Free Maria by Briana Gaitan Page B

until you give me some answers.”
    “Oh, fine. What do you wanna know?”
    She slumped down in a chair and sighed. “I wanna know about my real parents, you and my father.”
    I hadn’t thought about him in years. In fact, I purposely avoided TV and magazines so that I didn’t have to see his face starting back at me. I steadily carried the mugs over to the table and sat down next to her.
    “I moved to LA with my parents right after Jr. High. My dad was this big shot lawyer, and had gotten a promotion at work. Anyway, I met your father at a party with friends. His parents were big shot Hollywood actors and he’d been in a few small movies himself. I guess you could say he was the heartthrob of every 15-year-old girl, I fell for his charms, we hooked up, and you came nine months later. I was barely 16, and I had to hide the entire thing from my parents. See? Nothing to tell.”
    Her jaw dropped so she lifted her hand to close it. “Liar! Lies! All of it! Are you kidding me? That is the worst love story I’ve ever heard!”
    “Will you stop love-grubbing me? Listen, kid. I told you. We weren’t in love.” I took a sip of my tea and looked down at the table. What in the world was love- grubbing anyway? When I got nervous, things just flew out of my mouth with no filter.
    “Oh, whatever. I saw the way your knees gave out, and your face turned this disgusting pale color when I brought him up. Face it; you’re in love with him!”
    She saw everything, noticed everything. S he’s insightful and—get ahold of yourself, Maria! She’s not your daughter. You gave her up!”
    “If I tell you the truth, you have to promise not to ask me his name; I can’t tell you who he is. He has a very successful career and a fiancé—“
    “I thought you didn’t know—”
    “Don’t interrupt me, kid. You can’t barge in on him. I promise I will tell him about you, and if he is interested, he will be in contact with you when you turn eighteen . ”
    “Deal! Now is this a tragic love story? Did he break your heart?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Something like that. Let’s see, we met during the summer. We thought we were in love, but what do fifteen year olds really know about love? I used to dream that we’d get married when we turned eighteen, and we’d move away, but he had this saying. He always said, ‘Love is not for me.’ I guess looking back, I should have known from the start. Love can blind the willing, and I…well, I was willing. We’d dated all summer. His parent’s hated me, but when school started back up in September, he went back to acting classes and auditions. Oh, this is so confusing. For the sake of it, let’s call him, John. Like John Doe. That way I won’t have to tell you his real name.”
    “John it is.” She leaned forward with her chin resting on her hands.
    My eyes drifted shut, and I let my mind travel back to a simpler time. A time when love was humble, and I wore my heart on my sleeve.

Chapter Two
    “You have to let me talk to him!” I’d shown up at your father’s parents’ house for tenth time that week. As usual, I stood outside the Victorian mansion and waited for someone to open the door. The door cracked open, just enough for the housekeeper to peer out. She was short, Hispanic, and the sweetest person I knew in Beverly Hills. You see, most of the people I knew in California were stuck up and materialistic, nothing like the people back home. Your father had been the same way, but he treated me differently. He didn’t care that my family was poor, or that I didn’t have the nicest clothes. We both liked the same music and adored watching old movies.
    “The Mister say you not allowed to see his son anymore. I call the police if you come here.”
    “Valentina! Please,” I said. “I need to speak with John. It’s important.”
    She shook her head and begun to push the door closed “I am sorry, Maria. Please, go.”
    My hand shot out and grabbed the door before she could close