Plain Fame (10 page)

Lizzie shook her finger at Amanda. “Did you hear that, now?”

“Yes, Mamm,” she said, sneaking a quick look at Alejandro. “
But I don
’t like it.”

He was caught off guard by the expression on her face. It was so peaceful and serene, such a joy to behold that he wondered if he had ever experienced anything even remotely similar. While the visiting nurse and Lizzie stepped away to privately discuss Amanda’s condition, Alejandro knelt down before her. He glanced over his shoulder to make certain that no one was watching, then he reached for her hand. He noticed that she caught her breath and almost pulled her hand away, but her own gaze darted over his shoulder to make certain her mother wasn’
t watching.

“You need to listen to these people,” he said softly. “You have no idea how long it can take to heal, Princesa.”

“Do you have an idea?”

“Sí.”
He nodded, ignoring the sassiness of her tone. “I broke my arm two years ago.” She raised her eyebrows, an unspoken question. “I was in a fight,” he admitted and flushed at the disapproving look on her face. “I pushed it and did too much. It took much longer than it should have to heal.” He waited until she looked at him. “
You can
’t afford to push it.”

She chewed on her lip and lowered her eyes, watching as his thumb caressed the back of her hand. She liked the feeling of her hand in his and realized at that moment that she was tripping down a dangerous path. Her heart fluttered. Dangerous indeed, she thought. “
My
daed
doesn
’t have a son anymore, Alejandro,” she whispered, as if apologizing. Lifting her eyes, she stared into his. “He needs my help.”

“I understand that,” he replied, nodding at her. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be the one helping. We can arrange for help. This accident is my responsibility. I will see that your father has help. I will take care of you and your family.”

She frowned and withdrew her hand. “Is that why you are here? You feel that you are responsible?”

“No, that’s not it at all,” he started to say. He took her hand back in his and squeezed it. It was soft and warm, the skin silky smooth. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he stared into her face. The frown disappeared, and he was, once again, struck by how beautiful this young woman was. “There are a lot of things I would like to say to you, Amanda, but this isn’t the time.” He leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, noticing that the color rose to her cheeks. He chuckled softly, peeking over his shoulder at Lizzie. He was pleased to see that she was still engaged in a discussion with the nurse. “Later,
sí
? Maybe tomorrow. But for now, I’m going to take a ride into town for a little bit. I have some phone calls to make, and I want to see your Lititz.” He stood up and straightened his pants. Then he pointed to her. “Stay put,
sí
?”

“Ja,”
she replied, the color still painting her cheeks. But her eyes shone, the adoration more than apparent.

He had called the driver earlier, asking to be picked up at eleven o’clock by the roadside. He didn’t want the family to see the limousine in the driveway and felt it was better this way. For the first hour, the driver meandered through the back roads, driving slowly so that Alejandro could take in everything in sight. The farms were beautiful, dotting the landscape. Each one was more appealing than the next. Some had clothing lines filled with colorful dresses, black pants, and white shirts drying in the sunshine. The fields were lush and green with black-and-white cows grazing side by side, their tails swishing at the flies that bothered them. Truly, he thought, I have found a small slice of heaven.

When the driver finally took him into town, Alejandro noticed that people stopped and stared when the limousine passed. Unlike the big cities, it was clear that limousines were quite a rarity in this community. He glanced at his phone, which he had been charging from the unused cigarette lighter. He hadn’t checked any messages or e-mails, and he hesitated to browse through the social media. But curiosity got the best of him, and he pressed the “On”
button.

Sure enough, there were pictures of him taking Amanda out of the hospital, flooding the various social media websites throughout the Internet. The entertainment channel was in a frenzy, asking for any information about the young woman in the wheelchair. There was even a photograph of Alejandro helping her into the limousine. He paused when he saw it. She was looking over his shoulder, her dark eyes staring directly into the camera lens. With her tanned skin and dark hair, she was hauntingly beautiful, despite her look of innocence. Yet, at the same time, there was something fierce about her expression. It was the look of strength and determination. Sighing, he pressed the “Off” button and tossed his phone aside. He didn’t want to get distracted by the news. Let them have their field day and ask their questions. He wasn’t taking the bait. Not this time.

