hair before tucking it up and putting another hat on. When she came back out of the bathroom, she looked solemnly at Maria who was sitting on her bed.
“I think it would be for the best if I leave town. If I stay, my father would not hesitate to hurt anyone that may know his secrets and to find me. I could not stand it if he hurt you or Michael or even the Parkers.”
Maria shook her head and reached over for Lyz’s hands, “No Lyzette, listen to me. Chica, you can’t do this alone. Let us help you; we want to help you. So get the thought of leaving out of your head, right now. Ok?”
Lyz reluctantly but gratefully nodded.
“And of all the people in the world, Michael is the one who understands best about what you went through. Let me tell you a little about Michael.” Maria explained to Lyz how Michael had suffered at Hank’s hands and thought he could survive on his own. It wasn’t until he asked for help from the Evans that he was freed from Hank.
Lyz’s lower lip trembled and tears stood on the verge of falling before she sat down and leaned her head on Maria’s shoulder. “Except for Nicole, I have been alone my whole life. You and the Parkers have shown me more concern than my own mother ever did. That you and others would be willing to risk harm to assist me…I do not know what to say.”
“Hey, just accept it chica. That’s what friends are for.”
“Friends. I like that word very much.”
Maria gave Lyz one last gentle squeeze and led her back to the living room. As the two of them approached they could hear Michael demanding,
“Jeff, I want some answers right now! And the truth! I know what I saw.”
“Michael! Shut up and sit down!’ Maria shouted at her boyfriend with hands on her hips. He whirled around to look at her and look for Lyz. “Oh great! You brought Max too? Geez Michael!”
“Hey – don’t blame me. I couldn’t find you so I went to Max’s. That’s where I was when you called. He stays.”
Before they could continue to argue, Lyz came out from behind Maria and looked straight at the new man standing next to Michael. Lyz’s breath hitched in her throat as she gazed at the stranger. He was not as tall as Michael but he had strong firm features and hair darker than her own. But it was his eyes that made her gasp breathlessly. His eyes were warm amber – just like HIS! This stranger had the same eyes as the man in her dreams!
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Chapter 15
Lyz stared wondrously at the man until she noticed he turned to look at her. She quickly avoided his gaze and walked over to sit near Jeff Parker, not wanting the handsome man discovering her staring gaze. Jeff made sure Lyz was alright before turning back to the group in the living room. He knew that Michael had questions but wasn’t sure if Lyz was comfortable having both Max and Michael know the truth.
“Mr. Parker, Maria has explained that it would for the best if the truth be told. I am still not certain, but I trust both you and Maria to do what is best.”
Jeff smiled and squeezed her hands before he started to tell her story to Max and Michael. He told them who Lyz was, her father, and how he had planned to kill her in order to gain control over her inheritance. He told them about how she had incurred a beating in order to hide Ben, his nephew, how they escaped and came to America. When he was finished, the group was left shocked and amazed.
Maria then added that Lyz’s father could never be held accountable since Lyz’s family didn’t technically exist in Switzerland and he had covered his tracks too well by bribing very powerful people. She explained that Khivar had to keep her alive until her 21st birthday and would then try to kill her afterwards to gain control of her inheritance, and how Lyz planned to get rid of the money as soon as she came into control of it in order to take away Khivar’s reason for killing her. Jeff then asked them all to keep Lyz’s identity a secret and to be careful of new strangers coming around asking questions.
Max and Michael were stunned. They didn’t know how to react or even think. Lyz began to squirm in her seat as everyone continued to stare at her and not say anything. Jeff’s cell phone broke the uncomfortable silence. They could all tell it was Nancy on the other end. When she asked how they had taken things went with Michael, Jeff explained that they were still digesting the information. Nancy offered to bring dinner over for everyone and Jeff agreed it might be the best thing for everyone and went to the kitchen to set up for the food.
Out of everyone in the room, Michael had taken everything in the hardest. He knew better than anyone what it felt like to be at the mercy of someone else and act as their punching bag. But he at least had Isabel and Max to turn to for comfort and it had never gotten as bad as what Lyz had suffered. Michael felt sick to his stomach and he wanted to throw something or yell or something – he hated feeling helpless. He silently stormed out of the room to get some air outside. Maria followed him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She knew he was comparing his experience to Lyz’s.
“I don’t get it Maria! I don’t fucking get it!!! How the hell does someone treat anyone like that fucking bastard treated her and get away with it!” He questioned as he stared into the twilight, holding back his anger. “She’s so small! And what I saw…god! I can’t imagine someone doing that…” Anger choked Michael ability to speak.
“The fact that you can’t imagine doing something like that is what makes you a better person, Michael.” The two of them stood there thinking of Lyz and Michael’s experience. They clung to each other, drawing comfort.
Inside, Max approached the small figure on the couch, trying not to scare her. All he could see was someone small that was covered head to foot in baggy clothes. He didn’t entirely understand what was going on. First Michael had stormed into his apartment, yelling something about bruises on a person named Lyz, then they got a call from Maria, then Jeff Parker tells him the most incredible story. He didn’t know what to make of it. But he did know that the small person in front of him was embarrassed and scared which made him want to put her at ease. When he stood in front of her, he stretched out his hand, “Hi, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Max.”
Lyz peeked up from beneath her oversized hat into the warm friendly amber eyes and had to remind herself to breathe. She felt like she could see his soul in his eyes and it was so beautiful. His soul was kind and gentle. She quickly ducked her head, not wanting him to see her bruised face and quietly placed her hand in his, “Please call me Lyz.”
Max felt a chill go up his arm at the frailty of her delicate small hand in his much larger hand and heard her quiet voice. When she had lifted her head to look at him, her eyes were shielded by the baseball hat but he saw the lower half of her face covered in ugly yellowish green and blue bruises. At the sight of those bruises, he felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. He knew she was tiny, he felt her hand, and yet she had survived a beating almost two weeks ago that still left her covered in bruises.
Max had thought Michael had been exaggerating when he had come over to tell Max about Lyz. Michael had ranted in Maria-like fashion, pacing back and forth in Max’s apartment. Max had listen patiently, never having seen Michael so upset before, and tried to understand everything Michael had said. From what he could make out, Lyz, Maria’s new roommate, had bruises covering her body from face to feet. She wore baggy clothes and a hat to cover everything up and he had no idea why until he finally got a good look at her that morning and she refused to tell Michael what happened. As Max looked at the bruises peeking our from beneath the hat, Max realized that Michael hadn’t been exaggerating.
Lyz fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and Max wanted to make her feel more comfortable by talking about anything but the story that Jeff had related. He stuffed his hands into his front jean pockets, “So, I like your accent, French right? I speak a little of it. I don’t really know that much, um, bon jour and ou est la toilet.”
Lyz gently corrected “Où est la salle de bains, it is more formal for strangers.”
Max grinned, “Oh yeah, that was my Franglish butting in. Uh, can you speak any other language?”
As Max asked the question, Michael and Maria walked back into the room, hand in hand, and they picked up on what Max was trying to do –making Lyz more comfortable. Michael informed him, “Max – she’s smarter than you. She speaks eight, reads 10. She taught me how to swear in Dutch”
“That is so typical of you Michael!” Max laughed.
“Hey, what’s wrong with picking up a little culture?” Michael mockingly asked.
Jeff got the door when it rang a few minutes later and let in Nancy and Lucas. Behind him Nancy could see that Lyz was sitting comfortably with Michael, Maria, and Max. She smiled at Jeff and set up the food in the kitchen. Little Lucas had clung to Nancy all afternoon but when he saw Lyzette, he ran to her.
“Lythette!!!” He barreled himself into her outstretched arm, knocking Lyz’s hat off her head. Max sucked in a breath as he got his first look at the damage to Lyz’s face and couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight. Michael, who couldn’t get the image of Lyz’s bruised face out of his mind, had to suck in a quick breath as he once again saw the severity of the bruises as Maria squeezed his hand. Lyz, embarrassed to have revealed her battered face to the man of her dreams, quickly retrieved her hat, put it on, and cradled Lucas in her arms as he sat facing her and told her excitedly about going shopping.
Lyz shyly avoided looking at the small crowd in the room, especially Max, and tried to listen to Lucas’ excited talk. When Nancy called everyone to eat, she stood with Lucas and followed everyone into the kitchen. Nancy took him from her and sat him down to feed him. After he was settled, she looked at Lyz and whispered “Comment allez-vous?” and was pleased when Lyz answered back, “Bon.”
Everyone sat in the living room eating dinner and listened as Maria told Lyz about how she and Michael had first met each other. After dinner, the Parkers and Lyz answered the questions that Michael and Max had about her past and the plans for the future. As the night wore on, Lucas had again settled in Lyz’s arms and was fighting sleep. When he looked like he was about to drift off, Jeff and Nancy decided to leave. They gathered their things and Nancy reached for Lucas, but he threw his arms around Lyz and whined that he wanted to stay with Lyz who gently handed him over to Nancy. Smiling gratefully at Lyz, Nancy and Jeff left for the night while she watched from the doorway.
Closing the door behind the Parkers, she heard Maria and Michael fighting over if they would watch ‘Braveheart’ again that night. Lyz stood in the doorway and looked over the little group in the living room – watching a bickering Maria and Michael. Max sat stretched out on his stomach in front of the TV and was trying not to laugh at the fighting pair. Lyz was still worried about having too many people know her secret, but for the first time in her life, Lyz didn’t feel alone.
Chapter 15
Lyz stared wondrously at the man until she noticed he turned to look at her. She quickly avoided his gaze and walked over to sit near Jeff Parker, not wanting the handsome man discovering her staring gaze. Jeff made sure Lyz was alright before turning back to the group in the living room. He knew that Michael had questions but wasn’t sure if Lyz was comfortable having both Max and Michael know the truth.
“Mr. Parker, Maria has explained that it would for the best if the truth be told. I am still not certain, but I trust both you and Maria to do what is best.”
Jeff smiled and squeezed her hands before he started to tell her story to Max and Michael. He told them who Lyz was, her father, and how he had planned to kill her in order to gain control over her inheritance. He told them about how she had incurred a beating in order to hide Ben, his nephew, how they escaped and came to America. When he was finished, the group was left shocked and amazed.
Maria then added that Lyz’s father could never be held accountable since Lyz’s family didn’t technically exist in Switzerland and he had covered his tracks too well by bribing very powerful people. She explained that Khivar had to keep her alive until her 21st birthday and would then try to kill her afterwards to gain control of her inheritance, and how Lyz planned to get rid of the money as soon as she came into control of it in order to take away Khivar’s reason for killing her. Jeff then asked them all to keep Lyz’s identity a secret and to be careful of new strangers coming around asking questions.
Max and Michael were stunned. They didn’t know how to react or even think. Lyz began to squirm in her seat as everyone continued to stare at her and not say anything. Jeff’s cell phone broke the uncomfortable silence. They could all tell it was Nancy on the other end. When she asked how they had taken things went with Michael, Jeff explained that they were still digesting the information. Nancy offered to bring dinner over for everyone and Jeff agreed it might be the best thing for everyone and went to the kitchen to set up for the food.
Out of everyone in the room, Michael had taken everything in the hardest. He knew better than anyone what it felt like to be at the mercy of someone else and act as their punching bag. But he at least had Isabel and Max to turn to for comfort and it had never gotten as bad as what Lyz had suffered. Michael felt sick to his stomach and he wanted to throw something or yell or something – he hated feeling helpless. He silently stormed out of the room to get some air outside. Maria followed him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She knew he was comparing his experience to Lyz’s.
“I don’t get it Maria! I don’t fucking get it!!! How the hell does someone treat anyone like that fucking bastard treated her and get away with it!” He questioned as he stared into the twilight, holding back his anger. “She’s so small! And what I saw…god! I can’t imagine someone doing that…” Anger choked Michael ability to speak.
“The fact that you can’t imagine doing something like that is what makes you a better person, Michael.” The two of them stood there thinking of Lyz and Michael’s experience. They clung to each other, drawing comfort.
Inside, Max approached the small figure on the couch, trying not to scare her. All he could see was someone small that was covered head to foot in baggy clothes. He didn’t entirely understand what was going on. First Michael had stormed into his apartment, yelling something about bruises on a person named Lyz, then they got a call from Maria, then Jeff Parker tells him the most incredible story. He didn’t know what to make of it. But he did know that the small person in front of him was embarrassed and scared which made him want to put her at ease. When he stood in front of her, he stretched out his hand, “Hi, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Max.”
Lyz peeked up from beneath her oversized hat into the warm friendly amber eyes and had to remind herself to breathe. She felt like she could see his soul in his eyes and it was so beautiful. His soul was kind and gentle. She quickly ducked her head, not wanting him to see her bruised face and quietly placed her hand in his, “Please call me Lyz.”
Max felt a chill go up his arm at the frailty of her delicate small hand in his much larger hand and heard her quiet voice. When she had lifted her head to look at him, her eyes were shielded by the baseball hat but he saw the lower half of her face covered in ugly yellowish green and blue bruises. At the sight of those bruises, he felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. He knew she was tiny, he felt her hand, and yet she had survived a beating almost two weeks ago that still left her covered in bruises.
Max had thought Michael had been exaggerating when he had come over to tell Max about Lyz. Michael had ranted in Maria-like fashion, pacing back and forth in Max’s apartment. Max had listen patiently, never having seen Michael so upset before, and tried to understand everything Michael had said. From what he could make out, Lyz, Maria’s new roommate, had bruises covering her body from face to feet. She wore baggy clothes and a hat to cover everything up and he had no idea why until he finally got a good look at her that morning and she refused to tell Michael what happened. As Max looked at the bruises peeking our from beneath the hat, Max realized that Michael hadn’t been exaggerating.
Lyz fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and Max wanted to make her feel more comfortable by talking about anything but the story that Jeff had related. He stuffed his hands into his front jean pockets, “So, I like your accent, French right? I speak a little of it. I don’t really know that much, um, bon jour and ou est la toilet.”
Lyz gently corrected “Où est la salle de bains, it is more formal for strangers.”
Max grinned, “Oh yeah, that was my Franglish butting in. Uh, can you speak any other language?”
As Max asked the question, Michael and Maria walked back into the room, hand in hand, and they picked up on what Max was trying to do –making Lyz more comfortable. Michael informed him, “Max – she’s smarter than you. She speaks eight, reads 10. She taught me how to swear in Dutch”
“That is so typical of you Michael!” Max laughed.
“Hey, what’s wrong with picking up a little culture?” Michael mockingly asked.
Jeff got the door when it rang a few minutes later and let in Nancy and Lucas. Behind him Nancy could see that Lyz was sitting comfortably with Michael, Maria, and Max. She smiled at Jeff and set up the food in the kitchen. Little Lucas had clung to Nancy all afternoon but when he saw Lyzette, he ran to her.
“Lythette!!!” He barreled himself into her outstretched arm, knocking Lyz’s hat off her head. Max sucked in a breath as he got his first look at the damage to Lyz’s face and couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight. Michael, who couldn’t get the image of Lyz’s bruised face out of his mind, had to suck in a quick breath as he once again saw the severity of the bruises as Maria squeezed his hand. Lyz, embarrassed to have revealed her battered face to the man of her dreams, quickly retrieved her hat, put it on, and cradled Lucas in her arms as he sat facing her and told her excitedly about going shopping.
Lyz shyly avoided looking at the small crowd in the room, especially Max, and tried to listen to Lucas’ excited talk. When Nancy called everyone to eat, she stood with Lucas and followed everyone into the kitchen. Nancy took him from her and sat him down to feed him. After he was settled, she looked at Lyz and whispered “Comment allez-vous?” and was pleased when Lyz answered back, “Bon.”
Everyone sat in the living room eating dinner and listened as Maria told Lyz about how she and Michael had first met each other. After dinner, the Parkers and Lyz answered the questions that Michael and Max had about her past and the plans for the future. As the night wore on, Lucas had again settled in Lyz’s arms and was fighting sleep. When he looked like he was about to drift off, Jeff and Nancy decided to leave. They gathered their things and Nancy reached for Lucas, but he threw his arms around Lyz and whined that he wanted to stay with Lyz who gently handed him over to Nancy. Smiling gratefully at Lyz, Nancy and Jeff left for the night while she watched from the doorway.
Closing the door behind the Parkers, she heard Maria and Michael fighting over if they would watch ‘Braveheart’ again that night. Lyz stood in the doorway and looked over the little group in the living room – watching a bickering Maria and Michael. Max sat stretched out on his stomach in front of the TV and was trying not to laugh at the fighting pair. Lyz was still worried about having too many people know her secret, but for the first time in her life, Lyz didn’t feel alone.
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Hey guys - I'm so excited about this chapter because the next chapter is where all the mushy stuff starts! The next chapter was the most fun to write!! Thanks for sticking with me and the story!
Chapter 16
After Max and Michael found out the truth about Lyz, it took them over a week to convince her that her secret was safe with them and that they weren’t going to suffer from knowing it. When she finally accepted that, Michael and Max conspired with Maria to make her more comfortable by coming over to the house often for dinner and movies. The three of them had fun introducing Lyz to the world of computers, video games, and poker. They had all teased her about the house-load of food that she had bought a week ago and watched with a mixture of amusement and concern when Lyz would open up something new to try.
Both Michael and Max had felt a surge of anger towards the unknown Khivar when they found out that Lyz couldn’t eat very much because it upset her stomach. But they, including Maria, became sick when Lyz explained that she had never really eaten very much or at all because Khivar or Nicholas would punch her in the stomach and she had not wanted to vomit or sometimes they would beat her so badly that she couldn’t eat more than nourishing broth. Lyz explained it so flatly and without emotion that they didn’t have to ask how often it would happen – her voice told them it happened on an all too regular basis.
Whenever Lyz would reveal a part of her nightmare, the three of them would try hide their reaction-tears, anger, sadness so that Lyz would feel free to open up to them. It took Lyz a couple of days to fully realize that she could open up to her new friends and she was amazed at the feeling of relief, like a heavy burden had been lifted from her soul, just by sharing her secret. Michael, Max, and Maria’s patience was rewarded with Lyz’s genuine happy smile and carefree laughter.
To Michael, seeing Lyz smile made the anger in the pit of his stomach ease. For Maria, Lyz’s smile and wonder in her eyes were bittersweet - it drove home the fact that Lyz had no childhood, that she was just now experiencing life. But Lyz’s smile also drove home the point that she was happy, which made Maria happy.
To Max, seeing Lyz smile was something special and he was constantly checking for her smile and wondering what she looked like without the bruises. At first, he had felt sorry for her when she opened up and shared with them parts of her life at the chateau, but when Lyz sensed his pity, she refused it. She let Max know that she was proud to have survived and refused to let anyone feel pity for her. And Max had to admire Lyz’s attitude. When he was in her presence, he felt like he could never take the small things for granted, or even look at life the same way.
Max was actually surprised to find himself spending a lot of his free time with Lyz, even leaving work on time, at 5:00PM, so he could go over to her house and have dinner with her, Maria, and Michael. The more time Max spent with Lyz, the more he became fascinated with her. He liked how she was always looking to try new things and was willing to laugh at herself, but she also surprised him with her views on law and politics, citing classics like Plato and even Caesar. For the first time in his life, he found himself challenged intellectually and he liked it. Michael and Maria would often grow bored when Max and Lyz would start debating politics and theories, but Max actually looked forward to matching wits with Lyz.
Deep in their argument, neither noticed when Maria would just sit and stare at the two of them, smiling to herself. Maria noticed how Max seemed to spend a lot of time at their place and went out of his way to make Lyz more comfortable. At first, she suspected it was because he felt sorry for Lyz. But then she noticed that whenever Max would come into the room, Lyz seemed to perk up a bit more than usual. Then Maria noticed that Max would get a certain sparkle in his eye when he would be arguing with Lyz. When the two of them were together, there was a certain chemistry that seemed to crackle in the room, but she didn’t want to spoil any potential possibilities by saying anything. So, she watched and hoped.
During one of their dinners together, Maria brought up the play that she was starring in with Max and Michael and casually invited Lyz to the performance. Lyz politely turned her down. It took three straight days of constant begging and whining, but Maria finally convinced Lyz to go out in public and attend the play. Lyz agreed to go to the play only if she was sitting with the Parkers and avoided the large crowds. So Maria arranged for Lyz to sit in the balcony area along with the Parkers and arranged for them to come through the back. Lyz enjoyed the musical play and the costumes as well-especially Max’s. She had actually gotten breathless when she saw Max’s bare arms and exposed chest in his sexy tank top.
After the play, the Parkers persuaded Lyz to attend the small party for the crew at the Crashdown by promising that she could escape to their apartment if too many people started asking awkward questions. When the Parkers and Lyz got to the restaurant, it was closed but inside was a blonde waitress sweeping the floor. Lyz remembered her as the girl who insulted her and she burned with the memory of the girl’s rude behavior. She wanted to say something to Jeff, but instead she ignored the rude blonde and sat at a booth. As Nancy went upstairs to tuck in Lucas, Lyz heard Jeff greeted the blonde girl and call her ‘Tess’.
Jeff walked over to Lyz after sending Tess into the kitchen to prepare the food and asked how she wanted her burger cooked. When she replied that she had never had a burger and didn’t know how she wanted it cooked, Jeff decided that she should be allowed to try all of the Crashdown’s burgers. He led her to the kitchen and made her several kinds of mini-burgers to try. He filled up a plate and set it before her as the cast of the play came in.
Lyz shrank away from the exuberant crowd and tried not to be conspicuous as she nibbled at her mini-burgers. She saw Jeff call over Maria and point in her direction. An excited Maria rushed over to Lyz who gave her a hug and congratulated her on a well done performance. The actors were giddy with their success and relief that the play was over. Maria pulled on Lyz’s hand and pushed her way to a small crowd of people that included Michael and Max.
Lyz pulled her hand away from Maria’s and silently shook her head, letting Maria know that she was too embarrassed and self-conscious about her appearance to meet anyone new. Maria stopped to sympathize with Lyz’s embarrassment and whispered to Lyz to stay where she was - she’d send over Michael or Max. Maria charged forward and melted into the loud crowd while Lyz shrank back into the shadows and wistfully looked over to the group that Maria joined. Lyz wanted to join Maria, wanted to laugh and be lighthearted but she didn’t dare risk any more people getting trapped by her nightmare.
Maria reached up and whispered in Michael’s ear, “Hey – Lyz is too shy about you-know-what to meet anyone. Try to say hi sometime tonight without drawing too much attention, ok?”
