Rita Morelli shifted the weight of one of the two bags of groceries she was struggling with so she could push the button of the elevator. As she entered, a tall, thin young man hurried in behind her.

"What floor?", she addressed the man, without much regard for him.

"Seven" , he replied with the same inattention to her.

"That's my floor", Rita thought. "Funny, I never saw him before. Maybe he's just visiting a neighbor." To be perfectly honest, she did not know many of her neighbors. She had only moved to California from New York about two months ago. It hadn't seemed that long ago to Rita. Time had a habit of standing still for her these days. She found her gaze lingering on the young man to get a better look. His eyes were intently focused on the numbers changing as the elevator rose, so he didn't seem to notice her studying his features, assessing them. She figured he was probably Hispanic, at least in part. His dark hair and caramel colored complexion gave that much away. He sported a well trimmed, distinguished looking mustache. His eyes were dark, and she thought she could see dimples on his cheeks as he seemed to be smiling to himself about something with his full rosy lips. He was very handsome, but a paleness in his face seemed to rob him of his true beauty. And he was very thin, too thin to be fashionable, even for Los Angeles. This paleness and thinness seem to jog her thoughts back to memories of a person she was trying very hard to forget. Lucy.

Lucy and Rita met in Kindergarten and had been best friends through high school. They did everything together. When it came time to go to college, both had decided to go to NYU and major in education. They had plans to try and get teaching jobs in the same school after graduation. But that all changed when Brad came into Lucy's life their sophomore year. He was handsome and charming and both girls had liked him immediately. He seemed to gravitate toward Lucy, and that's when she started to change. Rita began to distrust Brad, and later had good reason to feel that way. Lucy thought Rita was just jealous and the best friends drifted apart. Then Lucy really changed. She lost a lot of weight and started skipping classes. Rita found out later that Brad had introduced Lucy to drugs, first marijuana and then cocaine. A year after they met, Brad broke it off. Lucy came back to Rita looking for help. Rita didn't know what to do. She tried to get her into a rehab hospital, but every time Lucy would be released, Brad would be waiting to take her back and get her hooked again. Finally, a month before graduation, Lucy came to Rita's dorm room sick. Really sick this time. Lucy had OD'd on a mixture of cocaine and barbiturates. She died in Rita's arms before Rita had time to get her friend help. Rita could not stand the thought of living in New York after that. When graduation was over, she boarded the first plane that would take her far away from the pain. She had avoided thinking about Lucy for weeks, but that curious young man had caused her to remember. Rita tried to brush back a tear, but was unsuccessful with her arms full of groceries.

She was so lost in thought, she didn't see the elevator floor indicator light stop at her floor or the doors open. She was shaken from her thoughts by the young man.

"Isn't this your floor, miss?"

"Oh, yes it is. How did you know?" Rita was puzzled.

"You only pushed seven when we got in, so I figured we were going the same way." His voice had a hint of a Spanish accent to it, confirming Rita's assessment of his nationality. Rita blushed, wondering if he had caught her staring at him. She thanked him for allowing her to pass by him and exit the elevator first.

Rita walked down the hall, shifting her bags so she could reach her keys. When she arrived at her door, she was still fumbling with the bags. She tried to unlock the door, but one of the bags began to slip from her arms. Before she could react, the man was beside her to catch the falling bag and take the other one from her as well.

"Thank you," Rita said as she opened her door. The young man hesitated as Rita and he stood in her doorway, not sure if he should give her the bags back or take them in for her. She sensed the awkwardness of the moment and realized he was waiting for her to give him direction.

"Would you please take them to the kitchen and put them on the counter?" Rita wasn't sure why she was inviting him in. She guessed it was that he looked so lost just standing there in the doorway. There was something about him that was helping her to let her guard down about him. Being raised in New York City had made her very cautious about strangers, but this man intrigued her.

"You're new to this building, aren't you?" he asked her as he put the bags on the counter.

"Two months," Rita responded.

"I'm only here three months myself. I live down the hall." He turned and started for the door.

"Thanks again for the help...er..."

"My name is Freddie."

"Thank you Freddie. I'm Rita." Freddie turned back around and leaned on the door post.

"That's a nice name. Where are you from? No, let me guess. New York."

"How can you tell?", Rita responded in surprise.

"I can detect a New York accent a mile away. I'm originally from New York myself. Washington Heights. You're from the city area too, but not Manhattan. No, maybe Queens."

"Gee, you're good. As a matter of fact, I'm from Rosedale."

"Nice neighborhood. A little rich for my blood."

"We actually lived on the middle class side of Rosedale. But I went to school with some of the kids from the rich part of town. They usually didn't want to have anything to do with the 'po folk'." Freddie laughed aloud at her small joke. This made her relax all the more in his presence. She wasn't sure why she was sharing all this information with a guy she just met. There was something about his easy going attitude that drew her to him. She was beginning to feel glad she had run into him.

"What brings you to sunny California, if I'm not being too nosy?" Freddie's Spanish accent was very pronounced on the word 'California'. His voice was so soothing and sexy to listen to. It made Rita wish she had taken Spanish instead of French in school. Then she could converse with him in Spanish and listen to him speak to her with those sexy Spanish tones.

Rita was beginning to feel awkward about Freddie standing in her doorway. She thought she should at least invite him in for a soda or something. "After all, he was nice enough to get my bags," she thought to herself, knowing this wasn't the real reason she wanted to invite him in. Aloud she addressed Freddie. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure, what do you have?"

"Come on in and I'll see." Freddie closed the door and followed Rita into the kitchen.

"It looks like I have bottled water, soda, milk, and orange juice."

Freddie made a face. "You don't have anything stronger, do you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You mean alcoholic, don't you," Rita was taken aback for a moment. She swore off alcohol after Lucy's death. "No, I don't drink. Is that a problem?" A cloud of sadness came over her face she hoped Freddie wouldn't noticed.

"No, not at all. I did not mean to impose. Water will be fine."

"No imposition." She took a bottle out of the refrigerator and handed it to Freddie. He went into her living room and sat down on her sofa. Rita followed him and dropped down into the big overstuffed rocker.

"You never answered my question." Freddie remarked.

"Which question was that?" Rita answered.

"What brings you to California?"

"I'm a teacher. I have a job at the local elementary school."

"You're a brave lady!" A large smile broke out on Freddie's face. The dimples she thought she saw in the elevator earlier were now very pronounced on his cheeks. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle and dance. "He's really good looking when he smiles," Rita thought. "You don't have to be brave to teach," she answered with a puzzled look on her face.

"Around here you do. There are some tough kids in LA."

"No tougher than in New York City."

"True, you got me there," Freddie laughed. Rita was beginning to be taken in by this charming man. She decided to find out more about him.

"What made you decide to leave New York?"

"Acting, I'm an actor," said Freddie in a matter of fact tone. His face clouded over as he said it. Rita noticed this but did not know why he would look unhappy about his profession. Rita knew that LA was the land of stars, but she never figured she might be entertaining one in her living room.

"I'm not sure I'm familiar with your work," Rita said hesitantly. She did not want to insult him. He didn't look familiar and she only knew his first name.

"I'm in TV," Freddie said. Rita thought he was trying not look too disappointed that she didn't know who he was.

"That explains it then. I haven't owned a TV in four years. I don't have much time to watch it." Rita shifted nervously. She was afraid he would think she was nuts not to own a TV. She never had much time or money for one. She wondered would he be hurt because she didn't know who he was. She was sure big stars liked to be recognized. She decided to ask the obvious question. "What show are you in?"

"It's a sitcom called 'Chico and the Man'."

"I guess you play Chico, am I right?" Rita smiled as she tried to break the tension with a silly question. Freddie got the joke and laughed. It wasn't a polite chuckle but a full resounding laugh that gave Rita the impression that Freddie enjoyed laughter. The twinkle in his eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever. It seemed to her that he was feeling more at ease with her as well.

"You got it," Freddie answered in one of his trademark sayings. Rita smiled, but did not get the reference.

Rita began to study his features again. The laugh had triggered something deep in the recesses of her memory. She was beginning to think that maybe she had seen Freddie before, years ago. He was not as thin then, younger looking as well. The intonations of his Hispanic accent sounded familiar too.

"How long have you been here in LA?", she asked him trying to place where she might know him from.

"About three years." Freddie shifted uncomfortably on the sofa as her eyes scrutinized his face.

"Did you do any acting in New York before you came here?"

"Not professionally, just in school. I did work in comedy clubs at night though."

Rita paused for a long time, thinking hard. Recognition finally set in. "Freddie Pruetzel," she thought. "That's got to be who he is." To Freddie she said, "Is your last name Pruetzel?"

