FROM THEN ON

Chapter fourteen

I quickly got up, grabbed my pair of jeans and put them on. Sabrina just rushed out of the room and I chased her outside the house. ''Sabrina please let me explain,'' I pleaded and that's when I realized we were surrounded by Ryan, Serena and my parents. ''No!'' she shouted and turned to face me. ''You told me I was enough Robert! But you obviously lied to me!'' she cried. ''No baby I didn't,'' I said coming closer to her. ''Stay away from me!'' she shouted and pushed me back. ''You know what?'' she asked calmly as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. ''I was worried about you Robert. I travelled all the way to San Francisco and even tracked you down even though you were ignoring me just so I could see you. And you're here doing the exact thing you promised me you would never do?!'' she shouted angrily. ''It's clear to me now that this, wasn't meant to be,'' she added. ''No Sabrina don't say that. I love you,'' I told her. ''Well you sure know how to show it,'' she said sarcastically and started walking towards Ryan's car. ''No Sabrina wait!'' I called after her. ''Stay away from me Robert!'' she shouted. ''And don't you ever come close to me again because if you do, I'll call the cops,'' she said before asking Ryan to drive her to the airport. Without saying a word to me, Ryan and Serena got into the car and drove off. My parents just looked at me sadly and walked into the house. I had messed up big time and I didn't know how to fix it. I walked angrily up the stairs, held Wendy by the arm, and said, ''You need to leave now.'' I pushed her out the door and locked it. Then, I got dressed, picked up my bags and went downstairs. ''I'm sorry mum and dad,'' I apologized before closing the door behind me and getting into my car. The journey back home was long and unbearable. All I could think of was the look on Sabrina's face when she entered the bedroom. How angry she looked when she told me to stay away from her. '' ''And don't you ever come close to me again because if you do, I'll call the cops.'' The words kept ringing in my head. The more I thought of what had happened how I messed up and didn't know how to fix it, and how much I love Sabrina, the more unbearable the pain felt. Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I actually started crying. The next few weeks were sad and lonely. I lay in bed all day, choosing to speak to no one, I barely ate and all I did was drink. Ryan and Serena came to see me several times but I refused to unlock the door. One day, as I lay in bed as usual, I heard a knock on my door but I didn't get up to open it. The person kept knocking and ringing the bell. It got so annoying that, I walked over to the door and shouted, ''Go away!'' ''Is that how to speak to your mother?'' my mum asked from the other side of the door. ''Mum? What are you doing here?'' I asked. ''Why don't you open the door and find out?'' she asked. I hesitated a little, but I unlocked the door and let her in. When she saw me, she said, ''Oh my. You're a mess.'' ''I know mum,'' I said. ''Wooh. When was the last time you brushed your teeth?'' she asked pinching her nose. ''I don't remember,'' I said and led her to the living room where she sat down and I sat by her. ''What do you want mum?'' I asked. '' What do I want?'' she asked. ''I witnessed my son get his heart broken for the first time and then I get a phone call from Ryan a few weeks later saying you've been locked up in your house for weeks refusing to talk to anyone and you are asking me what am I doing here?'' she asked annoyed. ''Well I'm fine. There's nothing for you to worry about. Can you leave now?'' I asked. ''Robert.....'' my mum said softly. ''I know you're hurting...but shutting everyone out, is not going to solve the problem,'' she said but I just stared at the ceiling as if she hadn't said anything. She moved forward in her seat and then continued, ''When your dad and I returned from our yoga class, we saw Ryan's car parked in front of our house. When he and Serena got out, he introduced us to Sabrina and he told me that they had been looking everywhere for you and tracked your phone's location to our house,'' she said slowly. ''As soon as I heard that, I knew how thrilled you'd be to see Sabrina and told her to go right up to your room to surprise you. Only for her to come and see you with someone else,'' she stated. ''Mum if you're here to lecture me about what I did? There's no need. I know I messed up and I regret it every day so there's no need for you to rub it in my face,'' I said annoyed. ''No mi hijo. That is the last thing I wanted to do,'' my mum said. ''I came here to tell you that it's not the end of the world. You made a mistake so what? Who doesn't? This might just be the first heartbreak of many more to come. You are strong Julio and you can get through this. You don't have to go through this alone. You've got me, your father, and your friends. Just please don't stay locked up in here anymore,'' my mum said. ''Okay mum. I've heard you,'' I said. She got up to leave and I followed closely behind her. When we got to the door, she placed her hand on my cheek and said, ''I hope you feel better soon.'' ''I love you son,'' she said hugging me. ''I love you too mum,'' I said hugging her back. The next day, when I woke up, I decided to get myself together. So I took a bath, brushed my teeth and I ate breakfast : things I hadn't done in a long time. Then, I went to work. ''Regina?'' I asked knocking on her office door. ''Come in,'' she said. ''Robert? What are you doing here?'' she asked confused. ''I would like to resume work today please,'' I said sitting down. ''What? You're not supposed to report to work till next week Robert. What's going on?'' she asked. I hesitated and said, ''I...uh....I just went through a break up and I'm trying to get back on my feet again. Working will be a huge distraction for me so please...'' I explained. ''Oh my gosh Robert are you okay?'' she asked concerned. ''Yeah I'm fine. But I'll be better, if you let me work,'' I replied. ''Okay fine,'' she laughed. ''When do you want to start?'' she asked. ''Right now,'' I replied. ''Alright Mr. Stenson, get to work then. You have a ton of work waiting for you on your desk,'' Regina said formally. ''Okay,'' I said getting up. ''Oh and thank you Regina,'' I said. ''Anytime,'' she smiled.