Michael nodded in understanding and searched nonchalantly around the room until he found Lyz standing in the back of the room, near the entrance to the kitchen. He waited until Maria started talking a mile a minute about the play and some of the things that went wrong before he quietly made his way over to Lyz. He stood half turned so that Lyz was semi-protected from the crowd and asked if she enjoying the night.
“Oh Michael! I just tried burgers for the first time, tonight! And the play! Maria was so wonderful!” Lyz waved a partially eaten mini-burger in the air as she talked.
“You mean I haven’t told you about burgers, before? Man, I must be slacking!” Michael teased.
Michael and Lyz didn’t realize they were being watched very carefully by Isabel. Inspecting the new girl’s appearance, Isabel became curious about the girl who wore such baggy ill fitting clothes and asked Maria about her. Maria tried to calmly lie, but she had never been good at lying and she broke out into a sweat. She stumbled over an explanation of how they met and how the Parkers had referred her. Maria tried to stick as close to the truth as she could, but she could tell that her stumbling explanations just made Isabel suspicious.
Maria tried to change the subject and even went so far as to bring up Jim and Amy’s wedding plans in order to distract Isabel from Lyz. For a few minutes, the distraction worked and Maria felt some relief and went to get another sandwich from the food laden table Jeff had set up for the crew. As soon as she was gone, Isabel’s attention was again riveted to Maria’s new roommate. Isabel became even more suspicious when she noticed Max walking over to her.
Lyz sat quietly at the counter where Michael had deposited her, smiling tiredly but with happiness at being around such nice people and observing the exuberant crowd. A few minutes later, Max noticed her alone and sat down beside her,
“What are you drinking?”
“Cherry Coke.”
“Really? Well, then, may I suggest, as a seasoned soda drinker, that you add a lime to your cherry coke? It gives it just a little taste of sour – it balances out the sweetness.” Max recommended as he got up and went behind the counter for lime.
Lyz smiled at him as he placed the lime into her glass and Max found himself suddenly captivated by her smile, going still as he took it in. He shook himself out of his daze and sat back down – trying to think of something to say but Lyz beat him to it.
“May I inquire how you chose your profession? You have never really said.”
As she questioned him, Max realized how much he loved Lyz’s voice with it’s light accent and gentleness. Shaking his head in exasperation at himself, he launched into a lengthy dialogue about his why he chose law school and how he joined his parent’s firm. When he started talking about graduating from college and then going on to law school, Lyz interrupted him and asked him to explain about the difference between the two.
Max wanted to kick himself for not remembering how isolated she had been. He explained the difference to Lyz who then told him about the school systems in Europe and how they differed. Max offered to take get some information for her about the nearby college so that if she wanted to, she could enroll after she took the GED. Lyz accepted eagerly with dazzling smile and once again Max found himself captivated.
They were interrupted by Isabel who decided that the only way to find out about Lyz was to meet her. Isabel stood at Max’s side as she smiled at the small woman. “Hi – I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Isabel, Max’s sister.”
Lyz bit her lip nervously and tried to keep her head down so no hint of the bruises would show, “Hello. I am Lyzette, Lyz for short.”
Isabel was a bit surprised at the formality of Lyz’s speech, “Lyzette – I like that. Sounds…regal. What’s wrong with you?” Isabel asked Max as he choked on his soda and started coughing. Max shot Lyz a brief glance and noticed she didn’t seem fazed at all. Instead, she calmly replied to Isabel,
“Thank you.”
Knowing Isabel, Max sensed that his sister had some very direct, invasive questions for Lyz and he tried to head her off, “So, Lyz, what did you think of the play?”
“It was wonderful. I think you and the rest of the group did a wonderful job.” Lyz answered.
As Isabel opened her mouth, Alex interrupted the small group by slinging his arm around Isabel’s shoulders, “You bet they were wonderful. But did you notice the lighting? The careful and exact lighting of the play showed off the nuances of each emotion, enhancing every moment!”
Lyz bit back a smile, “I take it, you were the lighting technician?”
Alex grinned goofily, “Yeah – that obvious huh?”
Isabel moved to hug Alex and kissed him on the cheek, “You were wonderful, Alex.”
“Well, I couldn’t have my gorgeous fiancée in bad lighting, now could I?” He looked adoringly at Isabel before turning back to Lyz and Max, “Oh, hey, I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Alex, Alex Whitman.” Alex held out his hand to Lyz. Lyz hesitatingly reached out her hand after glancing at Max for reassurance, “I am Lyzette, Lyz for short.”
Alex felt a small hand grasp his hand and he felt a small shiver of unease run down his back. The hand was too fragile, too small - it felt like it would break with any pressure. Alex tried to hide his reaction by lightly squeezing the hand.
“I take it that you’re Maria’s new roommate. Man – I don’t envy you at all!”
Lyz’s head shot up and her spine stiffened with indignation, “Maria is wonderful. She has been a great source of knowledge and information.”
Alex held out his hands defensively “Whoa, I didn’t mean that she was bad person, I just meant that I felt bad you had to put up with Michael!”
“But Michael…” Max interrupted Lyz’s defense of Michael by lightly placing his hand on her arm.
“Lyz, he’s kidding. Teasing-remember?” Max deliberately referred to a couple of nights ago when Michael and Maria had to teach Lyz the meaning of teasing. Lyz had gotten upset when Michael had teasingly called her ‘princess’. It took Maria and Michael several minutes to explain that sometimes teasing was used to show affection and that it really meant no harm. Michael had told Max about the incident because he still couldn’t get over how isolated Lyz had been, not even knowing what teasing was.
“Oh.”
Awkward silence fell between the small group and Alex tried to cover it up, “Yeah, don’t take me seriously. Michael’s a great guy – I just like to give him a hard time.”
“Teasing him because you like him, yes?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
Max could see that Isabel was staring at Lyz and could read the questions rapidly going through her mind. Again he tried to distract Isabel,
“Alex really does like Michael. In fact, I remember not too long ago that Alex did a dance for him on his birthday…”
Alex groaned in embarrassment while Isabel started to laugh and Alex protested, “Max! You promised you’d never bring that up again!” Alex mockingly glared at Isabel, “The things I do for you, my love.”
“Oh god! You should have seen the look on Michael’s face!!!” Isabel kept laughing.
Lyz looked questioningly at Max and he too started to laugh. Alex sighed dramatically to try and hide his amusement “I see I’ll have to tell you the whole story.”
“No, no, please, let me.” Isabel laughed. “Michael has always been like a brother to me and Max, a pain the ass brother, but still, a brother. He had just started dating Maria seriously and he was talking about how he never had any fun anymore because of her. So Max and I came up with this idea.”
“A practical joke, prank.” Max clarified for Lyz.
“We told Michael that we were going to get him a very special birthday cake, one that included a special “surprise”. The night of the party, we rolled out this huge fake cake with Alex inside of it. Alex popped out and started doing his strip tease dance for Michael…oh god, you should have seen Michael’s face!!! It was priceless!!”
Isabel and Max were laughing while Alex tried to look offended. Lyz looked from Max to Isabel to Alex trying to understand the joke.
“I am sorry, what is a strip tease dance?”
Isabel’s laughter slowed as she looked incredulously at Lyz. Even Alex had a bemused look on his face which made Lyz feel even more self-conscious. Max quickly stepped in to try and explain,
“Lyz here has been pretty sheltered, living in an isolated private boarding school. It was more strict than convent – not allowing TV or even magazines at the school.”
Alex and Isabel seemed mollified at the explanation but Isabel still thought something was not quite right with the whole situation. She allowed Max to distract her and Alex with talk about upcoming wedding plans, but she couldn’t help but watch Lyz out of the corner of her eye. Part of her wondered at the air of mystery surrounding Lyz, but the other part of her wondered at the chemistry between her brother and the mystery woman. A small flicker of hope flared through her as she thought about Max actually taking notice of a real woman, not some dream girl.
Isabel wandered over to Ava and briefly mentioned to her about what had happened which made Ava take a closer look at Lyz who was absorbed in a private conversation with Max. She looked back at Isabel, “Do you want me to check her out?”
Isabel was silent for a few minutes, weighing her options. She really wanted to know more about Lyz, but she didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy. Finally, she made up her mind, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Later that night when he was preparing for bed, Max thought back over the evening and was surprised to realize he had spent the majority of time with Lyz. Unlike most people, Lyz was easy to talk to about a variety of different subjects, and they had discussed everything from baseball to literature. Inevitably, their conversation turned to politics and they started debating over the politics of the French during WWII. In the middle of their debate, Lyz had started to laugh over a point Max was trying to make and Max suddenly realized that he was attracted to Lyz which confused him since he really didn’t know what she looked like. Lying in bed he wondered if it had been his imagination, or was Lyz attracted to him as well? As he drifted off to sleep, he briefly wondered what had happened to the dreams of HER.
The day after the play and the party at the Crashdown, Maria came home to find the house quiet and dark which was odd because Lyz usually greeted her when she came home. Entering the kitchen and flipping on the lights, Maria headed to Lyz’s room and suddenly gasped.
Lyz’s dresser drawers were pulled open, clothes were scattered everywhere, and Maria couldn’t find a sign of Lyz’s suitcases.
Heart racing and in full panic mode, Maria called the Parkers and let them know what had happened. They too became worried about Lyz. Maria went around the house to see if anything else seemed out of place. In the dining room, sitting in the center was a piece of paper. Maria picked up the paper and then gasped in disbelief. The paper was a brief note from Lyz explaining that she had to go back Italy in order to help Nicole. She asked Maria be careful and to alert the Parkers as well.
With the warning from Maria, the Parkers decided to get away from Roswell for a little while. Since Michael was their manager and they had planned on going on vacation before, they decided the restaurant would be ok in Michael’s hands. They packed as quickly as they could and arranged to have Michael cover for them. By midnight, the Parkers were driving out of town with an anxious Maria and Michael waving them off.
Lyz landed in Rome mid-afternoon and her heart began to pound as she prepared to get off the plane. She checked herself into a busy tourist hotel room and rang a phone number when she was alone. She arranged to join a walking tour of Rome along with other US tourists later in the afternoon. Before going out on the tour, Lyzette slipped on a sloppy newspaper boy hat and dark sunglasses. She dressed in casually, namely a logo long-sleeve T-shirt, windbreaker and baggy yoga pants and sneakers. She made sure to pick up a camera to carry as a prop before meeting the walking tour. As she walked along the popular tour of the Roman fountains, she slipped away from the group to make a phone call in a phone booth.
On the other end, Nicole picked up the phone. Nicole began to cry in relief when she heard Lyzette’s voice and told Lyzette about what was going on. Nicole and her boyfriend, Enrique, had been in a panic since they read an article in the papers a week ago about a dead body being identified as Ranulf, the man who had helped Nicole and Lyzette escape the chateau. Nicole and Enrique decided to play it safe and leave the country instead of waiting to find out of King Khivar was behind Ranulf’s death. They quietly left their home and made their way to Rome in order to contact Lyzette. They desperately needed money in order to buy fake papers to go to America which was why Nicole contacted Lyzette.
Lyzette listened patiently as Nicole told her the whole story and then arranged to meet them in a busy café that evening. She instructed that Nicole and Enrique take precautions by disguising themselves but to bring along a copy of The New York Times so that she could recognize them.
After hanging up the phone, Lyzette took a taxi back to the hotel and checked out. Dragging her small carry-on behind her, Lyzette walked towards the entrance of the hotel but then slipped into the bathroom. She slipped into one of the stalls and sat down with the case on her lap. From the carry-on, Lyzette pulled out a backpack with a change of clothes in it. As she changed her clothes, she wondered if all the precautions were really necessary but she didn’t want to risk being caught by her father. Lyzette slipped on a pair of olive green cargo pants, a long sleeved T-shirt, and a pair of black combat boots.
She packed her discarded clothes along with her hat into the carryon. She zipped it up and came out of the stall. From her backpack she pulled out a long blonde wig and a baseball cap. She put them on, applied some more fake tan on her face, and then added some makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, she almost smiled, not recognizing herself. Lyzette hid her carry-on case behind a large potted plant in the waiting area of the bathroom before she headed out the door -her first stop was the bank. She met with a manager to grab money from her safety deposit box and arranged to have the rest of her savings account wired to her US account number. Once she closed her European account, Lyzette left the bank to meet Nicole and Enrique.
Entering the café, Lyzette casually looked around the room and saw a couple sitting with a copy of The New York Times and a couple of suitcases close to door. Approaching the table cautiously, Lyzette recognized Nicole despite her attempts at a disguise. She greeted Nicole and quickly ushered the couple out of the café into a taxi. Inside the taxi, Lyzette embraced Nicole, a look of understanding passing between the two old friends. She desperately wanted to talk with her about what was going on but it was more important to get out of Italy. Enrique instructed the taxi to an address and as the taxi pulled up outside a small apartment building, Lyzette discreetly handed over a roll of money. Nicole and Lyzette waited silently and anxiously in the cab for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes. Enrique came running back out and had the taxi rush to the airport. Enrique handed Nicole her new passport and I.D. They were now Anthony and Angelica Edwards.
At the airport, Enrique and Nicole had to decide where they wanted to live. After some light discussion, Lyzette bought the three of them airline tickets to Anchorage, Alaska. It wasn’t until they were in the air that the three of them breathed with relief. Lyzette turned to Nicole and smiled as Nicole squeezed her hand. Nicole leaned close and started to talk softly “It’s so good to see you. I thought for sure we’d never see each other again. Thank you for helping us.”
“Did you really think I would ignore your plea? You helped me survive my father for years and then you risked your life to help me escape. How could I not help you?” whispered back Lyzette.
“I really was not sure you would want to risk coming back to Italy and possible your father or Nicholas.”
“I was afraid, but I had to help you. Tell me what happened.”
Nicole was silent for a moment then told Lyzette
“We are not really sure. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that an unidentified body was found along the side of the road. His body had been so badly decomposed, and there was no wallet, that they could not identify him. Then, a week ago, the papers said that they were able to identify the body as Ranulf Giraurd. When Enrique saw the notification in the paper, I panicked...ran. I-I know it sounds like I’m paranoid, but to be truthful, both Enrique and I are.”
“No, you were right to be extra cautious. My father is capable of anything.” Lyzette told her. “What about your grandparents?”
Nicole let her know her grandparents had liked their vacation in southern France so much they sold their home and moved there permanently. They hadn’t left any friends behind since they had lived in such an isolated place. Nicole had told them to be very discreet about letting people know about her and where they had come from.
During their flight, Nicole introduced Lyzette to her boyfriend and future husband then told her all that had happened since they parted ways. Lyzette confided to Nicole about Ben and her experiences without telling her where she was located. Once they reached Anchorage, they checked into a hotel and slept since the overnight flight from Rome hadn’t been that comfortable. Lyzette tried calling Maria at their apartment but she wasn’t home, so she left a message saying that everything was fine and she would come back when she could.
The first thing they did the next day was to go shopping. It was bitter cold in Anchorage, Alaska compared to Italy or New Mexico and all three were unprepared. It took Nicole and Enrique several days search for an apartment and then furniture for their new place. Lyzette had to insist on paying for furniture but Nicole would not let Lyzette pay more than 6 months of rent on their new apartment.
In order to get along in Anchorage by themselves, Lyzette and Nicole had to teach Enrique how to speak English. Lyzette had only planned on staying a week to get Nicole and Enrique settled but the one week turned into three, then four because the English lessons weren’t going very well. After five and a half weeks, Lyzette was ready to leave but a sudden ice storm grounded all the planes for another week. In the mean time, Lyzette was able to help Nicole and Enrique get jobs. She had been able to talk to Maria once to let her know she was ok and would be coming home as soon as she could. Lyzette wanted desperately to ask if Max had asked about her, but she bit her tongue before she could ask.
Ever since the night of the cast party when she had spent the majority of the night quietly talking with Max, Lyzette found herself often wondering if there were any deeper meanings to his words. When he said, ‘See you later.” Did he mean “I won’t be able to breathe until we meet again” or was it just another example of American slang, something someone says to fill space? Was he, too, thinking about the attraction between the two of them? Or was it all in her mind, which it could be, since he had never really seen what she looked like. Lyz tried to dismiss the thoughts of Max from her mind.
Meanwhile, Maria had to stave off questions from Ava and Isabel. When she informed them that Lyz had just taken off for awhile, they started to ask questions about what she did for a living, how she could afford things without a job, did Maria do a background check, etc. A week after Lyz left, Isabel went to Maria’s house and finally confessed,
“Maria, I had Ava check into Lyz’s background.”
Maria was stunned and then began to panic “What? Are you crazy? How could you do that?”
“Well you seemed awfully nervous the night of the party and wouldn’t look me in the eye. And then Max kept jumping in before I could ask your roommate any questions – it all made me suspicious. Alex even agreed with me that everything seemed a bit suspicious. Ava did a search, a very extensive search, and found no information on your roommate. Now we’re both suspicious. Tell me the truth Maria, what’s going on? Who is Lyzette?”
Maria sighed in tired defeat, “Before I can tell you anything, I have to make a call.”
Maria went to her room, leaving Isabel in the living room and called the Parkers on their cell phone. After discussing it with the Parkers, they agreed to let Maria tell the entire group since Isabel wouldn’t be able to keep the information from Ava or Alex. Hanging up with the Parkers, Maria made calls to Michael and had Isabel call Alex, Ava, and then Kyle. When everyone arrive, both Maria and Michael swore the rest of the group to secrecy. On their promises, Maria told them the truth about Lyz’s past and how she arrived in Roswell. There had been a barrage of questions that both Michael and Maria answered. Afterwards, they stressed the fact that Ben and Lyz’s safety depended on their secrecy.
While everyone else promised to keep Lyz’s secret, Isabel vowed to herself that she would help Lyz. She remembered how helpless and angry she had felt when she found out about Michael and his situation. She hadn’t been able to help him very much since Michael wasn’t the talking type and he really didn’t want to talk to her. Michael finally opened up to Max and Philip, but he was too embarrassed to talk with Isabel. So, she had frustratingly stood by, leaving him alone. But this time, she knew she could help Lyz.
When Lyz called Maria to let her know she was ok, Maria briefly explained what had happened. Lyz’s silence warned Maria that Lyz was worried about having too many people know about her and rushed to try and reassure Lyz that everything was ok. After some quick talking, Maria finally heard Lyz tell her it was ok. Lyz promised they’d talk after she came home which would be as soon as she could. Maria spread the word to the Parkers and then Max.
Max had been doing pull-ups in his room when he got Maria’s message and wondered if Lyz was really ok. He thought of their time together at the party as he lay awake on his bed and he remembered what she had looked like without the baseball hat covering her face. He suddenly wondered what she would look like without the bruises. He fell asleep realizing that he really wasn’t that concerned about what she looked like – he liked her smile.
***Teaser for Chapter 17! There is mushy stuff!!***
For Max, his whole world faded and focused on the dark haired woman – it was HER! There, standing before him being crushed by Maria, was his dream girl! The hair, the eyes, the smile – they belonged to HER! He couldn’t believe it! She was more beautiful in person than in his dreams. Her hair begged him to stroke it, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and her skin looked creamy and flawless, and her smile….
Max had to do a double take and look at that smile again.
Her smile…her smile looked so familiar…so much like Lyz’s smile that it confused him until he looked at her more closely…it was Lyz!
Chapter 16
After Max and Michael found out the truth about Lyz, it took them over a week to convince her that her secret was safe with them and that they weren’t going to suffer from knowing it. When she finally accepted that, Michael and Max conspired with Maria to make her more comfortable by coming over to the house often for dinner and movies. The three of them had fun introducing Lyz to the world of computers, video games, and poker. They had all teased her about the house-load of food that she had bought a week ago and watched with a mixture of amusement and concern when Lyz would open up something new to try.
Both Michael and Max had felt a surge of anger towards the unknown Khivar when they found out that Lyz couldn’t eat very much because it upset her stomach. But they, including Maria, became sick when Lyz explained that she had never really eaten very much or at all because Khivar or Nicholas would punch her in the stomach and she had not wanted to vomit or sometimes they would beat her so badly that she couldn’t eat more than nourishing broth. Lyz explained it so flatly and without emotion that they didn’t have to ask how often it would happen – her voice told them it happened on an all too regular basis.
Whenever Lyz would reveal a part of her nightmare, the three of them would try hide their reaction-tears, anger, sadness so that Lyz would feel free to open up to them. It took Lyz a couple of days to fully realize that she could open up to her new friends and she was amazed at the feeling of relief, like a heavy burden had been lifted from her soul, just by sharing her secret. Michael, Max, and Maria’s patience was rewarded with Lyz’s genuine happy smile and carefree laughter.
To Michael, seeing Lyz smile made the anger in the pit of his stomach ease. For Maria, Lyz’s smile and wonder in her eyes were bittersweet - it drove home the fact that Lyz had no childhood, that she was just now experiencing life. But Lyz’s smile also drove home the point that she was happy, which made Maria happy.
To Max, seeing Lyz smile was something special and he was constantly checking for her smile and wondering what she looked like without the bruises. At first, he had felt sorry for her when she opened up and shared with them parts of her life at the chateau, but when Lyz sensed his pity, she refused it. She let Max know that she was proud to have survived and refused to let anyone feel pity for her. And Max had to admire Lyz’s attitude. When he was in her presence, he felt like he could never take the small things for granted, or even look at life the same way.
Max was actually surprised to find himself spending a lot of his free time with Lyz, even leaving work on time, at 5:00PM, so he could go over to her house and have dinner with her, Maria, and Michael. The more time Max spent with Lyz, the more he became fascinated with her. He liked how she was always looking to try new things and was willing to laugh at herself, but she also surprised him with her views on law and politics, citing classics like Plato and even Caesar. For the first time in his life, he found himself challenged intellectually and he liked it. Michael and Maria would often grow bored when Max and Lyz would start debating politics and theories, but Max actually looked forward to matching wits with Lyz.
Deep in their argument, neither noticed when Maria would just sit and stare at the two of them, smiling to herself. Maria noticed how Max seemed to spend a lot of time at their place and went out of his way to make Lyz more comfortable. At first, she suspected it was because he felt sorry for Lyz. But then she noticed that whenever Max would come into the room, Lyz seemed to perk up a bit more than usual. Then Maria noticed that Max would get a certain sparkle in his eye when he would be arguing with Lyz. When the two of them were together, there was a certain chemistry that seemed to crackle in the room, but she didn’t want to spoil any potential possibilities by saying anything. So, she watched and hoped.