"Yes."

"My friend and I caught your act at the Improv. We went right after we graduated high school. You're a very funny man."

Freddie smiled and relaxed. "Thank you, " he answered. "But my last name is no longer Pruetzel. It's Prinze now. I wanted a stage name." Freddie leaned back and caught a glimpse of the clock on Rita's wall. "Oh my God. I had no idea it was this late. You must excuse me lovely lady, I have an appointment in an hour and I must be going." He rose from the couch and Rita escorted him to the door. At the door, Freddie took Rita's right hand in his and raised it to his full lips. With the gentleness of a butterfly, he kissed the back of her hand. "Hasta luego!, my sweetness."

Rita could not say anything. She had learned that Spanish term from her mentor teacher at school. She knew it meant "Until later." All she could think was would there be a later? She opened the door and looked down the hall. A woman was impatiently knocking on a door several doors down on the other side of the hall. As Freddie moved passed Rita, he saw the woman. "Damn, I 'm late."

"You know her?" Rita asked as she saw the look of recognition come over his face.

"Yea, she's my personal assistant. She's here to pick me up."

"Well, you'd better be going. She looks like she needs you NOW!"

"Adios", said Freddie over his shoulders as he sprinted down the hall toward the waiting figure at his door. Rita admired his lean, muscular form as he ran. She watched him, eyes glued to his body, until he reached his door. Then, reluctantly, she began to retreat inside her apartment.

Rita left her door open slightly to hear Freddie's assistant chide him for being late and ask him where he had been. As she closed the door she felt sorry for stars for the first time in her life. "I guess it's not all the glamour its made out to be," she thought. She also dwelt on the kiss that still lingered on her hand. "He sure was a romantic soul, calling me his sweetness and kissing my hand like those Latin lovers in the movies." Rita had never allowed herself to get close to any man, but she wonder if she could make an exception in Freddie's case. She knew this was probably crazy talk, she hardly knew him. But there was definitely something about him that made her wish she would have the opportunity to get to know him better. "Hasta luego!, Freddie," she whispered to herself.

*********

Rita had a restless night's sleep that night. She dreamed that she was skinny dipping in a mountain pool under a giant waterfall. All of a sudden an equally naked Freddie came up behind her and started kissing her on the back of the neck. As they swam around the pool their passions got the better of them. They made love on a ledge under a small stream coming off the falls. Freddie's gentle caresses touched a part of Rita that she never experience before. They kissed and kissed, their lips and hands covering many parts of their wet bodies, until they quivered with the ultimate expression of their experience. If Rita could see herself as she slept, she would have seen the biggest smile on her face.

After this moment passed, Rita dreamed that Freddie started to climb to the top of the falls. Her dream alter ego begged him not to try diving into the pool. "It is too shallow," she cried as he climbed higher and higher. She swam to the edge of the pool, pleading for Freddie not to jump. Just as he leapt into the air, the water in the pool disappeared exposing the bare jagged rocks below. Rita's dream self screamed. She woke up with a start, drenched in sweat.

*********

The day seemed to crawl by for Rita. She was having a hard time concentrating on the fractions she was trying to teach her fifth grade class to add. All she could think about was the dream. Tired and distracted, she kept making silly errors in calculating. The students, sensing her inattentiveness, began to talk among themselves. Rita didn't even seem to care that her class was getting loud. Rosa Diaz, her mentor who taught in the next room, heard the commotion and opened Rita's classroom door to see what was going on.

"Is everything ok in here?" Rosa asked.

"I'm sorry for the noise," Rita answered. "We're having a little difficulty with these fractions. We'll be fine."

"If everything's ok, I'll talk to you later." Rosa left the room. Rita realized she had better snap out of it. She got the class under control and managed to finish the day without thinking of the disturbing dream again.

Later on when the students were making their way home, Rosa stopped in to see Rita.

"Are you ok today?" Rosa asked Rita.

"Sure, why?"

"You have seemed very distracted all day."

"I didn't have a very good night's sleep last night, that's all." Rita was very uncomfortable sharing the dream with Rosa. They had become fast friends in the two months since Rita started teaching at Oakdale Elementary. Rosa was a huge help and treated her as an equal, not a first year novice. Rita admired her mentor, not just for her teaching ability, but for her caring nature. Rosa was easy to talk to, but Rita wasn't sure she would understand this.

"Something bothering you?" Rosa asked in her sweet, mothering tone. Rita always found this tone hard to resist. She missed her own mother, to whom she could talk about anything, and Rosa reminded her of her mother. She thought maybe she could share some of the dream. She was dying to share with someone.

"Do you believe in premonitions?" Rita ventured to ask.

"Sure, I've had some myself," Rosa shared. " I've had dreams that close relatives have died before they actually did. I bet you think I'm crazy."

" I might have yesterday, but after last night..."

"Please tell me what happened. Maybe I can help," Rosa pleaded gently.

"Ok, only if you don't think I'M crazy." Rita pondered what parts to tell Rosa. She knew she couldn't share the love making part, and she thought she'd better not reveal the true identity of the young man in the dream.

"I'd better start by telling you about this person I met yesterday. He's a guy that lives on my floor in my apartment building. He's the reason for the dream, I think." Rita proceeded to tell Rosa of her encounter with Freddie, making sure to disguise his identity. She did, however, allow herself to give Rosa a detailed description of his handsome, sensual features and beautiful Spanish accent.

"He sounds dreamy. Is he single?"

Rita was taken aback by this question. "I don't know. I think he is. I never thought to ask. He was so friendly, I just assumed he wasn't married."

"Well you never know around LA. Married men try to pick up single women all the time," Rosa observed. "Question is, how does he relate to your premonition? You didn't have a dream about him, did you?" asked Rosa, anticipating Rita's next statement.

"Yes, and it has me spooked."

"The way you described him to me I would have thought it would have been a pleasant dream. You make it sound like a nightmare."

"Well.... parts of the dream were pleasant....." Rita trailed off, momentarily allowing herself to recall the first part of the dream with relish. Snapping back to reality, she continued. "It's the ending that was the nightmare. We were both swimming in a pool of water under a waterfall when all of a sudden, he climbed to the top. I begged him not to jump, but he leapt off. While he descended toward the pool, the water disappeared, leaving jagged rocks. I screamed and woke up. Now I can't get this dream out of my head. What could it mean?"

"Well I'm no expert on dream interpretation," replied Rosa. "I have done some reading on the topic, though. I was intrigued by dreams and their meanings ever since I started having mine."

"Any help you could give me would be appreciated. Maybe it will at least give me some peace of mind so I can function normally again."

A look of deep concentration came over Rosa's face as she tried to recall what she had read. "I think the pool of water and the waterfall could symbolize life. The fact that you and he were swimming there together may mean your lives are joined somehow. His climbing to the top of the waterfall might be a need on his part to be noticed or cry for help if he is in trouble. The fact that the water disappears could mean that he is unaware that his current behavior could lead to his destruction. If he thought that the water would break his fall, he may not realize he is in real danger."

"Might, could, maybe, don't you know anything for sure," Rita snapped, not realizing her frustration was taking on an ugly tone.

"Hey, I told you I'm no expert. I can only venture a guess," Rosa snapped back. "Why are you so uptight?"

"I'm sorry," said Rita in a gentle, penitent tone. "I couldn't go back to sleep after the dream and I guess I'm tired as well puzzled. What you are speculating makes some sense."

"Yea, but it could just be a nightmare with no hidden meaning. Did you consider that?"

"Yes, but it bugged me. I guess that is why I'm trying to find more meaning behind it then is probably there."

"Look, Rita, I have always found that if there is a purpose to a dream or premonition, it will continue to reoccur. It's like God is trying to tell you something. Why don't you wait and see. Try to put it out of your head and give it time."

"You're right. I guess I shouldn't make too much of this. Thanks for listening and trying to help."

"Anytime. That's what I'm here for."

Rosa got up and wished Rita a "Buenos tardes" and departed. Rita packed her things and left for home. It had been a long day and she was beat. She planned a short supper followed by a long, hot bath. She hoped this would put this silly dream business out of her head.

*********

A week went by and Rita had all but forgotten the dream. She did not, however, forget about Freddie. She hadn't seen him since that first encounter, but she had hoped she would run into him again. She kicked herself for not having the opportunity to give him her phone number. She hadn't even gotten to tell him her last name. She tried to call on him, she even went up to his door on several occasions, but could not bring herself to knock. "What if he was just being polite, and had no intention of seeing me again," she thought. "Then I will really look foolish chasing after him." So she went about her life, continuing to hope for another chance meeting.

