Locked In Amber Ch. 02

Sofia walked in the door with a worried look. "Whatever is the matter, my dear? You have me concerned." Despite having lived in America for decades, she had not lost her soft, Italian accent. She set the dish down on the table and put her arms around Amber in a hug. "Has something happened? Please dear, have a seat. What has happened? Is your father okay? Are you?" She held Amber at arm's length, looking her over.

Amber took a deep breath and sat down at the table. "No, he's fine. It's just that, well, he's off on an emergency repair and he even called me to tell you not to make the lasagna, and I got so busy, and I'm so damn tired after what happened last night and... and I forgot to call you." She glanced at the dish on the table. "So you made the lasagna and he's not even here to enjoy it."

Sofia just looked at her for a moment. Despite her years, her hair was as black as ever and her eyes were lively. "Amber, do not worry yourself over the lasagna. Truly, it is not a problem. However, while I do not wish to impose, may I ask what the true problem is? You say something has happened to you?"

While Amber had known Sofia for about three and a half years now, it had always been as an acquaintance of her father. They had never had deep, personal conversations, though their interactions had always been cordial, and Sofia had always been the pinnacle of politeness. Yet, at this moment, Amber felt a special warmth for her and decided to open up, despite her embarrassment about the situation. Looking at the table, she began to explain. "Well, basically, there's a guy that I've liked for quite a while now. He comes into work on occasion--he works in IT--and, well last night, some friends and I had the opportunity to go over to his house. He and I really hit it off and... um..." She blushed a bit and wasn't sure how much to say to the older woman. She glanced up at her face. "I hope you won't tell Dad."

"Go on, dear. I was once a young woman too. I know all about the eager hearts of the young." Sofia's eyes twinkled. "And what your father knows depends entirely upon what you tell him... It is not my place. So, you and the young man, you became... passionate?"

Amber blushed more and had to look away. "Yes. Well, no. I mean, we kind of started, but then I, uh... I fell asleep. Or passed out. I mean, I'm not sure. I think there may have been something I ate or drank at the party before we went to his place, and it kind of messed me up."

"Ahh, I see. That is terrible." Sophia frowned and reached across the table and held Amber's hand.

Amber appreciated the gesture, especially considering she was getting to the worst part of the story. She took a deep breath and explained. "Not only that, but I woke up early this morning and my clothes were off and I was confused and lost, and couldn't remember anything, and I..." Her voice choked as her throat tightened up. She closed her eyes and took two slow breaths. "I... well, kind of freaked out and accused Spencer--that's his name--I accused him of doing something to me. But then later, after Kat--that's my best friend--after Kat was taking me home, I started to remember last night and realized that I had fallen asleep, and I had actually been the one to initiate everything. And I don't really think that he did anything, and now I think I have ruined what could have been a really nice relationship, and I just don't know what to do." This last bit just tumbled out of her in a rush.

Sofia stood up and stepped over to give Amber a hug. "You poor thing. What a truly terrifying way to start the day. First off, let me make us some tea to calm your nerves, while you put the lasagna in the fridge, no?" She stepped over to the teapot and began heating some water while Amber rearranged food in the refrigerator to make room. There was something about focusing on simple tasks that seemed to help calm her mind. As Sofia puttered around the kitchen grabbing mugs, spoons, and other items, Amber began to realize that was precisely the reason Sofia had taken a break from the conversation.

Once the tea had been prepared and some cookies set out, they returned to the table. Sofia took a sip of her tea, her eyes searching Amber's face. "If you will permit me, may I tell you something? I believe it may help you with your dilemma."

Amber nodded.

"As you know, my Lorenzo died a few years ago. But you may not know that we were married for thirty-two years before he passed." Amber hadn't known that. She was trying to count back to figure out how old Sofia was exactly. Sofia smiled at her as if reading her thoughts and said, "I'm 54. We married relatively soon after high school. Swept me off my feet, he did. Oh, and a handsome fellow he was. Thrilled me to no end that we were together. We were both a passionate couple of lovers. Why, one time we..." Sofia paused for a moment, seeming to realize what she was about to say. Instead, she just smiled. "Well, let's just say we could be... adventurous."

Amber laughed. She was really growing to like the woman and was glad she had opened up. She ate a cookie, waiting to hear more. "You sound like my friend Katelyn."

Sofia smiled as she put her cup down. "Well, passions can certainly make life interesting, but such strong emotions can also lead to heated arguments and hurt feelings. Enzo and I... we may have had many adventures, but we also had our share of fights in those early years. I think it was due to getting married so young. While we truly did love each other, I think that we were both strong-willed and untempered. The same ardor that led to intense lovemaking under the moonlight could also fire up if one felt slighted. There was more than one night of sleeping alone."

Amber was both shocked and appreciative of the older woman's frankness.

Sofia sipped her tea again as she gathered her thoughts. "But over time, we matured. We came to realize that those perceived slights and resulting arguments were not conducive to the loving relationship we felt at other times. We realized we had to make changes in ourselves so that we could grow even more in our relationship with each other. Capisci?"

Amber nodded. "Yes, so by improving yourselves, you were able to make a good relationship great!"

"Sì. It was not always easy, but we did improve. But this is not just to tell you a story of my youth. I tell you this because the one thing that Enzo and I realized was most important, was communication. So many of our fights had been due to assumptions or perceived behaviors. As we began to express ourselves better or open ourselves to asking questions before jumping to conclusions, our fights evaporated. Sure, we might grumble from time to time, but we always went to bed with warmth in our hearts. And, if I might add, that warmth often spread to other places too." She chuckled and winked again as Amber's cheeks reddened.

"Now, I do not know your young man, of course. But you are an intelligent young woman, and I believe that you are a good judge of character. If you feel that he is a good person to pursue, then I believe you should follow your heart. If you have done wrong by him, then you tell him so. You cannot control his reaction, but you can use that reaction to learn much about him. You know what you need to do."

Sofia stood up from the table and Amber followed her. They headed towards the entryway. As she was opening the door, Amber turned to Sofia and gave her a strong hug. "Thank you, Ms. Carlucci. Thanks for listening to me and for your advice. I know I need to apologize. Deep down, I've known all day. I just... it'll be really difficult, and I don't know that I can fix it. And I'm sorry I didn't call to let you know about the lasagna."

Sofia squeezed her back and then stepped back. "Please, call me Sofia. I know your apology will be hard, but you are strong and it is right. I don't know if it will fix it or not. But whether it does or not, you'll be a wiser person for it. And don't you worry about the lasagna. If I hadn't brought it by, we wouldn't have had the opportunity for this wonderful talk. Ciao!" She was about halfway to the sidewalk when she turned back to the house and called out, "Oh, I meant to ask, when do you think your father will be home?"

Was that a hopeful tone I heard? "Uh, he didn't really say. Sounds like he'll be gone a few days though. Maybe Friday or Saturday? It kind of depends on how the repairs go."

"Ahh, good to know. Take care." She gave Amber a small wave and turned back towards the street. Amber watched her walk away down the block and then turned and closed the door. She actually felt much better despite knowing what was ahead of her.

That was nice. I really like her. And who would have thought that she was such a horndog when she was young? Amber smiled to herself as she climbed up the stairs to change her clothes once again.