I try to get comfortable in my hospital bed, but it's impossible. My stitches are sore, and my belly never seems to want to deflate. I want my tiny waist back and not get saggy!My two boys have just had their last hospital feed as tomorrow we are finally going home. After almost four days, we can go to our new house which I still haven't seen after the last details of the renovation. The hard part will be leaving my little one with the pink bow in her hair at the hospital. It won't be easy. After all, I have to feed three babies, and one of them will be far from me in that damn incubator.Hunter is hesitant after I mention Christiano's name, constantly dodging the conversation. Still, every time I look at him, I see his watery eyes for our daughter, who hasn't shown any improvement. I can't hide my crying spells. After all, I want my family back home and healthy. I can't believe that as soon as he learned more about the subject, he didn't think straight about his brother, who is too
Hunter:"I know I'm stubbornBut I changed when I looked at youYou made me wiserAs much as I try to run awayI'm always led in your directionIt seems like I let go everythingAs I held your hand."“I Forgot to Forget You – Mr SantanaThe plane lands on the ground as the intense Madrid sun helps ease the short winter days it has been having lately. I smooth out my suit, ready to get off the plane. I become twice as nervous.I'm coming back from Germany after another game for the Champions League*. It was quite a game. I’m bringing another victory and two more goals in my career. Today I feel like no one can beat me. Nobody can beat me as the best player, as the best husband and as the best father, and that's why I feel powerful, having my family around.I quicken my pace, leaving my team behind. I hear protests, but I don't give a damn. I'm missing my family. It’s been two months since my two little surprises have been at home with my little princess ValeriaI get into my custom bla
I let him enter the dimly lit room. The quiet and peaceful environment, together with the image of Hunter kissing our children's foreheads, fascinates me. He cares about them fifteen thousand times more than he cares about me. Before, I didn't understand the reason for this exaggeration, but now I would watch over them as they sleep twenty-four hours a day if I could.“How did they spend these last few days?”My heart sinks, remembering. It’s been five days since we've seen each other, way too long!“The pediatrician said that Valeria should start taking half a dose of the medication,” I inform and he sighs. “The boys are missing iron. Did you see the size of Pedro's fat little hand and Liam's thick thigh?” I say, laughing.“There was no way not to notice it, it makes you want to bite it.”I feel like crying to see him so happy. I want to hug him and hold him so much that I have to hold back. I need him to keep me strong, and I like it better when I have more time, but now it doesn't
One year later...You've been married for just over a year, and your children will complete one year. How has your life changed from then?I fiddle with my fingers that are resting on my now finely crossed legs.“I discovered myself as a woman,” I answer, facing Alice as she interviews me. “I found that I can really take care of someone, since I didn't even know how to take care of myself. And now I take care of four!”“How is the atmosphere in your house with your children?”I smile. “My house is the biggest mess ever. It's a minefield of toys everywhere. Every time I get home, my kids start waving their arms frantically and laughing nonstop to see me.”“And your husband, Hunter Blanco, is at home with his children?”I look at the camera nervously photographing me and then back at Alice.“He is an amazing father, and whenever he can, he is with his children and family.” I end it there and Alice tilts her head and looks at me.“Selena!” she scolds me. “This is a personal interview, so
“Answer the phone!” I scream to myself for the fifth time after the fifth call goes to voicemail. Where has he gotten himself? He told me he would be off today. Did something serious happen?I grab the keys to the new car I got from my parents for my birthday last month and hit the elevator button hard, over and over. As if that would solve anything, Selena! Once I’m in my car, and before starting the engine, I try calling one more time. Mailbox again. More than shit. I hate it. I just hate it when people don't answer! Why do they even have cellphones?I get on the road and take the fourth avenue, which has good traffic; there’s a lot of cars, but we’re moving. When I arrive, I look up at the building. Looking from the outside, there is no way to see movement on the fourth floor, so since I already know the password for the door, I go in and take the elevator.Instead of using the bell, I decide to surprise him. He hates surprises, but since we talked so little this week, he's sure to
I’m in my room packing my bags for my big university trip. I am starting my fifth term at Fashion Design College this semester, and the college is affording me this trip for extracurricular courses. Lost in the mess of my clothes, shoes and other items, I hear screams in the next room. “Cooollll, this guy from Barcelona is playing too wickedly!” My younger brother Miguel is watching the grand debut of a football player in the Spanish team. I notice he is handsome, but he plays on the team opposite of whom I am supporting, so I refuse to like him. “You don't have anything else to do?” I tell him, laughing, but he doesn’t even care because I am also stuck looking at the screen. I love my brother; when he was born, I was ten-years-old. I remember being overjoyed when I learned that my mother had gotten pregnant and would give me a baby brother. I go back to my room, thinking about my big trip. I have never left America before. Well, I've already been to Mexico, but that doesn't