Rita had gone out and purchased a small TV from the local appliance store the day after she told Rosa about the dream. She had been curious to watch Freddie's show. A few days after she met Freddie, the episode where he meets an old high school crush came on. Rita sat transfixed as she watched Freddie perform. "He's a great actor," she though. "Very funny and sensitive." When she saw Freddie kissing the actress playing the girlfriend, her body became all tingly inside. She could see herself in that actress' place, with Freddie's warm, full, wet, inviting lips next to hers. "What a great kisser he must be," she thought. She had a hard time sleeping that night, but not because the dream reoccurred. She was trying to think of ways she could run into Freddie again.

*********

On a Friday afternoon, a few days later, Rita was in her kitchen debating what she wanted to fix for herself for dinner. She was so lost in thought about this, that she was startled by her telephone ringing. She picked up the receiver and said, "Hello, Morrelli residence."

"So that's how you pronounce your last name," she heard a male, Hispanic voice on the other end reply.

"Is this Freddie," Rita answered, almost in a gasp. His voice on the other end of the phone line was the last voice she expected to hear.

"You got it"

"Hi, long time, no see." It was a phrase Rita was used to using without thinking about it. Now she wished she had thought about it before she blurted it out. How would Freddie take it?

"Yes I know, my sweetness, but I have been unavoidably busy lately. That's not to say I haven't been thinking about you."

Rita melted at the sound of his words. It was like he was making love to her right over the phone. She recovered and replied, "I've thought of you, too. How have you been?"

"I would love to tell you, but not over the phone. I called to see if you have plans for this evening. I know it's Friday so you don't have school in the morning." As he laughed at his joke Rita could almost picture that sweet smile of his.

"As a mater of fact, all I was planning to do was fix myself a little dinner and curl up with a good book. Why?"

"That sounds boring. I have a better offer. How about dinner and dancing?"

Rita's mouth almost dropped to the floor. "He's asking me out on a date!," she thought. She quickly pulled herself together and tried to answer as calmly as possible. "Sounds fun. What time?"

"How long will it take you to get pretty?," he asked with a purr in his voice.

"How's 45 minutes." Rita tried not to sound too anxious, but she was afraid she wasn't succeeding.

"That's fine with me, if that gives you enough time."

"Just enough. I'll be ready."

"45 minutes it is then. Adios."

"Good bye." Rita hung up the phone. "What am I going to wear?," she asked herself as she frantically headed for her bedroom.

Promptly 45 minutes later, Freddie was knocking on Rita's door. She opened it and Freddie entered. He took one look at her in her short, lavender evening dress, her henna colored hair done up in a French twist, and a light coating of makeup on her pronounced Italian features and exclaimed, "Loooking gooood!"

"Thank you," Rita responded with a blush. "You look very handsome yourself." She was admiring the way his red sweater and tight gray dress pants fit that lean muscular body. In fact, she couldn't help notice that the pants fit so tight, they left very little to her already fertile imagination. She was smiling at this thought when Freddie caught her off guard.

"What are you grinning at?"

This inquiry startled her so much that she really blushed.

"Nothing. Are we ready to go?"

"Absolutely. My chariot awaits, my dear." Freddie had switched into a proper English accent as he waved her out her door.

"Ooh, how charming," she teased as she strolled by him.

Freddie escorted Rita to a fancy French restaurant out in Pasadena. She had been a little apprehensive about the drive to the restaurant. Freddie drove fast, much faster than she would have liked, but she bit her lip and held on to the door handle, hoping he wouldn't notice how nervous she was. They seemed to get there in one piece, though. When they had been seated, Rita began to relax a little. She wanted to savor each moment of tonight's events. She knew this was to be a memorable night, but she would never realized how memorable till much later.

Freddie ordered a glass of wine and she ordered a glass of water with a twist of lemon. " I'm sorry, I forgot you said you don't drink."

"Don't be sorry, and don't deny yourself a drink on my account." Rita looked around her. "This is an elegant place. Have you been here before?"

"Once. I took my mother here for her birthday."

"That's sweet. Does she live here in LA?"

"Just outside of it, actually. I was able to purchase a house for my parents here so I could be closer to them. New York is so far away."

"You're a good son." Rita smiled at him and then it was his turn to blush.

With all this talk about his family, Rita suddenly remembered the question Rosa had posed to her the day she told her about meeting Freddie. Was Freddie married? She would have a hard time enjoying herself tonight if she knew this was never going to lead anywhere. She was a bit of an old fashioned girl. That was her Italian Catholic upbringing. Rita tried to maneuver herself so she could get a closer look at Freddie's ring finger. Not that it was solid evidence of marriage. Many married men never wore rings and Rita suspected that if they did wear one, it would be easily removed while they were out on the prowl. Still she found herself making maneuvers and excuses to examine his left hand. As they ordered dinner and conversed, Freddie finally caught on to what she was trying to do.

"Checking for a ring, I see," he said, coolly.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm being much too forward."

"Not at all. It's a legitimate enquiry. The answer is yes and no," Freddie said sadly. He gave his left hand to her to examine. His fingers were long and thin, like a concert pianists. Rita realized her own smaller hand would be swallowed up in his larger, more powerful digits. There was a faded indentation where a band once had been. She continued to hold his hand after she had finished. He did not seem to mind.

"I'm not sure what you mean, yes and no."

"It's not a topic I wanted to be thinking of while I was out with you tonight, but I'm in the process of getting a divorce. It wasn't my idea, but that's the breaks." Freddie let his voice trail off. Rita could sense a deep sadness in Freddie. She greatly regretted bringing up such a sore subject on her wonderful evening. Now a cloud hung over it.

"I'm so stupid. I'm too curious for my own good, " Rita chided herself aloud to Freddie.

"No, you have every right to find out if the man you are out with has honorable intentions. Forget it. Let's go back to having fun." Freddie put on a brave smile and kissed the hand that still had a hold of his.

The dinner they had ordered arrived. All through dinner she was very taken in by his charm and wit. She enjoyed listening to him make jokes and then laugh them. He asked about her family and she encouraged him to talk about his parents. He was lively and animated as he spoke of when he was growing up in Washington Heights.

"Washington Heights was like a ghetto suburb, slums with trees. Even the birds were junkies. There were dope addict sparrows that didn't know how to fly, just fall out of trees and bother people saying, 'Tweet, tweet, sucka, give me a quarta'."

He told some very funny stories about the people he grew up with.

"My best friend was this black dude named Nat who played trumpet in the band I was in while we were in high school. Nat was about 6'8", five inches was his hair and three inches was platform shoes. Actually, he was about six foot, six foot one. We would mess with the teachers in our school. A teacher would go, 'Nat, could you spell murder for me.' Nat's response would be, 'No, but I can demonstrate it.' "

Rita found Freddie very entertaining. She could go on listening to him for hours. Only two things seem to distract her attention from his charm. Rita noticed that Freddie didn't eat much. He spent most of his time talking and picking at the food on his plate. She hardly saw a few bites enter his lips. "No wonder he is so thin," she thought to herself. "I wonder if he eats like this all the time." She was a little surprised that she would be so concerned with the man's eating habits. Freddie also seem to drink a lot of wine. She tried not to think about the food and wine as he spoke, concentrating on his witty conversation and sexy good looks.

As they were finishing their meal, Freddie excused himself from the table.

When he returned, a transformation had taken place that Rita noticed immediately. Where he seemed alive and animated before, he became more mellow and subdued. She wondered what could have happened to make such a dramatic transformation in his personality. She started to have an inkling of an idea, but immediately put it out of her head. She did not want to entertain that possibility. He just couldn't be like Lucy.

At that moment the band start to play and Freddie asked Rita to dance. Rita agreed and he swept her out onto the dance floor. Rita was surprised how light he was on his feet. She had not danced with many men before. Her dad had been a great dancer and had taught Rita everything she knew. Freddie was a strong but gentle lead. Rita had no problem following him. They danced to several up tempo numbers when the band broke into 'Unchained Melody'. Freddie, without skipping a beat, drew Rita close to himself. She could feel his well-built frame through his sweater as he tried to draw her closer and closer. He was almost taking the breath from her, trying to get as close as he could to her. She could feel his warm breath on the top of her head, gently wafting her hair. She listened to the steady rhythm of his heart as her head rested on his muscular chest. He lowered his head and placed his full lips next to her ear. He whispered something in Spanish into her ear. She didn't know what he said, but did not want to spoil the moment by asking. Freddie was a good deal taller than Rita, so she really had to reach to put her arms around his neck. This caused him to pull even closer than before. She slowly removed her head from its resting place on his chest and gazed up into his eyes. He, in return, looked down into her contented face. Just as she thought he was going to make a move to kiss her, the song came to an end. Instead of a kiss, Freddie slowly released her from the dancer's embrace. "Damn, so close," she thought to her self.

