Love Without Boundaries - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight
The next morning when Preston woke up, he found himself alone. He could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. He got up, put on a robe and headed towards the kitchen. When he walked in, he found Robert preparing the turkey and ham, along with other things spread out on the counter. When Preston looked at the clock on the wall, he saw it was six o’clock in the morning. It had only been four hours since they went to bed, he couldn’t understand how Robert could have so much energy on so little sleep.
“What are you doing up so early?” Robert asked when he saw Preston.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Preston moved closer to see what Robert was doing.
“Well this thanksgiving dinner isn’t going to cook itself now. So like I said why are you up so early?” Robert finished rubbing the turkey with his spice mixture. Preston picked up the bowl with the spices and smelled it, his mouth started to water; he could only image how delicious it was going to make the turkey.
“God this smells good what’s in it, and I am only up because somebody was making too much noise.”
“Sorry about that I was trying to be as quiet as possible, and I can’t tell you what’s in it, because it is an old family secret recipe.” Robert looked at Preston, he looked tried. “Why don’t you go back to bed, I think I can manage to be quiet now.”
“No if you’re going to stay up, then I’m going to stay up with you and help you prepare everything.”
“No you look tried, go get some more sleep. I don’t need you falling asleep during the day. Besides I’m almost done.”
“Then let me help so you can finish faster and you can come back to bed with me. How long have you been up I know you couldn’t have gotten no more than four hours of sleep.”
“You’re not going back to bed without me are you?”
“Nope, either you join me or I’m staying here with you.”
“Fine you help me with the stuffing and then we can go back to bed.”
“Ok” Robert handed Preston everything he needed and told him what to do. They went back to bed when everything was done; it was seven that gave them two hours more of sleep. Robert waited until he was sure Preston fell asleep, before he got out of the bed. He went back into the kitchen to finish what he was doing.
It was almost nine when Preston woke up to the smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee. Which meant Robert wasn’t in bed with him and he must have got out as soon as he fell asleep. Preston put on some sweatpants and went to the kitchen; he could hear Robert talking to someone. When Preston walked in the kitchen, he saw it was Tanya and Nora. Robert was the first one to see him.
“Good morning amorcito, did you get plenty of sleep?” Robert asked as he served him a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.
“Good morning everyone and I would have gotten more sleep if someone hadn’t been making so much noise early this morning.”
“Like I told you this morning I was trying to be as quiet as I could. Besides I told you to go back to bed, but you insisted on helping me.”
“Tanya would you please tell your son he can’t survive on four hours of sleep every day. That he is going to end up burning himself out.”
“Robert, are you not getting enough sleep and how long has this been going on?”
Robert took a deep breath and looked at Preston, giving him the look I can’t believe you just did that. Preston give him a look back that said don’t look at me like that, you brought it upon yourself.
“Mom don’t worry, I’m getting enough sleep it’s just today. I had to get up early to get everything ready.”
“Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”
“Yes mom and can we just drop it, I promise I will get more sleep.”
“Ok mijo” Vera and Vince walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.
“What no one knows how to invite for breakfast?” Vince said as he took the empty seat next to Nora.
“Because you will eat all the food before anyone else have a chance to serve themselves.” Vera said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“No I wouldn’t have, I’m saving room for later.”
“Now Preston do you see why I asked if the turkey was big enough. Mister bottomless pit over here could basically eat the whole dang turkey by himself.”
“Don't worry I think it’s big enough.” Preston said as he looked at Robert, he still had an annoyed look on his face. Robert noticed Preston staring at him and got up from the table. Robert went to go check up on everything while everyone finished breakfast. Preston got up and went after Robert, to see if he needed help with anything. He found Robert rolling out dough, Preston walked over to him.
“You need help?”
“No you should go get ready, I just have this to do then I’ll get ready.” Preston looked at him again; he could see that Robert was trying to deal with something he didn’t know about.
“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
“Yeah I’m sure, go ahead and get ready.” Preston turned around before he heard Robert ask him “How long have you known about me not getting enough sleep?”
“Since the first day I moved in, you’re not as quiet as you think. Then I found it weird you had time to make us a full breakfast and be ready for school. Why are you not sleeping well?” Robert stopped rolling out the dough and looked up at Preston; his eyes filled with such turmoil.
“I just have a lot of things on my mind that’s all.”
“Ok, well I’m going to go get ready since you don’t need help.”