As I am going to start my course first thing in the morning, I have a celebratory pizza dinner with my classmates and my new friend. Once I do go to bed, I call my parents to say that everything is fine and that it is beautiful here, and then I pass out.I wake up with Valentina's alarm clock, where, right away, she is there to give me a good morning smile. I like her. I like people who smile for nothing. It takes me a while to get my bearings; I was so tired after dinner with the girls that I blacked out and slept soundly.We drink coffee, juice, crackers and scrambled eggs and soon the four of us leave together.The way to the university is short. I prefer we walk there so I could learn where I am located since I couldn't do that the night before. We stroll for about fifteen minutes and as soon as we arrive, I am dumbfounded. The university’s structure is more beautiful than what appeared in the photos. The architecture here is stunning, everything modern. Ah, I would live in this a
He speaks my language, but I still struggle to understand him. I think he’s trying to apologize for what he did; I’m not sure. I couldn’t stop looking at him. He was mouthwateringly delicious and stirred an ache from between my legs. Maybe that was the vodka I drank earlier. Oh, whatever!Only then do I realize who he is. And now I look like a clown. My God...“I know you from somewhere, I know you,” I stammer. Shit Selena, why that stutter now? I developed that awful habit as a result of a bullying incident in my childhood. There was this girl who regularly made fun of me and gave me a horrible time. Until one fine day when I gathered the courage and stood up to her. Even though she or anyone else dared to bully me again, whenever I became nervous or overwhelmed, a bit of that stutter would show.“Yes, yes, it's me. But let me introduce myself; my name is Hunter Blanco, and you?” he asks me with a smile of amusement, almost chuckling and wow. So much arrogance, as though he is used
One year later...You've been married for just over a year, and your children will complete one year. How has your life changed from then?I fiddle with my fingers that are resting on my now finely crossed legs.“I discovered myself as a woman,” I answer, facing Alice as she interviews me. “I found that I can really take care of someone, since I didn't even know how to take care of myself. And now I take care of four!”“How is the atmosphere in your house with your children?”I smile. “My house is the biggest mess ever. It's a minefield of toys everywhere. Every time I get home, my kids start waving their arms frantically and laughing nonstop to see me.”“And your husband, Hunter Blanco, is at home with his children?”I look at the camera nervously photographing me and then back at Alice.“He is an amazing father, and whenever he can, he is with his children and family.” I end it there and Alice tilts her head and looks at me.“Selena!” she scolds me. “This is a personal interview, so
I let him enter the dimly lit room. The quiet and peaceful environment, together with the image of Hunter kissing our children's foreheads, fascinates me. He cares about them fifteen thousand times more than he cares about me. Before, I didn't understand the reason for this exaggeration, but now I would watch over them as they sleep twenty-four hours a day if I could.“How did they spend these last few days?”My heart sinks, remembering. It’s been five days since we've seen each other, way too long!“The pediatrician said that Valeria should start taking half a dose of the medication,” I inform and he sighs. “The boys are missing iron. Did you see the size of Pedro's fat little hand and Liam's thick thigh?” I say, laughing.“There was no way not to notice it, it makes you want to bite it.”I feel like crying to see him so happy. I want to hug him and hold him so much that I have to hold back. I need him to keep me strong, and I like it better when I have more time, but now it doesn't
Hunter:"I know I'm stubbornBut I changed when I looked at youYou made me wiserAs much as I try to run awayI'm always led in your directionIt seems like I let go everythingAs I held your hand."“I Forgot to Forget You – Mr SantanaThe plane lands on the ground as the intense Madrid sun helps ease the short winter days it has been having lately. I smooth out my suit, ready to get off the plane. I become twice as nervous.I'm coming back from Germany after another game for the Champions League*. It was quite a game. I’m bringing another victory and two more goals in my career. Today I feel like no one can beat me. Nobody can beat me as the best player, as the best husband and as the best father, and that's why I feel powerful, having my family around.I quicken my pace, leaving my team behind. I hear protests, but I don't give a damn. I'm missing my family. It’s been two months since my two little surprises have been at home with my little princess ValeriaI get into my custom bla