They danced several more dances, but never got as close as that moment. After a while, Freddie paid the check and the couple exited the restaurant hand in hand. When the valet brought the car around, Freddie handed Rita the keys.

"Do you mind driving, love. I think I've probably had too much to drink." Rita was actually relieved. She hated men who acted all macho and insisted on driving drunk, risking everyone's lives on the road.

"Sure, I'll drive." They got into the car and drove for home. In the car, Rita got up the nerve to ask Freddie what he whispered to her in Spanish when they were dancing.

"I was just admiring your perfume. I said, 'Hueles tan buena!', which means, 'You smell so good!' What is that scent you are wearing?"

"It's called 'An Evening in Paradise'. Do you really like it?" Rita beamed.

"Yes, I love it. It is very appropriately named." Freddie flashed one of his sexiest smiles back at her. Rita was momentarily distracted from her driving and had to swerve to avoid hitting an on coming car.

"Sorry. I guess I'd better keep my eyes on the road!" Rita realized that she should not ask Freddie any more distracting questions. She concentrated on the highway ahead of her and the pair remained silent for the remainder of the trip.

Freddie and Rita entered the building. Only the security guard was around. He acknowledged their presence and bid them a good night. "I hope so," thought Rita. They rang for the elevator and stepped in when the doors opened. All the while they silently held hands. Once in the elevator car, Rita pushed the button for seven. She was lingering on every moment of tonight's festivities, wishing they were not nearing the end. The elevator car started its ascent. Then there was a shaking and a rumbling sound. Rita was nearly knocked off her feet. She fell against Freddie as the car stopped its climb and continued to sway. Rita let out a small shriek. "What's happening?" she cried in fright.

"It feels like an earthquake tremor," Freddie shouted, his voice loud enough to be heard over the din of the rumbling.

"Earthquake!" Rita screamed in fright. She had never experienced an earthquake before. She knew she was in the heart of earthquake country and had even practiced earthquake drills with her students. When she found herself actually in the middle of one, she reacted like a typical east-coaster. She screamed and panicked.

Freddie took her into his arms to steady her. She allowed him to hold her, knowing he was trying to get her to calm down. The lights suddenly went out in the elevator. Then the shaking stopped. A amber emergency light came on, but the car did not move. Rita slowly realized they were stuck. She tried to relax and release herself from Freddie's strong embrace, but as she gazed into his large dark eyes lit by the glow of the amber emergency light, Freddie strengthened his embrace and brought his lips to hers. The kiss started very gently and then grew into an impassioned press of lips and tongues. Rita was swept away. Never in her life had she been kissed with such force and passion. If he had asked her to do anything at that moment, she would have complied, good Italian Catholic upbringing be damned.

Rita noticed that Freddie's hand had found its way to the zipper in the back of her short cocktail dress. He slowly started to run the zipper down, not missing a beat in the passionate kissing. When the zipper was halfway down her back, he gently but firmly disengaged himself from her and turned around, shaking his head.

"I can't do it," he said in almost a whisper.

"Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can," Rita's mind screamed. To Freddie, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I must be perfectly honest with you. I took you out tonight under false pretenses. I only meant this to be a one night thing, but I can't go through with it." Freddie's voice, still slightly above a whisper, broke with emotion. "You're a sweet lady, so understanding and fun to be with. I've really enjoyed our night together. I just can't bring myself to take advantage of you, even though it would be very easy right now, looking the way you do, all soft, warm, and inviting."

"Take advantage, I'm willing," her brain shouted again. Rita sat down on the padded bench that lined the rear of the elevator car. She could see that he was pouring his heart out to her, so she thought better of pressing him on his offer. The screaming in her head started to subside as her feelings for him took a new direction, as a friend reaching out to another friend in need.

"Why were you needing someone to be with tonight?"

"Do you remember when you were trying to find out if I was married earlier?," Freddie began. Rita cringed on the inside. She wished Rosa had never put that train of though into her head. It was coming back to haunt her and ruin this wonderful evening.

"Yes," Rita choked out.

Freddie took a seat beside her on the bench. Facing her, but looking down at his feet, he continued. "Well, when I told you I was divorced, I wasn't telling you the whole story. You see, my wife had just served me with the divorce papers two days ago. I have spent the last two nights alone, crying my eyes out. I still love her and my baby son. I just woke up this morning deciding I didn't want to spend another night alone, dwelling on my heartache, so I thought of you and figured you would be a lot of fun to be with. I hoped being with you would help me to escape from my misery. I had no intentions of starting a relationship with you, though. I don't think I'm ready for that. Being with you this evening, the way you listened to me, laughed at my jokes, danced with me, even let me start something with you right now, convinced me that you were too special to treat like a whore."

Rita was too taken aback to know what to say. She only hoped her face didn't show the shock that was registering in her head over what he just shared. "A wife and a baby that he obviously cares for," was all she could dwell on. It did make her feel a little cheap to think she was coming on to him. Then she got a grip on her emotions and realized she had done nothing wrong. She started to feel resentful toward the whore remark. "He did start this, after all," she thought. Her gaze rested on his trouble face, his eyes still showing traces of the crying he talked about. "Funny, I never noticed that before now," she mused. Her heart melted toward Freddie once again.

Freddie's hands rested in his lap. Rita took a hold of the long tapered fingers of his right hand and entwined them in her own short, slender ones. She gently lifted his chin with her free hand, feeling the short stubble that was starting to form on his smooth, soft skin. She looked deeply into those dark, expressive eyes of his. "I'm here, if you just want to talk," she said with voice meant to caress his heart.

The elevator car started with a jerk. Rita nearly fell off the bench. Freddie still had a hold of her hand and the muscles in his hand tensed as he steadied her. The car slowly rose and the lights blinked a few times and stayed on. Rita winced in the glare of the bright lights.

"Well they must have gotten it working again," said Freddie. Rita was relieved, but secretly wished they were still stuck. The elevator stopped at the seventh floor and the doors opened with a swoosh. Freddie escorted Rita through the opening and down the hall to her door. At her door, Rita inserted her key in the lock, but before she turned it, she turned to Freddie.

"Would you mind coming in and helping me check out the damage?" Rita had enough recollection of the earthquake to be afraid of what she might be facing.

"Sure, if you would like me to."

Rita realized too late that her request might have sounded like an invitation for something entirely different. She unlocked the door and opened it for Freddie to enter first, hoping he would realize she was sincere with her request for help.

The apartment was cluttered with items scattered all over her floor. The carpeting helped to break the fall of many of her belongings, so very little was actually broken. Freddie started to pick up the things he found scattered at his feet, replacing them where he thought they belonged. "This isn't too bad," he said as he lifted a rather large sculpture of a giraffe and placed it back on the coffee table. "I've been in one tremor that caused more damage than this."

"You've experienced other earthquakes before?", asked Rita. "How do you get used to it? You seem so calm about it."

"It's all a part of living in California, my sweetness," said Freddie, his voice taking on the Spanish accent that had been absent in the elevator conversation.

Rita stopped, holding the lamp she had just picked up. Every time Freddie called her 'his sweetness' it took her breath away. She had to consciously will herself to breathe again. She thought it was so sexy the way he used those lilting Spanish inflections on his term of endearment to her.

They made short work of straightening up the place. When they had finished, Freddie awkwardly turned to the door. "I guess I ought to be going. It's getting late and the excitement of your first earthquake must be exhausting. I'll just say buenos noches."

Rita's heart pounded. She wanted to ask him to stay, to find out more about him, and, dare she admit it, to make love to that fine form that stood before her. But Freddie had been right. The earthquake had frazzled her nerves and she did find herself exhausted by the experience, not only by the quake but the scene on the elevator as well.

"You've got a point. Hasta luego?" Rita couldn't believe she heard herself ask that question.

"Hasta luego! My sweetness," Freddie answered as he headed for the door. As he opened the door, he turned to face Rita, who had followed at his heals. "I do want to see you again. You are easy to talk to. I will call you when I get the first chance. Good night." He reached down and lightly placed his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle and all too brief. He swung around and headed down the hall. With one of those butterfly kisses still lingering on her lips, Rita reluctantly watched him saunter down the hall to his door. Once there, he turned and caught her staring at his gorgeous body. He blew her another kiss and entered his own apartment. She slowly closed her door and went in to get herself ready for bed, again wishing it was not alone.

