Love Story

Chapter Two

The sound of the voices from downstairs was getting louder. Kate sat on her bed, wishing they'd all go away. Why did her father have to invite friends tonight. To celebrate what? His fake life, maybe. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted. She was used to not having him in her life, why try to fix it now?

Up here it was bearable, at least. She didn't care about their stupid house, and their travertine floors. Like the Via Appia, her father had said, smiling. It was a reference to a trip to Rome they took ten years ago, when they were still a family. They had been happy on that trip, and for months Kate couldn't stop talking about anything else but the colosseum, the scooters everywhere, the heavenly pizza that tasted so different than anything they'd ever had at home, and the little owl, of course.

A year later she realized it had all been a lie.

They weren't going to be a family anymore. Ever again.

The breeze that was coming in through the open French doors leading out onto the balcony was soothing. Beyond, in the dark, she could hear the ocean crashing against the sandy cliff. She lay down on the bed and was about to turn on the podcast she'd started listening to in San Francisco, when someone knocked on the door.

"Time for dinner, sis. No more hiding in your room alone."

When Kate didn't answer, her sister opened the door.

"Come on, everyone's here. Everyone's nice. It'll be good for you to get out of your head for a few hours."

***
Kate followed Suzanne out onto the terrace. Nicole, their soon-to-be stepmom, had gone all out decorating, with candles on the long dining table and lanterns strewn all across the floor,  some, even, in the branches of the trees that covered the property.

"What do you think?" Nicole asked, smiling.

"It looks beautiful," Kate admitted.

Nicole beamed at her. "Oh, I do hope that you will like it here. For me, it has been paradise. And I would love to share it with you, if you let me, of course."

Kate nodded, and Nicole pushed her arm through Kate's and led her to her chair at the far end of the table, close to hers and her father's. Two chairs opposite of Kate's were still empty.

Kate sat down. The guests her father invited were having a good time, some seated already, some standing around the table, talking and laughing. Everyone was drinking wine and seemed to know each other, exchanging stories about houses that were purchased in the area, and especially one that was bought by a guy from Germany. Apparently he got ripped off because even though he had "one of the most beautiful ones" he didn't own the path in front of the house.

Kate couldn't care less about their stories, about their world, about this place. She hadn't been given a choice about this trip because she was still seventeen and, as her father had made clear, wasn't the independent adult yet that she thought she was. He was going to make clear to remind her of it. Fine. He could force her to come here, but she would make sure that he would regret it. He could parade around his friends and talk to her about his stupid life, but she would never be a part of it, that she swore.

Kate looked away from the boisterous crowd out into the cool dark of the garden. Four weeks seemed like a lifetime. She had no idea how she was going to survive this time. Back home, Paulina and Mag thought she was lame for not having stood up to her dad. Easy for them to say.  They had run away from home and stayed with Lea, an older painter who would always opt for the unconventional. They always asked her to join them, but as much as she wanted to and as much as she hated it at home, she couldn't leave her little brother alone with her mother. She wouldn't do to him what they had done to her.

In the distance, the ocean was crashing onto the shore. That was about the only thing about this place that she could bear.

"Poor fool," one of the women said. "The old Don Santos must be laughing in his bed every night."

"Don't listen to everything you hear around here."

Startled by the voice, Kate turned around. Across from her at the table sat the guy from the beach earlier, leaning in as he was talking to her.

She rolled her eyes.

He laughed. "Nice to see you again, too."

She looked away again. Great. Now the night just got infinitely worse. What was this guy doing here?

"You don't give people a lot of chances, do you?"

"Chances are for fairytales. I stopped reading them a long time ago." She pulled on the strand of deep blue that cut through her dark brown  hair like the color of the ocean at twilight and rolled it around her fingers.

"I prefer to live life, not read about it," he said. He looked into her eyes as if to challenge her. She held his gaze this time.

"Where are my manners?" Nicole said, stepping up behind Kate, interrupting the moment.

"Kate, meet Leon, Leon,meet our Kate."

"I'm not your Kate," Kate said. Nicole's face twitched but she kept up her smile.

"I've been wanting for you guys to meet. I thought you'd have so much to talk about."

"And why would that be," Kate said.

"Well," Nicole said, flustered. "I'll leave you to it."

And as she was about to rush back to the safety of her friends, everyone sat down at the table and noisily kept exchanging jokes and stories about their mutual acquaintances and some of the local people. Laughter all around. No one took notice of Kate.

Good, she thought. I can get through this dinner like this.

"Where's your father, Leon?" Nicole asked.

"He sends his apologies, he's not going to make it tonight. Business," he added quickly.

Kate's dad and Nicole exchanged a quick glance.

"Of course," her dad said. "He is a busy man. But we're glad to have you."

"Thank you," Leon said, but for the first time since Kate had met him he wasn't smiling. "I'm glad to be here."

***

Later that night Kate lay on her bed, unable to sleep. It had been a long day. She missed home. She had talked to her mother after the dinner.

"I don't know how I am going to make it without you here," she had said in her usual nervousness since the divorce.

"You'll be fine," Kate had said flatly. They hang up without her mother wishing her a good time or asking how she was doing. Everything was always and only about her.

Kate closed her eyes, letting the darkness unfold her. She had no idea how she would make it here through the next four weeks, but she knew she would be able to find a place to be sad. Sadness was her constant companion and once she had started to embrace it a few years ago, everything had become easier. It was better not to hope for anything anymore. People made way too much fuzz about life. She wanted to stay like this forever, detached, invisible.

And she promised herself to never, ever fall in love.