“A lot of things have changed recently here, haven’t they? I’m sorry for not talking to you sooner, and not seeing how you could be upset. I thought that since you’re already used to Daniel and we all get along well, it was going to be fine.”
“I like uncle Daniel.” Manu was grabbing the edges of the blanket and ready to sleep, but his eyes were wide open as he looked at her. “But are you going to marry him?”
“Maybe.” She hoped that one day they’d be there. “That is nothing you should worry about. If we marry, then isn’t it like just making him an official member of our family?”
“Mom, I love you the most.”
Valeria caressed his chubby cheeks, wishing he’d alway
The fact that he didn’t know Long Wei was marrying until a week before the ceremony could be blamed on his friend not knowing that he’d moved abroad. Only when his mother remembered to tell him about the invitation that arrived to his house did Daniel learn about it.By that time, the only thing he could do was to send a gift and call his friend to complain, of course.“You didn’t even tell me that you proposed?”“Ah, that’s because she did.”Long Wei’s future wife was formidable.It was really despicable that he would be ignored this much, when he’d played a great role the days he took care of Aaron and even Danny sometimes, just so that Long Wei could stop agonizin
The day Valeria visited her mother to show off her engagement ring was perhaps one occasion she’d been waiting for a long time, because what Maria did seconds after congratulating her daughter was to go to the shelf of albums on the wall and pick one photo that wasn’t glued to the book.“Look, I just found this yesterday when I was going through the old pictures.”The photo was taken the summer Valeria and Daniel first met. Her grandfather had bought a bike for her, and don Ricardo had tasked the boy to teach her how to ride, taking that picture just before sending them off to go around the neighborhood.“He wasn’t very happy to be here, I remember.” It was written all over his face at that moment captured by the camera.“T
People tended to use the expression "happiest moment in their lives" too easily until another came to top that mark. When it came to the milestones in this relationship, Daniel first thought the happiest moment was realizing he was in love with Valeria, that he’d been in love with her long before he knew it, and she loved him too.Later the happiest moment changed to the second she said yes to his proposal. Again, he wasn’t aware of how much he actually wanted to have that kind of thing he’d seen his parents have until the idea of Valeria as his wife took root and would not leave his mind.She was just something that happened to him.Naturally, others would ask him after the ceremony was over and he’d been sure he would answer that their wedding day was the happiest moment in his life up to t
The car’s passing and splashing the murky water on her was the last straw of a very, very bad day.Great.She was already drenched anyway: having forgotten to look at the weather forecast before leaving home that morning, she did not take an umbrella with her. When the classes were over that afternoon, she couldn’t just wait until it stopped raining.Manu stayed home with a fever today, and she had to check on him. That morning, he’d cried for her to stay, something he rarely (if ever) did.This image weighed heavily on her mind through the whole day, to the point she didn’t care much about the 10th grade’s insolent behavior or the principal reminding her those kids needed to get higher scores the next semester.
The summer when she was twelve years old, this truth hit Valeria with force: she was just a flat skinny girl, and Daniel, though always kind and willing to play videogames with her or ride their bikes around the neighborhood, was moving on to different interests. And maybe she wasn’t able to follow him no matter how hard she tried.It was difficult to keep up with someone you only saw once a year, but even more if that person was Daniel, who changed passions as others changed shoes. Just a year ago, he was into chemistry and talked a great deal about his club in school, which also made Valeria put a lot of extra effort into her science subjects (one day she’d understand better the things he tried to explain to her). But now, Daniel had just come back from an exchange year in Italy, where he’d lived with a host family, attended school, and learned yet another language during the past eight
Had she not met him that day would life be any different? No, if she was going to be honest with herself, there had been many chances to avoid Mateo afterwards, yet she didn’t want to. After that first meeting, he was everywhere: at every party, every gathering, at any direction she looked at.It wasn’t something as far-fetched as fate, simply that the world was small enough that you’d end up meeting people who were connected to you in some way. Would she have met and liked Daniel in the first place if he wasn’t the Garcías’ grandson?Mateo was Camila’s cousin, and Camila was Valeria’s closest friend at school. That movie night at her friend’s house just happened to be the first time they coincided at the same place, at the same time.He was charming, a ha
“I can’t believe this of you, Valeria. Thank God Mateo is a nice young man and he brought you home safely. But how can you come back like that?” The disapproval in her mother’s voice, the disappointment in her eyes, and the words she said at that moment were all a slap in her face.“I’m sorry.” Valeria lowered her head. “It won’t happen again.”Entering her room again without saying another word, she waited until her mother’s steps could no longer be heard, and the silent tears turned into strangled sobs.She did not mean for any of this to happen, but what was she supposed to say now? Her mother was so mad just because she came back home drunk, what would happen if she told her the rest?The sweet fantasy
‘Misfortunes never come singly.’ Why did she remember her grandmother, dead for more than ten years, more than ever these days? Abuela Juana used to repeat this a lot, whenever she talked about the family’s curse, and then she’d lock herself in the bedroom every day to pray for hours. Valeria was sure her grandma went through every bead of the rosary more than once. Maybe she, too, preferred to pray in solitude so no one would come and talk to her.On the long sunny days in the city, Valeria did not feel like leaving her bedroom when she had no reason to. She went to school, visited her friends when they invited her to hang out, and she’d laugh and have fun for a while… but then she’d be back home, feeling more lonely than ever and wishing for her misfortune to be over. For Mateo to leave her alone.
