Hidden Truths

Chapter Eighteen ~ Letters and Love

"Where were you? The telenovela del Monano ended! Were you out in the fields again, because we'll get Al back don't  worry," Phara. Maria looked exhausted from last night.
"What? Oh, no don't worry amigo, I know that. I was somewhere else," she yawned and ate a mango instead of eating what was on the table.
"Where were you? Were you alone?" she was the eldest so she felt it was her duty to know.
"I was with," she yawned again, "Lai," she took another bite. "Can we not tell Al about this? He gets mad," she probably had too much juice last night.
"I won't, but what exactly were you doing?" she got some water for the other girl.
"Nothing really. We took a boat to Brunei and um I'm not allowed to tell people so," acts of patriotism were illegal anyways.
"Oh? Well I'm not a person."
"Well Jin was more open to the idea of me, and Nor was Nor, but Lai was nice. I really shouldn't be saying anything."
"I see. Well be careful okay?"
"They're basically my family, I will. Don't worry."
"Well were your actual family. Don't forget that okay?" she left to go tend to the garden. Her words struck Maria though, they woke her up.
"Right..." she needed some fresh air. Some time without either one of these 'families.'

~

"I'm so bored," Mexico wasn't having any of this. "Let me out of here! If you wanted to tick Antonio off you should've brought me home!" Gabriel was sent back into Al's room and groaned.
"He said you were being loud again. Look, I don't know who he thinks I am, because it's like he thinks I can calm you. You're not a baby and I'm not a pacifier but what's up?"
"I want to go home. Wherever that is. Whether that's in Mexico or Spain don't care anymore. This is so boring. He's not torturing me or anything so I have no reason to be mad."
"I take it you want a reason to be mad? I mean I'm good at making people mad," was that an offer?
"What would you do to piss me off?"
"I could do loads of things. Only if you accept though. I mean I could starve you, or," he looked down at the others lips.
"Gabe?"
"I could let you go," he looked away fast. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did anything behind Daniel's back.
"Why would that get me mad?"
"Because then you'd be on your own."
"Deal."

~

"Don't follow me Lai I want to be alone," she could feel someone approaching her.
"Was it something we said yesterday?" he wasn't gonna leave.
"No. This morning I...it doesn't matter," she turned around.
"Tell me," he stopped walking.
"They're my family too," she looked up at him. "No matter how much more it makes sense for you guys to be my only family. Right now they're still my family. Maybe in two hundred years they'll forget, but right now..."
"I get it, I'm sorry. I was just trying to get you back. It's just we were so close before and. He took you away and changed everything, but I couldn't do anything because of Tim."
"I didn't know you before my colonization Lai. I didn't know anyone."
"But you did."
"How?" She really was interested. She wanted to see if he was lying but his eyes weren't lying.
"Well we traded food, goods, and spoke the same language. We'd sit on high ground and watch the floods come in and out. We'd look for fairies," he looked lost in thought.
"Fairies?" She was trying her best to remember but nothing was coming.
"I know it sounds stupid but I really enjoyed life back then. And I thought maybe if I could get you as my friend again it would be like nothing changed. But that was dumb because you're Maria now. And I can't really change anything can I? But I don't want to anymore. You're amazing and nice and you can rock a Romance language or a Malay language, and you can rock any name people call you. Personally I like 'Pearl of the Orient' the best." He was being very sincere. She wondered what he'd say next. "I know you don't want to hear this and you're probably never going to want to hear from me after now but I've waited too long to tell you this and well. Now I can't," he chuckled bitterly. "Because I'm bad with words."
"I never knew you felt this way—or I don't remember knowing you felt this way...I don't know what to say," they weren't going to deny the awkwardness. Lai stopped himself from speaking awkwardly again though and decided to kiss her. It took a while for her to decide she wanted to kiss him back.

~

"Thanks Gabe. I'll go, and um, I hope Pedro doesn't get too mad at you," he awkwardly put his hand out for Gabriel to shake.
"No problem. And I can handle him. He never wanted to keep you anyways. And as long as Antonio doesn't have you it should be fine." The taller of the two took Al's hand to shake before lowering Al down the window.
And thus, the plot got a lot more complicated.

"Which way south," the Mexican boy asked no one in particular. "The sun's over there, so," he found the right direction and started walking, although he knew he wouldn't get far. But then he saw a plane. It looked like it could use some work, but it was better than nothing. He climbed in and sighed before taking the wheel.
"Maria's gonna be soo mad I stole a plane," he chuckled a bit and went on with it anyways.

~

"I have to go. Now," Maria ran away, into the tomato fields to clear her head.

~

"Romano? What are you doing here? Where's Alfred?" Arthur was in the middle of signing some documents about the 13 colonies. He was never planning on hurting the little lad, but with Spain he had to bluff. Big time.
"Alfred got mad. And I'm mad too! I want to go home. Your food sucks," there was no sugarcoating anything with south Italy.
"What did you do to Alfred?" his selective hearing was annoying.
"I picked a stupid blue flower and he went crazy on me."
"Oh dear." With that, the Englishman left. Leaving Romano to curse his name while alone in a strange room. But then he saw a paper. He could write to Spain! He could only write in Italian though.

Dear Spain,

If it wasn't for your stupid face I wouldn't be here, all trapped with this maniac who doesn't know how to cook. He just left home to go check on these dumb blue flowers! Anyways I'm bored and I hate it here. It's way too cold and Alfred is annoyingly loud. Come now. Please. I hate to admit it but you're not as annoying as them. Plus they don't have a tomato field near this manor I'm staying in. I'm not even sure they have tomato fields! He also called me a spoiled European brat. That's your fault if it's true but I don't think so.

-Romano Vargas.

The child quickly snuck the letter into an envelope which was already addressed to Spain and left the room. He was lucky Alfred was so needy.