During one of their dinners together, Maria brought up the play that she was starring in with Max and Michael and casually invited Lyz to the performance. Lyz politely turned her down. It took three straight days of constant begging and whining, but Maria finally convinced Lyz to go out in public and attend the play. Lyz agreed to go to the play only if she was sitting with the Parkers and avoided the large crowds. So Maria arranged for Lyz to sit in the balcony area along with the Parkers and arranged for them to come through the back. Lyz enjoyed the musical play and the costumes as well-especially Max’s. She had actually gotten breathless when she saw Max’s bare arms and exposed chest in his sexy tank top.
After the play, the Parkers persuaded Lyz to attend the small party for the crew at the Crashdown by promising that she could escape to their apartment if too many people started asking awkward questions. When the Parkers and Lyz got to the restaurant, it was closed but inside was a blonde waitress sweeping the floor. Lyz remembered her as the girl who insulted her and she burned with the memory of the girl’s rude behavior. She wanted to say something to Jeff, but instead she ignored the rude blonde and sat at a booth. As Nancy went upstairs to tuck in Lucas, Lyz heard Jeff greeted the blonde girl and call her ‘Tess’.
Jeff walked over to Lyz after sending Tess into the kitchen to prepare the food and asked how she wanted her burger cooked. When she replied that she had never had a burger and didn’t know how she wanted it cooked, Jeff decided that she should be allowed to try all of the Crashdown’s burgers. He led her to the kitchen and made her several kinds of mini-burgers to try. He filled up a plate and set it before her as the cast of the play came in.
Lyz shrank away from the exuberant crowd and tried not to be conspicuous as she nibbled at her mini-burgers. She saw Jeff call over Maria and point in her direction. An excited Maria rushed over to Lyz who gave her a hug and congratulated her on a well done performance. The actors were giddy with their success and relief that the play was over. Maria pulled on Lyz’s hand and pushed her way to a small crowd of people that included Michael and Max.
Lyz pulled her hand away from Maria’s and silently shook her head, letting Maria know that she was too embarrassed and self-conscious about her appearance to meet anyone new. Maria stopped to sympathize with Lyz’s embarrassment and whispered to Lyz to stay where she was - she’d send over Michael or Max. Maria charged forward and melted into the loud crowd while Lyz shrank back into the shadows and wistfully looked over to the group that Maria joined. Lyz wanted to join Maria, wanted to laugh and be lighthearted but she didn’t dare risk any more people getting trapped by her nightmare.
Maria reached up and whispered in Michael’s ear, “Hey – Lyz is too shy about you-know-what to meet anyone. Try to say hi sometime tonight without drawing too much attention, ok?”
Michael nodded in understanding and searched nonchalantly around the room until he found Lyz standing in the back of the room, near the entrance to the kitchen. He waited until Maria started talking a mile a minute about the play and some of the things that went wrong before he quietly made his way over to Lyz. He stood half turned so that Lyz was semi-protected from the crowd and asked if she enjoying the night.
“Oh Michael! I just tried burgers for the first time, tonight! And the play! Maria was so wonderful!” Lyz waved a partially eaten mini-burger in the air as she talked.
“You mean I haven’t told you about burgers, before? Man, I must be slacking!” Michael teased.
Michael and Lyz didn’t realize they were being watched very carefully by Isabel. Inspecting the new girl’s appearance, Isabel became curious about the girl who wore such baggy ill fitting clothes and asked Maria about her. Maria tried to calmly lie, but she had never been good at lying and she broke out into a sweat. She stumbled over an explanation of how they met and how the Parkers had referred her. Maria tried to stick as close to the truth as she could, but she could tell that her stumbling explanations just made Isabel suspicious.
Maria tried to change the subject and even went so far as to bring up Jim and Amy’s wedding plans in order to distract Isabel from Lyz. For a few minutes, the distraction worked and Maria felt some relief and went to get another sandwich from the food laden table Jeff had set up for the crew. As soon as she was gone, Isabel’s attention was again riveted to Maria’s new roommate. Isabel became even more suspicious when she noticed Max walking over to her.
Lyz sat quietly at the counter where Michael had deposited her, smiling tiredly but with happiness at being around such nice people and observing the exuberant crowd. A few minutes later, Max noticed her alone and sat down beside her,
“What are you drinking?”
“Cherry Coke.”
“Really? Well, then, may I suggest, as a seasoned soda drinker, that you add a lime to your cherry coke? It gives it just a little taste of sour – it balances out the sweetness.” Max recommended as he got up and went behind the counter for lime.
Lyz smiled at him as he placed the lime into her glass and Max found himself suddenly captivated by her smile, going still as he took it in. He shook himself out of his daze and sat back down – trying to think of something to say but Lyz beat him to it.
“May I inquire how you chose your profession? You have never really said.”
As she questioned him, Max realized how much he loved Lyz’s voice with it’s light accent and gentleness. Shaking his head in exasperation at himself, he launched into a lengthy dialogue about his why he chose law school and how he joined his parent’s firm. When he started talking about graduating from college and then going on to law school, Lyz interrupted him and asked him to explain about the difference between the two.
Max wanted to kick himself for not remembering how isolated she had been. He explained the difference to Lyz who then told him about the school systems in Europe and how they differed. Max offered to take get some information for her about the nearby college so that if she wanted to, she could enroll after she took the GED. Lyz accepted eagerly with dazzling smile and once again Max found himself captivated.
They were interrupted by Isabel who decided that the only way to find out about Lyz was to meet her. Isabel stood at Max’s side as she smiled at the small woman. “Hi – I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Isabel, Max’s sister.”
Lyz bit her lip nervously and tried to keep her head down so no hint of the bruises would show, “Hello. I am Lyzette, Lyz for short.”
Isabel was a bit surprised at the formality of Lyz’s speech, “Lyzette – I like that. Sounds…regal. What’s wrong with you?” Isabel asked Max as he choked on his soda and started coughing. Max shot Lyz a brief glance and noticed she didn’t seem fazed at all. Instead, she calmly replied to Isabel,
“Thank you.”
Knowing Isabel, Max sensed that his sister had some very direct, invasive questions for Lyz and he tried to head her off, “So, Lyz, what did you think of the play?”
“It was wonderful. I think you and the rest of the group did a wonderful job.” Lyz answered.
As Isabel opened her mouth, Alex interrupted the small group by slinging his arm around Isabel’s shoulders, “You bet they were wonderful. But did you notice the lighting? The careful and exact lighting of the play showed off the nuances of each emotion, enhancing every moment!”
Lyz bit back a smile, “I take it, you were the lighting technician?”
Alex grinned goofily, “Yeah – that obvious huh?”
Isabel moved to hug Alex and kissed him on the cheek, “You were wonderful, Alex.”
“Well, I couldn’t have my gorgeous fiancée in bad lighting, now could I?” He looked adoringly at Isabel before turning back to Lyz and Max, “Oh, hey, I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Alex, Alex Whitman.” Alex held out his hand to Lyz. Lyz hesitatingly reached out her hand after glancing at Max for reassurance, “I am Lyzette, Lyz for short.”
Alex felt a small hand grasp his hand and he felt a small shiver of unease run down his back. The hand was too fragile, too small - it felt like it would break with any pressure. Alex tried to hide his reaction by lightly squeezing the hand.
“I take it that you’re Maria’s new roommate. Man – I don’t envy you at all!”
Lyz’s head shot up and her spine stiffened with indignation, “Maria is wonderful. She has been a great source of knowledge and information.”
Alex held out his hands defensively “Whoa, I didn’t mean that she was bad person, I just meant that I felt bad you had to put up with Michael!”
“But Michael…” Max interrupted Lyz’s defense of Michael by lightly placing his hand on her arm.
“Lyz, he’s kidding. Teasing-remember?” Max deliberately referred to a couple of nights ago when Michael and Maria had to teach Lyz the meaning of teasing. Lyz had gotten upset when Michael had teasingly called her ‘princess’. It took Maria and Michael several minutes to explain that sometimes teasing was used to show affection and that it really meant no harm. Michael had told Max about the incident because he still couldn’t get over how isolated Lyz had been, not even knowing what teasing was.
“Oh.”
Awkward silence fell between the small group and Alex tried to cover it up, “Yeah, don’t take me seriously. Michael’s a great guy – I just like to give him a hard time.”
“Teasing him because you like him, yes?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
Max could see that Isabel was staring at Lyz and could read the questions rapidly going through her mind. Again he tried to distract Isabel,
“Alex really does like Michael. In fact, I remember not too long ago that Alex did a dance for him on his birthday…”
Alex groaned in embarrassment while Isabel started to laugh and Alex protested, “Max! You promised you’d never bring that up again!” Alex mockingly glared at Isabel, “The things I do for you, my love.”
“Oh god! You should have seen the look on Michael’s face!!!” Isabel kept laughing.
Lyz looked questioningly at Max and he too started to laugh. Alex sighed dramatically to try and hide his amusement “I see I’ll have to tell you the whole story.”
“No, no, please, let me.” Isabel laughed. “Michael has always been like a brother to me and Max, a pain the ass brother, but still, a brother. He had just started dating Maria seriously and he was talking about how he never had any fun anymore because of her. So Max and I came up with this idea.”
“A practical joke, prank.” Max clarified for Lyz.
“We told Michael that we were going to get him a very special birthday cake, one that included a special “surprise”. The night of the party, we rolled out this huge fake cake with Alex inside of it. Alex popped out and started doing his strip tease dance for Michael…oh god, you should have seen Michael’s face!!! It was priceless!!”
Isabel and Max were laughing while Alex tried to look offended. Lyz looked from Max to Isabel to Alex trying to understand the joke.
“I am sorry, what is a strip tease dance?”
Isabel’s laughter slowed as she looked incredulously at Lyz. Even Alex had a bemused look on his face which made Lyz feel even more self-conscious. Max quickly stepped in to try and explain,
“Lyz here has been pretty sheltered, living in an isolated private boarding school. It was more strict than convent – not allowing TV or even magazines at the school.”
Alex and Isabel seemed mollified at the explanation but Isabel still thought something was not quite right with the whole situation. She allowed Max to distract her and Alex with talk about upcoming wedding plans, but she couldn’t help but watch Lyz out of the corner of her eye. Part of her wondered at the air of mystery surrounding Lyz, but the other part of her wondered at the chemistry between her brother and the mystery woman. A small flicker of hope flared through her as she thought about Max actually taking notice of a real woman, not some dream girl.
Isabel wandered over to Ava and briefly mentioned to her about what had happened which made Ava take a closer look at Lyz who was absorbed in a private conversation with Max. She looked back at Isabel, “Do you want me to check her out?”
Isabel was silent for a few minutes, weighing her options. She really wanted to know more about Lyz, but she didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy. Finally, she made up her mind, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Later that night when he was preparing for bed, Max thought back over the evening and was surprised to realize he had spent the majority of time with Lyz. Unlike most people, Lyz was easy to talk to about a variety of different subjects, and they had discussed everything from baseball to literature. Inevitably, their conversation turned to politics and they started debating over the politics of the French during WWII. In the middle of their debate, Lyz had started to laugh over a point Max was trying to make and Max suddenly realized that he was attracted to Lyz which confused him since he really didn’t know what she looked like. Lying in bed he wondered if it had been his imagination, or was Lyz attracted to him as well? As he drifted off to sleep, he briefly wondered what had happened to the dreams of HER.
The day after the play and the party at the Crashdown, Maria came home to find the house quiet and dark which was odd because Lyz usually greeted her when she came home. Entering the kitchen and flipping on the lights, Maria headed to Lyz’s room and suddenly gasped.
Lyz’s dresser drawers were pulled open, clothes were scattered everywhere, and Maria couldn’t find a sign of Lyz’s suitcases.
Heart racing and in full panic mode, Maria called the Parkers and let them know what had happened. They too became worried about Lyz. Maria went around the house to see if anything else seemed out of place. In the dining room, sitting in the center was a piece of paper. Maria picked up the paper and then gasped in disbelief. The paper was a brief note from Lyz explaining that she had to go back Italy in order to help Nicole. She asked Maria be careful and to alert the Parkers as well.
With the warning from Maria, the Parkers decided to get away from Roswell for a little while. Since Michael was their manager and they had planned on going on vacation before, they decided the restaurant would be ok in Michael’s hands. They packed as quickly as they could and arranged to have Michael cover for them. By midnight, the Parkers were driving out of town with an anxious Maria and Michael waving them off.
Lyz landed in Rome mid-afternoon and her heart began to pound as she prepared to get off the plane. She checked herself into a busy tourist hotel room and rang a phone number when she was alone. She arranged to join a walking tour of Rome along with other US tourists later in the afternoon. Before going out on the tour, Lyzette slipped on a sloppy newspaper boy hat and dark sunglasses. She dressed in casually, namely a logo long-sleeve T-shirt, windbreaker and baggy yoga pants and sneakers. She made sure to pick up a camera to carry as a prop before meeting the walking tour. As she walked along the popular tour of the Roman fountains, she slipped away from the group to make a phone call in a phone booth.
On the other end, Nicole picked up the phone. Nicole began to cry in relief when she heard Lyzette’s voice and told Lyzette about what was going on. Nicole and her boyfriend, Enrique, had been in a panic since they read an article in the papers a week ago about a dead body being identified as Ranulf, the man who had helped Nicole and Lyzette escape the chateau. Nicole and Enrique decided to play it safe and leave the country instead of waiting to find out of King Khivar was behind Ranulf’s death. They quietly left their home and made their way to Rome in order to contact Lyzette. They desperately needed money in order to buy fake papers to go to America which was why Nicole contacted Lyzette.
Lyzette listened patiently as Nicole told her the whole story and then arranged to meet them in a busy café that evening. She instructed that Nicole and Enrique take precautions by disguising themselves but to bring along a copy of The New York Times so that she could recognize them.
After hanging up the phone, Lyzette took a taxi back to the hotel and checked out. Dragging her small carry-on behind her, Lyzette walked towards the entrance of the hotel but then slipped into the bathroom. She slipped into one of the stalls and sat down with the case on her lap. From the carry-on, Lyzette pulled out a backpack with a change of clothes in it. As she changed her clothes, she wondered if all the precautions were really necessary but she didn’t want to risk being caught by her father. Lyzette slipped on a pair of olive green cargo pants, a long sleeved T-shirt, and a pair of black combat boots.
She packed her discarded clothes along with her hat into the carryon. She zipped it up and came out of the stall. From her backpack she pulled out a long blonde wig and a baseball cap. She put them on, applied some more fake tan on her face, and then added some makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, she almost smiled, not recognizing herself. Lyzette hid her carry-on case behind a large potted plant in the waiting area of the bathroom before she headed out the door -her first stop was the bank. She met with a manager to grab money from her safety deposit box and arranged to have the rest of her savings account wired to her US account number. Once she closed her European account, Lyzette left the bank to meet Nicole and Enrique.
Entering the café, Lyzette casually looked around the room and saw a couple sitting with a copy of The New York Times and a couple of suitcases close to door. Approaching the table cautiously, Lyzette recognized Nicole despite her attempts at a disguise. She greeted Nicole and quickly ushered the couple out of the café into a taxi. Inside the taxi, Lyzette embraced Nicole, a look of understanding passing between the two old friends. She desperately wanted to talk with her about what was going on but it was more important to get out of Italy. Enrique instructed the taxi to an address and as the taxi pulled up outside a small apartment building, Lyzette discreetly handed over a roll of money. Nicole and Lyzette waited silently and anxiously in the cab for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes. Enrique came running back out and had the taxi rush to the airport. Enrique handed Nicole her new passport and I.D. They were now Anthony and Angelica Edwards.
At the airport, Enrique and Nicole had to decide where they wanted to live. After some light discussion, Lyzette bought the three of them airline tickets to Anchorage, Alaska. It wasn’t until they were in the air that the three of them breathed with relief. Lyzette turned to Nicole and smiled as Nicole squeezed her hand. Nicole leaned close and started to talk softly “It’s so good to see you. I thought for sure we’d never see each other again. Thank you for helping us.”
“Did you really think I would ignore your plea? You helped me survive my father for years and then you risked your life to help me escape. How could I not help you?” whispered back Lyzette.
“I really was not sure you would want to risk coming back to Italy and possible your father or Nicholas.”
“I was afraid, but I had to help you. Tell me what happened.”
Nicole was silent for a moment then told Lyzette
“We are not really sure. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that an unidentified body was found along the side of the road. His body had been so badly decomposed, and there was no wallet, that they could not identify him. Then, a week ago, the papers said that they were able to identify the body as Ranulf Giraurd. When Enrique saw the notification in the paper, I panicked...ran. I-I know it sounds like I’m paranoid, but to be truthful, both Enrique and I are.”
“No, you were right to be extra cautious. My father is capable of anything.” Lyzette told her. “What about your grandparents?”
Nicole let her know her grandparents had liked their vacation in southern France so much they sold their home and moved there permanently. They hadn’t left any friends behind since they had lived in such an isolated place. Nicole had told them to be very discreet about letting people know about her and where they had come from.
During their flight, Nicole introduced Lyzette to her boyfriend and future husband then told her all that had happened since they parted ways. Lyzette confided to Nicole about Ben and her experiences without telling her where she was located. Once they reached Anchorage, they checked into a hotel and slept since the overnight flight from Rome hadn’t been that comfortable. Lyzette tried calling Maria at their apartment but she wasn’t home, so she left a message saying that everything was fine and she would come back when she could.
The first thing they did the next day was to go shopping. It was bitter cold in Anchorage, Alaska compared to Italy or New Mexico and all three were unprepared. It took Nicole and Enrique several days search for an apartment and then furniture for their new place. Lyzette had to insist on paying for furniture but Nicole would not let Lyzette pay more than 6 months of rent on their new apartment.
In order to get along in Anchorage by themselves, Lyzette and Nicole had to teach Enrique how to speak English. Lyzette had only planned on staying a week to get Nicole and Enrique settled but the one week turned into three, then four because the English lessons weren’t going very well. After five and a half weeks, Lyzette was ready to leave but a sudden ice storm grounded all the planes for another week. In the mean time, Lyzette was able to help Nicole and Enrique get jobs. She had been able to talk to Maria once to let her know she was ok and would be coming home as soon as she could. Lyzette wanted desperately to ask if Max had asked about her, but she bit her tongue before she could ask.
Ever since the night of the cast party when she had spent the majority of the night quietly talking with Max, Lyzette found herself often wondering if there were any deeper meanings to his words. When he said, ‘See you later.” Did he mean “I won’t be able to breathe until we meet again” or was it just another example of American slang, something someone says to fill space? Was he, too, thinking about the attraction between the two of them? Or was it all in her mind, which it could be, since he had never really seen what she looked like. Lyz tried to dismiss the thoughts of Max from her mind.
Meanwhile, Maria had to stave off questions from Ava and Isabel. When she informed them that Lyz had just taken off for awhile, they started to ask questions about what she did for a living, how she could afford things without a job, did Maria do a background check, etc. A week after Lyz left, Isabel went to Maria’s house and finally confessed,
“Maria, I had Ava check into Lyz’s background.”
Maria was stunned and then began to panic “What? Are you crazy? How could you do that?”
“Well you seemed awfully nervous the night of the party and wouldn’t look me in the eye. And then Max kept jumping in before I could ask your roommate any questions – it all made me suspicious. Alex even agreed with me that everything seemed a bit suspicious. Ava did a search, a very extensive search, and found no information on your roommate. Now we’re both suspicious. Tell me the truth Maria, what’s going on? Who is Lyzette?”
Maria sighed in tired defeat, “Before I can tell you anything, I have to make a call.”
Maria went to her room, leaving Isabel in the living room and called the Parkers on their cell phone. After discussing it with the Parkers, they agreed to let Maria tell the entire group since Isabel wouldn’t be able to keep the information from Ava or Alex. Hanging up with the Parkers, Maria made calls to Michael and had Isabel call Alex, Ava, and then Kyle. When everyone arrive, both Maria and Michael swore the rest of the group to secrecy. On their promises, Maria told them the truth about Lyz’s past and how she arrived in Roswell. There had been a barrage of questions that both Michael and Maria answered. Afterwards, they stressed the fact that Ben and Lyz’s safety depended on their secrecy.
While everyone else promised to keep Lyz’s secret, Isabel vowed to herself that she would help Lyz. She remembered how helpless and angry she had felt when she found out about Michael and his situation. She hadn’t been able to help him very much since Michael wasn’t the talking type and he really didn’t want to talk to her. Michael finally opened up to Max and Philip, but he was too embarrassed to talk with Isabel. So, she had frustratingly stood by, leaving him alone. But this time, she knew she could help Lyz.
When Lyz called Maria to let her know she was ok, Maria briefly explained what had happened. Lyz’s silence warned Maria that Lyz was worried about having too many people know about her and rushed to try and reassure Lyz that everything was ok. After some quick talking, Maria finally heard Lyz tell her it was ok. Lyz promised they’d talk after she came home which would be as soon as she could. Maria spread the word to the Parkers and then Max.
Max had been doing pull-ups in his room when he got Maria’s message and wondered if Lyz was really ok. He thought of their time together at the party as he lay awake on his bed and he remembered what she had looked like without the baseball hat covering her face. He suddenly wondered what she would look like without the bruises. He fell asleep realizing that he really wasn’t that concerned about what she looked like – he liked her smile.
***Teaser for Chapter 17! There is mushy stuff!!***
For Max, his whole world faded and focused on the dark haired woman – it was HER! There, standing before him being crushed by Maria, was his dream girl! The hair, the eyes, the smile – they belonged to HER! He couldn’t believe it! She was more beautiful in person than in his dreams. Her hair begged him to stroke it, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and her skin looked creamy and flawless, and her smile….
Max had to do a double take and look at that smile again.
Her smile…her smile looked so familiar…so much like Lyz’s smile that it confused him until he looked at her more closely…it was Lyz!
I'm a believer!
Chapter 17 will be in 2 posts due to length. Hopefully you'll like this part as much as I did! 
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Chapter 17 - Part 1
The bitter cold and biting winds of Alaska seem to seep into Nicole and Lyzette’s very bones and made them shiver despite their many layers and blasting heat in the apartment. They gave Enrique resentful glares whenever he seemed to take pleasure in their environment. Enrique thrived on the cold and loved all the new outdoor activities – snow shoeing, dog sledding, igloo building, and canoeing. He tried to get the two women to go outside, he even tried getting Nicole to take a dog sled ride with him, but neither woman was willing to brave the cold for more than fifteen minutes at a time.
