happens a lot to you?” To her surprise, he responded by laughing, a hearty and full laugh that confused her. She wasn’t certain why. It was just a question, she thought. Not meant to invoke laughter. “Is that funny?” she asked.
“Ay, Princesa ,” he said, reaching over for a bottle of chilled water from the ice bucket that was next to his seat. “It happens all the time to me.”
“Why?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “ Good question, ” he responded. With one swift gesture, he uncapped his bottle of water and put the lid on the seat beside him. “ Good question, indeed. ” But he didn’ t answer her.
“Don’t you mind?”
He shook his head. “No.”
His answer surprised her. She frowned. “No? Just no?”
He smiled at her. She liked the way he smiled. Only one side of his mouth curved up at the corner. It was such a mischievous smile and reminded her of her younger brother when he had been caught doing something naughty at the farm. That smile had gotten him out of a lot of trouble when he was little. Amanda missed that smile.
“Just no,” Alejandro said nonchalantly, then looked down at his cell phone. How could he explain to her that every photograph that was taken of him created a new fan in his world? Good news, bad news: it didn’t matter. When it came to fans, exposure was everything. Publicity was publicity. “Excuse me,” he said politely before lifting his cell phone to his ear and engaging in a conversation in that strange language that she couldn’ t understand.
Sighing, she looked out the window at the passing buildings alongside the highway. They were in New Jersey now, and she thought it was also a very ugly place. The buildings were formless, and many of them had broken windows and spray-painting on their sides. She wondered why Englischers would find satisfaction in defacing the sides of their buildings.
“What do you find so interesting out there?” he asked.
She hadn’t been aware that, his phone conversation now over, he had been watching her. In fact, she had been daydreaming and didn’t realize that he had finished his phone call. “You get a lot of phone calls, ja ?” He nodded but didn’t speak. “Don’t you find it annoying to be interrupted so much?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he replied truthfully.
“ We don ’t have telephones,” she said. “And I’m glad. I would not like to always be answering that thing.” She frowned for a moment, deep in thought. Her eyes seemed to grow darker, and she looked up at him. “People steal your photos and also your time with the constant interruptions.” She paused, staring at him and chewing on her lower lip. She was thinking, putting pieces of some unnecessary puzzle together in her head. “Is there any part of you that is left for you?”
And there it was.
Her words stunned him. What a question. He had never looked at it that way. Is there any part of you that is left for you? Would anyone care if he were gone, replaced by this fictitious brand image, an image created by paparazzi, the media, the fans, and his own manager? Every move he made was orchestrated. Every interview perfectly scripted. Is there any part of you that is left for you? Yet, once she had asked the question, he knew that was exactly how he had been feeling. In his world, Alejandro had disappeared, and the only thing left was Viper. Unfortunately, he suddenly realized, he was more Alejandro than they knew.
“You know,” he said slowly, “you’re right.” He looked at the phone and pressed a button. “For the next three hours, it’s off, and that’s the way it will stay. Off!” With a great flourish, he tossed it onto the seat between them. “Just say no to technology!”
“ I don ’t think you can last that long,” she teased, her brown eyes shining. “You’re always on it.”
“Really?” he replied, a playful tone in his voice. Yet he knew that she was right. The gadgets ruled his life
“Ay, Princesa ,” he said, reaching over for a bottle of chilled water from the ice bucket that was next to his seat. “It happens all the time to me.”
“Why?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “ Good question, ” he responded. With one swift gesture, he uncapped his bottle of water and put the lid on the seat beside him. “ Good question, indeed. ” But he didn’ t answer her.
“Don’t you mind?”
He shook his head. “No.”
His answer surprised her. She frowned. “No? Just no?”
He smiled at her. She liked the way he smiled. Only one side of his mouth curved up at the corner. It was such a mischievous smile and reminded her of her younger brother when he had been caught doing something naughty at the farm. That smile had gotten him out of a lot of trouble when he was little. Amanda missed that smile.
“Just no,” Alejandro said nonchalantly, then looked down at his cell phone. How could he explain to her that every photograph that was taken of him created a new fan in his world? Good news, bad news: it didn’t matter. When it came to fans, exposure was everything. Publicity was publicity. “Excuse me,” he said politely before lifting his cell phone to his ear and engaging in a conversation in that strange language that she couldn’ t understand.
Sighing, she looked out the window at the passing buildings alongside the highway. They were in New Jersey now, and she thought it was also a very ugly place. The buildings were formless, and many of them had broken windows and spray-painting on their sides. She wondered why Englischers would find satisfaction in defacing the sides of their buildings.
“What do you find so interesting out there?” he asked.
She hadn’t been aware that, his phone conversation now over, he had been watching her. In fact, she had been daydreaming and didn’t realize that he had finished his phone call. “You get a lot of phone calls, ja ?” He nodded but didn’t speak. “Don’t you find it annoying to be interrupted so much?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he replied truthfully.
“ We don ’t have telephones,” she said. “And I’m glad. I would not like to always be answering that thing.” She frowned for a moment, deep in thought. Her eyes seemed to grow darker, and she looked up at him. “People steal your photos and also your time with the constant interruptions.” She paused, staring at him and chewing on her lower lip. She was thinking, putting pieces of some unnecessary puzzle together in her head. “Is there any part of you that is left for you?”
And there it was.
Her words stunned him. What a question. He had never looked at it that way. Is there any part of you that is left for you? Would anyone care if he were gone, replaced by this fictitious brand image, an image created by paparazzi, the media, the fans, and his own manager? Every move he made was orchestrated. Every interview perfectly scripted. Is there any part of you that is left for you? Yet, once she had asked the question, he knew that was exactly how he had been feeling. In his world, Alejandro had disappeared, and the only thing left was Viper. Unfortunately, he suddenly realized, he was more Alejandro than they knew.
“You know,” he said slowly, “you’re right.” He looked at the phone and pressed a button. “For the next three hours, it’s off, and that’s the way it will stay. Off!” With a great flourish, he tossed it onto the seat between them. “Just say no to technology!”
“ I don ’t think you can last that long,” she teased, her brown eyes shining. “You’re always on it.”
“Really?” he replied, a playful tone in his voice. Yet he knew that she was right. The gadgets ruled his life
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