“Yeah go ahead, I’ll be done soon.” Preston went back to the room to get ready, but he couldn’t help but feel like Robert wasn’t telling him something. Vera waited to make sure Preston was gone before she came into the kitchen.
“You know he worries about you, you should just tell him the truth.”
“Vera I can’t tell him, he would feel guilty because he is the reason I don’t sleep. I keep thinking he is going to realize I’m not what he wants and end up going back to that asshole Grant.”
“But if he knew why, then he would reassure you and tell you that you’re being silly. Robert that boy is head over heels in love with you, he wouldn’t ever go back to that asshole. Not when he has such a great guy like you, by the way how did you sleep last night?”
“Pretty good actually, I fell asleep easily but I had to get up early. Why do you ask?”
“Could it be because you had Preston right there next to you and all the worries you have of waking up and discovering that he is gone have disappeared? Because you knew he was right next to you and had you not had to wake up early, would you have slept longer?”
“Well yeah I guess, I didn’t even think about any of that stuff.”
“See just talk to him and get everything out into the open. It’s going to be the only way for you to let your mind rest. Look I’ll take your mom, Nora and Vince out after dinner to give you two sometime alone to talk.”
“Ok fine do that, then maybe you people will get off my back.”
“Here let me help, the faster you finish, the faster we can get this over with and you can finally talk to Preston about everything.” Vera said as she took the rolling pin from Robert.
“Ok take over why don’t you, I’ll finish the sides.” Vera and Robert worked in silence and finished everything in an hour. Then they went to go get ready.
Preston had just gotten off the phone with his mom; it made him sad to hear how sad she sounded on the phone.  She was sad that he was not home for Thanksgiving. He just couldn’t be at home while his dad pretends he doesn’t exist. Preston walked into the room to see if Robert was ready. Robert was buttoning up his shirt when Preston noticed the pendent he wore around his neck, this was the first time he had ever seen it. Robert saw Preston looking at him.
“You like what you see?” Robert asked Preston.
Preston’s face grew bright red.  “Oh shut up, I was just looking at the pendent you’re wearing. What is it?”
“I’m just kidding amorcito; it’s a St. Jude pendent. He stands for lost or forgotten causes; it used to belong to my dad.” Preston reached for it to get a better look. It was beautiful, he turned it over and saw an inscription on it ‘to my son never forget what matters most in life.’
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you, um I know that you and your family aren’t very religious, but I got you this and I would like it if you wore it.” Robert went over to his dresser, pulled out a box, and handed it to Preston. Preston opened the box and saw a pendent inside, it looked like Robert’s except it was a St. Paul.
“What does St. Paul stand for?” Robert took it from Preston and helped him put it on.
“He is the saint for anything to do with publication. I thought since you wanted to go into journalism, he could help you along the way; don’t forget to look at the back.” Preston turned it over to read the inscription ‘dreams are never out of reach as long as you believe in them.’
“Thanks Robert, I love it and I will cherish it.” Preston gave him a kiss.
“You’re welcome amorcito. Now come on everyone is waiting on us.” Preston and Robert walked into the kitchen to find everyone seating at the table waiting on them.
“Sorry to keep everyone waiting.”
“It’s about time.” Vince said.
“Oh Vince be quiet and since you’re the one whining, you can say grace.” Vera said.
“Ok fine.”  Everyone bowed their heads and Vince began saying grace, “oh heavenly father we give you thanks on this feast we are about to have. We give thanks for our friends and families seating here with us today and for the ones who aren’t here and may you watch over every single one of us amen. Ok now can we dig in?”
“Yes we can” Robert said. Everybody ate and chit chatted throughout the meal. When it came time for dessert, Nora tapped her glass and said she had an announcement to make.
“Well I just wanted to tell everyone that I’m pregnant!”  Nora and Vince were both smiling. Robert nearly dropped the pumpkin pie, on the floor but Vera caught it before it fell.
“What” Robert said, he wasn’t sure he had heard right the first time.
“I’m pregnant Robert and I want you to be ok with it, mom is.” Nora said and Robert looked at his mom to see if this was true. His mom nodded her head and she was actually happy about it.
“Nora I’m happy for you, I’m just worried about what is going to happen when he finds out. You know he isn’t going to allow this to happen.”