Between the cold and helping Nicole and Enrique settle into their new lives, Lyzette forgot about her bruises. She did remember to put the ointment on her back at night, but both she and Nicole rushed through the process, not taking the time to inspect the wounds, so they could get back under the warm blankets. The weather delay was actually to their benefit since it gave Lyzette more time to help Enrique with his English which in turn helped him get a job as a carpenter.
The weather finally cleared up long enough to allow Lyzette to plan on returning to Roswell within 48 hours which made her excited to be returning to the warmth of the desert. On the morning before her departure, Lyzette stepped out of her flannel pajamas and socks and was surprised that her skin appeared normal. She quickly faced herself in the mirror and was happy to see that the bruises on her face were gone. She tried looking at her back but couldn’t see so she called out to Nicole. Nicole had sleepily answered her call and shuffled to the bathroom but came wide awake when she saw Lyzette’s naked back. The deep welt marks that had covered her back and left it raw were healed completely and only a few of the deepest welts had left a barely noticeable scar.
Nicole exclaimed, “Grandmother’s ointment worked very well! Hardly any scars!” She couldn’t believe that her grandmother’s ointment had actually worked. Lyzette’s back had been whipped raw, worse than any other beating she had received before, that Nicole had doubted that the wounds would heal without scars.
Lyzette was happy to find that there weren’t any prominent scars - she didn’t want any physical reminders of her father. She quickly jumped into the shower and got dressed in her baggy sweat pants and shirt. Now that she didn’t have to hide any bruises or scars, she couldn’t wait to go shopping for new clothes in New Mexico. She had been dressing in layers of baggy sweats, turtlenecks, and long sleeve sweatshirts for the past few months and was sick of wearing them. When Nicole suggested a shopping spree and a day at the spa before she left, Lyzette couldn’t resist the temptation and agreed.
While at the spa, Lyzette confided in Nicole about how she had dreamed of a boy who had comforted her and how she kept dreaming of HIM over the years. After a quiet pause, Lyzette finally confessed that she finally saw her dream in person and his name was Max. Nicole couldn’t help but notice the dreamy smile that Lyzette wore on her face every time she mentioned Max’s name. She wanted to caution Lyzette about forming attachments based on loneliness but after seeing Lyzette smile, Nicole kept quiet. She couldn’t and wouldn’t deprive Lyzette of her dream, not when she had lived a nightmare for so long. She just hoped this Max was worthy of her princess.
At the airport the next morning, Nicole watched as Lyzette prepared for her flight and couldn’t believe the difference in her princess. Lyzette had gotten several inches of her hair cut so that the wavy mass reached the middle of her back. Her bruise-free skin glowed with healthiness and her eyes sparkled with happiness, but Nicole could see lingering traces of fear in Lyzette’s face. Taking in a final long look, Nicole hugged Lyzette good-bye and felt confident that Lyzette would finally be happy.
***
Maria woke up from her nap that she took since she had had to work the graveyard shift at the hospital last night after her normal shift. She checked the answering machine for messages in case Lyz called but there were none waiting for her. Maria wondered when Lyz would come home – it had been really quiet around the house without her. She shook off her glum mood with a shower and then decided to go the Crashdown to wait for Michael’s shift to get over.
Maria stepped through the door of the Crashdown and saw Tess waiting on a table but staring at a different booth, not paying attention to whomever entered through the door or her table. Maria followed Tess’s stare and saw Alex, Max, and Kyle sitting at one of the booths near the counter trying to avoid making eye contact with Tess. Grinning, Maria walked over to join the boys, waving briefly to Jeff Parker, and sat down to wait for Michael.
An hour later, Jeff came out from the back and set down some pies on the counter, preparing to slice them – it was the only thing he had to do that day. He and Nancy brought Lucas back to Roswell two weeks after they hastily went on vacation. Jeff and Nancy were happy and proud to find out that the restaurant had been in good hands with Michael. They decided to cut back on their hours to spend more time with Lucas and turn over daily management to Michael. When the door rang to indicate new customers, Jeff looked up from the pie he was cutting to greet them and saw an elegantly dressed petite young woman with wavy dark brown hair, wide brown eyes and a familiar smile. His jaw dropped when he was greeted with,
“Bon jour, Monsieur Parker.”
He stared at the beautiful young woman before stammering out, “Lyz?”
Maria suddenly became alert when she heard Jeff call out Lyz’s name. Turning her attention to Jeff, Maria saw a petite dark haired woman standing in front of Jeff. The woman was wearing a pair of dressy cream colored slacks, strappy heels, and a dark red spaghetti strapped lace camisole with a matching sweater in her hand. Her dark hair was worn down, without ornament, and it tumbled down her back in healthy shiny waves. From the side, the dark hair hid most of her face from Maria’s eyes, but the delicate frame and stature did remind Maria of Lyz. But it was the camisole that made Maria dismiss the woman as Lyz – no way would Lyz wear something that would expose her arms and back. She thought Jeff had called out the name by mistake and was about to turn back to the group of guys when she saw Jeff come out from behind the counter and embrace the young woman. Maria was confused so she got up to take closer look and when she heard the familiar light French accent, she let out a small squeal.
“Lyz!! You’re home!! Oh my god chica, get over here and give me some sugar!” Maria threw her arms around the smaller woman, hugging tightly before pushing her away, “And let me take look at you – oh my god, chica, you look gorgeousl!” Maria was talking a mile a minute as she alternated between hugging Lyz close and pushing her away to take a look at her. Maria couldn’t believe she, a nurse, had forgotten that in the six weeks that Lyz was gone, her body would have continued healing. She was finally seeing Lyz without bruises for the first time and she couldn’t believe the difference.
“Oh my god, chica! You’ve got to tell me everything, and I mean everything. I get home two months ago and just find a note from you. Uh, un, oh no. Details, chica, you owe me.”
Lyz laughed as she tried to get a word in edge wise.
“Maria, let the poor girl breath!” Alex stood to pry Maria’s hands away from Lyz. He did a double take as he too saw Lyz without her disguise. “Well hello there! I didn’t recognize you without your hat.”
Lyz smiled shyly at Alex and Maria before replying “Hello Alex. I no longer need hat.”
For Max, his whole world faded and focused on the dark haired woman – it was HER! There, standing before him being crushed by Maria, was his dream girl! The hair, the eyes, the smile – they belonged to HER! He couldn’t believe it! She was more beautiful in person than in his dreams. Her hair begged him to stroke it, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and her skin looked creamy and flawless, and her smile….Max had to do a double take and look at that smile again.
Her smile…her smile looked so familiar…so much like Lyz’s smile that it confused him until he looked at her more closely…it was Lyz!
Max’s heart began to race while everything else moved in slow motion…his eyes focused on her smile, the way her lips moved as she spoke….the way she blinked….the way she moved her hand to tuck a lock of her hair behind one ear, the way she bit her lower lip….he could watch her forever. He sternly lectured himself that this was the same person that he had talked politics with and argued with….and captivated him with her smile, with her intelligence, but he wasn’t listening to himself. It took Kyle’s sharp elbow in his side to speed everything back to normal and reveal that they were all waiting for him to greet Lyz.
“Uh, hi Lyz! Welcome back.”
Welcome back? How lame could he sound?
Max’s eyes honed in on Lyz’s white teeth as they bit into her lower lip, then he stood transfixed as he saw her shyly smile at him, “Hello Max.”
He wanted to say something more but his normally sharp mind went blank, leaving him incapable of speech. He could feel Lyz’s puzzlement as he continued to stare at her, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say, to do, so he watched as she gave him another quick glance and then turn to Maria. His gaze never wavered as everything started to move again in slow motion as she… gestured with her hands…. pushed her heavy beautiful hair from her face…smiled at Michael – wait – smiling at Michael?
Why was she smiling at Michael? Did she like Michael? Did she think he was cute? Max didn’t think Michael was cute but some girls liked the long shaggy haired look – maybe he should grow out his hair a little more…maybe cover up his ear a bit more. His ears did stick out a bit…wait. Why was he having paranoid delusions about Lyz smiling at Michael now when it hadn’t bothered him before?
Because….he hadn’t been in love before? Could he say that?
“Hey Max! Snap out of it!” Kyle snapped his fingers in front of Max’s face to get his attention “Do you still want to go to the movies or do you want to head back to Maria and Lyz’s?” Alex and Kyle both watched as Max struggled to focus on what Kyle had just asked him.
Max had to drag his eyes from Lyz to look at Alex and Kyle who smirked at him knowingly “Uh, let’s got to Maria and Lyz’s. We can always go to the movies some other time.”
“Yeah, thought that might be your answer. That’s why we just told Maria that we would meet them back at their place after we picked up a movie and some Chinese food. Let’s go, Romeo.” Alex replied as he headed out the door with Kyle. The two of them waited outside when they noticed Max hadn’t followed them.
Max watched as Lyz stood surrounded by Maria, Michael, and Jeff trying to answer each of their questions, going from one person to the other. Sensing her growing frustration, he stepped in next to her and drew her away from the three of them “Lyz, why don’t you sit down and talk to Jeff while Maria takes Michael home for a shower. I’ll drive you home when you’re done.”
Max’s heart soared and he could feel his ear tips turn red when she smiled gratefully at him and sat down across from Jeff in the booth he had vacated. He sat down next to her, ignoring Jeff’s amused grin and Maria’s knowing smile as she tugged on Michael’s arm to drag him away,
“What? What’s the hurry? What’s going on?” Michael protested.
Maria gave Max a wink and pushed Michael out the door. Once outside, she stopped pushing and stood beside Alex to observe Max and Lyz inside.
“Oh man, he has got it bad!” Alex groaned in pity for Max.
“Ya think?” laughed Maria. “This is gonna be interesting.”
“What do you mean, interesting?”
“Don’t you get it?” Maria pointed to Max and Lyz.
Alex stared at Max, then back at Kyle “Get what?”
Maria shook her head with disbelief, “Michael, what did you say that Max said about his dream girl?”
“Um, ‘Dark hair, big brown eyes’?”
Maria looked expectedly at the three boys, “Hello? Sound familiar?”
The three men looked blankly back at Maria who rolled her eyes and tugged on Michael’s arm, “Call me when you get it, boys.”
Michael followed Maria with a frown, “I don’t get it, what does Max’s dream girl have to do with anything?” Maria sighed and got in the car, “I’ll explain on the way home, come on.”
Kyle and Alex were left to watch Maria and Michael leave. Alex frowned as he concentrated on trying to remember why Maria’s words did sound vaguely familiar.
Then it clicked. Alex’s startled gaze focused on Lyz, then Max.
“Oh boy.”
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Remember what Max said about his dream girl? She had dark brown hair and big brown eyes.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So? Kyle, look at Lyz.”
Alex watched Kyle as Kyle put two and two together, “Holy Buddha.” Kyle let out.
“Well, maybe he hasn’t noticed.” Alex looked away from Max, trying not to be rude.
“Dude, Max has been dreaming about her since before his hormones kicked in. Don’t tell me he hasn’t noticed.” Kyle stated sardonically.
“Well, ok, so he had a crush on his dream girl…”
“Dude, this is Max we’re talking about it. Serious, intensely brooding Max, remember?”
“I know, but let’s not jump to conclusions like Maria. Just because she happens to fit his description, doesn’t mean its her.”
“Alex. Look at him. He’s a goner.” Kyle grasped Alex’s shoulder and forced him to look at Max looking at Lyz. “To him, it is HER.”
“Ok, ok, you’re right.” Alex stared at Max who was trying unsuccessfully not to stare at Lyz who was trying unsuccessfully to discreetly peek at Max. From the intensity of Max’s stare, Alex muttered with a smile, “He never knew what hit him!”
Kyle looked at Alex.
Alex looked at Kyle.
Together they looked at Max, then at Lyz.
Almost simultaneously they reached for their cell phones and called their girlfriends, knowing full well their girlfriends would never forgive them for not telling them right away.
Max tried to look like he was paying attention to what Lyz was saying whenever she would glance over, but he couldn’t stop watching the way her lips moved, the way she furrowed her brow, the way she gestured with her hands got in the way. He kept his hands busy playing with his straw so that they wouldn’t be tempted to reach out and touch her hair. He didn’t notice that Jeff sat across from him trying not to laugh or that Tess was shooting them angry dirty looks or that his friends were standing outside laughing at him. Instead, everything was focused on Lyz - her voice, her smile, andl that intoxicating strawberries and honey scent that was uniquely hers.
For Lyz, she didn’t quite understand why she kept wanting to smile at Max or to lose herself into his warm amber eyes. She sat straight and stiffly in her seat so that she would give into the temptation to melt into his side. She told herself sternly to pay attention to Jeff and his questions but her eyes and attention kept straying to her side, to Max. She didn’t notice Jeff watching them, she didn’t see Alex and Kyle outside the restaurant window, and she ignored Tess. All she noticed was Max.
Was a man allowed to have such soulful eyes she wondered to herself. Her heart beat loudly in her chest and hoped that Max couldn’t hear it. He seemed so distracted and not really interested in what she was saying, but she would be embarrassed if he could sense that the nearness of him made her heart race.
Max tried to calm his speeding heart and wiped his suddenly damp palms on the leg of his jeans. He wondered if she even noticed him. She looked like she wasn’t really paying attention to him. Maybe he should say something, to get her attention and remind her that he was sitting next to her. He tried to focus on what she was saying and distractedly heard her say something about Alaska.
“I’m sorry, did you say you were in Alaska?’
“What? Oh, ah, yes, I had, um, relocated my friend Nicole and her boyfriend to Alaska. I am uncertain why Enrique chose Alaska of all places to live.” Lyz shyly answered Max, making brief eye contact. “I am not sure that they will stay very long there. It was very cold and both Nicole and Enrique are from southern Italy. I suggested that they might want to live in Hawaii but Enrique insisted that Alaska was where he wanted to live.”
Max leaned close to Lyz so that no one outside their booth could overhear them and softly said close to her ear “So, are you safe from your father?” He noticed a small shiver go through her and thrilled at the thought he might have caused it.
Lyz shivered slightly and tilted her head towards Max, then slowly raised her eyes to meet his concerned gaze shyly. She bit the inside of her lower lip as she saw his concern in his eyes and released it as she answered, “Yes, I believe we are safe.” She forgot to break eye contact as she finished and the two of them gazed at each other with a mixture of wonder and shyness.
Jeff covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud. He had never seen Max Evans act like love-sick fool before and he was thoroughly entertained at the sight. Over the years, Diane and Philip had secretly confided in him and Nancy that they suspected Max to be gay and didn’t know how to tell them. They even suspected that Max was using Tess to keep his cover since she was always throwing herself at him, but he kept turning her down. They had tried everything to subtly encourage him to tell them about his sexual orientation, but he wouldn’t. Philip had been disappointed and Diane had been heartbroken at the thought that she would never get any grandchildren out of Max, but they wanted him to be happy, no matter what his preference.
Looking at Max mooning over Lyz, Jeff couldn’t wait to tell Diane and Philip that Max wasn’t gay. He felt a slight twinge of concern that Max might hurt Lyz but then dismissed it since he knew Max was a good young man. He decided to give the two of them some alone time – he had to make a call.
Outside the restaurant, Alex and Kyle called their girlfriends and told them what had just happened when Lyz entered the restaurant, healed and undisguised. As they suspected, their girlfriends wanted to know every detail. Both men had to hold their phones away from their ears when the girls started squealing over Max’s reaction and Maria’s suspicion that Lyz was Max’s dream girl.
Isabel had been so excited, that she had abandoned her half-full grocery cart in the middle of the aisle to get in her car and drive over to Maria’s house. On her way, she fired questions at Alex, “What is Max doing? How is he looking at her, Alex?”
Alex looked to Kyle for help but Kyle could only shake his head, “Um, like, um, you remember those cartoons where the guy gets those big puppy eyes? It’s like that.”
“Awww!!!”
Alex gave Kyle the thumbs up and Kyle then told Ava the same thing. When Maria answered the door, Isabel excitedly started firing questions at her while following her into the living room and still on the phone with Alex,
“Is it true, do you think Lyz is Max’s dream girl? Wait, how do you know about Max’s…” at Maria’s answering stare, Isabel broke off, “Oh, right. Michael. Got it. So you think it’s really her?”
“Oh yeah, I do. You know, they had this certain chemistry before she left and he didn’t know what she looked like. But now without the bruises, you should have seen the look on Max’s face when he saw Lyz!” Maria smiled.
“Big puppy eyes?”
“Yup and…”
“Hold on, Alex just saw something.”
============
Chapter 17 - Part 1
The bitter cold and biting winds of Alaska seem to seep into Nicole and Lyzette’s very bones and made them shiver despite their many layers and blasting heat in the apartment. They gave Enrique resentful glares whenever he seemed to take pleasure in their environment. Enrique thrived on the cold and loved all the new outdoor activities – snow shoeing, dog sledding, igloo building, and canoeing. He tried to get the two women to go outside, he even tried getting Nicole to take a dog sled ride with him, but neither woman was willing to brave the cold for more than fifteen minutes at a time.
Between the cold and helping Nicole and Enrique settle into their new lives, Lyzette forgot about her bruises. She did remember to put the ointment on her back at night, but both she and Nicole rushed through the process, not taking the time to inspect the wounds, so they could get back under the warm blankets. The weather delay was actually to their benefit since it gave Lyzette more time to help Enrique with his English which in turn helped him get a job as a carpenter.
The weather finally cleared up long enough to allow Lyzette to plan on returning to Roswell within 48 hours which made her excited to be returning to the warmth of the desert. On the morning before her departure, Lyzette stepped out of her flannel pajamas and socks and was surprised that her skin appeared normal. She quickly faced herself in the mirror and was happy to see that the bruises on her face were gone. She tried looking at her back but couldn’t see so she called out to Nicole. Nicole had sleepily answered her call and shuffled to the bathroom but came wide awake when she saw Lyzette’s naked back. The deep welt marks that had covered her back and left it raw were healed completely and only a few of the deepest welts had left a barely noticeable scar.
Nicole exclaimed, “Grandmother’s ointment worked very well! Hardly any scars!” She couldn’t believe that her grandmother’s ointment had actually worked. Lyzette’s back had been whipped raw, worse than any other beating she had received before, that Nicole had doubted that the wounds would heal without scars.
Lyzette was happy to find that there weren’t any prominent scars - she didn’t want any physical reminders of her father. She quickly jumped into the shower and got dressed in her baggy sweat pants and shirt. Now that she didn’t have to hide any bruises or scars, she couldn’t wait to go shopping for new clothes in New Mexico. She had been dressing in layers of baggy sweats, turtlenecks, and long sleeve sweatshirts for the past few months and was sick of wearing them. When Nicole suggested a shopping spree and a day at the spa before she left, Lyzette couldn’t resist the temptation and agreed.
While at the spa, Lyzette confided in Nicole about how she had dreamed of a boy who had comforted her and how she kept dreaming of HIM over the years. After a quiet pause, Lyzette finally confessed that she finally saw her dream in person and his name was Max. Nicole couldn’t help but notice the dreamy smile that Lyzette wore on her face every time she mentioned Max’s name. She wanted to caution Lyzette about forming attachments based on loneliness but after seeing Lyzette smile, Nicole kept quiet. She couldn’t and wouldn’t deprive Lyzette of her dream, not when she had lived a nightmare for so long. She just hoped this Max was worthy of her princess.
At the airport the next morning, Nicole watched as Lyzette prepared for her flight and couldn’t believe the difference in her princess. Lyzette had gotten several inches of her hair cut so that the wavy mass reached the middle of her back. Her bruise-free skin glowed with healthiness and her eyes sparkled with happiness, but Nicole could see lingering traces of fear in Lyzette’s face. Taking in a final long look, Nicole hugged Lyzette good-bye and felt confident that Lyzette would finally be happy.
***
Maria woke up from her nap that she took since she had had to work the graveyard shift at the hospital last night after her normal shift. She checked the answering machine for messages in case Lyz called but there were none waiting for her. Maria wondered when Lyz would come home – it had been really quiet around the house without her. She shook off her glum mood with a shower and then decided to go the Crashdown to wait for Michael’s shift to get over.
Maria stepped through the door of the Crashdown and saw Tess waiting on a table but staring at a different booth, not paying attention to whomever entered through the door or her table. Maria followed Tess’s stare and saw Alex, Max, and Kyle sitting at one of the booths near the counter trying to avoid making eye contact with Tess. Grinning, Maria walked over to join the boys, waving briefly to Jeff Parker, and sat down to wait for Michael.
An hour later, Jeff came out from the back and set down some pies on the counter, preparing to slice them – it was the only thing he had to do that day. He and Nancy brought Lucas back to Roswell two weeks after they hastily went on vacation. Jeff and Nancy were happy and proud to find out that the restaurant had been in good hands with Michael. They decided to cut back on their hours to spend more time with Lucas and turn over daily management to Michael. When the door rang to indicate new customers, Jeff looked up from the pie he was cutting to greet them and saw an elegantly dressed petite young woman with wavy dark brown hair, wide brown eyes and a familiar smile. His jaw dropped when he was greeted with,
“Bon jour, Monsieur Parker.”
He stared at the beautiful young woman before stammering out, “Lyz?”
Maria suddenly became alert when she heard Jeff call out Lyz’s name. Turning her attention to Jeff, Maria saw a petite dark haired woman standing in front of Jeff. The woman was wearing a pair of dressy cream colored slacks, strappy heels, and a dark red spaghetti strapped lace camisole with a matching sweater in her hand. Her dark hair was worn down, without ornament, and it tumbled down her back in healthy shiny waves. From the side, the dark hair hid most of her face from Maria’s eyes, but the delicate frame and stature did remind Maria of Lyz. But it was the camisole that made Maria dismiss the woman as Lyz – no way would Lyz wear something that would expose her arms and back. She thought Jeff had called out the name by mistake and was about to turn back to the group of guys when she saw Jeff come out from behind the counter and embrace the young woman. Maria was confused so she got up to take closer look and when she heard the familiar light French accent, she let out a small squeal.
