Chapter 24

Samanta frowned when she saw Carlos and her sister from afar. Teresa seemed very upset while her friend seemed quite embarrassed.

«What's going on? Why are these two out?», she asked herself.

The car stopped right where she told Dominik, precisely at her house. She was anxious and got off the car, wasting no time.

Dom got off the car a couple seconds after he shut the car down.

“What's the matter?” Samanta asked as she approached the other two.

Teresa looked at her annoyed, then she glued her eyes to the guy standing behind Samanta.

»Oh! I'm so rude, this is Do…” Sam tried talking, but, her sister cut her off.

“I know who he is.”

Dominik was very uncomfortable by the woman's rude tone, he intervened inevitably.

“I am sorry, I guess I came at a bad time” he looked at Samanta. “It will be best to meet again some other time.”

“No. It will be best to have a word with you right now” said Teresa, with notable hostility. She turned to her sister. “Go to your room.”

Samanta frowned and declined with her head.

“What is wrong with you, Teresa?” she asked under her breath.

“Carlos, take Samanta into the house.”

The aluded could not grasp what was going on. She looked at her friend and he made some sort of gesture with his head pointing at her door and then muttered something inaudible.

“What's going on?” Murmured Samanta as soon as Carlos held her arm and took her, actually, dragging her into her house.

“I'll tell you inside” responded her friend. His voice was charged with anxiety.

Samanta felt troubled, she wanted to stay there with Dominik, but a part of herself forced her to obey her big sister.

Teresa knew she was alone with Dominik, when she heard the door close behind her back. Her eyes looked at the man before her with such intensity.

Dominik felt like he was in an interrogation room, and his bad luck made him be questioned by the bad cop. The tension was overwhelming.

“I am terribly sorry” Dom snapped. “I am sorry if I caused any trouble to Samanta, I only wanted…”

“What do you want, mister?” Teresa interrupted.

“What? I’m sorry” he looked at her with a slight frown. “I don’t understand. What do I want from what?”

“From my sister? From Samanta?”

“What do I want from Samanta?” Dominik opened his eyes wide.

“You heard me. You don't need to repeat my words” she snapped.

“I only asked out for a stroll” Dominik shrugged, feeling very confused.

“Why?”

“Because it seemed like a good idea. Samanta is a very…” he had to stop and word this phrase very cautiously, “nice person.”

“Nice, like a sunny morning?” Teresa snapped with her sharp tongue.

“What?”

“You listen to me, mister…” she looked at him, as if she asked him to complete her phrase.

“Dominik. Dominik Weigand” he answered.

“Fine. You listen well, Mister Dominik Weigand. I don't know you, but I know you are a very famous soccer player who came to our country for a short amount of time. The FIFA World Cup?” she stared at him and he nodded. “I don't know where or how you met my sister, but…”

“We met at the airport” he interrupted. “She ran into me by accident” Dominik told her with his natural naivety.

“Anyhow. Point being I will never allow the likes of you…”

That's it! Dominik's short fuse ran out. He hated being judged without even getting to know him.

“The likes of me? You don't even know me. I am sorry, lady, but I will not allow you to point any fingers at me without even knowing who I really am. Whether you think I am some pervert chasing after young girls, shielding myself behind my unapproachable celebrity image, you are very wrong. Never have I even thought of taking Samanta into my bed, using cheap sweet words to then throw her aside, like she was a bag of trash. I am not that guy. If I asked your sister to go out with me, it was because I saw something in her I had never seen in any other woman before. I find it rather disgusting how you think your sister would hang out with "the likes of me" —he gestured the quotes in the air—, “for that end alone. Samanta is way much more than that. She is a smart woman. Fun and beautiful. If I offended you, my apologies, I never meant to, but I will not stand and take the blame as you throw all these allegations against me. I urge that you get to know me so you can get the whole picture.”

Teresa stood in complete bewilderment before this boy's way with words. For the first time in her life, someone rendered her speechless. She liked that, in the most bizarre way. This guy was different. He was upfront, straight and very frank, qualities that were rare in guys that age. Maybe she had gone a little over board with her reaction, but, truth be told, ever since Alan, she had become a little paranoid. Her sister was very tame and naive, besides very easily impressionable, so she felt the need to stand up for her against whatever may come.

»Please be so kind to tell her I said goodbye. Have a good night” said Dominik before turning around and heading for the rental car.

Teresa managed to nod in agreement, still unable to speak any word.

Behind the door, the two friends were eavesdropping on what went on outside.

Carlos' jaw was about to hit the floor.

“Fuck! That was brutal” he said. “I never met someone who could leave your sister out of words to say.

Samanta smiled, pleased.

Dominik's words had been very beautiful.

“Samanta is way much more than that. She is a smart woman. Fun and beautiful”.

Those words kept ringing in her mind.