Promise Me Anthology (5 page)

“I know,” Casey said coyly. “It’s been
obvious.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Theo
demanded.

“I was hoping for a kiss like that,” she said
hungrily, tracing his lips with her finger. “It was just as
passionate as I hoped.”

“Then let me give you another,” Theo
murmured, covering her mouth with his own.

* * * *

The next year and a half passed like water.
Theo loved his art classes, excelling and getting A's, even as he
fed the EMT information Casey passed to him about her own medical
classes to his parents on his infrequent trips home.

Theo and Casey became lovers within months,
that first encounter—like so many of their firsts—near Heart’s
Bells. They had driven up in the early spring before the tourists,
the road slushy with late winter’s snow in places. But the area
around Maroon Lake was dry. Parking in some trees to the side of
the parking area, they had walked to the amphitheater in late
afternoon. There, their sleeping bags zipped together, they had
made love under the mountain’s shadow.

Theo had wanted that night to never end. Many
other times that summer, they had recreated it together, grudgingly
giving the tourists the days and claiming the nights for their own.
Theo had found a solace in Casey that he’d never known before. But
no one had ever told him before that he was free to be himself,
that his art was not only a worthwhile endeavor, but also an
exceptional one.

All winter, he had waited for this night,
eager to propose to Casey, but wanting to do it here, in this place
that had come to mean so much to both of them. She’d agreed to be
his. Now there was nothing that could ruin their lives
together.

* * * *

When they got back to his dorm room the next
morning, Theo’s parents were there sitting on his bed, waiting for
him with cool expressions.

“How long did you think you could hide this?”
his father said angrily, before Theo could say a word. “I didn’t
pay thousands of dollars for you to play with clay and paint—” His
eyes looked scathingly at Casey. “—or to stay out all night. Start
packing, Theo. We’re leaving.”

Casey’s hand tightened on Theo’s, giving him
strength. “No,” Theo replied, his blue eyes flashing. “I’m not
leaving.”

“I’ve paid for the classes this semester, but
that’s all,” his father answered, not backing down an inch. “You’re
dropping out, unless you can foot the bill yourself for this room
this summer.”

Theo’s mother was already at his dresser,
quietly folding his clothes and putting them into his duffel bag.
Theo looked around, startled to see most of his personal affects
had already been removed and packed into boxes.

“Have you ever even looked at Theo’s work?”
Casey accused, her eyes flashing. “He’s talented—”

“I’m sure you think he is,” his father
countered, his double meaning clear. “You must think so, to help
him lie to us.”

“I didn’t want to lie,” Casey said quickly.
“We were going to tell you—”

“We’re getting married,” Theo stated, his
hand gripping Casey’s tightly.

“You do, and you’ll lose your trust fund,”
his father threatened. He turned to Casey. “You have enough to
worry about on your own, missy. Your parents were the first ones I
called when I found out Theo had been lying to us. They’re waiting
for you at your room right now.”

Casey’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve done nothing
wrong—”

“Your brother’s in the hospital. He was in a
car accident,” Theo’s father said, his tone gentler. “They came
here to tell you and found you missing. They called us first,
hoping you were at our house—”

Casey’s face went white, then her desperate
eyes sought Theo’s. “I’ll be right back.” She dashed from the
room.

Theo’s mother finished packing the last
drawer. Without a word, Theo’s father grabbed the two full duffel
bags and strode from the room.

“How can you let him do this to me?” Theo
said brokenly to his mother. “Don’t you know how happy I’ve been
here? And I love Casey.”

His mother patted his shoulder. “It’s for the
best. Now please, grab the two boxes. I’ll get the last bag.”

* * * *

Theo didn’t speak to his father for weeks. He
tried several times to call Casey, but her parents refused to let
him talk to her. His letters were returned, unopened. Finally, he
went to the airport, determined to buy a plane ticket to see her.
But his card was declined at the terminal, and he was detained by
security. An hour later, his father arrived to take him home.