The dream Rita had all but forgotten about came back to her that night. This time the first part was much more intense. When Freddie kissed her it was with the passion she had experienced in the elevator earlier that evening. She reveled in the way he touched her neck and hair with those long, graceful fingers. When his hands moved down her torso, stopping at her breasts and belly, she thought he played her just like a fine Spanish guitar. She quivered in her sleep, savoring the moment her dream brought to her that real life denied. She found her hands reaching for his firm, round buttocks and pulling him closer to herself. Again, as in the first dream, they continued this activity to its ultimate, intimate conclusion. On her bed, Rita had her pillow in a strangle hold.

The dream turned to a nightmare as the second scene from the first dream also replayed itself. Rita found herself unable to scream or speak this time. She opened her mouth only to be struck dumb. As Freddie jumped from the top of the waterfall, he fell in slow motion, deepening and prolonging the agony of the moment. As on the first night, Rita woke up screaming, and shaking profusely. She sat bolt upright and forced herself back to reality. Her room was still dark. She looked over at the alarm clock beside her bed. The liquid red digits read 3:30. "It's too early to get up," she thought. "I can't afford to stay awake the rest of the night. Maybe some herbal tea will soothe my nerves and help me go back to sleep." Even as she told herself this, she really didn't believe it. The images of her dream were still to vivid in her brain to allow for any sleep at this point.

Rita got out of her bed and put her robe and slippers on. She went into the bathroom first and then proceeded to her kitchen to put a kettle of water on. The brightness of the kitchen light blinded her momentarily as she switched it on. Filling the kettle, she placed it on the burner and went into the living room to sit and think. She sat down on the couch almost in the exact same spot Freddie had sat the first afternoon he had been there. She knew it was impossible, but she thought she could detect a slight whiff of the cologne he had been wearing last night. "Oh, Freddie," Rita whispered out loud. "Why are you haunting me so?" She was startled out of her reverie by the blast of the whistle from the kettle. She arose and went back into the kitchen. With mechanical movements, she took a mug down from the shelf over her stove and put a chamomile tea bag into it. Carefully, she filled the mug with water and replaced the kettle to its burner. The whistle began to blow again, only fainter and fainter as the burner slowly cooled down. Rita took no notice of these things as she made her way over to her table, with the steaming mug cradled in her hands. She sat and sipped her tea, trying to allow drowsiness to overtake her. She soon realized she was trying too hard. "Sleep doesn't come to those who work at it," she heard herself say as she got up from the table. She decided to try a different approach. If she could only get her mind off of Freddie and that nightmare, maybe she would feel tired enough to fall back to sleep. Curling up on the couch with a blanket, pillow and the book she was currently reading, she settled down and lost herself in the story. It took almost an hour, but at last Rita was able to nod off.

Nine o'clock the next morning, Rita was startled out of her dreamless sleep by a knocking at her door. She drew her robe tightly around her and went to the door. She saw the face of her friend, Rosa, as she gazed through the peephole. Opening the door, she greeted Rosa with a yawn.

"What happened to you. You look terrible," Rosa began as she entered the apartment.

"Thanks a lot," Rita retorted. "I didn't sleep too well last night. What brings you here this morning?"

"I tried calling you several times last night but got no answer. Then the earthquake hit and the phone lines were knocked out. Mine hasn't been fixed yet. I was worried about you, knowing this was your first quake experience. I decided to come over and see how you faired. Ay Dios mio, it seems to have affected you worse than I thought. Are you all right?"

"The quake was quite an experience, let me tell you," replied Rita. "I only wish that was my only trouble last night."

"What happened", inquired Rosa, then getting a good look at the expression on Rita's face she added, "You had another one of those dreams, didn't you?"

"If you mean nightmares, yes, I did."

"Was it exactly the same?"

"Almost, but worse this time."

"Feel like talking about it?", Rosa asked in a soothing but inquisitive tone.

"I guess so," replied Rita, not sounding too convincing. Rosa took a seat on Rita's couch. Rita offered her friend a cup of coffee, and Rosa accepted her offer, but insisted on helping Rita make it.

"You look beat. Let me do it. Relax." Rosa got back up from the sofa and headed for the kitchen. Rita was too tired to fight her friend.

"Let me know if you have trouble finding something," was all she could say as she flopped back down on the couch she had spent the latter part of the evening in. Rosa rejoined her when she had gotten the coffee started.

"You haven't had that dream for two weeks," Rosa remarked. "What do you think triggered the reoccurrence?"

"I've been thinking about that." Rita knew she had to level with Rosa about Freddie. She just didn't know how she would do it. How do you explain falling head over heels with someone you only met two weeks ago and have only seen twice? She couldn't explain it to herself. Would Rosa believe her? "I think it might have to do with the fact that I went out with the guy in the dream last night." Rita tried to say it in a matter of fact tone, but it did not have the desired effect. Rosa caught the importance of this statement and her eyes grew large.

"You had a date with him and you didn't tell me?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. He just called me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to have dinner and go dancing with him. I wasn't doing anything, so I said yes."

"It must have been some date if it brought about another nightmare."

"No, it wasn't like that," said Rita defensively. "We had a great time. He really is a sweet guy. A real gentleman." Rita recalled how he backed off when they were in the elevator. "He's going through a rough time right now and wanted to go out and try to forget it for a while."

"What kind of rough time. It might have something to do with the meaning behind the dream." Rosa didn't wait for an answer before posing her next question. "Who is this guy anyway?"

Rita knew it was time to spill it. She was almost glad for Rosa's prying questions. She was dying to tell someone about Freddie. "You promise you will believe me?"

"Sure, why, is he that unbelievable?"

"No I guess not. Are you familiar with a TV show called 'Chico and the Man'?"

"Si, I've watched before, why?"

"Do you know one of the stars named Freddie Prinze?" Rita ventured cautiously.

"The Puerto Rican comic. 'Chico'. You mean... Noooo! It's not Freddie Prinze, is it? I thought he was married?" Rosa answered, shocked at what her friend just revealed to her.

"He's married, but maybe not for long. His wife just served him with divorce papers three days ago. That's why he asked me to go out with him. He wanted to put the pain he is feeling behind him for one night." Rita observed the look of disapproval starting to come over Rosa's face. "I didn't know that when he asked me, though. I only found out the reason when we were stuck in the elevator during the earthquake."

Rosa's mouth fell open. "You were stuck in an elevator with him! You didn't do....er.. something.... foolish, did you?" Rita looked down at her feet, too afraid to face Rosa with the truth of her feelings about that.

"No, nothing happened like that, if that's what I think you mean. He did kiss me, though. He's a good kisser," she admitted shyly.

"Ooh, no wonder you had a dream about him. But what I don't understand is why it was a nightmare. Is he in any danger that you know of?"

"Not that I am aware of. And the dream wasn't all a nightmare, for your information. It had some good parts in the beginning."

"Yes, like what?"

Rita finally felt that her friend was getting too inquisitive. She tried to steer around that question with one of her own.

"Are you going to help me figure out this dream?" After all this is why she took a chance telling Rosa about Freddie in the first place.

"I'll try, amiga, but I can't guarantee that I'll have all the answers." Rosa got up to check on the coffee. She came back a few moments later with two cups and handed one to Rita. She sipped her own and continued. "The way I see it, Freddie must be in trouble about something. The divorce might be part of it, but I think that the dream is intense enough that there's more to it than that. People get divorced all the time."

"They have a baby son. I think Freddie loves his son very much and still loves his wife. She is the one who kicked him out, I think. She's the one who served him the divorce papers, at any rate. I get the impression it wasn't Freddie's idea."

"Why did she want to divorce him?"

"I don't know. I never got to ask him. There was a lot I wanted to ask him but then the elevator started working again. Freddie took me back here and helped me straighten up the damage the quake had caused and left as soon as everything was put right. We didn't have much of an opportunity to talk after that. He did say he wanted to see me again. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask him. I hate to pry, though. I felt really guilty trying to find out if he was married like you suggested." Rita remembered how her friend's, and her own, inquisitiveness almost ruined the evening.

Rosa looked at her watch. "I'm glad you are all right, except for this dream problem, that is. Why don't we get together later. I have a doctor's appointment right now." Rosa got up and placed her cup in the sink. She turned to Rita and gave her a big hug. "It will work out just fine. The dream might mean nothing. Freddie sounds like a wonderful guy. Just be careful not to get too involved. A guy going through a divorce can be very unstable. Take care of yourself. You don't want to get in the middle of something ugly between him and his ex."

