I walked into the living room and straight over to the bar. I took out a bottle of tequila from the cabinet and poured myself a shot glass full. As I drank it Francisco came into the room. I set the glass down on the bar and Francisco and I just started at each other. He walked over to the bar as I poured myself another drink.

"You going to drink that?" Francisco asked?

"Yes."

I drank the shot of tequila.

"Are you looking to get drunk?" he asked.

"Could be."

I reached for the bottle but Francisco grabbed it first.

"Can I have that please?" I said.

"No you can not."

"Why?"

"Because drinking never solved anything. Now are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about in the bedroom?"

"What was what all about?"

"Don't bullshit me! What happened to you in there?"

"You told me the one thing that I didn't want to hear!"

"I told you how I felt about you! I told you that I loved you and you freaked out! Now tell me what's wrong."

We looked at each other. I came out from behind the bar and he put the bottle on the bar. He took my hand in his and we walked over to the couch and sat down. The way he was holding both my hands in his felt very different from before.

"Porque me tomas fuete asi mis manos?" I asked.

"I want to help you."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Andrea, yo te quiero tano."

"I have too much baggage, so to speak, for another person to understand or handle."

"But I can help you, don't you understand?"

"No merezco tu ayuda, Francisco."

"Andrea, I love you."

I felt the tears fall from my eyes; Francisco gently wiped them away with his hand.

"Why don't you want me to love you? Why do you bury yourself in your work? Tell me what's going on?"

"A lot of things. Too many things."

"Talk to me."

"I can't."

"If you don't, you're going to explode and wind up doing something to hurt yourself."

"Maybe you're right. It's just..."

"What?"

"It's hard for me to talk."

"Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere."

I told him everything that was eating away inside of me. He listened so intently. At times I could see in his eyes the concern that he felt for my well-being.

"You have been run through the mill, haven't you?"

"Yes. I've been used and taken for granted by so many people that I've lost count. Even when I was little I couldn't go anywhere where the others went because I was too young, I couldn't comment on anything because I was too young and I didn't know how the world worked. After growing up with all that around me I just decided to keep to myself, I thought that when I was older it would be different but it was still the same. After being used for the hundredth time I finally took a stand when I noticed that the next thing they were trying to take was my spirit and that's when I finally said something."

"Did it make a difference?"

"Not that I noticed; that's why I bury myself in my work. This way I won't have to deal with the people that hurt me."

"Oh Andie, with what you've been through you still shouldn't lock yourself away from other people."

"I know, but I feel I can't trust anybody."

"Do you trust me or Max?"

"It took me quite awhile to trust Max and I've learned to trust you in the short time that we've known each other."

"Well, that's a good start; now you just have to learn to trust other people. Now the picture frame that you smashed, who was the woman in the picture?"

I looked at him.

"Who is she?"

"She was a good friend of mine."

"Did she do something to you?"

"Yes."

"What did she do?"

I looked away.

"Don't shut down on me now. What did she do?"

"She almost ruined me by making up lies that I wasn't the one who did al the artistic work on the tour programs. She tried to take credit for everything that I did, but they didn't believe her."

"Well that's good isn't it?"

"Yes and no. Yes that they didn't believe her but the damage was already done. I had to redo an entire program in seventy-two hours when it took me two months to complete it."

"But everything turned out allright, didn't it?"

"Francisco, that's not the point. The point is that she made the people that I had been working with doubt my work! After I re-did all the work they still doubted me! Do you know what that does to a person who people have used over and over again and then throw away after you're all used up! So it would be in your best interest not to love me!"

"The only person that can make the decision not to love you is me."

"You don't understand, yo soy una persona perdida! Por favor no me ames!"

"You are not a lost person! Yo te quiero tanto Andrea."

"Porque?"

"You have a quality about you that I've never seen in another woman before, don't ask me what it is because I wouldn't be able to explain it."

He walked over to me and held me by the shoulders.

"Francisco, I'm afraid to love someone," I said.

"Why?"

"When I'm in love I give everything to the relationship and I'm afraid that I'll be used all over again. If that happens I don't know what I'll do. I'm afraid, Francisco."

He kissed my cheek and put his forehead against mine.

"My sweet Chata, mi loca testaruda. Don't be afraid to care, to love me, I promise I will never hurt you. Yo no tengo miedo y quiero amarte. Will you let me love you?"

I looked into his eyes. "Yes I'm willing."

He hugged and kissed me.

"But what about your work?"

"What about it?"

"I mean, you don't live in this country, if we start some kind of relationship we won't be in the same place."

"Well if we want it to work, we have to do some traveling. I'm willing to do that. Are you?"

"Yes, I'm willing to travel, but more I am willing to take a chance with you."

He pulled me close to him. "Promise me something," he asked.

"What?"

"That when you feel that life starts putting too much weigh on your shoulders that you will not hesitate to talk to me, even if you have to call me if I'm not in town, okay?"

"Don't you make house calls?"

"I do only for certain people."

We smiled at each other.

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

Francisco hugged me tightly and with this hug I felt that it was possible that my days of always being silent and not saying what was on my mind was over. During one of my trips to his country and to his office I noticed while I waited for him to finish a therapy session with a patient in another room I saw the famous picture of Max, Francisco and I with our mouse ears on when we visited Disneyland. I picked it up and smiled, Francisco then walked into the office. He walked over to me and hugged me from behind.

"That was a great day, wasn't it?" he asked.

"The best. All done with your appointment?"

"Yes. Oh, I have a present for you."

"You do?"

"Yes."

He opened the drawer to his desk and took out a box about an inch deep and about the size of a good size candy box. He handed it to me.

"Francisco, you didn't have to get me anything," I said.

"I know, but when I heard this verse I thought of you and I knew that you had to have it. I had it written on a plaque."

I opened the box and pushed aside the tissue paper and saw a beautiful wooden plaque with a black base and engraved with this verse:

"Eres duena de tu propio destino Tu fuerza principal eres tu misma Tu primer apoyo es el carino de los tuyos LO IMPORTANTE ES ROMPER EL SILENCIO"

(You are the owner of your own destination Your principal strength comes from you Your center of support should be from your loved ones WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS TO BREAK THE SILENCE)

"Oh Francisco, that's beautiful and it's so true. Thank you," I said.

"So, you like it?"

"I love it. I'm going to hang it on the wall above my computer so I can read it everyday."

I hugged and kissed him.

"I'm glad. Well shall we go and get something to eat?"

"Yes."

We left his office hand in hand. As time passed Francisco and I maintained a wonderful relationship, we both traveled to each other's homeland and got to know each other more and more and I began to trust in people more and more due to the love and therapy that I was receiving from Francisco and for this I was thankful that someone like Francisco came into my life.