People tended to use the expression "happiest moment in their lives" too easily until another came to top that mark. When it came to the milestones in this relationship, Daniel first thought the happiest moment was realizing he was in love with Valeria, that he’d been in love with her long before he knew it, and she loved him too.Later the happiest moment changed to the second she said yes to his proposal. Again, he wasn’t aware of how much he actually wanted to have that kind of thing he’d seen his parents have until the idea of Valeria as his wife took root and would not leave his mind.She was just something that happened to him.Naturally, others would ask him after the ceremony was over and he’d been sure he would answer that their wedding day was the happiest moment in his life up to t
The day Valeria visited her mother to show off her engagement ring was perhaps one occasion she’d been waiting for a long time, because what Maria did seconds after congratulating her daughter was to go to the shelf of albums on the wall and pick one photo that wasn’t glued to the book.“Look, I just found this yesterday when I was going through the old pictures.”The photo was taken the summer Valeria and Daniel first met. Her grandfather had bought a bike for her, and don Ricardo had tasked the boy to teach her how to ride, taking that picture just before sending them off to go around the neighborhood.“He wasn’t very happy to be here, I remember.” It was written all over his face at that moment captured by the camera.“T
The fact that he didn’t know Long Wei was marrying until a week before the ceremony could be blamed on his friend not knowing that he’d moved abroad. Only when his mother remembered to tell him about the invitation that arrived to his house did Daniel learn about it.By that time, the only thing he could do was to send a gift and call his friend to complain, of course.“You didn’t even tell me that you proposed?”“Ah, that’s because she did.”Long Wei’s future wife was formidable.It was really despicable that he would be ignored this much, when he’d played a great role the days he took care of Aaron and even Danny sometimes, just so that Long Wei could stop agonizin
“A lot of things have changed recently here, haven’t they? I’m sorry for not talking to you sooner, and not seeing how you could be upset. I thought that since you’re already used to Daniel and we all get along well, it was going to be fine.”“I like uncle Daniel.” Manu was grabbing the edges of the blanket and ready to sleep, but his eyes were wide open as he looked at her. “But are you going to marry him?”“Maybe.” She hoped that one day they’d be there. “That is nothing you should worry about. If we marry, then isn’t it like just making him an official member of our family?”“Mom, I love you the most.”Valeria caressed his chubby cheeks, wishing he’d alway
“I was shopping with some friends, and I found him in front of a store. We went to your house, but you weren’t there, and the kid was crying, so I figured out it’d be better to bring him with me until he calmed down a bit.”It felt as if the dark clouds over her head cleared out, the moment Camila called to say she’d found Manu and that he was okay.What were the chances of that happening? And she’d never imagined Camila would call her first, if she knew that her cousin was in charge of Manu that day. Maybe she didn’t know. Either this had been a horrible act from Mateo’s side, which she doubted since the bastard called the police after all, or it was a miracle and she was lucky enough to get her son back in one piece.Valeria barely waited for Daniel to
“What? When? An hour ago? Why didn’t you tell me immediately?” Valeria hated herself for not picking the phone at the first ring, although one minute wouldn’t change or solve the problem at hand. She knew there was a reason for her to feel uncomfortable with letting Manu go with that man. “You are an idiot. And where are all your ‘men’ protecting my son when he’s with you?!” She hopped into the car, and Daniel put a hand on her shoulder to remind “Ask him where they were when Manu disappeared.” Her eyes were red and her lips were trembling after she ended the call, in part because of her anger, but mostly because of fear. “In the Plaza Mall. But they have looked there
After waiting for a lifetime to confess, and then the person you loved was the one to say those words first, it was like suddenly reaching the very top on the stairway to heaven.He loved her.And yet, that day, and even until now, Valeria found herself not being able to say it back.“Look who’s there waiting for you.” Luz elbowed her when they were walking to the parking lot after the staff meeting ended.Daniel waved his hand at them.“And that’s a really nice car that he got. “Her friend seemed to be especially enthusiastic with the story of Daniel moving to the city and celebrated it as a sign that Valeria would soon be joining the club of
Ignoring Rosa’s words, Valeria was actually grateful that Manu could stay with the Garcías that night. It was only six in the evening but she really wanted to sleep, and ten minutes later when they got home, she crashed on the couch.“I know you’re tired, but at least go to sleep in your bed, Vale.”She shook her head. “I can’t get up anymore. Would you bring me a pillow?”He sighed, and she heard his steps around the room but then, very abruptly, she was being lifted in his arms.“What are you doing?!” Valeria’s eyes were wide open, and she held onto his shoulders tightly, afraid of falling.“I’m taking you to bed, and then I’m leaving
At some point, he’d got to look at himself in the mirror, and all of their interactions in the last ten years, and realize just how he’d remained oblivious only because he wanted to.“I think I started liking you when I was… fourteen, maybe? If I didn’t say a word about it, how could you know?”That’s what she said.However, they had been friends for so long, shouldn’t he have seen it?Daniel thought of Leah, and the last discussion they had before breaking up (was it just around two years ago? It felt like a lifetime had passed after that very short-lived relationship).“Why are you making it so complicated? I’m just saying we should wait a coupl