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Selena
Had I been too harsh?
Insensitive?
Unkind even, which wasn’t like me?
Sighing, I rubbed my tired eyes.
Oh, too bad if I had been.
Valerio deserved a taste for all he’d done to try to manipulate me. Granted, I wasn’t certain what he was trying to accomplish but he was so slick I couldn’t put anything past him.
As I strode into one of the bedroom bungalows, I was breathless for a few seconds. The entire location was just incredible. I’d walked through the second bedroom before this one but somehow, I knew this one was meant for me.
There was a basket on the bed full of specialized toiletries that no man would ever want to touch, including my favorite shampoo scented with strawberries. I took another sip of wine before heading to the bathroom, equally as impressed given the huge tub and granite counters. I had to wonder whether they ever worried about hurricanes or had enough money to rebuild if and when necessary.
When I opened the closet, I not only found a fuzzy robe for my use and big, white, and extremely luxurious towels, I also found dresses hanging inside, and shoes positioned on the floor. They had tags on them. Was this just another tactic, trying to buy me with expensive things? I was of a mindset to do nothing more than wear ugly shorts the entire time I was forced to spend here.
In paradise.
Yes, this was the perfect romantic location, which should make me happy, but I felt awkward and out of my depth instead. I hadn’t planned on telling him anything about my former life, but it had just slipped out. At least he’d hopefully learned I had the same kind of integrity as my father.
Then why was I here? I was complicit in what was happening whether I wanted to admit it or not.
Sighing, I ran my fingers down two of the dresses, wishing I could just hate Valerio, but the grumpy, insufferable man could be endearing. Too much so.
Suddenly, I felt him behind me.
“I value integrity more than you could understand, Selena. However, given our banter and what you believe about me, I can understand you won’t buy that. You were at least honest enough with me to share the difficulties and successes of your family while growing up so I’ll tell you something you might want to hear about me.”
“I don’t need to hear about your amazing grades or how successful you’ve been, Valerio. I already know that, and you’ve made no bones about the fact you exist in the upper echelon of society. In my mind, that means you think you’re better than anyone. You’re special.” Now I was lashing out again.
“I don’t know about special, cupcake girl. My mother wouldn’t say so. However, I can’t lie that in some ways I had it easier than a majority of families in this country or any other but behind every success is strife. Behind every practiced smile is a tragedy or ugly secret. In my case, my father isn’t some convicted murderer or a wife abuser, although he ran around on my mom prior to his heart attack. This is more personal and something I try not to forget every day.”
There was something about his voice that forced me to look at him while he was talking. “What happened to you?”
“You don’t need to hear it.”
“Maybe I do, Valerio. If you’re being truthful about getting to know each other then help me understand you and your ways.” Maybe I would continue to find him reprehensible but there was something he wanted to tell me, something few other people had ever heard. I was certain of it.
“I was a happy, healthy kid until I wasn’t. When I started blacking out, the doctors believed the issue was iron deficiency. It took my mother insisting something was terribly wrong for them to run additional tests. I had childhood leukemia. It was already stage two by then and rapidly getting worse.”
“What?” I hadn’t expected that in the least.
He nodded. “Not something you want to hear as a spoiled seven-year-old who up to that point had had no issues, a kid with everything he could possibly want, like you said. Anyway, during the course of the next several years, I fought the debilitating disease not once but three times. By the last time, I was twelve and the doctors were fearful I wouldn’t survive.”
“I’m so sorry, Valerio.” Of all the things I’d expected, what he’d just said wasn’t one of them.
He cocked his head as if he didn’t believe me. How could he?
“One of my oncologists suggested I be entered into a drug trial program and my parents were hesitant at first, but the doctor convinced them it might be my best and only possible choice for having any kind of life. It wasn’t a miracle cure by any means, but after six months, the drug started working. My body was fighting harder than it had before, learning to recover. I was fourteen before I was deemed cured, although as you might imagine, I was tested often for the first ten years. Now every five. There’s a chance that it will come back in a different form, so the black cloud hangs over me, but I learned to live. To thrive. And I refused to allow anyone to take that away from me.”
How could any human being not smile at hearing the news? I found myself walking closer. “I’m so glad.”
“Are you?”
“Yes, how could you ask me that? Cancer is horrible for anyone no matter the circumstances.”
