Chapter 20
Tatiana was grateful for the weekend. Tristan wasn't due to return for a few more days, and it really stunk, but at least she didn't have to go into the office for two days. Candida took her to lunch, telling her there was something she needed to talk to her about. Tatiana thought she knew what was on Candida's mind. They picked their favorite table at El Rancho restaurant.
“Mama, I know that you probably sense I'm back with Tristan.”
“You are?”
“I know that as a delayed reaction on your part, you probably want to tell me that I should be careful with men, that he appears trustworthy but to err on the side of caution. You never really know what's inside a person.”
“You got that from me without me having to say a word? I must be better than I thought.”
“I'm fine, Mama. Don't worry.”
“Actually, Tati, what I really want to talk to you isn't about Tristan.”
“Is it about Claudio? Has he turned out to be Freddy Krueger or Mr. Love Them and Leave them? Mr. Hot Tamale? Mr. Hot Pants. Mr. Dancing Sausage. Mr.—”
“Enough! No, he hasn't turned out to be any of those misfortunes.”
“What do you need to talk to me about then?—you're getting married!”
“Tatiana! Please. I'm here because I'm worried about you.”
“What?”
“Your Aunt Pina and Uncle Beto are worried too.”
“Why?”
“You don't look good.”
“Thanks a lot, Mama.”
“You look stressed out and exhausted.”
“Things at the office are a little haywire right now,” Tatiana explained.
“Quit.”
“Nydia and I are looking into it.”
“Stop looking into it and just quit.”
“I can’t do that. I can't quit without having another job waiting for me.”
“Sometimes you have to know when to fold them, my Tati.”
“I'm not playing cards. I'm trying to build a career.”
“You look awful,” Candida blurted. “I can barely stand to look at you with those dark circles under your eyes.”
“I'll be fine.”
“There's no shame in walking out of a bad situation. None whatsoever.”
“But—”
“You'll find another job,” Candida asserted.
“What if I don't?”
“My most talented daughter, where is your faith in yourself?”
“I don't know,” Tatiana said miserably.
“Being in that dark hole of a place has beaten you down. Get out of the hole, and you'll see your own greatness.”
Tatiana smiled. “You must've gotten that one from Aunt Pina.”
“Yes, I admit we've been talking about you. We love you so much that I wish you could see yourself through our eyes.”
Tatiana's eyes suddenly watered. “Thank you.”
“Leave that place and all its ugliness. I kinda understand what you're going through. Remember that it took me a while to leave your father, but I finally did. And I've never regretted it. Not even once.”
It was evening, and Tatiana was left pondering her mother's words. It would be so great to be out of Johnson Advertising. After ordering food from a take-out restaurant, she sat on her sofa, waiting for it and fantasizing never having to step into her chaotic and negative place of work. When a knock on her door came, she shuffled to it. Opening it, she found it was not the pizza delivery man! Unbelievably it was him, her Tristan, with a big grin and flowers. For that one tiny moment everything in her world seemed fine. The bullets and land mines Tatiana had to dodge in the office were okay. Her worries that he might've been lying to her and was actually back with his ex-wife were abated. The fact that he was sexy in his Italian black suit was definitely fine.
“You came back early,” Tatiana murmured excitedly.
Brilliant. Is that all I can say?
He chuckled. “Are you complaining because I could go back to San Antonio if you want?”
Tatiana jumped into his arms. “Don't even think about it.”
A few moments later when they finished with their cuddling and kisses, they took the by then delivered pizza Tatiana had ordered to scenic drive where they ate and admired their city, El Paso, from the side of a mountain.
“I love El Paso. It's so good to be home,” Tristan murmured.
Tatiana grinned. “It's good to have you home.”
I’m so disgustedly mushy.
“Isn't the desert beautiful? Look at that sunset,” Tristan expressed.
I can't believe he said what I was thinking.
“You don't prefer lush grassy areas?” Tatiana asked.
“I have to confess that I hate cutting grass. Besides there's something majestic about the desert, isn't there?”
“Absolutely.”
They were quiet for a few minutes as they enjoyed the enormity of the sun setting to rest for the day. It was like an orange flame in the sky and the beige sandy ground captured some of its colorful rays. This was about as romantic as Tatiana had ever had it.
“Tristan, I think there's something we need to cover,” Tatiana declared, breaking the silence.
“Uh, oh. Go easy on me. I'm still jet lagged.”
“We have to set a few things straight.”
“Okay.”
“I'm a horrible cook,” Tatiana stated.
“Okay.”
“Is that all you can say?” Tatiana questioned, perplexed.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Does it bother you because it's bothered my past boyfriends?”
“Am I your boyfriend,” he said, chuckling. “Like in high school?”
“Stop changing the subject. I need to know if this is important to you because the guys before you wanted me to take cooking lessons. One of them paid my tuition to a cooking school.”
“Did you go?”
“No. When I was younger I tried to learn, but I burned everything. My arms always had second degree burns on them, and my mother told me that just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I have to learn to cook.”
“Good for her.”
“I'm not totally useless in the kitchen. I can cook eggs and simple stuff.”
“Okay.”
“They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You need to tell me if this is true for you because I'm more likely to poison your stomach than feed you delicacies.”
“Okay.”
“Frankly, it's irritating that I have to cover this at all. You men aren't made to feel that you have to apologize for not being cooks. Understand that I'm not apologizing for who I am. I'm trying to inform you, so that you can decide if you want to keep our relationship going. I'm not a good cook. I’ll never be one.”
“Okay.”
“And you should also know that I'm not much of a housekeeper either.”
“Okay.”
“Your glibness is driving me crazy,” Tatiana informed him.
“I don't see the point to this conversation.”
“These issues have been a problem for me in the past.”
“I'm not like the guys in your previous relationships,” Tristan stated dryly. “They were boys. I'm a man. I understand what's important. I need to be taken care of emotionally, not physically.”
“Okay,” Tatiana murmured.
“I don't need a maid. I need a companion.”
“You do?”
“I already have a maid—a very good one.”
Tatiana nodded. “All right.”
“And she cooks.”
She chuckled. “Good.”
“I don't give a damn that you're not domestic. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“If we didn't have anything in common then that would bother me,” Tristan declared.
She smiled. “All right.”
“If you didn't appreciate sunsets, that would b
other me.
“All right.”
“If the wheels in your brain weren't always turning, that would bother me.”
“All right.”
“If you weren't amazingly talented and tender hearted, that would bother me.”
“All right.”
“If our relationship was based on mind games, that would bother me,” Tristan stated. “That's why if you have any questions about me or my motives, you can ask me anything you want. I don't mind.”
“You don't?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Really? You don't mind my constant questions?”
“That's who you are,” Tristan asserted. “It would bother me if you were anything other than yourself. I like you just the way you are.”
Tatiana gave him a huge moist kiss.
When they disengaged, he asked her, “Are we done with this conversation, or is there something else you want to cover with me.”
Tatiana chuckled. “I'm done for now.”
This time it was he who kissed her.