“Lyz!! You’re home!! Oh my god chica, get over here and give me some sugar!” Maria threw her arms around the smaller woman, hugging tightly before pushing her away, “And let me take look at you – oh my god, chica, you look gorgeousl!” Maria was talking a mile a minute as she alternated between hugging Lyz close and pushing her away to take a look at her. Maria couldn’t believe she, a nurse, had forgotten that in the six weeks that Lyz was gone, her body would have continued healing. She was finally seeing Lyz without bruises for the first time and she couldn’t believe the difference.
“Oh my god, chica! You’ve got to tell me everything, and I mean everything. I get home two months ago and just find a note from you. Uh, un, oh no. Details, chica, you owe me.”
Lyz laughed as she tried to get a word in edge wise.
“Maria, let the poor girl breath!” Alex stood to pry Maria’s hands away from Lyz. He did a double take as he too saw Lyz without her disguise. “Well hello there! I didn’t recognize you without your hat.”
Lyz smiled shyly at Alex and Maria before replying “Hello Alex. I no longer need hat.”
For Max, his whole world faded and focused on the dark haired woman – it was HER! There, standing before him being crushed by Maria, was his dream girl! The hair, the eyes, the smile – they belonged to HER! He couldn’t believe it! She was more beautiful in person than in his dreams. Her hair begged him to stroke it, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and her skin looked creamy and flawless, and her smile….Max had to do a double take and look at that smile again.
Her smile…her smile looked so familiar…so much like Lyz’s smile that it confused him until he looked at her more closely…it was Lyz!
Max’s heart began to race while everything else moved in slow motion…his eyes focused on her smile, the way her lips moved as she spoke….the way she blinked….the way she moved her hand to tuck a lock of her hair behind one ear, the way she bit her lower lip….he could watch her forever. He sternly lectured himself that this was the same person that he had talked politics with and argued with….and captivated him with her smile, with her intelligence, but he wasn’t listening to himself. It took Kyle’s sharp elbow in his side to speed everything back to normal and reveal that they were all waiting for him to greet Lyz.
“Uh, hi Lyz! Welcome back.”
Welcome back? How lame could he sound?
Max’s eyes honed in on Lyz’s white teeth as they bit into her lower lip, then he stood transfixed as he saw her shyly smile at him, “Hello Max.”
He wanted to say something more but his normally sharp mind went blank, leaving him incapable of speech. He could feel Lyz’s puzzlement as he continued to stare at her, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say, to do, so he watched as she gave him another quick glance and then turn to Maria. His gaze never wavered as everything started to move again in slow motion as she… gestured with her hands…. pushed her heavy beautiful hair from her face…smiled at Michael – wait – smiling at Michael?
Why was she smiling at Michael? Did she like Michael? Did she think he was cute? Max didn’t think Michael was cute but some girls liked the long shaggy haired look – maybe he should grow out his hair a little more…maybe cover up his ear a bit more. His ears did stick out a bit…wait. Why was he having paranoid delusions about Lyz smiling at Michael now when it hadn’t bothered him before?
Because….he hadn’t been in love before? Could he say that?
“Hey Max! Snap out of it!” Kyle snapped his fingers in front of Max’s face to get his attention “Do you still want to go to the movies or do you want to head back to Maria and Lyz’s?” Alex and Kyle both watched as Max struggled to focus on what Kyle had just asked him.
Max had to drag his eyes from Lyz to look at Alex and Kyle who smirked at him knowingly “Uh, let’s got to Maria and Lyz’s. We can always go to the movies some other time.”
“Yeah, thought that might be your answer. That’s why we just told Maria that we would meet them back at their place after we picked up a movie and some Chinese food. Let’s go, Romeo.” Alex replied as he headed out the door with Kyle. The two of them waited outside when they noticed Max hadn’t followed them.
Max watched as Lyz stood surrounded by Maria, Michael, and Jeff trying to answer each of their questions, going from one person to the other. Sensing her growing frustration, he stepped in next to her and drew her away from the three of them “Lyz, why don’t you sit down and talk to Jeff while Maria takes Michael home for a shower. I’ll drive you home when you’re done.”
Max’s heart soared and he could feel his ear tips turn red when she smiled gratefully at him and sat down across from Jeff in the booth he had vacated. He sat down next to her, ignoring Jeff’s amused grin and Maria’s knowing smile as she tugged on Michael’s arm to drag him away,
“What? What’s the hurry? What’s going on?” Michael protested.
Maria gave Max a wink and pushed Michael out the door. Once outside, she stopped pushing and stood beside Alex to observe Max and Lyz inside.
“Oh man, he has got it bad!” Alex groaned in pity for Max.
“Ya think?” laughed Maria. “This is gonna be interesting.”
“What do you mean, interesting?”
“Don’t you get it?” Maria pointed to Max and Lyz.
Alex stared at Max, then back at Kyle “Get what?”
Maria shook her head with disbelief, “Michael, what did you say that Max said about his dream girl?”
“Um, ‘Dark hair, big brown eyes’?”
Maria looked expectedly at the three boys, “Hello? Sound familiar?”
The three men looked blankly back at Maria who rolled her eyes and tugged on Michael’s arm, “Call me when you get it, boys.”
Michael followed Maria with a frown, “I don’t get it, what does Max’s dream girl have to do with anything?” Maria sighed and got in the car, “I’ll explain on the way home, come on.”
Kyle and Alex were left to watch Maria and Michael leave. Alex frowned as he concentrated on trying to remember why Maria’s words did sound vaguely familiar.
Then it clicked. Alex’s startled gaze focused on Lyz, then Max.
“Oh boy.”
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Remember what Max said about his dream girl? She had dark brown hair and big brown eyes.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So? Kyle, look at Lyz.”
Alex watched Kyle as Kyle put two and two together, “Holy Buddha.” Kyle let out.
“Well, maybe he hasn’t noticed.” Alex looked away from Max, trying not to be rude.
“Dude, Max has been dreaming about her since before his hormones kicked in. Don’t tell me he hasn’t noticed.” Kyle stated sardonically.
“Well, ok, so he had a crush on his dream girl…”
“Dude, this is Max we’re talking about it. Serious, intensely brooding Max, remember?”
“I know, but let’s not jump to conclusions like Maria. Just because she happens to fit his description, doesn’t mean its her.”
“Alex. Look at him. He’s a goner.” Kyle grasped Alex’s shoulder and forced him to look at Max looking at Lyz. “To him, it is HER.”
“Ok, ok, you’re right.” Alex stared at Max who was trying unsuccessfully not to stare at Lyz who was trying unsuccessfully to discreetly peek at Max. From the intensity of Max’s stare, Alex muttered with a smile, “He never knew what hit him!”
Kyle looked at Alex.
Alex looked at Kyle.
Together they looked at Max, then at Lyz.
Almost simultaneously they reached for their cell phones and called their girlfriends, knowing full well their girlfriends would never forgive them for not telling them right away.
Max tried to look like he was paying attention to what Lyz was saying whenever she would glance over, but he couldn’t stop watching the way her lips moved, the way she furrowed her brow, the way she gestured with her hands got in the way. He kept his hands busy playing with his straw so that they wouldn’t be tempted to reach out and touch her hair. He didn’t notice that Jeff sat across from him trying not to laugh or that Tess was shooting them angry dirty looks or that his friends were standing outside laughing at him. Instead, everything was focused on Lyz - her voice, her smile, andl that intoxicating strawberries and honey scent that was uniquely hers.
For Lyz, she didn’t quite understand why she kept wanting to smile at Max or to lose herself into his warm amber eyes. She sat straight and stiffly in her seat so that she would give into the temptation to melt into his side. She told herself sternly to pay attention to Jeff and his questions but her eyes and attention kept straying to her side, to Max. She didn’t notice Jeff watching them, she didn’t see Alex and Kyle outside the restaurant window, and she ignored Tess. All she noticed was Max.
Was a man allowed to have such soulful eyes she wondered to herself. Her heart beat loudly in her chest and hoped that Max couldn’t hear it. He seemed so distracted and not really interested in what she was saying, but she would be embarrassed if he could sense that the nearness of him made her heart race.
Max tried to calm his speeding heart and wiped his suddenly damp palms on the leg of his jeans. He wondered if she even noticed him. She looked like she wasn’t really paying attention to him. Maybe he should say something, to get her attention and remind her that he was sitting next to her. He tried to focus on what she was saying and distractedly heard her say something about Alaska.
“I’m sorry, did you say you were in Alaska?’
“What? Oh, ah, yes, I had, um, relocated my friend Nicole and her boyfriend to Alaska. I am uncertain why Enrique chose Alaska of all places to live.” Lyz shyly answered Max, making brief eye contact. “I am not sure that they will stay very long there. It was very cold and both Nicole and Enrique are from southern Italy. I suggested that they might want to live in Hawaii but Enrique insisted that Alaska was where he wanted to live.”
Max leaned close to Lyz so that no one outside their booth could overhear them and softly said close to her ear “So, are you safe from your father?” He noticed a small shiver go through her and thrilled at the thought he might have caused it.
Lyz shivered slightly and tilted her head towards Max, then slowly raised her eyes to meet his concerned gaze shyly. She bit the inside of her lower lip as she saw his concern in his eyes and released it as she answered, “Yes, I believe we are safe.” She forgot to break eye contact as she finished and the two of them gazed at each other with a mixture of wonder and shyness.
Jeff covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud. He had never seen Max Evans act like love-sick fool before and he was thoroughly entertained at the sight. Over the years, Diane and Philip had secretly confided in him and Nancy that they suspected Max to be gay and didn’t know how to tell them. They even suspected that Max was using Tess to keep his cover since she was always throwing herself at him, but he kept turning her down. They had tried everything to subtly encourage him to tell them about his sexual orientation, but he wouldn’t. Philip had been disappointed and Diane had been heartbroken at the thought that she would never get any grandchildren out of Max, but they wanted him to be happy, no matter what his preference.
Looking at Max mooning over Lyz, Jeff couldn’t wait to tell Diane and Philip that Max wasn’t gay. He felt a slight twinge of concern that Max might hurt Lyz but then dismissed it since he knew Max was a good young man. He decided to give the two of them some alone time – he had to make a call.
Outside the restaurant, Alex and Kyle called their girlfriends and told them what had just happened when Lyz entered the restaurant, healed and undisguised. As they suspected, their girlfriends wanted to know every detail. Both men had to hold their phones away from their ears when the girls started squealing over Max’s reaction and Maria’s suspicion that Lyz was Max’s dream girl.
Isabel had been so excited, that she had abandoned her half-full grocery cart in the middle of the aisle to get in her car and drive over to Maria’s house. On her way, she fired questions at Alex, “What is Max doing? How is he looking at her, Alex?”
Alex looked to Kyle for help but Kyle could only shake his head, “Um, like, um, you remember those cartoons where the guy gets those big puppy eyes? It’s like that.”
“Awww!!!”
Alex gave Kyle the thumbs up and Kyle then told Ava the same thing. When Maria answered the door, Isabel excitedly started firing questions at her while following her into the living room and still on the phone with Alex,
“Is it true, do you think Lyz is Max’s dream girl? Wait, how do you know about Max’s…” at Maria’s answering stare, Isabel broke off, “Oh, right. Michael. Got it. So you think it’s really her?”
“Oh yeah, I do. You know, they had this certain chemistry before she left and he didn’t know what she looked like. But now without the bruises, you should have seen the look on Max’s face when he saw Lyz!” Maria smiled.
“Big puppy eyes?”
“Yup and…”
“Hold on, Alex just saw something.”
I'm a believer!
Chapter 17 - Part 2
When Maria realized that Alex and Kyle were still at the restaurant watching Max and Lyz, she demanded to hear what was going on too, so Isabel called her on the other line of her cell phone and three-wayed Maria in with Alex. When Maria and Isabel heard that Max was still staring at Lyz but trying to hide it, they both started jumping on the coach. They fired question at Alex, who in turn asked Kyle, causing both men to start a running commentary on the action inside the restaurant.
When Michael got out of the shower, he came out to investigate why Maria was squealing and jumping on the couch. When he heard that Alex and Kyle were giving a running commentary on Max and Lyz, Michael called Kyle and Kyle three-wayed him into his call with Ava who was still at the Sheriff’s office. Ava was trying to hide her cell phone ear piece as she sat in front of her computer and pretended to work while she listened to Kyle and Alex argue with each other over how to interpret each look, each touch that passed between Max and Lyz.
When Jeff left the booth, the two young men outside eagerly stepped closer to the window to see if the action would get more interesting while Jeff peered over the kitchen window and dialed a number. Philip Evans answered his phone and heard Jeff speak in a low tone telling him that Max was in his restaurant sitting next to Lyz with a love struck look on his face and a dopey smile. Philip immediately dropped his spatula and three-way dialed Diane who had gone out to dinner with friends. When Diane heard the news that Jeff had relayed, she instructed Jeff to stay on the line. She quickly and clumsily got up from the table, causing her friends to stare. Diane gathered her purse and left her friends at the restaurant table with an exclamation “Max isn’t gay!” and drove home while still on the phone with Philip and Jeff.
The three men watched the couple intently, relaying everything that was happening,
“What’s he doing now, Alex?” Maria demanded.
“Hey, he moved closer to her.”
“Totally in your imagination Kyle! He just squirmed.”
“What?” Isabel asked
“Fine, he squirmed closer to her!”
“Ok I’ll give you that. Did you hear that, ladies? He squirmed closer to her. Oh wait, did she just flip her hair?” Alex asked turning to Kyle. In the kitchen, Jeff excitedly reported, “She just flipped her hair!”
Screams could be heard from the women, “Wait! What kind of flip?”
Alex looked at Kyle to ask, “What kind of hair flip was that?”
Kyle gave Alex an incredulous look, “How the hell should I know?”
“Alex! Did she look at Max at all before or after she flipped her hair?” Isabel demanded.
“Um…” Alex looked at Kyle who could hear Isabel’s voice from Alex’s cell phone and nodded.
“Yes. She looked at him.”
“Oh my god, that's a definite sign she’s flirting!!!” Maria yelled into the phone causing Alex to pull the phone away from his ear.
“Oh my god, she’s flirting!” Kyle mockingly repeated to his end of the phone to Ava, who heard Maria yelling from Michael’s line and started laughing.
“If Max doesn’t pick up on the fact she’s flirting, I have taught him nothing as his twin!”
“Oh my god, she’s interested in our boy Philip!” Diane excitedly yelled into the phone.
Philip looked questioningly at his phone before he asked, “What?”
“Hair flipping signals that a woman is interested! Honestly Philip, pay attention!”
“God, Max better not blow it. He should just go in for the kiss and get it over with.” Michael grumbled.
“Shut up Michael. What are they doing now?” Ava asked.
“Wait, what are they doing now?” Kyle questioned Alex for clarification.
“Not much…”
“What?” demanded the girls.
Startled, Kyle tried to placate the girls, “Well, Lyz is talking and Max can’t tear his eyes away from her mouth.”
Alex rolled his eyes at Kyle’s comment, “He’s not staring at her mouth, he ‘gazing’ into her eyes, Kyle. Have you no romance in your soul?”
“Of course I do! I’m just calling ‘em as I see ‘em. Oh wait, oh my god, is Max actually going to put his arm around her?”
Alex leaned in for a closer look, “I think you’re right!”
Jeff stood straight up and had to look twice before he whispered into the phone, “He’s going to put his arm around her! He’s actually reaching across her shoulders….”
Everyone waited with abated breath for the next move. Isabel and Maria stopped jumping on the couch and grabbed each other’s hand. Michael sat down on the edge of the arm chair. Ava sat still her seat. Diane pulled over to the side of the road and Philip stood still ignoring the melting spatula in the frying pan on the stove. Jeff, Kyle, and Alex, tensely watched as Max slowly reached across Lyz’s shoulders and…
“Doh!!!! He just swatted at a fly!!”
Groans of disappointment were mingled with various swear words. Isabel and Maria dejectedly slumped on the couch, one on each end facing each other. Ava set her head down on her folded arms on top of her desk. Michael threw himself back into his seat. Philip looked morosely at his burnt grilled cheese and melted spatula while Diane was about to start the car.
Max removed his arm from behind Lyz and placed it along hers on top of the table. He had asked Lyz what she had been doing for six weeks in Alaska and he was really interested in hearing her answer, but he couldn’t help but stare at Lyz’s hand.
“WAIT! Look Alex!!”
Isabel and Maria jumped to their knees with renewed hope. Ava and Michael sat back up. Philip and Diane paused.
“Is he going to do what I think he’s going to do?”
“What?” Alex stared closer, trying to figure out what Kyle was seeing.
“He’s staring at her hand right? Do you think he might take it?”
The group on the phones sat, leaned, and tensed forward.
“No way!”
The group hung on every word with anxiously sucked in breaths.
“Wait, there he goes!”
“I told you he was going for it!”
“Philip!!! He just took her hand in his!”
“OH MY GOD! He did it! He took her hand!” Alex shouted exchanging high fives with Kyle who then threw his arm around Alex’s shoulders.
The girls started screaming, then Maria stopped, “Wait, how’d Lyz react?”
Everyone waited for the answer while inside the restaurant, Max had gently and unthinkingly picked up Lyz’s hand because it looked so small and delicate. He rubbed his thumb over Lyz’s fingers in fascination with the softness of her skin. The feel of her small bones under his larger hand made him frown. Sensing a shift in Max’s feelings, Lyz leaned a bit closer to him to ask what was disturbing him.
“Wait a minute – she just moved…it looks like….I can’t see her face…” Alex said as Kyle moved a bit so he could get a better look.
“I think she’s leaning into him.”
“You hear that Isabel? She’s leaning.” Alex relayed.
Isabel and Maria exchanged, “Awww!”
“Wait a sec.” Kyle hit Alex on the arm and motioned for him guess at what was going on as Max looked into Lyz’s eyes and felt himself drawn to her. He felt himself tilting his head down and moving closer to her lips.
“HO-LY SHIT! HE’S GOING IN FOR THE KISS!!!”
“HE’S GOING TO KISS HER!”
Isabel and Maria screamed loudly as they restarted their jumping on the couch.
Michael jumped up from his seat shouting “That’s the man!”
Ava jumped up from her seat with arms straight in the air sending her cell phone crashing to the floor.
Philip almost crushed his phone in his hand as he pumped both fists in the air, shouting, “YES!”.
Diane slammed her hand into the car roof as she pumped her fist into the air.
At the kitchen window Jeff swatted the cook away impatiently when he tried to place an order in the window and continued to stare intently at Max and Lyz while describing the scene to Philip and Diane. Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and he could feel a sinking sensation in his stomach ”Damn it! Tess is on the move! Did you hear me? She’s on the move!”
“Oh shit! Tess!”
“What?” shrieked Isabel as Alex relayed the latest news.
Kyle confirmed it, “She’s making her way over to them. Oh shit – she’s got a beverage! She’s got a beverage!”
“Kyle! You have to stop her! She’ll ruin everything!” screamed Maria.
“Jeff Parker! I want grandbabies! Stop her!” Diane ordered, grabbing her steering wheel with tension.
In slow motion:
Kyle lunges for the front door, clawing it open…. Jeff moves away from the kitchen window to push through the back door…..
Tess walks closer to Max with a glass of orange soda in her hands, eyes maliciously focused only on Max….
In their booth, Max obliviously ignored the sounds of the busy restaurant and leaned closer to Lyz’s tempting lips. He knew he shouldn’t, it was much too soon, and they hadn’t even been on a date yet… but her lips…
Lyz’s breath caught in her throat as she watched as Max’s head tilted down and inched closer to her. Her heart pounded and she could feel her eyelids close heavily in anticipation…
When Maria realized that Alex and Kyle were still at the restaurant watching Max and Lyz, she demanded to hear what was going on too, so Isabel called her on the other line of her cell phone and three-wayed Maria in with Alex. When Maria and Isabel heard that Max was still staring at Lyz but trying to hide it, they both started jumping on the coach. They fired question at Alex, who in turn asked Kyle, causing both men to start a running commentary on the action inside the restaurant.
When Michael got out of the shower, he came out to investigate why Maria was squealing and jumping on the couch. When he heard that Alex and Kyle were giving a running commentary on Max and Lyz, Michael called Kyle and Kyle three-wayed him into his call with Ava who was still at the Sheriff’s office. Ava was trying to hide her cell phone ear piece as she sat in front of her computer and pretended to work while she listened to Kyle and Alex argue with each other over how to interpret each look, each touch that passed between Max and Lyz.
When Jeff left the booth, the two young men outside eagerly stepped closer to the window to see if the action would get more interesting while Jeff peered over the kitchen window and dialed a number. Philip Evans answered his phone and heard Jeff speak in a low tone telling him that Max was in his restaurant sitting next to Lyz with a love struck look on his face and a dopey smile. Philip immediately dropped his spatula and three-way dialed Diane who had gone out to dinner with friends. When Diane heard the news that Jeff had relayed, she instructed Jeff to stay on the line. She quickly and clumsily got up from the table, causing her friends to stare. Diane gathered her purse and left her friends at the restaurant table with an exclamation “Max isn’t gay!” and drove home while still on the phone with Philip and Jeff.
The three men watched the couple intently, relaying everything that was happening,
“What’s he doing now, Alex?” Maria demanded.
“Hey, he moved closer to her.”
“Totally in your imagination Kyle! He just squirmed.”
“What?” Isabel asked
“Fine, he squirmed closer to her!”
“Ok I’ll give you that. Did you hear that, ladies? He squirmed closer to her. Oh wait, did she just flip her hair?” Alex asked turning to Kyle. In the kitchen, Jeff excitedly reported, “She just flipped her hair!”
Screams could be heard from the women, “Wait! What kind of flip?”
Alex looked at Kyle to ask, “What kind of hair flip was that?”
Kyle gave Alex an incredulous look, “How the hell should I know?”
“Alex! Did she look at Max at all before or after she flipped her hair?” Isabel demanded.
“Um…” Alex looked at Kyle who could hear Isabel’s voice from Alex’s cell phone and nodded.
“Yes. She looked at him.”
“Oh my god, that's a definite sign she’s flirting!!!” Maria yelled into the phone causing Alex to pull the phone away from his ear.
“Oh my god, she’s flirting!” Kyle mockingly repeated to his end of the phone to Ava, who heard Maria yelling from Michael’s line and started laughing.
“If Max doesn’t pick up on the fact she’s flirting, I have taught him nothing as his twin!”
“Oh my god, she’s interested in our boy Philip!” Diane excitedly yelled into the phone.
Philip looked questioningly at his phone before he asked, “What?”
“Hair flipping signals that a woman is interested! Honestly Philip, pay attention!”