“See if you can find a clothing store, my friend,” Alejandro called out to the driver. “I could use some casual clothes, I think.” If he had six more days at the farm, he didn’t need to ruin his fancy Gucci clothes and Armani shoes. He could get some more simple clothing and, perhaps, blend in a bit more. “And see if you can find another car to drive while I’m here,” he added. “Something that doesn’t stand out so much,
sí
?”

It was almost three in the afternoon when Alejandro returned to the farm. They had driven into Lancaster to find a mall, and to Alejandro’s surprise and slight displeasure, several people had noticed him, crowding him at the mall. While Alejandro had been willing to take a few photographs with his fans, he was worried about what might happen next. Teenagers were unpredictable and viral. The wrong words could set off a firestorm. Luckily, the driver had accompanied him inside the mall and managed to whisk Alejandro away before there was a mob scene. It was clear that, even in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Viper could not remain anonymous.

He let himself into the
grossdaadihaus
and changed his clothes. With simple black trousers and a plain white shirt, Alejandro felt better. Gone were the linen shirt and jacket. He wore a sleeveless T-shirt underneath the shirt, just in case it got too hot working in the barn. And boots. Real boots. Not the fancy Italian leather shoes that he was so used to wearing around the city. There was no mirror in the house for him to see how he looked, but he knew that he would definitely blend in better.

When he walked into the Beilers’ kitchen, Amanda was sitting at the table, her wheelchair pushed in so that she could help her mother with the beef canning. There were newspapers spread on the table and empty glass jars waiting for her to shove the beef mixture into each container. Her sleeves were rolled back and her apron smudged with stains. She looked up at Alejandro and quickly looked away, trying to hide her laughter. Lizzie heard the noise and turned around. When she saw Alejandro, she smiled.

“All you need are suspenders and a straw hat,” she said. “You might even pass for Amish.”

“Hardly,” Amanda giggled.

“Amanda!” Her mother frowned at her. “
Manners,
” she whispered.

He held his arms out and looked down, turning slowly. “What’s so funny?”

“Even trying to be plain, you still look fancy,” Amanda said good-naturedly. She looked at him again, meeting his eyes. Her own were twinkling with mischief. “You would never fit in here, Alejandro.”

“Can’t blame a fellow for trying now, can you?” he replied with a wink.

“Now, now, let’s leave our guest alone,” Lizzie said, scowling at Amanda. “Remember that he’s the one who brought you home from that terrible city. I think a little more respect is in order,
ja
?” But when Lizzie turned back to the sink, Amanda stuck her tongue out at him. The playful gesture caught him off guard, and he started to laugh. Lizzie looked at him over her shoulder. Turning, she put her hands on her hips and gave him a fierce look, despite a smile on her face. “Not you too, now!”

Amanda gestured to him, trying to remain serious. “Mayhaps you’d rather help with the canning?”

He surveyed the room. There were lots of large silver bowls and clear jars on the table and counter. Lizzie was mixing spices with chopped beef, her strong arm moving the large wooden spoon to stir the mixture. “I suppose I can help if you tell me what to do,” he said.

Lizzie didn’t waste any time and immediately motioned toward the filled jars on the counter. “
Gut
then! Start by taking those into the canning room. Clear some space for more.” She watched while he did as instructed, carefully cradling eight jars in his arms, and headed for the outer room. “And bring back some more wide-mouthed canning jars from the pantry,
ja
?”

For the next hour, he helped pack the raw meat into the jars, laughing with Amanda, who teased him that he didn’t pack them tight enough. She showed him how to do it properly, pushing the meat down and sprinkling some salt on top before wiping the jar clean with a damp rag and twisting on a special canning lid. When they were finished with that task, Alejandro carried those jars into the outer room and returned with more empty ones.

