ThePromisepart2

“What! Did dying totally make you loose your mind? Maria is never going to fall in love with me. You were the love of her life. I don’t know if she will ever be able to love again.”

“Your wrong Kyle. Maria is lost right now but you can bring her back all she needs is to know that someone loves her and that you wont leave her.”

“And since when have you become such an authority on woman. I have heard Maria talk about how clueless you are many times.”

“Lets just say that dying had some good side effects, besides which, I know why Maria is acting the way she is. I made her a promise, one I wasn’t able to keep, I promised her that I would always be with her and if someday I did have to leave I would come back to her. She opened up her heart and soul to me and I broke my promise. I need you to keep it for me. Please.”

I know it took a lot for him to ask me to do this. I do love Maria and I want her to be happy but I just don’t know if I would be able to bring her back and I definitely didn’t know if Maria would ever love me like I love her. But I guess I had to try for both our sakes.

“Ok but I still don’t know if it will work. You are right about one thing I do love her and even if she never loves me back I will still be there for her. I will make sure that she is never alone. I make that promise to you.”

“Thank you Kyle.”

“So what now?”

“Now we have to figure out a way to get her to open up to you. I guess the first plan of attack would be to make sure that you are always with her. Maybe if you bug her enough she might get mad and mad is good because that means she is finally starting to feel again. Also I think you should tell her that she isn’t fooling you like she is the others. Let her know that you see right through her act.”

“Will you be there why I am doing this?” I ask him.

Michael shakes his head. “No. I can’t leave here and even if I could I don’t know if I would want to see Maria how you describe her. It would be to hard.”

I am relieved that he wont be there. I don’t think I could do any of it with Michael looking over my shoulder. He may be dead but it still would feel wrong to make a move on his girl while he is watching.

“I’ll come by tomorrow to tell you how it is going?”

Again Michael shakes his head. “No come by Friday as you usually do. I can’t do this everyday.”

By this I am assuming he means appearing to me.

“Ok then I will see you next week.” Michael fades in front of my eyes. I turn around and look at his tombstone and make a silent promise that I will not let him down. I will do this for him, for myself and most importantly for Maria.

I drive away from the cemetery feeling strangely revived, which is much different then I usually feel after visiting Michael’s grave. I usually feel depressed but not today. Today I have a purpose and I feel that I finally might be able to do something to help someone I care about. I hope that Michael is right and that I will be able to make Maria better, to make her live again even if I can’t get her to love me back. I just want to see her happy. I want to see that Deluca spirit again.

Tonight Dad is going out with Amy and he has asked me to go over to the Deluca’s to keep Maria company. Maria, of course isn’t going out, and Amy would feel better if someone was with her. I guess there was no better time to start my campaign then tonight. Michael first referred to this as a battle when he told me what my first plan of attack would be and it strangely fits this situation. I am waging a war to save Maria Deluca. I just hope I am victorious.

We get to the Deluca’s a little early and Amy still isn’t ready. Maria lets us in and Dad tries to talk with her about school. She answers his questions but again she seems like she is only working on autopilot. It is like she isn’t really there. I remember seeing a commercial when I was younger; Is it real or is it Memorex? That is what it is like with Maria. It is like we are seeing a recorded version of her and not the real thing. Dad doesn’t seem to notice and seems pleased that she is talking with him. He can’t see her. He can’t see that it is all a front and that she has no spirit and that she is dead inside.

Amy finally is ready and they leave. Dad tells us to call on his cell phone if we need anything and I tell him we will. After they leave I ask Maria what she wants to do. She tells me she doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t so much her words but the way she said it that finally got me started.

“Dammit Maria this has got to stop. I have been watching you for six months walking around like you are dead. Well you aren’t. Michael died and I’m sorry but you have to move on. You have to live. He wouldn’t want you to be this way.”

For a minute I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes but then it was gone so I went on. “You think you have everyone fooled well you don’t. I see right through you Maria. You have no spirit and your eyes are completely dead. You have given up because someone you loved died, because he left you and isn’t coming back. Well I am telling you now to get over it and I’m not going to leave you alone until you do.”

Bingo. I that did it. The moment I mentioned Michael leaving her and not coming back I saw her anger bubble to the surface.

“You don’t know anything Kyle Valenti. Damn you, damn you to hell for bringing Michael up to me. You don’t know anything about either of us. I hate you and I want you to leave now and never come back.”

Anger. Michael sad anger was good but from my position right now it didn’t look so hot. An angry Maria Deluca actually scared me but I kept my ground.

“You know what Maria. I will leave now but I will be back. Count on it.”

I walked out the door leaving it open, which Maria promptly slammed behind me. I smile feeling for the first time that this plan might actually work.

When I wake up the next morning I feel refreshed and ready to resume my attack on Maria’s defenses. She won’t know what hit her. I go to her door ready for whatever Maria throws my way. I am hoping she will be still pissed at me and will not have reverted to how she was before. Of course her being mad means she will be totally unpredictable. Maria opens the doors and tries to shut it on me but I push it open and walk past her and sit on the couch.

“Kyle Valenti get your Buddha but out of here now. You are not welcome here.”

Amy Deluca hears the commotion and comes into the room.

“Maria what’s going on here?” She looks at me and I just smile and shrug my shoulders.

“Mom he is being impossible. I told him to leave and he won’t.”

“Well Maria what has he done that you want him to leave?” Amy asks Maria.

“He is an insensitive jerk.” Maria shouts and storms off to her room slamming the door.

“Well Kyle you want to explain why my daughter is so mad at you?”

Oh no. Not only one Deluca but now two Deluca women mad at me. This can’t be good.

“Ms. Deluca it is for her own good. I bet that is the most you have heard her say since Michael died and I’m sure that is the first time you have seen her show any emotion besides grief.”

Her mom sits down on the sofa. She closes her eyes for a moment and then looks at me. “Your absolutely right Kyle.”

“She needs to get mad Ms. Deluca. If she is mad then she is feeling and if she is feeling she can start to heal. She makes everyone believe that she is fine but she really isn’t. I am just trying to help her.”

She nods her head and then stands up and calls for Maria. Maria comes out of her room but stops when she sees that I am still sitting there.

“What is he still doing here?”

Amy ignores Maria’s question. “Honey I need you to deliver a package over in Hondo for me. Why don’t you take Kyle with you it is awfully heavy?”

“Mom” Maria tries to argue but Ms. Deluca stops her. “Maria you will go to Hondo and Kyle is going with you. Understood?”

“Yes mom.” Maria gets her purse and starts out the door. She turns to me and says, “Well you coming or not. I don’t have all day.”

I share a smile with Ms. Deluca and follow a very furious Maria Deluca out the door. Boy was this going to be an interesting ride.

TBC