"You're right as usual. I'll try to stay out of trouble. If you have anymore ideas about my dream, will you call me?"

"Absolutely." Rosa walked to the door and opened it. "Don't worry so much. No guy is worth that much energy worrying about him. Take a nap and I'll call you later."

"Ok, thanks." Rita watched her friend walk down the hall and get into the elevator. As she closed the door, her mind went back over the events of last night. "That's where you are wrong, Rosa," thought Rita. Freddie was worth worrying over.

Another uneventful week went by. Rita was looking forward to the Thanksgiving break, starting the middle of next week. On Friday, all she could do was count the days until school would let out. The students were getting really squirrelly and on her nerves all week. Rosa reassured her that this was normal, getting close to the holidays. Yet, she would be glad for the break. She had her plane tickets for her flight home for weeks now. Her parent's had called last night and told her how much everyone missed her and how they were looking with anticipation to her visit. She had purposely not mentioned Freddie and the dream to them. It had not reoccurred after the second time, and Rita was beginning to believe that Rosa might be right to think it meant nothing. But Rita hadn't seen or heard from Freddie in a week, either. She knew he was busy with the show and his stand-up appearances. She was beginning to think that he was probably working out things with his wife and would forget all about Rita. It made her glad nothing had really happened between them.

Still, she had a hard time getting him out of her mind. He was the finest looking man she had ever seen and she thought a great deal about what it would be like to make love to him. Rita had her key in the lock when she heard her phone start ringing. She quickly got the door opened and dropped her school bag, laden with papers to grade, on the kitchen counter. She breathlessly grabbed the receiver and said, "Morrelli residence."

"Rita, is that you?", came a muddled response in a Hispanic male voice. Rita knew it must be Freddie, but he sounded terrible.

"Freddie, is that you? What's wrong?" Rita thought he sounded like he'd been crying.

"Can I come over, I need to talk to you, now." The petition was more of a command than a request. Rita was a little taken aback by this tone, but she sensed that he was distraught about something and maybe wasn't thinking too straight.

"Sure, I can fix us both some dinner. Have you eaten?" She felt a little uneasy inviting him for dinner when he was obviously upset about something. It was more of a reflexive request than a true invitation.

"Whatever you want. I'm not that hungry, though, so don't go to any trouble."

"Come right over, then. I'll be here."

"Gracias. I'll be right over." A click resounded in Rita's ear. She stared at the receiver in disbelief. He was entering her life once again, in the impulsive way he had the last two times. But Rita figured things were going to be different this time. Freddie definitely did not sound like himself. She replaced the phone on it's hook and went to the door in anticipation of Freddie's knock.

True to his word, he was there right away, with a bottle of wine in his hand. "May I come in," he asked as he stumbled in her door. Rita closed the door and looked at Freddie, wondering if this was the same man who kissed her so passionately just last week. He looked as bad as he sounded over the phone. His eyes were red from the crying he had obviously been doing. His words came out in a slur, not at all like the sultry tones she had been used to hearing from those sexy lips. She tried to take the bottle from him, but he resisted her. "I know you don't drink," he said. "I hoped you wouldn't mind if I brought it for me."

"I guess not. Please sit down." Rita ushered him to her sofa, hoping he wouldn't fall down before he reached it. His gait was very unsteady, not at all like the graceful gentleman she had danced with. It tore Rita up inside to see Freddie like this. She was dying to know what had happened to him to bring on such a dramatic change. She knew that she would have to tread lightly with her questions. She did not want to upset him any more than he was. He sat down and put the bottle on the coffee table in front of him.

"What did you want to talk about?" She figured this was a safe question to start with since he had called her wanting to talk.

"I just got some more bad news today. My wife," he nearly spat out that word, "took little Freddie to her mom's and won't let me see him." He started to weep gently. Rita instinctively got up and retrieved a box of tissues. She offered him one as she sat down next to him, longing to put her arms around him to comfort him. She was afraid how he would take this gesture, so she thought twice about it.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Why won't she let you see him?" She knew she was treading on thin ice with this question, but curiosity was getting the better of her.

"It's because of the drugs. I've tried to kick them, it's just too hard." Rita gasped.

"So it IS drugs," she thought. She had sensed that he might be using them when she saw how thin and pale he looked, in spite of his good looks. She just would not let herself believe it until now. His lack of appetite at the restaurant and his drinking had been clues she had chosen to ignore, also. Now she was face to face with her greatest fear. She had sworn to herself that after her experience with Lucy, she would never allow herself to get close to anyone with a drug problem again. Yet, here was Freddie, the biggest love of her life, a drug addict. She couldn't turn her back on him. She did not want to. He meant so much to her. What was she going to do?

Rita realized no one had spoken for several minutes. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to think of what to say. She finally got up her nerve and asked him what he planned to do about his situation.

"I don't know what I can do. She holds all the cards. I think she want's everything I have, everything I have worked so hard for." There was bitterness in his voice. He broke down once again. Rita took the biggest chance she had since Freddie walked in her door. She put her arms around him and held him.

"Maybe she just doesn't appreciate all you have done for her." Freddie did not respond to Rita's remark but seem to respond to her touch. He laid his head on her shoulder and shuddered as he quietly sobbed. Rita let the silence overtake them once more, not wishing to break it this time. After several minutes, Freddie lifted his head and looked Rita square in the eyes.

Even through the redness and the tear stains, his eyes were soulfully piercing her heart. She responded by planting a kiss on his wet lips. He started to kiss her back, but stopped abruptly. Rita looked puzzled as he backed away from her.

"I just don't feel right taking advantage of you like this. You've been so sweet and understanding. I've got problems that you shouldn't be worrying about. It's my life, I have to take responsibility for messing it up. But I don't want the responsibility for messing up yours in the process." Rita took a deep breath, carefully choosing the next words she wanted to tell Freddie. She wanted him to understand how she felt about him.

"Freddie, I want to be here for you, but you are going to have to trust me." She decided to go for broke and tell him everything. "Ever since the day we met in the elevator, I've had a dream about you that has haunted me. You are jumping from a high ledge onto jagged rocks. I haven't been able to help you in the dream. I did not believe that the dream meant anything, but after what you have told me, I'm not so sure. I also need to tell you about my best friend, Lucy. She got mixed up in drugs and died in my arms from an overdose. I ran away from New York to get away from the pain. I couldn't help her, but if you are in trouble maybe I can help you. Please let me try."

Freddie started to put his long arms around her, as the tears started to well up in her own eyes. "This is great," Rita thought, chiding herself. "He came to me for comfort and now he is trying to comfort me." Rita let him hug her for a brief time before gently backing away from his embrace. "I wanted to help you, not have you worry about me." Freddie smiled the first smile Rita had seen from him all evening.

"But you have helped me, my sweetness. You have made me feel like I'm not the only one who has problems. You even want to help me in your dreams. What more could a guy want. I guess that's why I love you so much. You are like an angel to me. Maybe God sent you to be my Angel de la guarda-- my Guardian Angel." Now it was Rita's turn to smile. She could hardly contain her joy when she heard Freddie declare his love for her, calling her his guardian angel.

"I have never been called that before. That's a big responsibility. But since I love you, I would be willing to take the job." "It would be a big responsibility in my case," Freddie actually laughed at this remark. He started to look more like the sensuous man she had first fallen in love with. His problems pushed themselves to the back of her mind, and against her better judgment to get further involved with a married man and a drug user, she reached out to him again to kiss him.

This time, Freddie responded with intensity and did not try to discourage her. Rita could feel his openness to her advances and continued to kiss him with a passion she had been longing to for ages. His long, firm tongue found its way into her waiting mouth. As their tongues intertwined, Freddie started to glide his hands up and down her spine. She responded by running her fingers through his soft, thick, black hair. He reached around and began gently rubbing the front of her shirt, making long sweeps back and forth between her breasts, stopping briefly at each one as if to locate her quickly hardening nipples.

Suddenly, Freddie got up from the sofa and picked Rita up, not breaking the impassioned kiss that kept them locked together as one. He carried her to her bedroom and gently placed her on the bed, finally bringing the kiss to an end for now. He removed his shirt, exposing his thin but muscular chest. As he flung this on the floor next to the bed he took his place beside her. A wave of doubt came over Rita as Freddie cuddled up close to her. Should she reveal to him that she had never been with a man before? She was afraid that if she did, he would get chivalrous again and stop. But she knew she had gone too far now to want that to happen. She decided she needed to convince him that she was not a novice. This wasn't really hard as Freddie started to caress her neck and face with his sensual fingers. All the pent up sexual tension that had been building in Rita the past few weeks exploded in her. She reached for his chest, rubbing its smooth muscular contours. She lingered on the hardness of his nipples, caressing them with her fingers. She then moved her head to his chest and took his right nipple in her mouth, nursing on it like a hungry child. This sent Freddie's body into alternating waves of tension and release. "Esto me siento maravilloso--that feels wonderful." She gradually released her mouth from his chest as her hands continued their way down his hard body, undoing the front of his pants and slipping them down his legs. He kicked them off with a jerk. His red bikini underwear hugged his body so tight, Rita though she could see right through them. She knew at that moment he wanted her as much a she wanted him.

