The Richman - Run Away
The night after Pablo's meet with Richard at the hotel, and help him on a tour to find his wife, talked about many things with Richard, he got really nervous and looked weird lately. It happened until he came home.
He knocked on Chrsitabell's door, and stood there, wait for the answer. "Come in." Answered Chrsitabell, she stared at Pablo's face and gave him a warm smile, when that man entered her room. "How was your day?" She asked.
"Good." Lied Pablo.
Christabell looked at his eyes deeply, "Why am I think that you seem to have not a really good day." She guessed.
Pablo took a deep breath, "Just a little unpleasant thing happened in Resort."
Christabell asked softly because her baby just fell asleep."What kind of problem?"
"Little misunderstanding, but it so much uncomfortable me." Lied Pablo again. "I will find another job. And we will move to another house." Pablo said.
Christabell thought deeply, "Is there nothing you can fix, about your job?" Christabell asked him, "You just move to this new Resort, you have been so happy to work there for about a week. You said that you got a big tip from your guests almost every day, so why the little misunderstanding destroyed you that bad, and you give up just like that?" For Christabelle, it happened so quickly and Pablo's decision feels like nonsense for her.
Christabelle stared around and look at Pablo's face at the end. "Are you having financial problems?" Asked Bell suddenly. Christabell asked about that because since Pablo moved to the new Resort for his new job, they also move to the new house. He rented the wider house to make Christabelle and her baby feel more comfortable.
"Of course not. There is nothing to do with financial matters." Shake Pablo.
"Then why is it so suddenly?" Christabell asked again, his gaze was really assessing Pablo's expression, and the man did not dare to return Chtistabell's gaze, it was strange for Bell considering that Pablo was quite brave in treating him recently. Christabell started to felt there is something hidden by Pablo behind her back.
"I know that we are a heavy burden for you." Said Christabelle full of regrate.
"That is not what I mean." Said Pablo.
"Then what? You confuse me with your attitude lately. Yesterday you forbade me to leave the house for almost a week, even Esmeralda came to the house and asked if I was okay. You're really weird Pablo. If there is a problem, just tell me. Never hiding something behind my back. As you said that we have to build trust for each other, and we'll never hiding something from each other. You're like a brother for me, ok. Just tell me the truth." Bell rubbed Pablo's shoulder.
The man took a deep breath. "Forget it." He said, then rose from the place where he sat. Leave Christabell's room just like that, with no reason, leaving Christabell in a huge unanswered riddle.
***
This morning Esmeralda came to Pablo's house right after the man had left the house to work.
Knock Knock
Esmeralda stood over the door with a weird gesture. "Good morning Christabell." She greeted Chrsitabell and entered the house rushly. It seems like that she didn't want anyone to look at her entering the house.
"Hi, what happened? Why did you look like in a rush?" Christabel felt confused by her gesture.
She turned her eyes around then said in half of whispered. "Christabell, I want you to know something." She turning her eyes around again.
"What?" Christabell asked indifferently, she was busy breastfeeding her little daughter because Adrianna started crankily because she was thirsty.
Esmeralda took a deep breath, she even closed her eyes briefly before continuing her sentence, it just made Christabell feel an oddity filling the narrow room.
"After Pablo said something weird about moving again, now you turn to be weird too. What happened to you guys, both of you just confused me with all of these issues." Said Bell, shaking his head in surprise.
Esmeralda furrowed her brows, she just asked "Pablo was weird? What do you mean about he wanted to move again?" She asked.
Christabell took a deep breath, "Last night, he talked about some mess that happened in his work, a little misunderstanding that made him felt uncomfortable so he decided to find a new job and move from this city. I don't know why it happened so quickly, what actually happened to him? He didn't want to share. And this morning, he didn't talk much." Explained Christabell, then she turned her gaze to Adrianna's clear eyes that looked sparkling looking at her mother. While playing with his daughter's tiny fingers, Christabell smiled at the little angel in her arms.
Esmeralda kept her silent and thought about what Pablo might have in his mind. She grew worried if what she thought about Pablo was true. Esmeralda thought that maybe Pablo was planning to take this mother and child off so she couldn't meet her husband. It was very possible that Pablo really fell in love with Christabell and the baby, and that was what Esmeralda had always been afraid of. If this happens, it will break Esmeralda's heart. But more than her own feelings, she really wanted to help Christabell find her old life again. This poor young woman has through a lot of hard times. And maybe then, without Christabell and her baby around Pablo, the man's frozen heart would melt and slowly open up to her.
Emanuella furrowed her brows, she even grabbed her chest. "I ..." She stopped her sentence, she even shuffled and sat on the side of the bed to get closer to Bell, as close as possible.
