Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Part 9

“What do you want?” His voice on the other side of the line was annoyed.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you”, Catalina replied, her voice firm and calm.

“About what? We have nothing to talk about”, Ferdinand replied.

“If there was nothing to talk about I wouldn’t be calling.”

He sighed.

“Fine, talk”, he replied rudely. “What do you want?”

“Not through the phone”, she replied. “Sorry. It’s a delicate matter. Can I please see you?”

“Look Catalina, it’s over, I’m getting marri-”

“I know”, she interrupted. “It has nothing to do with that, I swear. I just need to see you to tell you something really important. Please?”

There was a pause, and Catalina closed her eyes, her heart beating very fast.

“Alright, fine”, he said. “Can you meet me in an hour at the park in front of the library?”

She hesitated; it had been two weeks Catalina had shaved her head, and she had not yet left the house, ashamed of her appearance.

“I was wondering if you could come over?” She asked, a bit insecure.

“What do you want? Seriously, I’m not going to your house, I have a fiancé…”

Catalina was not willing to hear about his love life, so she interrupted again. “I’ll be there.”

“Fine. See you”, he hung up.

Regretfully, Catalina looked at Myrella, who was beside her. “See what you just made me do?”

“Just relax”, her cousin replied. 

“He was such a jerk!”

“Think of his face when he sees you!”

That thought comforted Catalina a little. She sighed; Myrella had finally convinced her to tell Ferdinand the truth, and now, in an hour… In just an hour… He would know.

“Dress up!” Myrella said, running to Catalina’s wardrobe.

“It’s not a date, you know?” she replied, grumpily.

“I know, but it is the first time in what, three months, that you’ll see him. You must not look bad!”

Catalina stood up. “Oh, right! I forgot. I suppose the bald head looks gorgeous! Totally hot”, she said sarcastically.

Myrella frowned. “Cat, you are beautiful no matter what. Even bald, you are still so pretty!”

She didn’t want to argue. “Anyway, no special occasion to look good. I’ll just go there and say it. The end.”

Myrella pretended she didn’t hear. She opened her wardrobe and started to examine her cousin’s clothes, without listening to Catalina’s angry protest.

“I like this dress”, Myrella said, taking a beautiful summer dress of light orange, all full of yellow and red tones shaping flowers.

Catalina gasped. “So did he.”

“Then we have a winner.”

Sadly, Catalina looked at the dress. “I was wearing the dress the night he proposed to me.”

“Wear it today. It’s perfect.”

“I don’t think I can…”

“Cousin, for you it will be just a dress; for him it will be more. Understood?”

Without any strength to argue, she let Myrella dress her up and even put some make up on her pale face, even though she glanced angrily at her the entire time. In the end, Catalina couldn’t help but to think her cousin had done a good job.

“I’ll drive you”, Myrella said, getting Catalina’s car keys.

~*~

The park was empty. Catalina walked slowly to the direction of the bank where only one person occupied; it was the middle of autumn, and the trees were completely sleeveless, only small blossoms on the branches coloring the wood and giving a sweet smell. The sunset was beautiful, coloring the sky with the tones of Catalina’s dress.

Taking a deep breath, she put her shaky hand on her ex-boyfriend’s shoulder. “Hi, Ferdinand.”

Ferdinand immediately turned to her; as he laid eyes on Catalina, his face turned pale, and his jaw dropped.

“Catalina…” he whispered. It took all the courage she had, but Catalina had dismissed the usual hat or scarf she would wear, and had gone to meet him with her bare head exposed.

“Hello. May I sit?”

He nodded, astonished, without taking his eyes from her. She sighed again, without facing him, but choosing to stare at an old post with a somehow vintage lamp on its top.

There was a long, heavy silence where Catalina refused to look at him.

“Since when?” he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

“It’s been almost six months it seems…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” he screamed, suddenly. Catalina looked at him; he was crying.

“I was going to tell you. That day.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before??!”

“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to worry you for nothing. You were having exams and work… I just…”her voice shook. “I couldn’t.”

Ferdinand stood up, completely astonished, barely controlling his tears.

“Catalina, you were my fiancé!” he shouted.

“I thought you would never leave…” she said, looking down.

He went silent. The tears rolled down his face heavily, and his lower lip was trembling.

“I thought you should know”, she said, standing up. “that my mood swings had a cause.”

She looked at his defeated face one last time. “I’ve always loved you.”

Before he could recover from the shock that had paralyzed him and got him speechless, she turned her back to him and left, and only when she was again in the car, where Myrella was waiting to take her home, she allowed herself to cry.