“God, Max better not blow it. He should just go in for the kiss and get it over with.” Michael grumbled.
“Shut up Michael. What are they doing now?” Ava asked.
“Wait, what are they doing now?” Kyle questioned Alex for clarification.
“Not much…”
“What?” demanded the girls.
Startled, Kyle tried to placate the girls, “Well, Lyz is talking and Max can’t tear his eyes away from her mouth.”
Alex rolled his eyes at Kyle’s comment, “He’s not staring at her mouth, he ‘gazing’ into her eyes, Kyle. Have you no romance in your soul?”
“Of course I do! I’m just calling ‘em as I see ‘em. Oh wait, oh my god, is Max actually going to put his arm around her?”
Alex leaned in for a closer look, “I think you’re right!”
Jeff stood straight up and had to look twice before he whispered into the phone, “He’s going to put his arm around her! He’s actually reaching across her shoulders….”
Everyone waited with abated breath for the next move. Isabel and Maria stopped jumping on the couch and grabbed each other’s hand. Michael sat down on the edge of the arm chair. Ava sat still her seat. Diane pulled over to the side of the road and Philip stood still ignoring the melting spatula in the frying pan on the stove. Jeff, Kyle, and Alex, tensely watched as Max slowly reached across Lyz’s shoulders and…
“Doh!!!! He just swatted at a fly!!”
Groans of disappointment were mingled with various swear words. Isabel and Maria dejectedly slumped on the couch, one on each end facing each other. Ava set her head down on her folded arms on top of her desk. Michael threw himself back into his seat. Philip looked morosely at his burnt grilled cheese and melted spatula while Diane was about to start the car.
Max removed his arm from behind Lyz and placed it along hers on top of the table. He had asked Lyz what she had been doing for six weeks in Alaska and he was really interested in hearing her answer, but he couldn’t help but stare at Lyz’s hand.
“WAIT! Look Alex!!”
Isabel and Maria jumped to their knees with renewed hope. Ava and Michael sat back up. Philip and Diane paused.
“Is he going to do what I think he’s going to do?”
“What?” Alex stared closer, trying to figure out what Kyle was seeing.
“He’s staring at her hand right? Do you think he might take it?”
The group on the phones sat, leaned, and tensed forward.
“No way!”
The group hung on every word with anxiously sucked in breaths.
“Wait, there he goes!”
“I told you he was going for it!”
“Philip!!! He just took her hand in his!”
“OH MY GOD! He did it! He took her hand!” Alex shouted exchanging high fives with Kyle who then threw his arm around Alex’s shoulders.
The girls started screaming, then Maria stopped, “Wait, how’d Lyz react?”
Everyone waited for the answer while inside the restaurant, Max had gently and unthinkingly picked up Lyz’s hand because it looked so small and delicate. He rubbed his thumb over Lyz’s fingers in fascination with the softness of her skin. The feel of her small bones under his larger hand made him frown. Sensing a shift in Max’s feelings, Lyz leaned a bit closer to him to ask what was disturbing him.
“Wait a minute – she just moved…it looks like….I can’t see her face…” Alex said as Kyle moved a bit so he could get a better look.
“I think she’s leaning into him.”
“You hear that Isabel? She’s leaning.” Alex relayed.
Isabel and Maria exchanged, “Awww!”
“Wait a sec.” Kyle hit Alex on the arm and motioned for him guess at what was going on as Max looked into Lyz’s eyes and felt himself drawn to her. He felt himself tilting his head down and moving closer to her lips.
“HO-LY SHIT! HE’S GOING IN FOR THE KISS!!!”
“HE’S GOING TO KISS HER!”
Isabel and Maria screamed loudly as they restarted their jumping on the couch.
Michael jumped up from his seat shouting “That’s the man!”
Ava jumped up from her seat with arms straight in the air sending her cell phone crashing to the floor.
Philip almost crushed his phone in his hand as he pumped both fists in the air, shouting, “YES!”.
Diane slammed her hand into the car roof as she pumped her fist into the air.
At the kitchen window Jeff swatted the cook away impatiently when he tried to place an order in the window and continued to stare intently at Max and Lyz while describing the scene to Philip and Diane. Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and he could feel a sinking sensation in his stomach ”Damn it! Tess is on the move! Did you hear me? She’s on the move!”
“Oh shit! Tess!”
“What?” shrieked Isabel as Alex relayed the latest news.
Kyle confirmed it, “She’s making her way over to them. Oh shit – she’s got a beverage! She’s got a beverage!”
“Kyle! You have to stop her! She’ll ruin everything!” screamed Maria.
“Jeff Parker! I want grandbabies! Stop her!” Diane ordered, grabbing her steering wheel with tension.
In slow motion:
Kyle lunges for the front door, clawing it open…. Jeff moves away from the kitchen window to push through the back door…..
Tess walks closer to Max with a glass of orange soda in her hands, eyes maliciously focused only on Max….
In their booth, Max obliviously ignored the sounds of the busy restaurant and leaned closer to Lyz’s tempting lips. He knew he shouldn’t, it was much too soon, and they hadn’t even been on a date yet… but her lips…
Lyz’s breath caught in her throat as she watched as Max’s head tilted down and inched closer to her. Her heart pounded and she could feel her eyelids close heavily in anticipation…
Last edited by Believer2 on Tue May 17, 2005 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm a believer!
Chapter 18
Lyz’s breath caught in her throat as she watched as Max’s head tilted down and inched closer to her. Her heart pounded and she could feel her eyelids close heavily in anticipation…of what was going to happen as their lips drew closer….
Inside the restaurant, from opposite sides, both Kyle and Jeff desperately reach out to grab Tess…
The glass in Tess’s hand…slowly…tips…
“Shit! I can’t look!”
“Alex Whitman!! You better be looking!!!! What is going on?” Isabel yelled.
“KYLE!! Stop Tess!!” Maria screamed.
“Did they do it? Did they kiss?” Michael demanded, sitting at the edge of his seat.
“Please Tess, no, please!” Ava begged.
“Nnnnoooooo!” The group sat at attention, hopes and heads falling as they heard Alex scream.
“Oh my god! She did it. She actually did it.” Alex mumbled, dazed.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” screamed the group
Max jerked away from Lyz and sucked in a gasp of air as freezing cold soda crashed into his lap then began to pool down towards his butt and onto the seat. He pushed Lyz away from him so that she wouldn’t get soda on her clothes. He grabbed a fistful of napkins from the dispenser to soak up the soda on the seat and looked up to see Tess smirking as she walked away. He narrowed his eyes and bit his tongue to refrain from yelling at her. He knew that she would deny spilling the drink deliberately. Max worked at soaking up the spilt soda from the seat and from his pants, and he could feel his ears getting red with embarrassment.
Tess walked back to the soda machine to re-fill the empty glass in her hand and felt happy with herself, not seeing a defeated Jeff and Kyle drop their outstretched arms and walk away with bowed heads. Jeff picked up the phone he had dropped, not really wanting to tell Diane or Philip that he had failed to prevent Tess’s interruption. Kyle dejectedly walked back outside to join Alex at the window, wondering how a former college football star failed to intercept Tess.
Filling up the now empty glass, Tess thought back to the first time she first saw Max. Ever since their first meeting, she had wanted him. She could feel in her bones that they were right for each other and meant to be together, like destiny, but Max had always avoided her…well, except for the one night she had found Max drunk at Kyle’s. She would never admit it to another living soul but when she had gotten Max into bed that night, she couldn’t get a rise out Max. She had tried everything she knew of, every trick that she could think of, and still he was unaffected. He hadn’t avoided her kisses but they never went further than that. The next morning he had awoken with her naked beside him and he had assumed that they had done it. Her pride let him believe it and even forced her to lie to her sister about it.
Ever since that one night, he had avoided her even more. At first she had thought he was embarrassed because he remembered that he couldn’t get it up, but then she realized he was embarrassed that he had been with her. That had hurt. Then Tess got mad and plotted revenge. She had tearfully called up Max and begged him to meet her. When he did show up, she could tell he hadn’t wanted to be there and was impatient to leave, so she dragged it out as long possible before dropping her little bomb – she was pregnant.
The look on Max’s face was priceless! Tess had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and dug her nails into her palm in order to make real tears well up in her eyes. Max had stood there with his jaw to the ground and a shocked expression. He had stammered when he asked if she knew for certain he was the father and grew even paler than before when she answered yes. Max could have been manipulated into providing for her or even marrying her if her twin hadn’t stepped in.
Ava found Max drunk in the park and was able to find out from a very intoxicated Max what had caused him to drink. Ava had taken Max back to her and Kyle’s apartment. The next morning as she handed him water and aspirin, Ava pointed out that Tess could have been lying since she used the same trick on the college professor. Max had rushed back over to Tess’s apartment that same morning and demanded that Tess take another home pregnancy test that he had brought with him.
He stood outside the bathroom while she peed on the stick, but he insisted on coming into the bathroom to watch the stick with his own eyes. He had grown furious when the test proved that she wasn’t pregnant. Tess had never seen a man so angry before, she felt threatened by his fury. She desperately lied and told him that she had really thought she was pregnant because she missed her period, but Max silenced her with a look of burning anger and left. He had never looked back, not once.
Now she could only watch in anger and frustration as Max treated her like a plague and made goo-goo eyes at a tiny dark haired woman who didn’t even have any boobs! She didn’t know who the woman was but Tess vowed to do anything to make sure that Max was hers. She finished refilling the glass and was about to take it to the table that had ordered it but she saw Jeff on his cell phone staring at her in disgust. Her heart started to race at the thought that he might have witnessed what she had done. She walked past him and saw Kyle near the door on his cell phone, shooting her a dirty look. She ignored him and went to deliver the soda. As she left the table, she dared a quick peek over at Max.
Lyz had just leaned into Max, hoping for something she wasn't sure what, when she was startled to have Max jerk and push her away. When she saw the spilt soda, she grabbed her own napkin and started to wipe up the mess from Max’s lap, delving her hand between his legs. Lyz felt Max suddenly tense up and go still as she innocently pressed her napkin into the soda soaked pants.
Outside the restaurant, Alex and Kyle’s eyes went wide.
“Holy Buddha! What is she doing?!?”
“Where’s her hand?!”
On the other end of the phones, over the girls’ groans, Michael’s ears perked up, “Hand? Who’s hand?”
Maria heard Michael’s question and immediately shushed Isabel. “Hand? Did you say hand? What’s going on over there?”
Alex looked at Kyle who started gesturing wildly that he didn't want to say anything.
“Um, I think Lyz is helping Max clean up.” Alex stalled.
“So what was the comment about the hand?” Maria demanded.
“Uh, well, um, the soda spilt, uh….Lyzishelpinghimcleanbetweenhislegs.” Alex blurted out breathlessly.
Stunned silence fell among the group.
Max went still as he felt Lyz’s hands between his legs, and he could feel the world slow down as he watched Lyz look down into his lap, her hair falling forward, innocently unaware of her effect on him, wanting to help him. Max ached to smooth her hair, to tuck it back so he could see her lovely face, her eyes, her smile. In an instant, the world speeded up again as Lyz’s hands moved over him and he could feel the blood rushing to his lap. The desire to grab her by the shoulders to kiss her senseless and make her aware of him pounded in his head.
Jeff had just apologized to Diane for not moving quicker and was about to hang up when he turned around and his jaw fell to the floor. He barely strangled out, “Oh my god!” but both Philip and Diane heard him.
“Jeff? What’s going on?” Diane asked, concerned at the silence on the other end.
“Um, ah, let me call you back Diane. Philip.”
“What? Jeff! What’s going on?” Philip demanded, completely ignoring the black smoke coming off the stove, but Jeff hung up on both of them.
Lyz grabbed another napkin to wipe away some more of the sticky mess when she felt something move but before she could even wonder, her hands were suddenly grabbed by Max. As their hands collided on his lap, Lyz glanced at Max’s face and saw him turning a bit red in the face.
She was about to ask him what was wrong when she saw Jeff finish his conversation on his phone to come over with extra napkins. He motioned for Max to slip out of the booth and helped wipe up the sticky mess. He then reminded them that they should get home since their friends were waiting for them.
Max took Lyz’s hand and led her out the door, completely missing Kyle and Alex who had turned away from them as they approached. He tried not to think about how Lyz’s hand had felt in his lap or how embarrassing it had almost gotten with his reaction to her touch, but the small hand in his didn’t help distract his thinking.
Max pointed towards his car, “I hope you don’t mind riding in the Jeep without the cover. It’s getting repaired right now.”
“No, I do not mind. I have never been in a Jeep.”
“Really? Well, um, I think you’ll like it. Bob is a great Jeep. I’ve had him since high school and he’s been completely reliable.”
Lyz giggled at Max for naming his Jeep and talking about it as if it were a real live thing. “Bob?”
“Yeah, Bob” Max grinned at her, “Every car has to have a name otherwise they’ll be temperamental on you. Don’t you name your cars?”
“I have never had a car of my own. If I were to attend an event, I always was driven in a limousine.” She answered matter-of-factly.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“No.”
Max stopped walking and turned his attention to back to Lyz “Really?”
Lyz’s cheeks started to flush with embarrassment and she ducked her face away from Max. “Really.”
“Hey.” Max reached out and gently grasped Lyz’s chin to turn her back to him. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I could teach you, if you want. Bob’s a good beginner vehicle.” Max offered shyly but with a hopeful smile.
Max watched as Lyz’s eyes grew wide, “You would teach me?”
“If you want, yeah.”
Lyz’s eyes lit up with excitement and her smile burst wide, “Oh Max! I would so love it, yes please!”
Max had to remember how to breath when he saw Lyz’s smile and smiled back at her, loving how he could make her smile. He’d do anything to see that smile, even act the fool. “The first lesson is to greet the car. Come on. Lyz, this is Bob, Bob, this is Lyz. She’ll be riding with us today, so be nice.”
Lyz smiled and followed along with Max’s playful mood “Hello Bob! It is very nice to meet you.”
Max smiled broadly, “See, your first lesson and you pass with flying colors! Your next lesson will be this weekend.” Max reached out to open the passenger door but paused, “That is, if you don’t have anything planned for this weekend…”
Lyz shook her head, “No, I have nothing planned for this weekend.”
“Well, now you do. Driving lessons. This weekend. You and me. The desert.” Max horrifyingly told himself to stop babbling and reached out to guide Lyz inside the jeep. As he walked around to the driver’s side, Max had to roll his eyes at his lack of eloquence and felt like a bumbling fool. He got in the other side and was determined not to babble. As he started the jeep, Max grasped on the subject of cars and talked about the different parts of the vehicle and its function. Lyz tried to pay attention to what he was saying but nothing really made sense so she just sat back to enjoy listening to Max’s voice.
Max had to concentrate hard on driving and keeping the conversation on cars while gripping the steering wheel fiercely. What he really wanted to do was reach over and brush Lyz’s wind tossed hair away from her face. He wanted to lean in and finish what he had started at the Crashdown, but instead, he continued to drive.
As they pulled up to her home, neither of them noticed that they had an audience watching their every move from the living room window. Max walked around the side of the jeep and helped her step out. As she moved to stand, Lyz stumbled and fell in Max’s arms. Max tightened his hold a little before Lyz straightened herself up and stood gazing at him. A small embarrassed smile played softly on her lips and Max couldn’t help but to tease her, “Do you need lessons in walking, too?”
Isabel grabbed Maria’s arm as she excitedly watched her brother and Lyz. She had never seen Max like this –he seemed enchanted, like Lyz had put a force on him. Max had a silly little smile and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the tiny figure in his arms. He had the softest look in his eyes as he watched Lyz attentively, soft and loving. With that look, Isabel knew without a doubt that Maria had been right, Max had finally found his dream girl.
Maria held on to Isabel as she watched Lyz interact with Max. The young woman she saw before her was a complete contrast from the woman she had first met three months ago in the Parker’s living room. This woman was smiling and had a sparkle in her eye. This woman wasn’t hiding or scared. Maria was so proud of the woman standing there in Max’s arms. And she was excited to see her closest friend falling in love with a really nice guy like Max. If she had any doubts about the two falling for each other, the soft look on Max’s face and the dreamy look on Lyz’s dispelled them.
Michael stood behind Isabel and Maria and watched Max and Lyz. He recalled what Maria had said earlier, that the two of them fit each other, that they were made for each other, that Max had found his dream girl. Maybe it was the way Max touched Lyz like she was a precious angel or the way Max watched her every gesture. Or maybe it was the way Lyz looked at Max as if he was her hero or the way she moved her body close to Max like she couldn’t bear to be without his presence. He didn’t know for sure what it was, but looking at them, he knew Maria was right. They did fit.
The trio at the window watched as Max guided Lyz to the side door, not wanting to miss a second of what was going on. As they heard the door unlock, they rushed to seat themselves before the couple came in and caught them spying on them. When Max and Lyz entered the living room, they found Michael watching ballroom dancing, Isabel flipping through a motorcycle parts magazine, and Maria just sitting quietly by herself. Max looked at the group suspiciously while Lyz’s brow furrowed in slight confusion.
“Michael, since when are you interested in ballroom dancing?” Max asked.
“What? What’s wrong with it?”
“You do realize it’s dancing, right? Ballroom dancing.”
Michael avoided Max’s gaze “Yeah – so? Keeps me in touch with my feminine side.”
Both Maria and Isabel snorted with disbelief, along with Max.
“And you Iz? Motorcycles?”
“Getting in touch with my masculine side.” Smirked Isabel.
“Uh huh.” Max eyed the three suspiciously “You were watching us, weren’t you?”
“What? No. Of course not!” Maria responded indignantly “We have better things to do than to watch you guys moon over each other.”
Alex, Ava and Kyle arrived with the Chinese food and movies before Max could question them further. Knowing smiles were exchanged as Max arranged to sit next to Lyz but neither Max nor Lyz noticed. As they ate, Maria asked Lyz to explain what happened to her since she left Roswell. Picking at her food, Lyz explained how she snuck into Rome and the lengths she went to in order to avoid anyone recognizing her. She then explained how she, Nicole, and Enrique flew to Alaska.
Alex almost choked on his moo shoo pork, “Alaska? Land of never melting snow?” he asked, horrified.
Lyz started to laugh, “Yes. Nicole was not very happy about the cold or the snow either. I do not believe they will stay there for very long.”
After eating, everybody settled comfortably to watch the movies. Maria sat on Michael’s lap in the armchair while Isabel, Alex, Ava, and Kyle shared the couch. In front of the TV, Lyz laid on her stomach with her arms pillowing the one side of her head and Max settled on his side and elbow next to her. For the rest of the night, the other couples watched as Lyz and Max seemed to inch closer together until they were practically plastered together. They all smiled at how well Max and Lyz seemed to fit together.
Lyz’s breath caught in her throat as she watched as Max’s head tilted down and inched closer to her. Her heart pounded and she could feel her eyelids close heavily in anticipation…of what was going to happen as their lips drew closer….
Inside the restaurant, from opposite sides, both Kyle and Jeff desperately reach out to grab Tess…
The glass in Tess’s hand…slowly…tips…
“Shit! I can’t look!”
“Alex Whitman!! You better be looking!!!! What is going on?” Isabel yelled.
“KYLE!! Stop Tess!!” Maria screamed.
“Did they do it? Did they kiss?” Michael demanded, sitting at the edge of his seat.
“Please Tess, no, please!” Ava begged.
“Nnnnoooooo!” The group sat at attention, hopes and heads falling as they heard Alex scream.
“Oh my god! She did it. She actually did it.” Alex mumbled, dazed.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” screamed the group
Max jerked away from Lyz and sucked in a gasp of air as freezing cold soda crashed into his lap then began to pool down towards his butt and onto the seat. He pushed Lyz away from him so that she wouldn’t get soda on her clothes. He grabbed a fistful of napkins from the dispenser to soak up the soda on the seat and looked up to see Tess smirking as she walked away. He narrowed his eyes and bit his tongue to refrain from yelling at her. He knew that she would deny spilling the drink deliberately. Max worked at soaking up the spilt soda from the seat and from his pants, and he could feel his ears getting red with embarrassment.
Tess walked back to the soda machine to re-fill the empty glass in her hand and felt happy with herself, not seeing a defeated Jeff and Kyle drop their outstretched arms and walk away with bowed heads. Jeff picked up the phone he had dropped, not really wanting to tell Diane or Philip that he had failed to prevent Tess’s interruption. Kyle dejectedly walked back outside to join Alex at the window, wondering how a former college football star failed to intercept Tess.
Filling up the now empty glass, Tess thought back to the first time she first saw Max. Ever since their first meeting, she had wanted him. She could feel in her bones that they were right for each other and meant to be together, like destiny, but Max had always avoided her…well, except for the one night she had found Max drunk at Kyle’s. She would never admit it to another living soul but when she had gotten Max into bed that night, she couldn’t get a rise out Max. She had tried everything she knew of, every trick that she could think of, and still he was unaffected. He hadn’t avoided her kisses but they never went further than that. The next morning he had awoken with her naked beside him and he had assumed that they had done it. Her pride let him believe it and even forced her to lie to her sister about it.
Ever since that one night, he had avoided her even more. At first she had thought he was embarrassed because he remembered that he couldn’t get it up, but then she realized he was embarrassed that he had been with her. That had hurt. Then Tess got mad and plotted revenge. She had tearfully called up Max and begged him to meet her. When he did show up, she could tell he hadn’t wanted to be there and was impatient to leave, so she dragged it out as long possible before dropping her little bomb – she was pregnant.
The look on Max’s face was priceless! Tess had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and dug her nails into her palm in order to make real tears well up in her eyes. Max had stood there with his jaw to the ground and a shocked expression. He had stammered when he asked if she knew for certain he was the father and grew even paler than before when she answered yes. Max could have been manipulated into providing for her or even marrying her if her twin hadn’t stepped in.
Ava found Max drunk in the park and was able to find out from a very intoxicated Max what had caused him to drink. Ava had taken Max back to her and Kyle’s apartment. The next morning as she handed him water and aspirin, Ava pointed out that Tess could have been lying since she used the same trick on the college professor. Max had rushed back over to Tess’s apartment that same morning and demanded that Tess take another home pregnancy test that he had brought with him.
He stood outside the bathroom while she peed on the stick, but he insisted on coming into the bathroom to watch the stick with his own eyes. He had grown furious when the test proved that she wasn’t pregnant. Tess had never seen a man so angry before, she felt threatened by his fury. She desperately lied and told him that she had really thought she was pregnant because she missed her period, but Max silenced her with a look of burning anger and left. He had never looked back, not once.