“You can’t keep me a prisoner here,” Theo
said angrily. “I have every right to see Casey—”

“I agree,” his father said, then gestured to
the road in front of the house. “But you aren’t using my money to
do it. You want to go, start walking.”

Theo cast his father a hateful look, then
stalked inside.

* * * *

Before long, it was mid-August. Theo,
desperate to see Casey, gave in.

“I’ll enroll in the chemistry courses,” he
said grudgingly, forcing the bitter words out. “I’ll take any
courses you want me to. Be anything you want me to be. But I have
to be near her. I love her, Dad.”

His father looked up at him, his cold gaze
suddenly softening. “I know you do. I just hope she loves you
enough.” He gestured to the chair. “Sit.”

Theo sat, his heart relieved even as he
steeled himself to doing his father’s will.

“I loved art when I was young, too,” his
father said. “My parents encouraged me, and I got an art degree.
Your mom worked down the street, at a bakery. She got pregnant
right after we got married that following spring, after I
graduated.”

Theo blinked. His father had loved art?

“I was good,” his father continued. “Very
good. But no one would hire me. Sure, I got some small jobs for
signs here and there, but that was all. That wasn’t enough to
support a family, much less you. We ended up moving back in with
your mom’s parents—your grandparents—right after you were born. I
went to work for your grandfather. Over the years, I moved up the
ranks in his company. I took over that company when he died a
decade ago.”

“I know all that—about the company,” Theo
said. “Why are you telling me like I’m a stranger?”

“Because I don’t want you to have to learn
the hard way like I did,” his father said. “You can do art. I’ve
seen your work, and it’s very good. But if you want a life for you
and Casey free of handouts, then you need a reliable job. You can’t
be a dreamer. You have to be a doer.”

“Casey isn’t like Mom,” Theo said, hoping his
mother wouldn’t be offended, if she was eavesdropping outside the
door. “She has a good degree—”

“Do you want her to support you?” his father
said bluntly. “How long do you think it will take Casey to decide
that working full time while you indulge your love for art isn’t
her version of happily ever after?”

Theo didn’t reply, his conviction
wavering.

“You’ve been rich your whole life,” his
father said. “Your mother and I spoiled you, because we wanted you
to have everything we did as children. But there’s going to be a
day when we won’t be there for you to lean on. I need to know
you’re prepared for that. I need to know that you’ll not just
survive, but that you’ll have a good life, son.”

His father had been hard on him his whole
life. How much more would he have understood, if his father hadn’t
waited until he was nearly twenty to tell him all this? But would
he have understood if he’d heard this when he was younger, before
he’d loved someone? Probably not.

“I booked us a family trip to the Adirondacks
next week,” his father went on. “I know how much you like the
woods, especially as a muse. Your mother is coming with us. We’ll
hike and talk this over.” He paused. “I know that you’ve completed
your two year art degree, for the most part. I want you to think
about transferring to a four-year school to pursue graphic design.
Computers are essential now to most everyone. With an additional
degree, you can pursue your art interests in a career that has a
good chance of keeping you and Casey comfortable.”

Theo could live with that scenario, if not
embrace it. He knew a little about computers, and his father was
right. He had to take a more active role in his future, something
he had always naively considered would take care of itself.
However, he didn’t want to agree without inserting a term or two of
his own. “So you aren’t against us getting married?” Theo
challenged.

“Of course not,” his father said, irritated.
“So long as you are ready to be married. Right now, you aren’t.” He
nodded once. “But in a few years, yes, when you both graduate. In
fact, we want to throw you both an engagement party this fall.”

“She probably thinks I’ve forgotten her or
something,” Theo grumbled. “She might have moved on. We haven’t
talked in weeks.”

“If she can forget you and move on, then she
isn’t worth marrying,” his father said. Then he flashed a small
reticent smile. “But I have it on good authority that she is just
as much in love with you as you are with her. I wasn’t the only
parent that stopped their child from getting on a plane this
summer.”