"I heard rumors." Said Ella, she couldn't talk straightly to Christabell about what actually happened. She didn't want to make this woman getting confused or might be being panic.
"Rumors?" Bell's brows knit together at the girl. "What rumors? Is Pablo in trouble?"
"No, this isn't about Pablo." Emanuella licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry and so hard to even swallow. "Christabell, at first I didn't like you because you suddenly came between me and Pablo. Sometimes I turned to be jealous to you, but ..." Her sentence was interrupted.
Christabell took a deep breath. "Emanuella, my apologize. Trust me I'll be going as soon as possible. I'll find the way to get back to my own life."
"It's not that, but I heard from several people that a man from New York was staying at the hotel where we worked."
Christabell smiled broadly. "Isn't this a tourist destination? Thousands of people from New York might spend their vacation time in this place."
"Yes ..." nodded Emanuella. "But do you recognize this man's face?" Emanuella bit her lip, she showed her cellphone screen to Christabell, although taken from a distance it appears that Pablo was standing beside the car where a man was walking towards the car.Christabell's eyes froze at the photo, her face flushed red and suddenly tears filled her eyes until some of them fell unbearably.
"Rich ...Richard, " she whispered softly, she covered her mouth with one hand holding back the tremors that might make her cry suddenly burst. Christabell didn't want to surprise Adrianna with her emotional outburst, but the little baby seemed to understand the situation that was happening to her mother. She removed her mother's nipple and looked at her mother while holding her face.
"Emanuella, take me to him now." Said Bell.
Emanuella hurriedly closed her cellphone. "I'll take you away before Pablo returns." She said while whispering, Ella was so swift in tidying up all Christabell and Adrianna's equipment in a big bag.
"But I can't go like this, at least let me thank Pablo." Said Bell.
Esmeralda stopped helping Christabell packed her things and turn her eyes to Christabell, "Go now or you'll regret it Bell." She said with a worried face.
Christabell's tears continued to stream while she got ready, after laying Adriana on the bed. She kept thought about a debt of gratitude that she somehow had to pay to Pablo and also the escape she would undertake with Esmeralda to meet Richard.
After finishing packing, Esmeralda carried the large bag in her hand while Christabell carried the baby. "Do we have to do all this?" Asked Christabell with tears that kept falling. Esmeralda bit her lip, she took out her cellphone again and played a recording.
"I'm leaving the house, Mr. Smith, maybe this week." There was Pablo's voice talking to the owner of the house they rented when they was meet in the resort yesterday. Esmeralda spyes on him and recorded the conversation clandestinely.
"You seem in a hurry, is there a problem with the building or the rental cost?" A hoarse man's voice chimed in.
"No problem, I just got a new job in San Juan."
"Oh, well if that's your decision. Good luck then."
Esmeralda furrowed her brows, a concerned look she cast at Bell who seemed surprised to hear the conversation. "I recorded it secretly, I overheard their initial conversation." Said Esmeralda. She also tak e the picture of Pablo who was walking together with Richard Anthony.
"He already know about Richard Anthony since the first time." Said Esmeralda when she gave her cellphone with the photo of Pablo and Richard. The biggest proof that destroyed Christabell heart. So Pablo already know about Richard but he don't want Christabell to know about that. He also planed to run them away from Richard Anthony, so he couldn't meet them.
Christabell took a deep breath, she almost couldn't handle the fact anymore. Her heart felt burn and she said tremorly, "Get me out of here Esmeralda."
Christabell and Es walked quickly out of the fence of Pablo's house and waited for a taxi to take them. In less than five minutes, the taxi passed and they got into the taxi. As the taxi drove about ten meters, Pablo's car drove toward their house.
"Get down, it's Pablo." Ella said, making Bell immediately crouch to embrace the baby. Somehow in such a critical situation Adrianna really understands and doesn't bother.
About five minutes later Ella's cell phone vibrated, "Oh shit, he called me."
"He must have found an empty house."
"What do we do now?"
"As soon as we get to the hotel."
Christabell held her breath, her mind suddenly stuck and unable to digest anything. He looked panicked and was busy looking back at the taxi every now and then to make sure there was no Pablo's car behind the taxi they were riding in.
Suddenly Bell turned his gaze to Adriann, his angelic clear eyes seemed to say something.
"Esmeralda, can I borrow your cell phone?" Asked Christabell.
"Of course." Esmeralda handed it to Bell. Although it had been a long time since she contacted her husband, Christabell still knew Richard's cell phone number certaintly. She immediately wrote down the numbers and pressed the call sign on Esmeralda's cellphone. Christabell start heard connected voice, but not immediately accepted.
"Rich, please ... answer my call." Christabell whispered to herself. "Come on, Rich, take this call." Christabell's lips pressed together as she listened to the connected tone that rang over and over again.