บท 59: The Proposition
Roselle's face was hot again. What was Celio doing at her doorstep so suddenly? What did he want to ask? James's words echoed through her mind: 'he's smitten with you.' She thought of twenty different ways to let him down easy.
"What did you want to ask?" Roselle questioned.
"Well . . ." Celio squished his index fingers together as he spoke. Aww, he was so adorable. Too bad she was going to have to reject him. "Can we actually take a walk when we discuss this?"
She nodded. "Sure."
* * *
Roselle and Celio took a stroll down the streets of Washington D.C. The atmosphere was frigid and the ground was covered in snow, but it was an exhilarating feeling to be walking around as such. It was like a winter wonderland. It was for Roselle anyway. She was used to the snow. Celio on the other hand, was shivering non-stop.
They decided to go to a coffee shop to be warm, and the army soldiers were there too. They guarded at a distance that was safe enough for protection, but far enough for privacy.
"So, can you tell me why you wanted to talk?" asked Roselle.
Celio took a gulp of coffee, warming himself. "Well . . . I had a proposition for you."
Oh no. Here it comes. "What is it?" she asked innocently.
"I want to teach you Spanish."
"Huh?" Her jaw dropped. That wasn't what she'd expected him to say at all. That's what she got for being narcissistic and listening to James. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Well, at least she was right. She and Celio had a platonic bond after all. Totally nothing going on between them other than a friendly connection. She silently thanked the universe that no one could hear her thoughts.
"Roselle?" Celio slowly picked up his palm and waved it in front of her. "Hello?"
She snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh . . . yeah . . . About that . . . Why do you want to teach me Spanish?"
He looked down at the table and concentrated on looking at his cup. "Today, I've been reflecting on a few things, and your story broke my heart."
"You don't have to feel bad about it."
"But I do." He looked her in the eyes this time. "I believe that we were destined to meet." He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out, handing it to her. "Look at this flyer. I found it at the university. Starting next Monday, they're accepting students for Spanish class, and well . . . Read what it says."
Roselle read the words on the page. "Spanish class for adults starting February 2nd, 2033. Will offer high school credits for Spanish one and Spanish two upon completion . . ." She stared at the page blankly upon reading it. "I . . . I don't know what to say."
"I was thinking that you could enroll and finally finish high school. I could also help you since, well, Spanish is my native language, and I also have a lot of other languages under my belt."
"Thank you for the offer," she said. She slipped the piece of paper back to him, closing her eyes. "But I can't."
"Why not?"
Roselle held her cheek in her hand. "Even if I did finish high school, then what? I'm content with where I am right now . . . I'm happy being a hairstylist alongside my sister."
"Roselle . . . You told me all of your dreams earlier, so I know that's a lie." He stared at the table. "Now it's my turn to tell you that I know how you feel. I think you're afraid to try. You're afraid to do something different because you want to play things safe."
"Every time I'm close to succeeding, something always goes wrong. Something always stands in my way."
"Then stand taller!" Celio, who had been reserved this whole time, was now giving off an aura that felt assertive and powerful. "You're the one who told me you had so much you wanted to do. You're the one who told me you wanted to be somebody. You told me you're old, but when you get older you'll realize just how young twenty-one really is."
She pouted. "I feel weird having a nineteen-year-old tell me this. It's even more hypocritical of you to tell me this when you graduated with a Ph.D. when you were seventeen."
"Stop deflecting responsibility! Who cares if I'm younger than you? Don't think of me as a kid. Don't think of me as a prodigy. I'm just . . . a person." He softened up and slouched again, blushing. "A person that wants to help you."
There was something she recalled. This felt familiar somehow . . . Wait, Elma's fortune! Elma said she'd, 'meet someone who could help her reach her full potential' and, 'it would be tempting to decline the offer', but she had to push through. And then it all clicked. This was it. This would be the turning point for her.
She just had to make the conscious choice to try.