As if to echo the thoughts in her head, Freddie whispered into Rita's ear, "Te deseo."

"What does that mean?", she asked him in short, breathless spurts.

"I want you", he replied as breathlessly as she had asked him. She slid her hands around to his firm buttocks and squeezed them, then slid his underwear down to his knees. Freddie saw her admiring look at what was revealed and encouraged her to take it into her small hand. Freddie responded to her caresses and squeezing by lifting her shirt over her head and effortlessly undoing her bra. His moist lips and tongue started at her mouth in a brief kiss and slowly made their way down her torso, stopping at her breasts for a lingering taste. This made Rita shiver with ecstasy, feeling the need to kiss him again. She loosened her hold on him and placed her hands delicately on either side of Freddie's head, slowly raising it back to her own. Rita placed her tongue inside his welcoming mouth. Freddie reacted to this move by guiding it in with his own tongue, as if to swallow it. As he was engaged in this, his hands slowly moved down her body and opened the front of her pants, slipping his fingers under her silky underwear and down between her legs. As the first finger found its way to her most vulnerable spot, Rita loosened her mouth from his, gasping in rapture for a breath. With his mouth free, Freddie resumed his way back to her breasts, taking one, and then the other into his mouth. He gently caressed each nipple with his teeth and tongue, careful not to be too rough with them, all the while continuing to massage her with his fingers, causing her to gently rock back and forth. His mouth then made its way down further, stopping at her navel, as if to take a sensual drink from its deep well. It was like his long tongue was made to fit her navel perfectly. At this point Freddie removed his hand slowly from between her legs and, grabbing the sides of her pants, slid them off her legs.

He tried to continue to move his mouth down below her navel, when Rita startled him by making her body as rigid as a board. "Que pasa, my sweetness?"

"I'm not sure...I mean, I never....I..." Rita struggled to find the right words to tell Freddie that he had finally tried to do something that made her feel uncomfortable without giving away the fact that she was a virgin. Freddie gently slid his body up so that he was once again face to face with Rita.

He kissed her delicately on the lips and whispered, "This is your first time, isn't it?" Rita could not help but be taken off guard by this revelation that her secret was known to him.

"Was I that obvious?" she whispered back, trying with every part of her being not to break the mood.

"Not at first, mi amor." He kissed her again, a little harder this time as if to reassure her. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted you to .... to...."

Freddie had begun to caress her neck and ears with his kisses. It made it hard for her to think, let alone speak. He stopped briefly several times, long enough to murmur, "I knew you wanted me", and "Te deseo-- I want you, too", then "Lo siento--I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I promise I'll be gentle." Finally he looked her in the eyes longingly and asked, "Will you trust me as you asked me to trust you? "

"Yes", was all Rita could get her voice to utter. Freddie started caressing her breasts again with his fingers and tongue. She was now ready to have Freddie take her to places she had longed to go with him since the first time she set her eyes on his beautiful face. His mouth once again began kissing her body, traveling down it's length slowly, stopping for another drink at her navel. He then tried a second time to kiss her further down. This time she did not resist, but encouraged him by placing her hands alongside his head and guiding him to the place he wanted to be. Rita could not believe anything in the world could feel this good, as she undulated back and forth to every move of his tongue and lips. When she thought she would not be able to control herself any longer, Freddie moved back up her body and laid on top of her. He moved himself into the best position, but as he tried to enter her, Rita stiffened up again and let out a little yelp of pain.

"Lo siento, mi amor. Am I hurting you?"

"It is a little painful. I did not realize it would be."

"We could try this a different way, if you wish."

"Maybe that would be better. What do you have in mind?"

Freddie rolled off of Rita and laid beside her on his back. "Why don't you try getting on top of me?"

"All right," said Rita, not exactly sure what Freddie had in mind. "You'll have to help me."

Freddie assisted her into a straddling position over him and guided her down so he could slide himself inside her. As she felt his firmness, there was only a slight, momentary discomfort followed by a sensation she could not put into words, even in her mind. She found herself enjoying the view of Freddie's handsome face from this position. His long black hair framed his head upon the pillow. His lips were pursed in an O as his breathing became rapid and deep, wafting her face in hot waves. His eyes rolled open and closed as she instinctively moved up and down on him with the aid of his warm hands caressing her buttocks. As the pace of her movements increased, Freddie's face contorted into an expression she found hard to read. She wasn't sure if he was finding this pleasurable or painful.

"Am I hurting you, mi amor?" Freddie looked little surprised when she spoke to him in Spanish. He answered her in kind.

"No, muy maravilloso, my sweetness." Rita remembered him saying something similar earlier and did not ask him to translate at this intense moment. She knew he meant he was enjoying this as much as she was. Finally, her body exploded in waves of joy she never though she would ever experience. She could tell Freddie was sharing this as deeply as she was, as she felt the throbbing deep inside her. She wished this moment could be suspended in time and space as they shared this oneness between them. But the passion slowly subsided. Rita carefully shifted her weight off of Freddie and laid down beside him, exhausted, but very happy. She smiled at him and cuddled next to him in a post connubial embrace. It was in this embrace, that they allowed Morpheus to overtake them.

Rita woke up, suddenly, several hours later. She had the nightmare again. Only this time there was no pleasure before the pain. The dream started with her climbing the waterfall to reach Freddie. As she came in sight of the top ledge, he fell forward and she watched in horror as he passed her on his way down to the rocks below. Freddie stirred beside her. She tried not to wake him as she got out of the bed and put on her robe that she always kept by her bedside. She looked at her clock and discovered it was the middle of the night. She entered her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She looked at the person staring back at her in the bathroom mirror. She found herself arguing with her alter ego.

"I told you that this dream means something," remarked the reflection, representing Rita's rational side.

"How can it," asked Rita's emotional self, "after what happened between us tonight? Things can only get better, now that he has me in his life."

Rita's rational self wasn't convinced. "How do you know that things will get better. After all, the dreams are getting worse. His problems may be bigger than you think. And your involvement in them might make things worse for him. You might be a complication his life cannot handle right now." Rita's rational side was winning the argument.

"This dream is driving me crazy," thought Rita. "Now it has me talking to myself. I've got to get a grip." She splashed some more water on her face, and returned to the bedroom. She tried to quietly slip back into the bed so she wouldn't wake Freddie, but was unsuccessful in her attempt.

Freddie rolled over to face her. Seeing the worry lines the dream left imprinted on her face, he asked her what was the matter. "Que pasa, mi amor?"

"Do you remember those dreams I was having about you?"

"Si, why, you didn't have another one, did you?"

"Yes and this time it was worse." Rita started to shiver. Freddie put his arms around her.

"It was only a dream, my passionate angel. Don't be afraid for me. You are already my salvation, just being here with me tonight." He reached for her lips and kissed her tenderly. Rita started to cry, not even knowing why. "Ay, my sweetness, please don't cry." Freddie held her very close, cradling her head in his large, comforting hands. "It will all work out, you will see. I would not do anything to hurt you, especially after the gift you gave me tonight."

Rita broke from his embrace and looked at him with a very puzzled expression. "What gift did I give you?"

"The greatest gift a woman can give a man, the flower of her virginity. I would be the lowest, vilest creature on this planet if I were do anything to crush that flower." Rita could not say anything in return. All she could do in response to this revelation of Freddie's love for her is to put her arms around his neck and kiss him. "Your kiss still tastes like those tears. Allow me to dry your eyes."

Freddie kissed her eyes first and continued with the rest of her face until it was wet from kisses and not tears. When he had finished, Rita looked directly into those dark, loving eyes, getting lost in their depth.

"Freddie, when I look into your eyes, how can I not believe that everything will be all right." She smiled at him. He smiled an immense smile back at her.

"That's what I like to see, my angel smiling at me. Now show me how much you love me again." And Rita had no hesitations this time showing him.