Now she could only watch in anger and frustration as Max treated her like a plague and made goo-goo eyes at a tiny dark haired woman who didn’t even have any boobs! She didn’t know who the woman was but Tess vowed to do anything to make sure that Max was hers. She finished refilling the glass and was about to take it to the table that had ordered it but she saw Jeff on his cell phone staring at her in disgust. Her heart started to race at the thought that he might have witnessed what she had done. She walked past him and saw Kyle near the door on his cell phone, shooting her a dirty look. She ignored him and went to deliver the soda. As she left the table, she dared a quick peek over at Max.
Lyz had just leaned into Max, hoping for something she wasn't sure what, when she was startled to have Max jerk and push her away. When she saw the spilt soda, she grabbed her own napkin and started to wipe up the mess from Max’s lap, delving her hand between his legs. Lyz felt Max suddenly tense up and go still as she innocently pressed her napkin into the soda soaked pants.
Outside the restaurant, Alex and Kyle’s eyes went wide.
“Holy Buddha! What is she doing?!?”
“Where’s her hand?!”
On the other end of the phones, over the girls’ groans, Michael’s ears perked up, “Hand? Who’s hand?”
Maria heard Michael’s question and immediately shushed Isabel. “Hand? Did you say hand? What’s going on over there?”
Alex looked at Kyle who started gesturing wildly that he didn't want to say anything.
“Um, I think Lyz is helping Max clean up.” Alex stalled.
“So what was the comment about the hand?” Maria demanded.
“Uh, well, um, the soda spilt, uh….Lyzishelpinghimcleanbetweenhislegs.” Alex blurted out breathlessly.
Stunned silence fell among the group.
Max went still as he felt Lyz’s hands between his legs, and he could feel the world slow down as he watched Lyz look down into his lap, her hair falling forward, innocently unaware of her effect on him, wanting to help him. Max ached to smooth her hair, to tuck it back so he could see her lovely face, her eyes, her smile. In an instant, the world speeded up again as Lyz’s hands moved over him and he could feel the blood rushing to his lap. The desire to grab her by the shoulders to kiss her senseless and make her aware of him pounded in his head.
Jeff had just apologized to Diane for not moving quicker and was about to hang up when he turned around and his jaw fell to the floor. He barely strangled out, “Oh my god!” but both Philip and Diane heard him.
“Jeff? What’s going on?” Diane asked, concerned at the silence on the other end.
“Um, ah, let me call you back Diane. Philip.”
“What? Jeff! What’s going on?” Philip demanded, completely ignoring the black smoke coming off the stove, but Jeff hung up on both of them.
Lyz grabbed another napkin to wipe away some more of the sticky mess when she felt something move but before she could even wonder, her hands were suddenly grabbed by Max. As their hands collided on his lap, Lyz glanced at Max’s face and saw him turning a bit red in the face.
She was about to ask him what was wrong when she saw Jeff finish his conversation on his phone to come over with extra napkins. He motioned for Max to slip out of the booth and helped wipe up the sticky mess. He then reminded them that they should get home since their friends were waiting for them.
Max took Lyz’s hand and led her out the door, completely missing Kyle and Alex who had turned away from them as they approached. He tried not to think about how Lyz’s hand had felt in his lap or how embarrassing it had almost gotten with his reaction to her touch, but the small hand in his didn’t help distract his thinking.
Max pointed towards his car, “I hope you don’t mind riding in the Jeep without the cover. It’s getting repaired right now.”
“No, I do not mind. I have never been in a Jeep.”
“Really? Well, um, I think you’ll like it. Bob is a great Jeep. I’ve had him since high school and he’s been completely reliable.”
Lyz giggled at Max for naming his Jeep and talking about it as if it were a real live thing. “Bob?”
“Yeah, Bob” Max grinned at her, “Every car has to have a name otherwise they’ll be temperamental on you. Don’t you name your cars?”
“I have never had a car of my own. If I were to attend an event, I always was driven in a limousine.” She answered matter-of-factly.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“No.”
Max stopped walking and turned his attention to back to Lyz “Really?”
Lyz’s cheeks started to flush with embarrassment and she ducked her face away from Max. “Really.”
“Hey.” Max reached out and gently grasped Lyz’s chin to turn her back to him. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I could teach you, if you want. Bob’s a good beginner vehicle.” Max offered shyly but with a hopeful smile.
Max watched as Lyz’s eyes grew wide, “You would teach me?”
“If you want, yeah.”
Lyz’s eyes lit up with excitement and her smile burst wide, “Oh Max! I would so love it, yes please!”
Max had to remember how to breath when he saw Lyz’s smile and smiled back at her, loving how he could make her smile. He’d do anything to see that smile, even act the fool. “The first lesson is to greet the car. Come on. Lyz, this is Bob, Bob, this is Lyz. She’ll be riding with us today, so be nice.”
Lyz smiled and followed along with Max’s playful mood “Hello Bob! It is very nice to meet you.”
Max smiled broadly, “See, your first lesson and you pass with flying colors! Your next lesson will be this weekend.” Max reached out to open the passenger door but paused, “That is, if you don’t have anything planned for this weekend…”
Lyz shook her head, “No, I have nothing planned for this weekend.”
“Well, now you do. Driving lessons. This weekend. You and me. The desert.” Max horrifyingly told himself to stop babbling and reached out to guide Lyz inside the jeep. As he walked around to the driver’s side, Max had to roll his eyes at his lack of eloquence and felt like a bumbling fool. He got in the other side and was determined not to babble. As he started the jeep, Max grasped on the subject of cars and talked about the different parts of the vehicle and its function. Lyz tried to pay attention to what he was saying but nothing really made sense so she just sat back to enjoy listening to Max’s voice.
Max had to concentrate hard on driving and keeping the conversation on cars while gripping the steering wheel fiercely. What he really wanted to do was reach over and brush Lyz’s wind tossed hair away from her face. He wanted to lean in and finish what he had started at the Crashdown, but instead, he continued to drive.
As they pulled up to her home, neither of them noticed that they had an audience watching their every move from the living room window. Max walked around the side of the jeep and helped her step out. As she moved to stand, Lyz stumbled and fell in Max’s arms. Max tightened his hold a little before Lyz straightened herself up and stood gazing at him. A small embarrassed smile played softly on her lips and Max couldn’t help but to tease her, “Do you need lessons in walking, too?”
Isabel grabbed Maria’s arm as she excitedly watched her brother and Lyz. She had never seen Max like this –he seemed enchanted, like Lyz had put a force on him. Max had a silly little smile and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the tiny figure in his arms. He had the softest look in his eyes as he watched Lyz attentively, soft and loving. With that look, Isabel knew without a doubt that Maria had been right, Max had finally found his dream girl.
Maria held on to Isabel as she watched Lyz interact with Max. The young woman she saw before her was a complete contrast from the woman she had first met three months ago in the Parker’s living room. This woman was smiling and had a sparkle in her eye. This woman wasn’t hiding or scared. Maria was so proud of the woman standing there in Max’s arms. And she was excited to see her closest friend falling in love with a really nice guy like Max. If she had any doubts about the two falling for each other, the soft look on Max’s face and the dreamy look on Lyz’s dispelled them.
Michael stood behind Isabel and Maria and watched Max and Lyz. He recalled what Maria had said earlier, that the two of them fit each other, that they were made for each other, that Max had found his dream girl. Maybe it was the way Max touched Lyz like she was a precious angel or the way Max watched her every gesture. Or maybe it was the way Lyz looked at Max as if he was her hero or the way she moved her body close to Max like she couldn’t bear to be without his presence. He didn’t know for sure what it was, but looking at them, he knew Maria was right. They did fit.
The trio at the window watched as Max guided Lyz to the side door, not wanting to miss a second of what was going on. As they heard the door unlock, they rushed to seat themselves before the couple came in and caught them spying on them. When Max and Lyz entered the living room, they found Michael watching ballroom dancing, Isabel flipping through a motorcycle parts magazine, and Maria just sitting quietly by herself. Max looked at the group suspiciously while Lyz’s brow furrowed in slight confusion.
“Michael, since when are you interested in ballroom dancing?” Max asked.
“What? What’s wrong with it?”
“You do realize it’s dancing, right? Ballroom dancing.”
Michael avoided Max’s gaze “Yeah – so? Keeps me in touch with my feminine side.”
Both Maria and Isabel snorted with disbelief, along with Max.
“And you Iz? Motorcycles?”
“Getting in touch with my masculine side.” Smirked Isabel.
“Uh huh.” Max eyed the three suspiciously “You were watching us, weren’t you?”
“What? No. Of course not!” Maria responded indignantly “We have better things to do than to watch you guys moon over each other.”
Alex, Ava and Kyle arrived with the Chinese food and movies before Max could question them further. Knowing smiles were exchanged as Max arranged to sit next to Lyz but neither Max nor Lyz noticed. As they ate, Maria asked Lyz to explain what happened to her since she left Roswell. Picking at her food, Lyz explained how she snuck into Rome and the lengths she went to in order to avoid anyone recognizing her. She then explained how she, Nicole, and Enrique flew to Alaska.
Alex almost choked on his moo shoo pork, “Alaska? Land of never melting snow?” he asked, horrified.
Lyz started to laugh, “Yes. Nicole was not very happy about the cold or the snow either. I do not believe they will stay there for very long.”
After eating, everybody settled comfortably to watch the movies. Maria sat on Michael’s lap in the armchair while Isabel, Alex, Ava, and Kyle shared the couch. In front of the TV, Lyz laid on her stomach with her arms pillowing the one side of her head and Max settled on his side and elbow next to her. For the rest of the night, the other couples watched as Lyz and Max seemed to inch closer together until they were practically plastered together. They all smiled at how well Max and Lyz seemed to fit together.
I'm a believer!
Chapter 19 is posted in two sections due to length.
Chapter 19 - Part 1
The evening after her return, Lyz was at home watching movies with Maria when she received a phone call. Knowing that Max was out with Michael and Kyle, she didn’t know who would be calling her. She hesitatingly took the phone from Maria, “Hello?”
“Lyz?”
“Yes?”
“This is Isabel, Max’s sister.”
Lyz smiled with relief, “Hello Isabel!”
“I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night. I thought we could go shopping together.”
“Oh – yes. I would like to go shopping with you very much, Isabel, thank you.”
“Great – why don’t I pick you up at your place around 3:00PM? I only have a half day of work tomorrow.”
“Let me see if Maria is free.” Lyz smilingly turned to Maria but Isabel interrupted.
“Lyz. It’s not that I don’t want Maria to come along, but I thought maybe it could be just the two of us.”
Lyz fell quiet, not really sure what Isabel was telling her. Isabel mistook her silence for reluctance, “But if you’re more comfortable with Maria there, then go ahead…”
“Isabel. It is alright.”
They finalized plans and Lyz bemusedly hung up the phone to explain to Maria what just happened. Even Maria was a bit surprised that Isabel would call and invite her to go shopping. To Maria, Isabel always seemed a bit cool, aloof, but she admitted to herself that part of her opinion came from high school when Isabel wouldn’t condescend to acknowledge her. Maria was friendly with Isabel now, but they weren’t really close, so she was surprised to see Isabel make an effort to be friendly towards Lyz.
The following evening Isabel picked up Lyz and headed towards the mall. Silence filled the small car, neither woman knowing how to start the conversation. Isabel finally pulled over to the side of the road and turned in her seat to face Lyz and blurted out
“Lyz, I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry about us spilling your secret.”
Lyz didn’t know how to react. Isabel sat quietly watching the emotions fly across Lyz’s face. She gently placed one hand on Lyz’s arm,
“I-I want to help, so if you ever need anything…I know you’re scared about your father but it’s easier to have some help instead of trying to do everything on your own. ”
Lyz smiled faintly, “That is the same as what Maria had said before.”
“She’s right. If you don’t trust me, trust her.”
Lyz nibbled on her lower lip for a few minutes before smiling at Isabel, “All my life, I have learned to only depend on myself. Even my closest friend could not always help me. It is hard allowing someone to help me.”
Isabel laughed a bit, “No wonder you and Max get along so well. You’re both control freaks!” Feeling the tension subside, Isabel drove back onto the road towards the mall.
“Let me tell you something about Max. He and I have always been close, as twins that’s to be expected. But Max has always been a bit hard to read too. As his sister, it’s easier for me, but even I have a hard time always understanding Max. He’s always been so serious and intense – most people are put off by that. He’s a major control freak and practically works himself to death. But then I saw him with you, Lyz.” Isabel paused as she felt Lyz face her.
“Ever since Max met you, even before you went off, he’s been different. Before meeting you, he’d spend most nights working until seven or eight at night, work out, and maybe eat dinner before going to bed. He would even work on the weekends! He rarely left the office at 5:00 or go out or hang out with anyone. I use to call him and have to beg him to meet me for dinner once a week. Then he met you.
Mom and Dad told me that Max started leaving the office on time or shortly after 5:00 to go over to Maria’s to have dinner with you guys and Michael. When it became a more regular thing, my parents and I started getting our hopes up that he might actually be interested in someone. Then you disappeared and didn’t come back for a couple of months. We were worried about you, but the worst was seeing Max slide back into his old routine. That’s when I started asking Maria about you and what your deal was – I thought maybe you were trying to play my brother.”
“Play?”
“Yeah, like, um, lead him on then dump him.”
“Oh – I would never do that.” Lyz rushed to defend herself.
“I know that now but I didn’t then. So then Maria explained what happened to you and I felt ashamed. I had no idea what you had gone through. When you came back, I saw him fall in love with you. I never thought it would happen, but seeing you two together, I realize that he had. He’s got the silliest smile on his face whenever he talks about you, even thinks about you. He leaves work early so he can spend time with you which he has never done in his entire life.”
Lyz sat stunned in her seat, not knowing how to feel or react.
Isabel pulled into the mall parking lot and found a space to park her car. “Lyz, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to know that you’re not going to break his heart. Max isn’t like most men who date a lot, in fact he rarely does. He’s head over heels for you and he’d be crushed, absolutely devastated if you weren’t as serious about him as he is about you.”
Lyz was silent as she thought about what Isabel had revealed before looking intently at Isabel.
“Isabel, I appreciate your concern for your brother, but you do not have to worry. I promise you, I will never willingly hurt him.”
Isabel searched Lyz’s eyes and knew she spoke the truth. She gladly and warmly embraced Lyz before telling her, “Max is a great guy but if you ever need someone, another woman, to talk to about him or what happened with your father, I’m here. I’d like us to be friends.”
Lyz smiled back at Isabel, “I would like that too. Thank you, Isabel.”
Throughout the day, Isabel was able to slowly piece together what life had really been life for Lyz while Lyz was getting the background story on each of their friends and Max. When Isabel told Lyz about Tess’s obsession with Max, she watched Lyz’s face carefully for any reaction. She smiled to herself when she saw a flash of jealously flare in Lyz’s wide eyes. She knew that Lyz had nothing to worry about, but she would let Lyz find that out for herself. By the end of their shopping spree, the two women had established the basis of a strong and close friendship.
The following Saturday, Lyz tried on several outfits wishing Maria hadn’t had to go to work earlier. She finally settled on a pair of newly bought olive green cargo capris, flip flops, and black tank top. She pulled her hair back in a loose pony tail and got ready for her first driving lesson with Max that afternoon. She sat nervously on the living room couch and watched cartoons as she waited. When she heard a car pull into the driveway, her face broke out in a wide smile and she rushed to turn off the TV. Before answering the door, she chided herself for acting so silly and calmly opened the door to Max.
Lyz’s heart skipped a beat as she saw Max’s gorgeous smile. Max held up a picnic basket and told her “I thought we might have a picnic before we start your driving lessons. OK?”
Lyz nodded in smiling acquiescence and allowed Max to lead her to the jeep. They drove out to the desert near the Indian reservation and Max took out several blankets. Lyz climbed out and stood holding the basket while Max spread out the blankets. As Lyz got comfortable, Max sat across from her and started to pull out their lunch from the picnic basket,
“So, besides driving lessons, what else would you like to learn about now that you have the chance?”
Lyz immediately started to blush red at the one thing that jumped into her mind, kissing, and tried to avoid looking at Max. But it was too late, Max saw her turning red.
“Hey, what’s this? What’s got you blushing? You can tell me.” Teased Max.
Lyz started to nibble on her lower lip, “Um…school.”
“School?”
“Yes! What is…high school? Maria talks about it quite often.” Lyz jumped at the chance to avoid giving Max her real answer.
Max looked like he didn’t believe her but he told Lyz about his experience in high school. Lyz had listened with fascination and bombarded him with questions about high school, sports, dances, graduation and college. As she listened to Max talk, she felt a pang of regret over the many experiences she would never have and the fond memories that she could never look back on like Max or Maria did. A quiet look came over her face as she listened to Max.
“Ok – now I know something’s wrong. What is it?” Max asked, worried he might have upset her.
“I-I was just thinking how nice it must be…to have such memories. I-I will never know…never have…” Tears welled up in Lyz’s eyes and Max’s heart melted as he took in the large sad eyes. He reached over and took her hand in his while his other hand went out to gently cup her face.
“I’m so sorry you don’t have happier memories. That you got cheated out of high school and college and everything in between. I’m sorry for every beating and every tear, but that’s the past, Lyz. What is in the past, we can’t change it, no matter how much we want to, we can’t. But we can change our future. No one can cheat you out of your future or your dreams – not your father, not Nicholas, no one. The future is yours and you can make as many happy memories as you want.”
Lyz slightly leaned into Max’s hand and smiled softly, “Have you always been so wise?”
“Believe it or not, no.” Max smiled back. For an infinite second, the two of them watched each other. As Max watched Lyz, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was too early to be in love while Lyz wondered at the feelings that fluttered in her heart. To distract himself from his train of thought, Max gave Lyz’s hand a squeeze and asked, “So, what do you want to do with your bright future?”
Lyz’s eyes brightened and she talked about all the places she had read about in her books and wanted to see, all the things that she wanted to try. She then talked about trying to find a job and learning to support herself. She confessed to Max that she thought about asking the Parkers for a job at the restaurant be she didn’t want to work with Tess.
When Max asked why she didn’t want to work with Tess, she reminded Max about the first night she had arrived and how Tess told her she had to pay for food and that she had to go to the back of the restaurant. Max finally put two and two together and realized who Lyz had been.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about Tess working at the Crashdown. She quit.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, she took a job as a secretary for our local congressman Pierce. Apparently he’s wealthy and single – both of which make him prime target for Tess.”
“Oh. But I thought she was…” Lyz bit her lip in consternation.
“What? You thought she was what?”
Lyz could feel her cheeks grow warm again and briefly wondered if she would ever stop embarrassing herself. “Well, I had heard…um, that Tess was in want of you.”
“In want of me…what the…Isabel.” Max threaded his hands through his hair in frustration over Isabel’s interference. “I can’t believe her. Listen, Lyz.” Max grasped Lyz by her upper arms “Tess means nothing to me. I am not interested in her at all. Yes, she’s had this fixation on me, but that doesn’t mean I encourage her at all. There is nothing between her and me – nothing.”
Lyz couldn’t help the smile that lit her face, “Alright. I believe you.”
Max became distracted at the sight of Lyz’s lips curving into a smile, tempting him to touch them with his own, just to see if they felt as soft as they looked.
“Max? Max, are you alright?”
Despite wanting to kiss Lyz very, very badly, Max knew that he had to take things slow. And to make sure that she returned his feelings, but Lyz’s lips kept taunting him, tempting him. Max tore his attention away from Lyz’s lips and focused on what she had to say “Huh? What? Yeah, um, we better hurry up and eat.”
Long after they had finished their picnic, Max finally got Lyz behind the wheel of Bob. He spent an hour going over every feature and what it did before he allowed her to start the jeep. For the rest of the afternoon, Max taught Lyz how to start the jeep, drive forward, turn, and back up. Once Lyz got the hang of it, Max groaned out loud when she started to speed up in her turns and coming to screeching stops with a devilish grin. One look at her sparkling eyes and ecstatic smile, Max knew that he would not have the heart to tell her to slow down.
By dinnertime Lyz felt proud of herself and wanted to drive into town, but Max teasingly told her that he wasn’t ready to unleash such a holy terror loose on public streets yet. As Max drove them back to town, Lyz couldn’t help but stare at Max. She marveled at his patience with her today and his generosity. When he pulled up to her home, Max got out and helped Lyz out of the jeep. Lyz placed a hand on Max’s arm before he turned to leave,
“Max, I want to thank you. For today. You are so kind to have taken the time…”
“Lyz, stop. Cheesy as it sounds, I wouldn’t have been anywhere else but with you today.”
Lyz’s smile glowed, or was it his imagination, before she wished him a good night and walked in the house. Max stood smiling in the dark before he started to whistle and walk back to his jeep. He couldn’t help but think he wanted to be there for all of Lyz’s firsts.
Chapter 19 - Part 1
The evening after her return, Lyz was at home watching movies with Maria when she received a phone call. Knowing that Max was out with Michael and Kyle, she didn’t know who would be calling her. She hesitatingly took the phone from Maria, “Hello?”
“Lyz?”
“Yes?”
“This is Isabel, Max’s sister.”
Lyz smiled with relief, “Hello Isabel!”
“I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night. I thought we could go shopping together.”
“Oh – yes. I would like to go shopping with you very much, Isabel, thank you.”
“Great – why don’t I pick you up at your place around 3:00PM? I only have a half day of work tomorrow.”
“Let me see if Maria is free.” Lyz smilingly turned to Maria but Isabel interrupted.
“Lyz. It’s not that I don’t want Maria to come along, but I thought maybe it could be just the two of us.”
Lyz fell quiet, not really sure what Isabel was telling her. Isabel mistook her silence for reluctance, “But if you’re more comfortable with Maria there, then go ahead…”
“Isabel. It is alright.”
They finalized plans and Lyz bemusedly hung up the phone to explain to Maria what just happened. Even Maria was a bit surprised that Isabel would call and invite her to go shopping. To Maria, Isabel always seemed a bit cool, aloof, but she admitted to herself that part of her opinion came from high school when Isabel wouldn’t condescend to acknowledge her. Maria was friendly with Isabel now, but they weren’t really close, so she was surprised to see Isabel make an effort to be friendly towards Lyz.
