OFF THE RECORD (First Person)

32. Take This Lonely Heart

December 2014

Tomas

The drive to Houston was calm. I was getting used to the time it took to get there and the landscape around us even if I couldn't see that far due to the darkness that surrounded us.

I couldn't forget about the beautiful co-pilot that sat next to me. It had been more than an hour on the road, with both of us making small talk about the weather, the small towns we went through and the road.

"Hey, I didn't even ask you how you were coming back to Corpus. Do you want to take my car?" She asked me.

I shook my head with a smile on my face. "I'll take a plane. Like last time."

Emma's mouth stayed in a line. "Or maybe you can stay with me. You can be a bum in my apartment while I work. I'll be free the afternoon."

My smile expanded. I didn't want our time together to end, either.

"I would love to, Em. It's just I had already promised my grandpa that I would see him tomorrow. I could stay until you leave for work." I replied.

Emma's eyes stayed on me, curious. "With Mr. Guillermo?"

I nodded. "That's the one."

"I would love to meet him. I've heard a lot about him." Emma sighed. "You don't want to tell me what you boys are going to do tomorrow?" She asked.

I gave her a side grin. "I will once you take off that terrible music." I teased.

Emma sucked in air. "How dare you? It's RBD! They are timeless!"

I made a face, but she continued.

"You will put up with it as I did with Slipknot the other day!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don Guillermo and I are going to church night. He likes to play guitar in the choir, but he struggles with his arthritis. So, I offered to help him cover his turn when he gets tired."

I was nervous about stepping a foot there, too. It had been a while since I had gone to a single mass, and I could sense the judgement from here. Not that I didn't deserve it.

"Is he very old?" Emma questioned.

"He just turned eighty-five. A real miracle after knowing his kidneys are almost through. He was just diagnosed with early signs of Alzheimer's. So, yeah. I've made up my mind that we don't have much time together." My voice was somber.

Emma, instinctively, looked for my hand, taking it firmly. Her chest had tightened as she heard me. Mine had done the opposite at the sight.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I haven't been able to spend as much time as I would like with him since the launch, but I'm grateful that he's still around. We've hanged out these few days." I shared.

"You love him a lot, right?" Emma pressed.

It was my turn to sigh. I didn't share these feelings often, but I trusted her.

"Yeah. A lot. Thanks to him, I am what I am. My dad taught me to work, but grandpa taught me to enjoy. He was the one that gave me Honeybee, who taught me how to play. He gave me more than just his old guitar. He helped me find my calling." I exhaled.

Emma rubbed my hand with her thumb. "I'm sure he's very proud of you."

The caress was enough to cheer me up.

"He better be!" I exclaimed, trying to change the ambiance.

Emma let out a small chuckle.

But as I turned my face to the front, a white-tailed deer stood in the middle of the road. My reflexes were fast enough to avoid hitting it full body on, if only pushing it enough to move out of the road.