Under the Mistletoe (4 page)

           
“How long have you been seeing Mr. Rivera?”

           
The glass didn't make it to my mouth. My hands, like the rest of my
body, suddenly went numb at the accusation. Water rushed down as we
jumped from either side of the booth and worked quickly to soak up
the spreading liquid. After managing to dry the table, he met my
gaze and raised his eyebrows again. “So?”

           
“I don't know what you're talking about-”

           
“You can't lie to me,” he said, raising the orange juice to his
mouth. “Fess up.”

           
Silence...

           
“I'm sorry, but I think you're reading way too much into-”

           
“Am I?”

           
“Yes?”

           
“
Am I
?”

           
“Isaac!”

           
“You want to talk about Thanksgiving?” He squinted his blue eyes
and lowered his gaze, doing an uncanny impression of a cop in an
interrogation room. Without the confession he was hoping for, he
rested his arms on the table and leaned forward to whisper. “I
watched you open the door to him wearing nothing but a towel,
Steph. You let him in, for only a few moments, and then he left.
And you didn't take your eyes off of him until he was outta
sight.”

           
“He brought me-”

           
“I see the way you look at him.”

           
“Let me-”

           
“And the poem.
God, Steph
. Classic move, there.”

           
“
Okay
,” I said, shutting him up. He shined his cocky smile
and crossed his arms, basking in my defeat. “I can see how that
looks bad--”

           
“It doesn't look
good
-”

           
“Shut up! Okay... just let me explain.
His brother is engaged to
my mom
,” I said, finally admitting the (somewhat) truth. “She
and Calvin left me alone for the holiday and Alex was only dropping
off some food for the weekend-”

           
“Uh-huh.” He didn't believe me.

           
“What do you want me to say?”

           
“You don't have to say anything,” he said. “It's in your eyes.”

           
I shook my head and thanked God when Rachel interrupted with two
plates of pancakes and enough syrup to spark a sugar high.

           
“Anything else I can getcha?”

           
“Water,” I said, dry-mouthed and caught in a lie.

           
She bounced away as Isaac took a bite and smiled. “Your secret's
safe with me, Steph. I'm a trustworthy guy.”

           
“I'd thank you... if I had a secret. But I don't-”

           
“Right,” he said, obviously humoring me.

           
Who am I kidding
? I'm surprised it took this long for
someone to catch on. Isaac wasn't stupid. He wasn't crazy or even
slightly confused. He knew what was going on... probably better
than I did.

           
“Why are we here?” I asked, cutting into the three-stacked pancakes
in front of me.

           
“Breakfast.”

           
“Let me try that again. Why are
we
here? Just so you could
hound me about something that is none of your business?”

           
“So you admit there's something-”

           
“
Isaac
,” I scolded.

           
“
Steph
,” he mocked in a high pitch voice. “I wanted to ask
you about Bridget.”

           
“What about her?”

           
“Is she single?”

           
“Yes!”
Oh, thank God! He's interested in Bridget
! “Do you
want her number?'

           
“Nope,” he wiped his mouth. “Just needed a bit of information
before I make my move.”

Thursday December 08

           
Five days had passed. Though it was Thursday, it
was our first day back in school since our expression presentations
on Friday. Mother Nature hadn't received the memo that Mr. Rivera
had a strict, unyielding attitude toward staying on schedule. Thus,
inclement weather kept the residents of Webster Grove snowed in and
unable to go to or from work and school.

           
It had been a very interesting few days at home with the “happy
couple.” Mom shifted into her wedding planning funk, setting a date
for April 07. I tried to convince myself I was surprised that she
was going to marry this man after only six months, but they were
engaged after three weeks. The words
Caroline
and
surprise
didn't even belong in the
same sentence. I'd come to expect just about anything from
her.

           
Calvin, on the other hand, wore the same irritable, aggravated,
impatient attitude his brother had been wearing in class for the
past two weeks. While Cal, unlike Alex, kept his temper and snappy
comments at bay, I couldn't help but wonder if the Rivera brothers
were celebrating the annual pre-Christmas blues. Alex didn't show
up for class today and the rumor mill went nuts. Apparently, in his
three years of teaching at Webster Grove, Alexander Rivera had
never
missed a day.

           
“Good morning, Steph,” Isaac leaned on the locker next to mine as I
shoved my books inside.

           
“Isaac.”

           
“I have a quick question and then I have to get to class-”

           
“She likes sweets, but hates chocolate. She's not dumb, just a
little ditsy and just because she raises her voice she's not always
angry. She hates super romantic stuff, but appreciates effort. She
likes blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cute smile... which works out
nicely for you, I guess-”

           
“Not about Bridget,” he cut me off.

           
“Oh--”

           
“Would you like to come to dinner tonight?”

           
“With who?”

           
“Me.”

           
“Isaac--”

           
“Not a date,” he said. “I wanted to formally introduce you to my
dad-”

           
“
Whoa
-”

           
“Again,
not a date
-”

           
“I kinda need an explanation--”

           
“He's an artist, like me. Everything I know, I learned from him;
from landscapes to human form. And Bridget was bragging about your
clothing designs last week in French and mentioned that you applied
to the Adriana Holbrook Summer Program in Paris.”

           
“Yeah, so?”

           
“I told him about your designs. He said he'd love to get together
and give you some pointers on nailing the interview and getting
into the program-”

           
“I've already been accepted.”

           
“Seriously?”

           
I nodded. Yes, in fact, I
would
be one of the newest interns
following Adriana's every move. Thanks to Alexander Rivera, and his
incredible grandmother, one of my biggest dreams was only months
away from coming true.

           
Without warning he wrapped me into a big, warm bear hug. “I'm so
proud of you.”