“I know Robert, which is why Vince thinks we should go to his parent’s house to stay. They already said we are more than welcome to stay with them.” Robert didn’t like this at all. He didn’t want his baby sister to move so far away; but if it’s what she wants and it makes her happy, then he had no choice but to be happy about it.
“You sure you want this?”
“Yes I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I’m happy and I know that if I have to leave to be happy then so be it.” Nora said.
“Ok if it’s what you really want then you have my blessing and I can’t wait to be an uncle.” Robert hugged Nora and Vince.
“Thank you Robert it means a lot that you’re ok with it.” Vince said.
“Just remember you better treat my sister right or I’ll kick your ass.” Robert said
“Yes sir, don’t you worry she will always be treated like a queen.”
“Good, now who wants pie?” Preston watched how Robert handed the news, he could see he was worried for Nora, but he was also happy for her. After everyone ate their pie, they went into the living room.
“So does anyone feel like going on a tour of the city?” Vera asked.
“Yes come on Vince and mom lets go, I want to see how the city is.” Nora said “Are you coming too Preston and Robert?” Nora looked at Robert hoping he will join them.
“I would but these dishes are not going to wash themselves now.” Robert said.
“Oh come on we can get them when we come back.”
“It’s just I’m tired Nora I just probably end up falling asleep on y’all.”
“Preston will you please tell him he has to come, it’s not every day he gets to spend time with his baby sister.”
“Wow Nora, you are laying on the guilt pretty thick aren’t t you? I would make him go, but  he has been up so early.  I think he needs to go straight to bed.” Preston said.
“Fine stay here then, but tomorrow your spending the whole day with me.”
“Ok I will, tomorrow will be just Nora and Robert day.”
“Ok come let’s go and leave these two to wash the dishes.” Nora said as she and Vince got up, Tanya and Vera were right behind them. When they were alone, Robert got up and went into the kitchen to get started. Preston got up and followed him; Robert was scraping off the food on the plates.
“Do you want to wash or rinse?” Robert asked.
“Wash” Preston stood next to him and started washing the dishes. “You know you have a dishwasher here right?” Robert laughed
“Yeah I know, but I don’t know how to use it, in my house we always hand wash our dishes. My mom believes it’s the only way to really get them clean and that dishwashers are for lazy people who don’t know how to really get their hands dirty.”
“Your mom really didn’t let y’all take the easy way out of anything huh?”
“Nope, she taught us how to cook and clean the right way. No child of hers is going to be lazy and not appreciate everything they have.”
“Well from the looks of it, your mom did a great job of raising y’all.”
“Thanks I like to believe she did too.”
“Robert, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah sure ask away.”
“Why don’t you talk about your father like you do your mom?” Robert knew this was going to come out one day, but Preston should know.
“I don’t talk about my dad because I haven’t seen him in six years. It makes me sad when I talk about him because it just makes me realize just how much I miss him.” Preston didn’t understand, he could have sworn Ann Marie mention meeting him a couple of times. Robert could see that Preston was confused.
“The man that everyone thinks is my father is really my uncle.”
“Your uncle is not father?” Preston still didn’t understand.
“Ok let me start from the very beginning, the man that my mom is married to is my uncle. My real father is the illegitimate son of my grandfather, which makes him my uncle’s half-brother.”
“So your mom had an affair with your uncle’s half-brother.”
“Well yeah you could say that, it’s just it was more than an affair between them, they really loved each other.”
“But didn’t your mom love your uncle, why would she cheat on her husband?”
“My mom doesn’t love my uncle, never has or never will. Their marriage is one that was arranged between my grandfathers.”
“Arranged I didn’t think they did that anymore? Why would they do that?”
“My mom’s father was the VP of a stock company and my dad’s father was an attorney for my grandfather. During the few times my mom went with my grandparents to parties, my uncle saw my mom and at that moment he wanted her.”
“So your uncle fell in love with your mom?”
“No it was more like he was lusting after her. He didn’t love her; he just wanted my mom for her looks.”
“But why would your grandfather agree to this?”
“At the time of all this my grandfather’s company was going through a very messy lawsuit. My uncle’s father told my mom’s father that if he didn’t make his daughter marry his son, he was going to make sure they lost the lawsuit. This would have made the company go bankrupted.”
“How could your mom agree to that?”
“She loved my Grandfather and she would do anything for him, even if it meant marrying someone she didn’t love.”
“So she married your uncle, but how did she get involved with your father?”