“I love Mamm’s meatballs,” she confided in him as they began rolling meatballs and dropping them into the empty jars. She glanced at what he was doing and shook her head. “That one is too big,” she pointed out.

“¿Sí?”
he asked, raising one eyebrow at her in question.

“Just pinch off a little bit and reroll it. Otherwise, it won’t cook evenly,” she explained. She reached over and showed him how, her fingers brushing against his. He glanced at her and smiled, that half smile that curled up just one side of his mouth. Blushing, she tossed the extra meat into the bowl and looked away. “Like that,
ja
?”

“I see,” he said, his voice teasing.

Boldly, she turned her head back and stared at him. There was something daring in her eyes. “Do you?” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. He raised an eyebrow at her tone and was glad that her
mamm
hadn’t heard. “I wonder about that, Alejandro.”

He couldn’t help himself. She was clearly flirting with him and
flirting
was what Viper did best. “What do you want me to see, Amanda?” he asked, his voice low and soft.

She blinked her eyes and met his gaze, refusing to falter as he stared back at her. “You don’t belong in that world of yours,” she boldly ventured. “Mayhaps that Viper does, but Alejandro doesn’t.” She lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head. “And I think you are more Alejandro than Viper, after all.”

Once again, her words stunned him. She was right. After years of playing the role, it was catching up to him. He was tired of acting, tired of being someone else. He was living a lie, and it was exhausting him. Viper would not have brought Amanda back to the farm. No, he would have sent her back to Lititz in a car service that would have been arranged by his people. Viper would not be milking cows at five in the morning. Instead, he’d be getting home from the clubs at that hour. And certainly Viper would not be canning beef with a young Amish woman, even if she were as remarkably beautiful as Amanda. More likely, he’d be trying to coax her into spending the night with him at a nearby motel.

He stood up and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. His heart was pounding inside his chest as he realized how profound and truthful her words really were. How could she, a simple farm girl by her own admission, have such a clear eye in assessing him? How could she cut through to the core of what his inner feelings were? Her ability to see through him unnerved him. She had hit it right on the nail, and that was an understatement.

“I think you have this under control,
sí
? I’ll go out to the barn. See what Elias is doing and if I can be of any help,” he managed. He couldn’t help but hear the catch in his own throat.

Amanda stared at the door, long after he had disappeared. She retreated into her thoughts, trying to imagine what his life was like performing onstage in big cities. She didn’t know much about that world, but she could dream. While she had never listened to music, not like other Amish youth on
rumschpringe
, she had heard music in the background at youth groups when they were gathered at volleyball games or for singings. Indeed, there was always a young person who had an iPod or a battery-operated music box, playing it to try to impress a girl. But personally, Amanda had ignored it. Music was worldly and something she didn’t really care to learn about. So she knew very little about the world of a famous rap star. Yet now, she could only dream.

She wondered why he was so interested in staying at the farm. Certainly he had a lot of obligations, important meetings with important people. But he seemed relaxed and at ease at her parents’ farm. The change in him was obvious, even to her. Even after such a short time.

Back in the city, he had always seemed to be too aware of his own behavior, too concise with his movements and words. His life appeared . . . orchestrated. He had seemed to relax a little as they had gotten to know each other, but nothing like he was now. He seemed lighthearted and carefree, as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. She liked this new side of Alejandro, she realized.

She liked that he wasn’t so stiff, so obsessed with that little gadget he checked every few minutes. She liked that he was so easygoing and quick to laugh, even though he had just shuffled off rather quickly. But most of all, she liked those few moments when he would talk just to her, sometimes touching her hand or her knee. She wasn’t used to being touched and certainly not by a man. Among the Amish, that was inappropriate. But when Alejandro did it, she felt pleasant chills course through her veins. Yes, she liked his attention most of all.