           
“Okay, this just took a serious shift into creepy,” I said, backing
away from him. “Tell Nick I said thanks but
no thanks
. No
offense, but he kinda freaked me out when I met him the
first
time. Plus, I don't want to give Bridget the wrong
idea-”

           
“Okay,” he nodded, trying to hide the extra wetness welling in his
eyes.

           
“Man up,” I thumped his arm with my fist. “And for God's sake, ask
Bridget out already.”

           
Isaac drove me home from school despite the fact that it was
literally a block away. He dropped me off outside the house and
then made his way across the street. I turned the key into the lock
and walked smack dab into the middle of a screaming match.

           
“
You, you, you
!” Mom yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
“I can't stand it anymore! Think about somebody else for a change!
It's Christmas, Calvin!
Christmas
! Doesn't that mean
anything
to you?”

           
“When you said you'd marry me, that's what you got.
Me
.
All
of me. The good
and
the bad.
But if you can't
handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my
best
-”

           
“Marilyn Monroe,” I noted. “Nice touch.”

           
Calvin took a moment to suppress his anger and sport the Rivera
smirk. “I thought it worked there-”

           
“No, it does, it does.
Continue
.”

           
“Shut up, Baby,” mom interjected. “Go to your room. This is between
mommy and Calvin.”

           
“Okay...
mommy
,” I said, sarcastically. “It looks like you
and Cal need a break. How 'bout you go take a bubble bath, give
yourself some time to think about whatever is bothering you, and
I'll walk around the block a time or two with Calvin. Let's work
this out like mature adults, okay?”

           
She rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs without another word.
I looked at Calvin and raised my eyebrows.

           
“Cal, sometimes you have to knock her down a peg--”

           
“Kill her with kindness?”

           
“Yup. Get your coat.”

           
Calvin and I stepped onto the porch bundled in coats, gloves, hats,
and boots. We walked down the road in silence, hearing nothing but
the snow crunch beneath our feet.

           
“What's bothering you lately?” I asked him. “I know we're not super
close, but I care. And I don't want us to mess this up... I'm kinda
attached to you.”

           
He smiled. “Good to hear.”

           
“So if she's done something, or
I
have, please... I mean,
you're the closest thing I've ever had to a father-”

           
“Steph,” he said. “You're a good kid. And your mom is an incredible
woman. I love you both.”

           
“Then?”

           
“What I'm fighting is a personal demon. It has nothing to do with
you, Caroline, or--”

           
“And Alex?”

           
“What about him?”

           
“He's been...
well
, a lot like you lately. Angry. Irritable.
And... well, no offense, but kinda mean.”

           
“He'll be fine after Christmas,” he assured me. “We all will.”

           
Calvin was the only person I could talk to about Mr. Rivera outside
of school. It was Cal who got the call to pick me up after the
bathroom brawl at homecoming, Cal who came out to support my role
in the fall production, and Cal who promised he'd keep my crush on
the down low. This man was more family to me than my mother had
ever been. I was honored to call him my future step-father... I
just wish it didn't come with the added bonus of a super sexy,
incredibly perfect step-uncle.

           
“Do you want to talk about it?”

           
“No,” he said, cramming his hands into the coat pockets. “But maybe
I can show you something that will help you understand.” We walked
another two blocks, past Nate's house, then Mr. Rivera's, and down
on further to a quaint, white church on the corner. “Our parents
got married here.”

           
“Very cool,” I smiled, regretting the statement as Calvin moved off
the sidewalk and toward the back of the building and into the large
cemetery. “Cal?”

           
“Stay close,” he whispered. “It's slippery.”

           
I followed him for what felt like forever, weaving in and out of
the headstones, neither of us speaking a word to the other. As we
reached the far corner, just at the edge of a small forest, he
stopped short and stood staring in front of him. I stepped to his
side to take in the sight. His brother, my teacher, was sitting on
the cold, frosted, snowy ground with his back against a tombstone
and his head buried in his hands.

           
His hair was disheveled, his clothes wet and wrinkled, and he was,
no doubt, frozen to the core. He lifted his head and looked away
from us, unsuccessfully trying to hide the stream of tears falling
from his eyes. Cal was better at masking his feelings, but couldn't
stand comfortably and watch his brother breaking down.

           
“Alex,” he knelt down. “Come on, man.”

           
Without warning, Mr. Rivera threw himself into his brother's arms
and wept like a child. After several long moments of intense and
heart-wrenching sobbing on both their parts, Calvin turned and
motioned for me to take his place. I leaned next to Calvin, taking
Mr Rivera in my arms.

           
“I'm going to run back and get the car,” he said. “We need to get
him home.”

           
Cal moved quickly out of the cemetery and out of sight as I ran my
fingers through Alex's hair. The weeping stopped, the tears dried,
and all that remained was the silence in the air.

           
“I'm sorry,' he choked. 'I've been such an ass-”

           
“You don't have to apologize to me for anything-”

           
“I do,” he said. “
I'm a grown man, for chrissake
. I've acted
like such a child-”

           
“Stop,” I ordered him, with gentle tone. He pulled away and sat up
straight, back leaning against the tombstone again, just as we'd
found him.

           
“I miss them...”

           
Those were the final three words he said before breaking down once
again. I tried my best to comfort him, but he was reluctant to
accept the effort I was giving.

           
Calvin returned after another ten minutes of silence. He pulled his
brother standing and walked him slowly to the car. I didn't know
how Alex could possibly be moving on his own; only twenty minutes
of sitting on the ground and I was nearly frozen. God knows how
long he's probably been here. I stood up and finally turned to read
the stone that Alex's body had covered.