Theo was silent, considering. His father was
trying to make amends. He had to try, too.

“Go get packed, son,” his father said. “We
leave at noon, sharp. And don’t forget long sleeves. The most
dangerous things in the woods aren’t the bears. They’re the
ticks.”

“All right. I’ll pack. Can I call Casey
first, though? I want to tell her about the party.”

“Yes,” his father said, handing him the
phone. “I’ll be outside.”

* * * *

“Theo?”

Hearing Casey’s voice after months of just
imagining her soft tone was enough to bring tears to Theo’s eyes.
Immediately he wanted to see her, which just made knowing it would
be several more weeks before he could that much harder to bear.

“It’s me,” he said, closing his eyes. “I’m
coming back to school this fall. My father and I have worked out a
deal.”

“How?” Casey stammered. “Did you give
in?”

“Yes,” Theo admitted, “But he did, too. He’s
right that I should be able to help us out financially. I never
thought beyond creating, and I needed to. I needed to think about
your happiness, not just my own.”

“I would have been happy with you,” Casey
protested. “We would have made it work. I never cared about your
family having money or about you leaving it behind.”

“We will make it work, Casey,” Theo said with
conviction. “We’re going to have a good life together.”

Casey didn’t reply.

Theo had a moment of panic. Casey had used
the past tense. Had she met someone else over the summer? “Do you
still love me?”

“Of course, you idiot,” Casey snapped. “I’ve
been waiting for you to call me for months now. I hoped every day
to get a letter, a postcard even to tell me that you still cared
about me. I was about to mail back the ring.”

“Your parents wouldn’t let me talk to you,”
Theo retorted. “My letters all came back.”

“I thought you might say that,” Casey said,
sounding tired suddenly. “My father acted guilty every time I asked
him if you’d called. My mother was the same way when I asked about
the mail. But I made sure to get the mail most every day. I
believed them. I can’t believe they lied to me.”

“I understand my parents, but why yours?”
Theo asked. “I thought they liked me?”

“My brother Carey is still recovering. His
back was badly hurt, and he’s having to learn to walk again. I’ve
spent most of the summer at his bedside, encouraging him to keep
trying, even when it hurt.” She paused. “Carey was covering for me
that night he was hurt, so I could be with you that last night we
had together. He was in that car crash because of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo said, abashed. “Please tell
Carey I never wanted anything like this to happen to him.”

“It’s not your fault. My brother doesn’t
blame you and neither do I,” Casey said vociferously. “Come see me
as soon as you can. I’m leaving for school next week.”

“I’ll be there,” Theo said passionately. “Our
usual place?”

“Yes,” Casey said eagerly. “I’ll be there
where you first saw me, wearing your ring.” She paused. “I love
you, Theo.”

He would wait to tell her about the
engagement party. He wanted to see the look on her face. “I love
you,” Theo said tenderly. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

* * * *

The trip to the Adirondacks was gorgeous.
That first week was heaven to Theo, not just for the scenery, but
for the extravagant lake house his father had rented.

They fished, went canoeing and then midweek
went for an overnight camp out near Tupper Lake. That night, as
they sat around the campfire, Theo and his parents discussed not
only probable careers for him, but also the upcoming engagement
party, which his mother was already in the midst of arranging.
Dubious that Casey would want such an elaborate or formal party,
Theo almost spoke up a couple of times to tell his mother that she
should consult Casey before going farther with her plans. But she
was so happy he put it off, reminding himself with a secretive
smile that Casey had never had a problem speaking her mind.

That night, as Theo lay listening to the
crickets, he again felt at peace. This was going to work out. Maybe
he wouldn’t be able to use his hands to create sculptures, but he
could still use them to make art. Maybe it wasn’t everything he had
hoped for, but his father was right; he couldn’t live in dreams. He
had to think of Casey.

There was a noise in the tree line, a
rustling too big to be a rabbit or a raccoon.

Theo sat up, then waited, listening and
watching.

The rustling came again, closer this time,
then a long throaty snort.