Roselle's neck felt as though it was rusted in place, but slowly, she forced herself to nod. "I'll . . . I'll do my best," she made herself say.
"You will?" For the first time, Celio smiled. "Yes!" He jumped into the air, claiming his victory.
She was puzzled by his response. "Why do you feel so strongly about this?"
He gained his composure back. "Well . . ." He picked up his backpack and hugged it in front of his body. "To be honest, I've been very lonely. My sister pointed out to me that I always work and that's why I don't have any friends, but I always stormed out when she told me that. I didn't want to hear it . . . I knew she was right."
"Celio . . ."
"She always told me she wanted me to do something I was passionate about, but I haven't felt passionate about anything except work . . . That was, until you told me your story. I remember back in college, my favorite professor said he was happy because teaching others and helping students reach their full potential made him feel wholeness within his heart." Celio placed his hand over his chest. "I got this idea to help you when you left. I thought about it for hours. I wondered, if I were to help you, would I feel whole inside too?"
Roselle shrugged. "I don't really know. So, are you going to video call me from Mexico, or . . . ?"
"I'll be moving here temporarily."
"WHAT?!" Roselle shouted. She shouted it so loud that everyone stared her way, causing her to cover her face with a menu in embarrassment.
Celio covered his face in embarrassment as well. "S--sorry everyone . . ."
When the coffee shop simmered down again, they continued their conversation.
"Can you really be here for a couple of months just to tutor me? I mean, don't you have duties as the Treasurer of Mexico?"
"I do, but I spoke to my sister about it, and she was thrilled. She said I could do some work from here on my laptop, and I could go back to Mexico if there was ever an important thing I needed to do." He stroked his chin. "I might have to get a backup tutor on days when I'm not here . . ."
"What about if we just considered those rest days?" Roselle suggested.
He shook his head. "If this is going to work, you need to be completely immersed. That means you have to practice Spanish every day for six to twelve hours."
She felt as though her soul left her body. "Six to twelve hours?"
"I should tell you, Roselle, that I'm not a prodigy that's fluent in ten languages for no reason. I've been very strict with my studies, and I'll be strict with you."
Just what had she gotten herself into?
She put her head down. "I don't know if I'll survive."
"You will." Celio got up. "I'm going to use the bathroom. Excuse me."
As Roselle was waiting, she got a phone call from an unknown number. "Hello?" she answered.
"Roselle?" someone with a Mexican accent said. "It's me, Josephina. Did Celio tell you the news? Did you accept?"
She sighed. "Yeah."
The President of Mexico squealed through the phone. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day! Finally, mi hermano is going to be doing something besides working! Oh, this is going to be good for him. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, I guess."
"I actually called you for a reason. Can I ask a favor of you?"
"What is it?"
"While Celio is over there, I want you to force him to be social and make friends. I also want you to help him get over his fear of women."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
President Escobedo chuckled. "Well, I don't know. I don't even know how you got him to care about something other than his work in the first place, honey. All I know is that you've gotten through to him once, so you can do it again."
She scratched her head and groaned. "Okay, yeah. I'll do that."
"Also, please be careful with him. He's very sensitive."
"Uh huh."
"Thanks again. I hope you'll take this task seriously. The fate of Mexico's economy depends on it"
"Wait, WHAT?!"
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AUTHOR'S IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
Sorry guys, usually I would leave this in the author notes, but I wanted to make sure you'd see this. I just recently uploaded the OFFICIAL TRAILER for 'I'm in Love with the President of the United States' on my YouTube channel. If you have time, please search "maxyperson" on YouTube and check out the trailer! It should be my lastest video. I worked really hard on it. Thanks! :D
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maxyperson Thank you to sreejitasamanta, Emy_Emerald, Saevitis, Nate_Quinn, purpliciousj, DaoistBDe755, and HotRedFlaming for voting today. And thank you to all my amazing readers. See you in the next chap!
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