“Well when my dad was born, my grandma told my grandfather she was going to let everyone know he cheated on his wife with the maid and got her pregnant. Unless he promised to take care of his son which he did, as soon as he was old enough to work. My grandfather hired him as the grounds keeper for my uncle’s home. My dad was just eighteen when he started working there.”
“Did your uncle know that your dad was his half brother?”
“Yes, but he never told my mom nor my dad. They didn’t find out until I was born, my grandma told my dad who his father was, but he could never say a word about it anyone.”
“So how did your mom and dad fall in love?”
“Well when my mom married my uncle she was miserable, she hated her life. She would spend most of her time seating on the beach crying. Then one day my dad was taking a walk on the beach and he saw my mom crying. He stopped to see what was wrong, but the moment their eyes locked on each other, they felt a spark that would ignite a love for each other that could never be put out.”
“So it was love at first sight for them?”
“Yeah and it’s a love that still exist between them until this day.”
“If your mom loves your dad so much, why is she still married to your uncle?”
“That is something I don’t even know the answer to, I just know that my uncle must have told my mom something to make her stay with him.”
“Ok so you have a different dad then your sisters?”
“No Nora and I have the same mother and father. Rose is my cousin, her mother was a maid we use to have, but when she got pregnant, she told my uncle she didn’t want the baby. She wanted and abortion he would have to pay for it. My uncle said no, he would take the baby as his own and have my mom pretend to be pregnant so she can pass the baby as her own and he would pay her to give up all the right to the baby.”
“So does your uncle know that he isn’t your father?”
“Yes he didn’t find out until I was fourteen, he caught Nora and me calling his brother dad. Then he confronted my mom and she told him. He was furious about it, that’s when he started treating us like crap. It didn’t bother us; he was never a good father to begin with, unless you were Rose.”
“Wow, but didn’t your dad ever try to take you guys away from there?”
“Well he did but I didn’t know until recently he had wanted to take us far away from my uncle.  But my uncle found out what my dad was up to and he threaten him. Then my dad had no choice but to leave us behind and since that day I have not seen nor heard from him.” Preston was trying to process everything Robert just told him; he would have never thought Robert’s family would have such secrets.
“Wow, that’s a lot to take in, is that why you work so you don’t have to use your uncle’s money?”
“Yes” Robert placed the last dish up and looked at Preston; he knew it was a lot to take in. He had never told any of his past girlfriends, he didn’t trust any of them to keep it to themselves. “Before you ask, Ann Marie never knew, I never told anyone other than Vera and now you.” Preston just nodded his head; he still had one more question to ask.
“I have one more question, why don’t you like to be called Robbie?” Robert let out a sigh; he had forgotten he would tell him why.
“The reason I don’t like to be called Robbie is because that is what my dad would always call me. When he left I felt betrayed by him, whenever someone called me Robbie it would just bring up the fact that he isn’t around anymore. The only male figure I really looked up to was gone and he wasn’t coming back.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t know, had I known I would have never teased you about calling you that.”
“Don't worry nobody really knew, it’s not something I could really tell anyone. I actually feel better, that I could finally share this with you.”
“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping well?”
“Um, no it’s not.” Robert knew Preston was going to ask why he hasn’t been sleeping and he didn’t want to lie to him.
“Then why don’t you sleep well?”
“The true is because of you. I don’t sleep well because I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day find out you left. It’s like I can’t believe you’re here with me and that one day you are going to think this is a big mistake and just walk out of my life for good. That last night was the first time in the last three months I was able to fall asleep with no problems. That was only because you were right next to me.” Preston couldn’t believe he had that much of an effect on Robert.
“Why do you think I would ever leave you?”
“I just get this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I’m not good enough for you. That you will wake up one day and you will end up going back to Grant because I am not what you want.” Preston took Robert’s hand in his and stared into his eyes.
“You are more than good enough for me, I knew that the moment I first meet you. I will never leave you just to go back with Grant, you’re a better man then Grant will ever be. I want you to stop thinking negatively and just be happy like I am with you.”
“Ok I will on one condition, that you sleep in the same bed as me from now on.”
“Ok I will, but you have to promise me you will get more sleep and if you ever start to feel like something isn’t right, you’re going to tell me.”
“Ok I will.” Preston knew it wasn’t easy for Robert to talk about what is bothering him, but he was glad he was starting to open up more to him.