I try to get comfortable in my hospital bed, but it's impossible. My stitches are sore, and my belly never seems to want to deflate. I want my tiny waist back and not get saggy!My two boys have just had their last hospital feed as tomorrow we are finally going home. After almost four days, we can go to our new house which I still haven't seen after the last details of the renovation. The hard part will be leaving my little one with the pink bow in her hair at the hospital. It won't be easy. After all, I have to feed three babies, and one of them will be far from me in that damn incubator.Hunter is hesitant after I mention Christiano's name, constantly dodging the conversation. Still, every time I look at him, I see his watery eyes for our daughter, who hasn't shown any improvement. I can't hide my crying spells. After all, I want my family back home and healthy. I can't believe that as soon as he learned more about the subject, he didn't think straight about his brother, who is too
“We have tested everyone in our family,” Hunter takes the lead. “Even Alice, Joanna, Stella, Fernando and Sophia volunteered. I realised that Sophia was on the list since she is not your blood sister. But none of them are a match,” he says, unsatisfied.I spend more time with my daughter, my beautiful little princess with blue eyes. She swallows stiffly every time she moves inside that warm bubble. She is so small, so white and almost bald.I head back to the bedroom, and soon they bring me my two boys. When I hold them one by one in my lap, already lying on the gurney, I almost fear I am going to drop them. Like their sister, they are so tiny, also white and bald. I can barely distinguish them from one another.First, I cuddle Pedro, who keeps moving his hands and making faces. And then it is Liam's turn, who keeps wiggling and blinking lazily. So beautiful.For the first time, I am going to breastfeed my children. The nurses watch me all the time to see if I am doing it wrong. And f
Life is sometimes so unfair but objectively correct. There are no pains that cannot be healed, no bonds that cannot be joined, people that do not come back—the concept of life and death. Widely known as the eminent pain after a person, who is deliberately said to set out on a better journey. Maybe not. Since no one has yet discovered what occurs after death, there are only scientific and religious theories to go by.I can say that experiencing death is neither painful nor sad. I don't feel like running out of the light and back to life. Peace. Perhaps the peace that everyone seeks is not in life itself. Never, ever, no matter how hard you try, you will never have any rest. As much as something is resolved well, another factor comes and shakes everything again. That may be the meaning of life. It’s not just you opening your eyes and feeling that your heart is still beating. It's a vicious cycle, where love and disagreement will always be present as a challenge, a challenge you face eve
I feel my eyelids getting heavier. It's too hard to keep my eyes alert. The doctors and nurses keep encouraging me to stay awake as I drift off. Sleeping at a time like this would complicate their work much more.They get to work with the scalpel. A rush takes place behind the door, and I am aware of what is happening. Hunter, my Hunter is in sterilised blue suits to match his blue eyes.My head starts to ache, and I close my eyes due to the sudden pain."Our first appearance together. There will be a lot of people.“If you get nervous and want to leave that's fine.""Let's see you soon, my beautiful. Just don't forget what we had together."More pressure in my head settles, and every time I open my eyes and blink, there’s a flash of memory.“I promise to never forget you,” I speak hoarsely, repeating what I told him on the day of the benefit ball.He takes my hand, and we both cry, and then he understands everything. Despite the rush to move my belly that occurs around us, we are obl
Losing him was something I've never imaginedMissing you was like the dark grey skies, I am here all aloneForgetting you was like trying to find out about somebodythat I never sawBut loving him was all redTouching him again was me realising that everything I ever wantedwas right in front of meRemembering it was as easy as knowing all the lyricsfrom your favourite songFighting with you was like trying to solve difficult crossword puzzlesAnd realise that there is no right answerMy regret for you was as though you wishedthat you had never discoveredThat maybe love could be this strong – Tay Swift – “Red”Contractions increase with every nanosecond of my breathing. I look at the car's dashboard and realise that Fernando is driving at 110 km/h on one of Madrid's busiest avenues. I let out one scream after another in pain, and with each one that is echoed by the car, I see the expression of agony on Sophia's face.I can't feel my hands or feet. My hair is plastered to my forehea
SelenaAfter our last fight at the end of last month it is like a burst of guilt. Guilt is now stuck between us and our relationship. He for talking to me about pessimism, and I admit that I'm pessimistic, but I didn't say that, and that's precisely my percentage of the blame.Despite what the doctor said, I was determined to fight the obvious consequence at all odds. I had to be positive, believe there was a calming light at the end of a tunnel, that it wasn’t a train which will crush me under it’s wheels of destiny.Snap! Someone makes a click with their fingers to bring me back to reality.“Stop thinking so much!” It was Sophia, my best friend soulmate.“I think the third baby's name is Theo,” I tell Sophia as she came to me to confirm that she chose her baby's name too. “And we'll have one more family man.”When we speak together, the same name is spelt out in our voices, making us laugh like crazy until she says I could put it on the third baby since I'm going to win first. It wa