Morning came too soon for Rita's liking. She enjoyed Freddie lying next to her, cuddling and caressing her. As the first rays of the sun signaled the dawn of the new day, Freddie stretched and yawned, kissed Rita gently on the lips and rose from the bed in search of his clothing that had been so carelessly tossed on the floor the night before. Rita sat up in the bed and watched him get dressed, longing to undress him again. Freddie caught her studying him in the reflection of the mirror that hung over her dresser.

"Que pasa? What do you want, as if I couldn't tell by the way you are undressing me with those big brown Italian eyes?" Rita blushed but continued to admire the man standing before her, the man she had made her own the night before.

"When will I see you again?"

"Soon, mi amor, very soon. I could not bear to be apart from you for very long." Freddie sat down beside her on the bed. "How would you like to spend Thanksgiving with me? I could spend Wednesday night here and then we could go to my mom's for dinner on Thursday. Whadda say?"

"Oh, Freddie, I would LOVE to, but I already have holiday plans. Wednesday after school I catch the first flight to New York to spend Thanksgiving with my folks. I haven't seen them since June, and they are looking forward to a visit from me." Rita could see the crest-fallen look on Freddie's face. The look only mirrored the disappointment on her own face. Suddenly Freddie's face brightened as he got an idea.

"Why don't I join you. I would love to visit the old neighborhood. And I would get to meet your parents. Do you think they would mind me coming for dinner?"

"What about your mom, won't she disappointed if you don't spend Thanksgiving with her?" Rita said. "Besides, I haven't told my parents about you, and I'm not sure I'm ready to share you with anyone just yet!"

"Why? Aren't you happy about our relationship?" Freddie's face fell once again as anger started to rise in his voice. Rita knew she'd better explain and quickly.

"It's not you, my lover, that is the problem. It's my parents. They are very old school and would grill you with a million questions. In my father's eyes, no man is good enough for his little girl. I need time to tell them about you and get them used to the idea that you are in my life."

"The protective Papa. I understand completely. If you were my little girl, I'd keep a close eye on you too!" Freddie grinned and then broke out in laughter as Rita hit him with her pillow. "Ooh, my flower has thorns!" Freddie picked up the other pillow and playfully hit her back, starting a pillow fight. After both of them were out of breath from the exertion and the laughter, they threw the pillows down and "kissed and made up". Freddie was the first to break this last embrace. "I really need to go, mi amor. I have an appointment with my lawyers this morning."

"The divorce?", Rita ventured, wincing.

"No, this is another lawsuit with a former manager. He would not release me from a contract I stupidly signed when I was naive about this business. He's suing me and I'm fighting it. People in this business are only out to get what they can from you. They suck you dry and leave you for dead."

"That sounds like a very cynical assessment of the entertainment industry."

"Well it's the way it is out here. Some days I wonder if it is all worth it. Then I think that maybe it will be worth it if I can get to do the kinds of things I want to do."

"Like..?"

"Like make movies. That's what I'm holding out for." Freddie glanced at Rita's alarm clock by the bed. "I really do have to go. I will call when you get back from New York."

"Freddie, wait a minute, I need to ask you a favor before you go."

"For you I would lay down and die if you asked me to."

Rita's breath caught in her throat. Freddie realized the unfortunate choice of words and profusely apologized.

"Lo siento, I'm so sorry. I guess after the dreams you are having that would be the last thing you would want me to do." Rita wordlessly nodded her head. "Forgive me for being an insensitive burro. What do you want me to do? Name it and it's yours!"

Rita found her voice and said, "You told me last night that your wife would not let you see your son because of your drug problem. I hate to bring up a sore subject, but I have to know. Do you have a drug problem?"

"I cannot lie to you mi amor, yes I do." Freddie could not look her in the eyes when he finally admitted his problem. Rita got the impression he had been deluding himself that his drug use was not really a problem, that he could handle it. Lucy used to tell her the same thing, even up to the day she died. She then ventured to ask him to do something for her that she knew would be the hardest thing he would ever do.

"I need you to give me a gift in return for the gift I gave you last night. Promise me you'll stay away from the drugs while I'm away."

"A gift of sobriety for the gift of virginity," mused Freddie. "That seems like a fair trade, but you know that won't be easy for me."

"Probably no easier than it was to give myself to you last night."

"You mean it was not easy?" Freddie looked hurt.

"It was the easiest thing and the hardest thing all at the same time. The point is, I gave you myself because I love you and all I am asking is that if you feel the same for me, you will try to stay sober for 8 days. I'll be back Sunday night, a week from tomorrow. I'll be here for you then. I'm just afraid for you while I'm not here to be your Angel de la guarda!"

"I can't refuse you when you put it that way, my sweetness." Freddie put his right hand in the air and his left hand over his heart. "I, Freddie Prinze, do solemnly swear on the heart that loves Rita Morelli, that I will try with all my being to honor her request and remain sober while she is gone."

"Thank you. That is the greatest gift a man has ever given a woman, his solemn promise. I accept it gladly." She kissed him.

"Now I really have to go. I will count the minutes while you are gone."

"I don't leave until Wednesday?"

"Yes, but I'll be busy with engagements and the show between now and then. I wish I could spend every day, every moment with you. Maybe someday that will be possible. Until then, Hasta luego! Don't get up, I'll let myself out." He blew Rita one last kiss as he walked through the bedroom door. Moments later, Rita heard her front door close. She laid back down on the bed and mulled over the events of the past 12 hours again and again until she fell back to sleep for a mid-morning nap. After the wonderful events of last night and this morning, the rest of Saturday turned out to be downright boring.

Rita finally got out of bed around noon, after indulging herself in a morning lying around thinking about nothing but Freddie. She fixed herself something to eat and spent the rest of the afternoon grading papers and getting her schoolwork caught up. She had a lot of prep work to do for the next week, so she kept busy all afternoon. After fixing herself some dinner and cleaning up the apartment, she settled down to watch some TV. After a half-hour of flipping channels and finding nothing interesting on, she shut the set off and got out her journal. The journal was one she had started when she moved to California in June. She had kept one in high school and gotten away from it in her college years. She wanted to get back to writing. She always felt she had a better handle on her life when she wrote down her thoughts. She addressed her reflections in the form of a conversation with her 'Gran'.

Rita's grandmother passed away when she was in the 8th grade. She had a special relationship with her, and always told her things she was afraid to tell anyone else. She knew her Gran was looking down on her from heaven, helping her with her problems.

"Dear Gran," Rita started to write, "I have lots to tell you since I wrote to you last. You remember that nice young man I wrote to you about? He told me he loves me. And Gran, I knew it before he even said it. The way he kept looking at me with those big, dark, expressive eyes, I knew he felt the same about me the way I felt about him. He is so sensitive and caring. He came to me last night, all upset about what his wife is doing to him. Gran, you would not believe what that woman is putting that poor soul through. Keeping him from his baby. How cruel can one person be. He told me that she was doing it because he has a drug problem, but I don't think it can be as bad as all that. He admitted to me he has a problem, but he promised he would clean up his act for me. FOR ME! I know he really loves me. Last night he proved it to me too. He made love to me. My first time with a man and it was with this Adonis of manhood! How lucky can woman get! I know my parents and the church would not approve, being we're not married, but Gran, it was so beautiful it couldn't be wrong. I never thought sex could be such a spiritual experience. I felt like we were two angels in heaven! I know I probably sound blasphemous, but I can't help it. God created sex, didn't He! He was the one who made it so pleasurable, so I just reveled in the pleasure of one of His most perfect creations, Freddie. Maybe I'll burn for it, but I can't believe that. Maybe the church is wrong, I don't know. The church didn't have the answers when Lucy died from the overdose either. That's why I stopped going. "That reminds, Gran, my new best friend Rosa invited me to her church tomorrow. She goes to a little Catholic church in the Barrio. The mass is said in Spanish, but since I know all the prayers in English, it shouldn't be too bad. I told her I would go, but after what happened last night, I wish I hadn't promised her I would. If the church says what Freddie and I did last night is a mortal sin, then I guess I would feel guilty going to church. I know I couldn't receive communion. I have enough fear of what the nuns drilled into my head for 12 years to risk the wrath of God receiving communion with a mortal sin on my soul. I would go to confession, but I know that you need to feel sorry for what you did, and I don't. If the situation were repeated, I would do it again, in a heartbeat. I wonder what Rosa will say when she notices I don't go up to receive. I guess I could tell her that it's because I haven't been to Mass in 6 months and that's a sin too. That's a good idea. I don't know if I'm ready to let her know the truth about Freddie and me yet. I'm not sure if I can share it with anyone but you yet. I know I'll have to tell mom and dad about him when I go for my Thanksgiving visit. I just won't go into that kind of detail. Rosa is a different story. She has a way of getting me to sh