The following evening Isabel picked up Lyz and headed towards the mall. Silence filled the small car, neither woman knowing how to start the conversation. Isabel finally pulled over to the side of the road and turned in her seat to face Lyz and blurted out
“Lyz, I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry about us spilling your secret.”
Lyz didn’t know how to react. Isabel sat quietly watching the emotions fly across Lyz’s face. She gently placed one hand on Lyz’s arm,
“I-I want to help, so if you ever need anything…I know you’re scared about your father but it’s easier to have some help instead of trying to do everything on your own. ”
Lyz smiled faintly, “That is the same as what Maria had said before.”
“She’s right. If you don’t trust me, trust her.”
Lyz nibbled on her lower lip for a few minutes before smiling at Isabel, “All my life, I have learned to only depend on myself. Even my closest friend could not always help me. It is hard allowing someone to help me.”
Isabel laughed a bit, “No wonder you and Max get along so well. You’re both control freaks!” Feeling the tension subside, Isabel drove back onto the road towards the mall.
“Let me tell you something about Max. He and I have always been close, as twins that’s to be expected. But Max has always been a bit hard to read too. As his sister, it’s easier for me, but even I have a hard time always understanding Max. He’s always been so serious and intense – most people are put off by that. He’s a major control freak and practically works himself to death. But then I saw him with you, Lyz.” Isabel paused as she felt Lyz face her.
“Ever since Max met you, even before you went off, he’s been different. Before meeting you, he’d spend most nights working until seven or eight at night, work out, and maybe eat dinner before going to bed. He would even work on the weekends! He rarely left the office at 5:00 or go out or hang out with anyone. I use to call him and have to beg him to meet me for dinner once a week. Then he met you.
Mom and Dad told me that Max started leaving the office on time or shortly after 5:00 to go over to Maria’s to have dinner with you guys and Michael. When it became a more regular thing, my parents and I started getting our hopes up that he might actually be interested in someone. Then you disappeared and didn’t come back for a couple of months. We were worried about you, but the worst was seeing Max slide back into his old routine. That’s when I started asking Maria about you and what your deal was – I thought maybe you were trying to play my brother.”
“Play?”
“Yeah, like, um, lead him on then dump him.”
“Oh – I would never do that.” Lyz rushed to defend herself.
“I know that now but I didn’t then. So then Maria explained what happened to you and I felt ashamed. I had no idea what you had gone through. When you came back, I saw him fall in love with you. I never thought it would happen, but seeing you two together, I realize that he had. He’s got the silliest smile on his face whenever he talks about you, even thinks about you. He leaves work early so he can spend time with you which he has never done in his entire life.”
Lyz sat stunned in her seat, not knowing how to feel or react.
Isabel pulled into the mall parking lot and found a space to park her car. “Lyz, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to know that you’re not going to break his heart. Max isn’t like most men who date a lot, in fact he rarely does. He’s head over heels for you and he’d be crushed, absolutely devastated if you weren’t as serious about him as he is about you.”
Lyz was silent as she thought about what Isabel had revealed before looking intently at Isabel.
“Isabel, I appreciate your concern for your brother, but you do not have to worry. I promise you, I will never willingly hurt him.”
Isabel searched Lyz’s eyes and knew she spoke the truth. She gladly and warmly embraced Lyz before telling her, “Max is a great guy but if you ever need someone, another woman, to talk to about him or what happened with your father, I’m here. I’d like us to be friends.”
Lyz smiled back at Isabel, “I would like that too. Thank you, Isabel.”
Throughout the day, Isabel was able to slowly piece together what life had really been life for Lyz while Lyz was getting the background story on each of their friends and Max. When Isabel told Lyz about Tess’s obsession with Max, she watched Lyz’s face carefully for any reaction. She smiled to herself when she saw a flash of jealously flare in Lyz’s wide eyes. She knew that Lyz had nothing to worry about, but she would let Lyz find that out for herself. By the end of their shopping spree, the two women had established the basis of a strong and close friendship.
The following Saturday, Lyz tried on several outfits wishing Maria hadn’t had to go to work earlier. She finally settled on a pair of newly bought olive green cargo capris, flip flops, and black tank top. She pulled her hair back in a loose pony tail and got ready for her first driving lesson with Max that afternoon. She sat nervously on the living room couch and watched cartoons as she waited. When she heard a car pull into the driveway, her face broke out in a wide smile and she rushed to turn off the TV. Before answering the door, she chided herself for acting so silly and calmly opened the door to Max.
Lyz’s heart skipped a beat as she saw Max’s gorgeous smile. Max held up a picnic basket and told her “I thought we might have a picnic before we start your driving lessons. OK?”
Lyz nodded in smiling acquiescence and allowed Max to lead her to the jeep. They drove out to the desert near the Indian reservation and Max took out several blankets. Lyz climbed out and stood holding the basket while Max spread out the blankets. As Lyz got comfortable, Max sat across from her and started to pull out their lunch from the picnic basket,
“So, besides driving lessons, what else would you like to learn about now that you have the chance?”
Lyz immediately started to blush red at the one thing that jumped into her mind, kissing, and tried to avoid looking at Max. But it was too late, Max saw her turning red.
“Hey, what’s this? What’s got you blushing? You can tell me.” Teased Max.
Lyz started to nibble on her lower lip, “Um…school.”
“School?”
“Yes! What is…high school? Maria talks about it quite often.” Lyz jumped at the chance to avoid giving Max her real answer.
Max looked like he didn’t believe her but he told Lyz about his experience in high school. Lyz had listened with fascination and bombarded him with questions about high school, sports, dances, graduation and college. As she listened to Max talk, she felt a pang of regret over the many experiences she would never have and the fond memories that she could never look back on like Max or Maria did. A quiet look came over her face as she listened to Max.
“Ok – now I know something’s wrong. What is it?” Max asked, worried he might have upset her.
“I-I was just thinking how nice it must be…to have such memories. I-I will never know…never have…” Tears welled up in Lyz’s eyes and Max’s heart melted as he took in the large sad eyes. He reached over and took her hand in his while his other hand went out to gently cup her face.
“I’m so sorry you don’t have happier memories. That you got cheated out of high school and college and everything in between. I’m sorry for every beating and every tear, but that’s the past, Lyz. What is in the past, we can’t change it, no matter how much we want to, we can’t. But we can change our future. No one can cheat you out of your future or your dreams – not your father, not Nicholas, no one. The future is yours and you can make as many happy memories as you want.”
Lyz slightly leaned into Max’s hand and smiled softly, “Have you always been so wise?”
“Believe it or not, no.” Max smiled back. For an infinite second, the two of them watched each other. As Max watched Lyz, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was too early to be in love while Lyz wondered at the feelings that fluttered in her heart. To distract himself from his train of thought, Max gave Lyz’s hand a squeeze and asked, “So, what do you want to do with your bright future?”
Lyz’s eyes brightened and she talked about all the places she had read about in her books and wanted to see, all the things that she wanted to try. She then talked about trying to find a job and learning to support herself. She confessed to Max that she thought about asking the Parkers for a job at the restaurant be she didn’t want to work with Tess.
When Max asked why she didn’t want to work with Tess, she reminded Max about the first night she had arrived and how Tess told her she had to pay for food and that she had to go to the back of the restaurant. Max finally put two and two together and realized who Lyz had been.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about Tess working at the Crashdown. She quit.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, she took a job as a secretary for our local congressman Pierce. Apparently he’s wealthy and single – both of which make him prime target for Tess.”
“Oh. But I thought she was…” Lyz bit her lip in consternation.
“What? You thought she was what?”
Lyz could feel her cheeks grow warm again and briefly wondered if she would ever stop embarrassing herself. “Well, I had heard…um, that Tess was in want of you.”
“In want of me…what the…Isabel.” Max threaded his hands through his hair in frustration over Isabel’s interference. “I can’t believe her. Listen, Lyz.” Max grasped Lyz by her upper arms “Tess means nothing to me. I am not interested in her at all. Yes, she’s had this fixation on me, but that doesn’t mean I encourage her at all. There is nothing between her and me – nothing.”
Lyz couldn’t help the smile that lit her face, “Alright. I believe you.”
Max became distracted at the sight of Lyz’s lips curving into a smile, tempting him to touch them with his own, just to see if they felt as soft as they looked.
“Max? Max, are you alright?”
Despite wanting to kiss Lyz very, very badly, Max knew that he had to take things slow. And to make sure that she returned his feelings, but Lyz’s lips kept taunting him, tempting him. Max tore his attention away from Lyz’s lips and focused on what she had to say “Huh? What? Yeah, um, we better hurry up and eat.”
Long after they had finished their picnic, Max finally got Lyz behind the wheel of Bob. He spent an hour going over every feature and what it did before he allowed her to start the jeep. For the rest of the afternoon, Max taught Lyz how to start the jeep, drive forward, turn, and back up. Once Lyz got the hang of it, Max groaned out loud when she started to speed up in her turns and coming to screeching stops with a devilish grin. One look at her sparkling eyes and ecstatic smile, Max knew that he would not have the heart to tell her to slow down.
By dinnertime Lyz felt proud of herself and wanted to drive into town, but Max teasingly told her that he wasn’t ready to unleash such a holy terror loose on public streets yet. As Max drove them back to town, Lyz couldn’t help but stare at Max. She marveled at his patience with her today and his generosity. When he pulled up to her home, Max got out and helped Lyz out of the jeep. Lyz placed a hand on Max’s arm before he turned to leave,
“Max, I want to thank you. For today. You are so kind to have taken the time…”
“Lyz, stop. Cheesy as it sounds, I wouldn’t have been anywhere else but with you today.”
Lyz’s smile glowed, or was it his imagination, before she wished him a good night and walked in the house. Max stood smiling in the dark before he started to whistle and walk back to his jeep. He couldn’t help but think he wanted to be there for all of Lyz’s firsts.
I'm a believer!
<sigh> If only my first kiss was as romantic....
Chapter 19 - Part 2
Over the next couple of days, Lyz took Max’s words to heart and became determined to make up for lost time. She and Maria sat down to make a plan. The first thing she wanted to do was get a job, but because of her lack of experience, it would be hard. Maria helped Lyz find a job at a local greenhouse that didn’t ask too many questions about her background. She got Nancy to introduced Lyz to the owner and give her a reference. The work was simple and hard – creating bouquets and taking care of the plants- and Lyz was filled with doubt and lack of confidence the first week.
That first week Lyz would come home dirty and tired, but she refused to complain. Instead, she would sit down with Maria and Michael, sometimes Max when he was there, and go over some of the things confused her. But by the second week, Lyz was working with more confidence. When she received her first paycheck a month later, she had treated Maria and herself to a pedicure and dinner.
Lyz cherished her times with Maria and knew that she had a partner in any wild adventure that she could come up with. When Lyz decided she wanted to try rollerskating, Maria gladly strapped on her own skates. When Lyz wanted to cut her hair and try new colors, Maria came up with the idea of buying wigs instead. When Lyz wanted to learn about kissing, it was Maria who grabbed a bunch of romantic movies and walked through each kiss, explaining every move. And when Lyz wanted to come up with a way to thank Max, it was Maria that helped her plan the perfect thing.
Standing in front of the mirror, Lyz took one last look at herself. In the last couple of weeks, she had spent a lot of her time with Max. Max had been the one to teach her how to play basketball, to drive, to ride a bike, and to shoot pool. Lyz blushed at the memory of her night with Max learning to shoot pool at Senor Chow’s. Max had stood behind her, bringing his arms around her, to show her how to hold the stick. For a moment as he leaned into her, she could smell mixture of his cologne and soap, feel the warmth of his body pressed against her back and Lyz found herself craving something else, something more. Again Lyz blushed at her thoughts and finished getting ready.
Today was her day off from the greenhouse and she was about to surprise Max with lunch just like Maria had suggested. She had dressed in a simple strapless light khaki colored sundress, light green and khaki sweater, and matching sandals. She had left her hair down, knowing how much Max seemed to like it that way, but told herself she wasn’t dressing up to please Max. She grabbed the picnic basket that Maria had helped her buy and pack and went to Evans Law Office.
After the receptionist let her know Max was free and she walked into his office, she didn’t see the receptionist quickly dialing Philip’s extension or Philip’s expression when he heard the news. Philip quickly asked the receptionist to divert Max’s calls to him and swiftly walked through his adjoining door to Diane’s office. The two exchanged high five’s in Diane’s office.
Max had been surprised when Pam, the family’s assistant, had called him to let him know that Lyz was waiting for him in the lobby. He let Pam know it was ok to send her in and wondered if she was in trouble. He smiled as she walked in through his office door and pushed away from his desk to stand.
“This is a surprise!”
“Hello Max. Maria told me that you usually skip lunch because you are so busy, so I thought if I brought you lunch you would actually eat today.” Lyz smiled shyly as she set the picnic basket down on his desk and started to empty it.
“She’s right, I actually do forget to eat lunch most of the time.” Max smiled his gratitude as he opened up a container.
“This is just a small token of my thanks, for the driving lessons and everything else.” Lyz offered as she arranged the containers of food on the desk. Max frowned in response, “Lyz, you don’t’ have to buy me anything to thank me.”
Lyz protested “But Max, you have been so generous with your time, I want to be able to thank you.”
“I enjoy our time together Lyz, it’s not a problem.”
“But Max, “
Suddenly a mischievous look came into Max’s eye, “If you want to thank me, thank me with a kiss.”
That startled Lyz and her eyes grew wide. “A kiss?”
“Yes. If you must thank me, thank me with a kiss.”
Lyz nibbled on her lower lip and shifted nervously from foot to foot. Max took in her anxious look and was about to tell her that he was kidding when she blurted out, “I do not know how to kiss! I-I have never…I-I would only disappoint you!”
Max felt himself melt a little at her confession and a tender smile broke out on his face. He wanted to joke that he would give her lessons in kissing too, but he didn’t her to think that he wasn’t serious about kissing her. He set down his food and walked around his desk to stand in front of her. Gently, he reached out a hand to lift her face and stared intently at Lyz who saw blazing tenderness in his amber eyes
“Kissing someone isn’t something you take lessons for. Kissing is very personal and very intimate. Kissing between a man and a woman, especially on the lips, says that you care about them, that you want to be close to that person.” He took a step closer to her, “A kiss between a man and a woman is suppose to be special and profound, deep and affectionate.”
“But, you want me to kiss you, does that mean...”
“That I care about you?” Max lowered his head “Yes.”
Lyz felt herself mesmerized by Max’s burning gaze and husky voice, her lips parted just a whisper at his seductive words.
“That I want to be close to you?” His lips were just a breath away and he looked directly into Lyz’s eyes as he whispered, “Oh yes.” Max felt his eyes drift close as he fit his lips against Lyz’s and felt stars explode behind his eyes on contact. Lyz felt her bones melt at the heat of Max’s lips and closed her eyes in surrender.
Max slowly, teasingly rubbed his lips against hers until he couldn’t stand it any more. He gathered her delicate frame closer to his and kissed her harder. Unconsciously, Lyz’s arms came up to grip at Max’s arms to hold to for balance. The feel of his lips made her heart stop then race erratically. She loved the feel of his lips against hers and started to respond to the pressure of his lips.
Max carefully and slowly opened his mouth to let his tongue gently lick Lyz’s irresistible lower lip. When she didn’t protest the intimate lick but instead let out a small sound from the back of her thought, he let his tongue slide past her lips to mate with hers. The first taste of her on his tongue made him groan in desire and press her body even harder into his, letting her feel all of him.
Lyz whimpered as a flash of desire raced through her body at the feel of Max invading her mouth, exploring every intimate inch of her mouth. Her arms tightened as she felt Max press her closer to his body and she felt every hard inch of his body.
The slamming of the outside door brought the two back down to earth. Max reluctantly pulled his lips away but let his forehead rest against hers as they both fought for breath.
“Max?” Lyz whispered
“Hmm?”
“Promise me that we can kiss some more later.” Lyz shyly asked.
Max chuckled breathlessly “Angel, you don’t have to worry about that. I promise we’ll be doing a lot of kissing in the future.”
“Then it was alright?”
Max stared in Lyz’s eyes and said with awe, “Lyz, you made me see the stars.”
Chapter 19 - Part 2
Over the next couple of days, Lyz took Max’s words to heart and became determined to make up for lost time. She and Maria sat down to make a plan. The first thing she wanted to do was get a job, but because of her lack of experience, it would be hard. Maria helped Lyz find a job at a local greenhouse that didn’t ask too many questions about her background. She got Nancy to introduced Lyz to the owner and give her a reference. The work was simple and hard – creating bouquets and taking care of the plants- and Lyz was filled with doubt and lack of confidence the first week.
That first week Lyz would come home dirty and tired, but she refused to complain. Instead, she would sit down with Maria and Michael, sometimes Max when he was there, and go over some of the things confused her. But by the second week, Lyz was working with more confidence. When she received her first paycheck a month later, she had treated Maria and herself to a pedicure and dinner.
Lyz cherished her times with Maria and knew that she had a partner in any wild adventure that she could come up with. When Lyz decided she wanted to try rollerskating, Maria gladly strapped on her own skates. When Lyz wanted to cut her hair and try new colors, Maria came up with the idea of buying wigs instead. When Lyz wanted to learn about kissing, it was Maria who grabbed a bunch of romantic movies and walked through each kiss, explaining every move. And when Lyz wanted to come up with a way to thank Max, it was Maria that helped her plan the perfect thing.
Standing in front of the mirror, Lyz took one last look at herself. In the last couple of weeks, she had spent a lot of her time with Max. Max had been the one to teach her how to play basketball, to drive, to ride a bike, and to shoot pool. Lyz blushed at the memory of her night with Max learning to shoot pool at Senor Chow’s. Max had stood behind her, bringing his arms around her, to show her how to hold the stick. For a moment as he leaned into her, she could smell mixture of his cologne and soap, feel the warmth of his body pressed against her back and Lyz found herself craving something else, something more. Again Lyz blushed at her thoughts and finished getting ready.
Today was her day off from the greenhouse and she was about to surprise Max with lunch just like Maria had suggested. She had dressed in a simple strapless light khaki colored sundress, light green and khaki sweater, and matching sandals. She had left her hair down, knowing how much Max seemed to like it that way, but told herself she wasn’t dressing up to please Max. She grabbed the picnic basket that Maria had helped her buy and pack and went to Evans Law Office.
After the receptionist let her know Max was free and she walked into his office, she didn’t see the receptionist quickly dialing Philip’s extension or Philip’s expression when he heard the news. Philip quickly asked the receptionist to divert Max’s calls to him and swiftly walked through his adjoining door to Diane’s office. The two exchanged high five’s in Diane’s office.
Max had been surprised when Pam, the family’s assistant, had called him to let him know that Lyz was waiting for him in the lobby. He let Pam know it was ok to send her in and wondered if she was in trouble. He smiled as she walked in through his office door and pushed away from his desk to stand.
“This is a surprise!”
“Hello Max. Maria told me that you usually skip lunch because you are so busy, so I thought if I brought you lunch you would actually eat today.” Lyz smiled shyly as she set the picnic basket down on his desk and started to empty it.
“She’s right, I actually do forget to eat lunch most of the time.” Max smiled his gratitude as he opened up a container.
“This is just a small token of my thanks, for the driving lessons and everything else.” Lyz offered as she arranged the containers of food on the desk. Max frowned in response, “Lyz, you don’t’ have to buy me anything to thank me.”
Lyz protested “But Max, you have been so generous with your time, I want to be able to thank you.”
“I enjoy our time together Lyz, it’s not a problem.”
“But Max, “
Suddenly a mischievous look came into Max’s eye, “If you want to thank me, thank me with a kiss.”
That startled Lyz and her eyes grew wide. “A kiss?”
“Yes. If you must thank me, thank me with a kiss.”
Lyz nibbled on her lower lip and shifted nervously from foot to foot. Max took in her anxious look and was about to tell her that he was kidding when she blurted out, “I do not know how to kiss! I-I have never…I-I would only disappoint you!”
Max felt himself melt a little at her confession and a tender smile broke out on his face. He wanted to joke that he would give her lessons in kissing too, but he didn’t her to think that he wasn’t serious about kissing her. He set down his food and walked around his desk to stand in front of her. Gently, he reached out a hand to lift her face and stared intently at Lyz who saw blazing tenderness in his amber eyes
“Kissing someone isn’t something you take lessons for. Kissing is very personal and very intimate. Kissing between a man and a woman, especially on the lips, says that you care about them, that you want to be close to that person.” He took a step closer to her, “A kiss between a man and a woman is suppose to be special and profound, deep and affectionate.”
“But, you want me to kiss you, does that mean...”
“That I care about you?” Max lowered his head “Yes.”
Lyz felt herself mesmerized by Max’s burning gaze and husky voice, her lips parted just a whisper at his seductive words.
“That I want to be close to you?” His lips were just a breath away and he looked directly into Lyz’s eyes as he whispered, “Oh yes.” Max felt his eyes drift close as he fit his lips against Lyz’s and felt stars explode behind his eyes on contact. Lyz felt her bones melt at the heat of Max’s lips and closed her eyes in surrender.
Max slowly, teasingly rubbed his lips against hers until he couldn’t stand it any more. He gathered her delicate frame closer to his and kissed her harder. Unconsciously, Lyz’s arms came up to grip at Max’s arms to hold to for balance. The feel of his lips made her heart stop then race erratically. She loved the feel of his lips against hers and started to respond to the pressure of his lips.
Max carefully and slowly opened his mouth to let his tongue gently lick Lyz’s irresistible lower lip. When she didn’t protest the intimate lick but instead let out a small sound from the back of her thought, he let his tongue slide past her lips to mate with hers. The first taste of her on his tongue made him groan in desire and press her body even harder into his, letting her feel all of him.
Lyz whimpered as a flash of desire raced through her body at the feel of Max invading her mouth, exploring every intimate inch of her mouth. Her arms tightened as she felt Max press her closer to his body and she felt every hard inch of his body.
The slamming of the outside door brought the two back down to earth. Max reluctantly pulled his lips away but let his forehead rest against hers as they both fought for breath.
“Max?” Lyz whispered
“Hmm?”
“Promise me that we can kiss some more later.” Lyz shyly asked.
Max chuckled breathlessly “Angel, you don’t have to worry about that. I promise we’ll be doing a lot of kissing in the future.”
“Then it was alright?”
Max stared in Lyz’s eyes and said with awe, “Lyz, you made me see the stars.”
I'm a believer!