Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 55
 
 

TC is in the middle of paying the monthly bills when he hears his doorbell. He goes to open it.

" Sam."

" Hey TC. I brought over a pizza and some beer. Thought we could catch the game together."

" Sam, I'm sort of in the middle of something here."

Sam looks over to the desk. " Paying bills? I don't think so. You need a break, and I need my best friend."

TC shakes his head. " I haven't been much of a friend lately."

Sam and TC sit down on the couch. " You've had a lot on your mind."

" Yeah, like the destruction of a marriage and general destruction of a life I thought I had."

" TC, you did have a good life."

" One based on lies, Sam! ALL LIES!! She lied to me everyday that we were together. Everytime I took her to bed it was a joke."

" I think you're being too hard on yourself, TC. Too hard." Sam hesitated but was curious. " Have you heard from Eve?"

" NO! I can't believe it. While I don't think she ever gave a damn about me, I 'thought' she loved her children. "

" She does, TC. And, she loved you."

" How can you say that?"

" Because, you know I've been lying to Grace about Ivy. And, after seeing what happened between you and Eve, I'm inclined to think that my silence is for the best."

TC rubs the sides of his head as if he has a headache. " I don't know what to say. I know I told you to tell  Grace. But, I dunno anymore. I..I…."

" Miss her?"

" She's a liar and a slut."

" TC, I told you. You can't keep on referring to Eve like that. Whatever you might feel about her, you can't risk the girls hearing you talk about her like that. They are her children, and how you think about their mother will reflect upon them too."
 

" I know…I know….But, Sam?"

" Yeah, TC."

" It's so hard, Man. So damn hard. Do you have ANY idea how much I loved her?"

Sam nods and TC continues. " This house like a torture chamber for me. There's not a part of it that doesn't remind me of her. Sometimes I think that I should just take some clothes and never come back to it. But, then, I think of the girls. This is their home. Their lives have been disrupted enough. I couldn't do that to them again. It wouldn't be fair in the least to them. But, this is my haunted house. I'm haunted by every nook and cranny of this house. I got rid of her pictures, but, I can't get rid of the influence that she has in this house. How could I when she put herself into building this house into a home. I used to marvel at it - how much she loved this house. How happy she would become when she talked about it being our home. How could I love a complete stranger, Sam?"

" You didn't. You loved her and she loved you."

" She lied to me!"

" Yes, she did, and her lies have hurt both your daughters."

" She was with the one man I hate more than any other on the face of the Earth. All the times that Julian and I have confronted one another over the years…..he must have had a grand time thinking I was the fool."

" I'm sure it wasn't like that."

" Oh no? This is JULIAN we're talking about, Sam. That man…"

" I know."

" My heart is broken, Sam. How could I ever trust any woman again after this?"

" You can."

" You think? I don't think so. I would have bet MY LIFE that Eve could never hurt me like this. MY LIFE, Sam. And the chilling part of it is, that I was WRONG. Dead wrong."

" TC, I know things are hard for you. But, you need to relax. Get away. Maybe you and the girls could go for a little trip somewhere. Boston. Montreal. Somewhere. You go to work, you help Whitney with her tennis. You come home. You can't retreat from life. I don't want you to get down again. I…I don't want you to fall into another depression…I…I don't.."

" Don't want me to start taking drugs again, Sam? You can say it. I can see it in your eyes."

" Ok, then I'll say it. Yes, I worry about you. The last time something this traumatic happened in your life, it began a downward spiral and I almost lost you to those drugs."

" Sam, you don't have to worry. As bad as life has been for me, that really hasn't crossed my mind. "

Sam got a relieved look on his face and hugged TC. " I'm glad. I'm so glad. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life."

" I haven't been in your life for a few months, Sam."

" I know..but, you've been going through things. I learned a long time ago that you like to go through things alone. But, only just so long. After awhile, someone has to check on you and push you to begin life again."

" So someone has to you say? And, you've appointed yourself?"

" Absolutely. I think we need a weekend of male bonding."

" We?"

" Yep. You and me. I've got us booked at our favorite Boston hotel, and I've got us two tickets to the Celtics. The Lakers and the next night, the 76ers. Shaq, Kobe and Allen Iverson. Just two guys in Boston for the weekend."

" What about the girls?"

" Whitney and Simone are old enough to survive on their own for the weekend, and you KNOW Grace will look out for them."

TC thought about the offer. " I guess it would be nice to get away."

" It will be GREAT", Sam said. " Now, pass me a beer. The game's about to start."

TC laughed and did as he was told. He suddenly realized he hadn't laughed in quite awhile. It felt good.
 

" Mama, Miguel, how do I look?"

Pilar and Miguel looked at Theresa. While Pilar had on a simple black dress, her daughter looked equisite. Theresa had chosen a form fitting red velvet dress. The red was so deep, and the beautician had told Theresa that she would look best if she wore her hair down, slicked to the back. She had wondered about it, and was concerned by how Pilar and Miguel were looking at her.

" I look awful, don't I? The hair doesn't look right, does it?"

Pilar shook her head, " No, Theresita. You look so….adult. You look like a beautiful swan. There is an elegance about you tonight."

Theresa blushed. " You think so, Mama? What do you think, Miguel?"

" I think that I've never seen you look better. I don't want to say beautiful, because that's not the word. Mama's right. You look elegant. Graceful. The simpleness of the dress is sort of deceptive, because it isn't simple at all. Not when worn by you."

Theresa blushed again. " You two need to stop. I don't know how much more I can take. But, considering what you've been saying, I think Chad will like it."

Just then the kitchen door opened, and there was Chad standing there. He looked at Theresa, and he couldn't speak.

" Do you like?", she asked timidly, looking down at the floor.

" You look…..fabulous. Simply fabulous. This is for you." Chad had brought her some flowers.

" Chad, you didn't need to do this."

" Yes, I did. I want to thank you for going to this party with me. I'm not exactly confident about it."

" I don't know why. Everyone totally wants you there."

" Nevertheless, I appreciate your support. So, Mrs. L-F, Theresa, ready to go? My fa…..Julian sent a car for us. It's outside."

Theresa's eyes lit up at hearing about the transportation. Chad went and got the red velvet cape that went along with the dress. It added even more drama to Theresa's outfit. As he eased the cape on her shoulders, Chad whispered, " You'll never know how much this means to me."

" I'm so happy that I can be there for you. Chad, it's going to be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen tonight."

Hearing Theresa, Pilar looked to the heavens and said a silent prayer: Lord, let my daughter be right.