The Open Window

Chapter 7, second week of winter

            It's the next day. I've never been so tired in my life. Then I remembered Lani...I rush out of bed and go into the hall. I walk up to Lani's room and slowly open the door to find that she's not there. The bed was all fixed and it seemed like nothing was touched. I stood there for a few seconds wondering where she was and when she left. So I rush down stairs and run to the front yard; she isn't there. I look everywhere for her but she's nowhere to be found. Why would she leave? She slipped out of my fingers and I know she loved me so why did she leave? I head upstairs feeling like complete crap. I lost my girl, I lost the one person who made me nervous, the one girl I would do anything for. I start getting ready for the day  and I see a note on my light stand. "Dear Cameron, I didn't want to leave you. You're a the only one who accepted me and Julie together. I could see how you truly loved me. So I'm sorry that I left. Don't go looking for me, you won't find me. Don't go to my old place or on a bus or anywhere. Trust me you won't find me. I don't want you looking for me, I'm not in love with you Cameron or I wouldn't have left if I did. And don't waist your time on me. Spend some time getting to know your mom. Chica is the girl for you. Sorry but I didn't want to hurt you."

          I head out of my room, ripping the note up. I checked my phone and remembered that I had lunch with my mother. That's the only thing I'm looking forward to today. "Hola mama, so what time can you meet for lunch?" I ask. "Hola mi niño beyo, I can do it now if you want. I really want to catch up with you and seeing you grown and healthy makes me so so happy." She says trying not to cry. She's the sweetest. I had asked her if she could pick me up, since I don't know much about Spain. Ten minutes later she arrives. I let mama Maria know that Lani has left for awhile and that I will be going out for lunch with my mother. We get into the car and she lets me drive. It's weird because everything is opposite and strange. Traffic is always crazy here so I guess New York and Spain have a few things in common. She picked out the spot, she says it has the best lunch ever, it was a nice inside and out restaurant. We finally get there and sit at a table outside on the corner of the street.

          "Ok mom, so should you go first or should I?" I asked
          "You go, I want to hear your life more than I want to hear myself talk. You probably have way more than I do anyways." She says with excitement.
           "Well, I'm a senior at NYU the college you and dad attended. I'm 23 years old now and I'm on winter break right now. I can't believe I actually found you. Uh, dad—
            "Oh ya how is Richard, I miss him so much. I was heart broken that he never came to visit after you turned 10." She says.
            "That's what I was going to tell you, dad—got sick when around that time. He died when I was 20 years old, so about three years ago. He wasn't allowed to travel because he was getting weak more and more each day. That's why I have his wedding ring, I knew you would recognize it. Dad told me you spent a lot of money—like a lot, to make it just for him. You loved him a lot didn't you?" I said trying not to cry.
            "Honey, I chased your father around the world just so I wouldn't lose him. Your dad was big trouble; in trouble with the law a lot. He didn't care about it but when he saw that someone cared about him, he realized that there might be a future for him, so he straightened out. Did you know that I got that ring made for him a month later of meeting him because I knew he was the one no matter who he was?" She says. "No, I didn't know. Wow..." I said, surprised by their love story. I never really heard it. "I just can't believe he is gone now. The love of my life is gone. So does that make me—what do they call it in America, a widower... But tell me about you. Anybody special in your life?" She asks as our food is brought to us. "Ya, well there was. Her name is Lani and she has a baby daughter named Julie. She left this morning, it's a long story." "We have time!" My mom says. "Ok, so I met her on the day I went to go get wedding stuff for Melanie's and Matthew's wedding. I met her at a window, when she saw me she ran away, which is also a long long story. So long story short, I lost her and then I went back to the same window a day later and she was there again but with Julie this time. Her boss came home drunk yelling through an ally because that's where I was. He saw me there and she knew that she would be in big trouble if he saw the baby so she let me in through the window and we ran off through the front door. She had no where to stay and so they welcomed her at the mansion. I told her that I was in love with her and we spent much time together at the wedding enjoying it. But she kept telling me she had to tell me something and then Chica, who now is my cousin, wow. She kept telling me things about Lani and I don't know what's true, all I know is that I'm in love with that girl mom. I really am and feel like she's the one." I said. And so my mom puts her fork down, and says. "You really seem to love this girl. Go chase her Cam, what are you waiting for, you did find me didn't you. You got that "chasing around someone" part from me but don't also run away, that comes from your father's side. But you really think she could be the one?" She asks. "No, I don't think she could be, I know she is." I said with all my confidence. "Then lets go to the ring store and get her that diamond ring even if you have to wait 10 years for her." My mom says with all her joy.

          "The thing is I don't have any money mom especially for a custom one." I said to her. "Honey, you're part of a wealthy family. I have money saved up from all these years just for you. If I told you the amount of it, you would probably have a mini heart attack. So you don't have to worry about that." She says. So once we were done, we left to the most known ring store in Spain. "Honey, so ring size here are different, usually women in Spain are a ring size 14, meaning 7. I looked at the ones in the glass and couldn't find any that caught my attention neither did my mother. A few minutes later we both find one we really like and it isn't crazy but it isn't plane either. So I got it and got the most expensive box to go with it. I am going to propose, the moment I see her, I will be down on one knee and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me. "Thank you mom," I hugged her so tight and made her promise to come to New York one day to visit.