Por si éramos pocos by Belenuski - Chapter 12 (Part 4)
Title: Por si éramos pocos by Belenuski
Rating: PG-13
NB: I know, I know, I rock. :-P Work's been ridiculously slow, so I've been able to churn out all these updates that I hope y'all are enjoying. I apologize for not responding to the comments in the last few posts, but I am reading them and I appreciate them! This is more than likely going to be the last update 'til next year, so I hope y'all like it.
March 27th
A week had passed since the incident. In the last seven days, the people who surrounded Noah had had their thoughts irrevocably changed, and not just because of the girl’s illness.
At the precinct, the mood was so tense that there were moments when you could cut the air with a knife.
Don Lorenzo worked non-stop and at his age it was taking a toll, he was getting quite old. Lola spent the days coming and going from Lucas’ and Sara’s chalet, worried about them, remembering that she had left precisely because of these kinds of fears that always came with being a family of police officers.
Paco and Mariano had been put in charge of Curtis, Rita, and Povedilla, tracing leads, unsuccessfully interrogating their detainee, going back undercover in the strip club which was, as expected, under new management.
At the precinct, everybody kept a look out of the corner of their eyes, any movement was suspicious, even the janitors had to sign-in before walking into the building. Everybody was on the lookout for the clues that would lead them to El Gordo, to Alec, or to both. They only thing they all wanted was to live peacefully, although this was more difficult for some than others.
Pepa and Silvia’s fears were compounded by the thought that they could be under the Italian Camorra’s radar again, by the reality of their daughter’s illness, and, in smaller part, by the relationship between the two of them. They kept a much closer watch on the girl, although, after seven days with the inhaler, they had gotten used to it. Noah learned when to use the inhaler without needing to be taught, any exercise now was causing her to feel pressure in her chest that only the inhaler helped relieve. But in any case, that didn’t slow her down and she continued to be just as restless and mischievous as ever.
Silvia, for her part, hadn’t stopped analyzing and re-analyzing the bodies of the two triplets that had been murdered. Though she felt a pinch in her stomach when she remembered that night in the strip club, she volunteered to close the site and search for drugs, fingerprints, or even one miserable hair to aid their investigation.
And then there was the ‘going home’ part.
For the redhead, the last few months had been anything but happy. After the news of Pepa’s pregnancy and after sleeping with David that night, she had realized that she needed to move on, and with urgency. She hadn’t felt any pleasure with David, she even found it to be uncomfortable, but she had to get rid of those feelings for Pepa one way or another.
At first she felt like a complete shit, for using him and for lowering herself to sleeping with someone she didn’t even love, but then she realized that maybe she could love him some day. That New Year’s Eve, she had told him that she needed a friend and if one day she needed a partner, she’d turn to him, and that’s just what she did. She would never fall in love by chance again, like she did with Pepa. She would never run into a friend from the past who she kissed one time and start up a relationship as unstable as the ups and downs of a roller coaster, and much less would she ever feel with anyone what she did with Pepa, so that’s why she had to wait to fall in love, force herself to.
She did, in fact, like David. Physically speaking, more than personality-wise. He was tall, younger than she, muscular and attractive, and what’s more, he had a really handsome face. As for his character, he made her laugh, he worried about her, and he loved her look of concentration. But he wasn’t like Pepa, and she knew that very well. He didn’t stay in bed to stare at her tenderly, he didn’t smile at every move the redhead made, he didn’t touch her hair when he saw that she was upset…for Silvia, David was the type who would bring breakfast to bed but wouldn’t enjoy it there by your side. But she knew that he was like that, that more than love, he had a bit of an obsession, a small need to have her just to have her. And in his thoughts, Silvia would be the perfect lover to have in secret, to have clandestine moments with, to sleep with and then not have to give a massage to before falling asleep. And it’s just that, he was the kind of person who was more focused on his job than on love.
“If I force myself…” The redhead thought to herself.
She knew that if she looked for him while he scanned through reports, if she called him and sent him three messages a day saying she loved him, if she said nice things, if she seduced him…he would surely end up completely in love, but Silvia couldn’t do it.
“Not yet,” she said.
But it was too soon, because Pepa was still in her head, waiting for her. When she had determined to try things with him, to invite him to live in her house, to have family dinners with Noah, to try to have something more substantial with him…Pepa had to go and start talking to her again. Noah got sick and they went right back to touching each other, to holding each other. And that kiss to Pepa’s forehead was just a diversion to not kiss her lips, because that’s what she had really wanted to do.
“You’re an idiot,” Sara had told her. She had found out about all this when she and Silvia went shopping one Sunday afternoon, escorted by an undercover cop, of course. “It’s just that you couldn’t be any more stupid if you tried, tita.”
“Joder, Sara…” Silvia grumbled as she stroked the soft down of a coat.
“Don’t start with the joder. I just don’t know why you’re telling me this. So I can be upset knowing that you two could be together except you’re not because of your pride and stubbornness, is that it?”
“It’s not because of my pride, nor my stubbornness, it’s not because of any of that. You think that I can live like that? Now I’ll kiss you, now I’ll hate you? Sara…I can’t get carried away again, because I can’t…I can’t trust Pepa.”
“Said the pot to the kettle!” She said sarcastically. “Tita, please! It’s Pepa, it would never cross her mind to hurt you.”
“I know that, but her problem is that she does it without realizing it. Pepa…Pepa is the most clueless person in the world. And I’m sure that she wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but she does it without meaning to. It’s happened many times already.”
“And that’s why you’re running. There you go, run away from the storm and hide.”
Silvia shook her head, crestfallen.
“The few times that I’ve tried to weather the storm, I’ve been knocked down. When we didn’t take that break in Barcelona, there came her lies and my doubts. When I didn’t want to get divorced to see if we could work things out, she kissed Aitor. Out of fear of fucking things up again, I tried to stay away after New Year’s Eve, but I couldn’t help myself and I fell again. And I swear to you that I was never more sure that we could go back to being a family on el día de reyes when I told her I loved her…and she was pregnant, Sara. I can’t risk myself anymore, it scares me.”
Her niece looked at her sadly, the truth was that she had no right to be throwing things in her face. Silvia was only trying to move on, she didn’t want to hurt anybody…but it upset her so much that they both loved each other and she couldn’t do anything to help them.
It was an intense conversation, but it didn’t last any longer.
And while Sara was the best confidante, while she tried to no interfere and only help from a distance, this time she couldn’t, this time she had to tell Pepa about the conversation, and contrary to what Sara had thought, Pepa took it as a positive.
“I’m going to get her to trust me again,” the brunette said. “Even if it takes twenty years.”
______________
Silvia took the last bite of her toast when she heard a knock at the door. She knew exactly who it was so she only tightened her robe and opened the door, smiling at the well-dressed guy who had left his Mercedes with two giant suitcases waiting downstairs for him to say goodbye to his girlfriend.
“You going already?” The redhead asked. “What time does your flight leave?”
“At 10, but you know, getting there two hours early is crucial.”
“Yeah…”
Silence. Since Noah’s asthma had started, there had been many silences between them. Or rather, since Pepa and Silvia had started speaking again, the relationship between Silvia and David had cooled considerably. But it was because Silvia had Pepa in her head all the time and she didn’t like the idea of kissing one while thinking of the other.
“And Noah?”
“Asleep, it’s still early. I’ll get her up soon to go to school.”
“So that by the time I come back, she’ll already know how to add.”
“And probably subtract, six months is a long time.”
“Pepa will already have had the baby by then.”
Low blow. That comment crossed the line and they both knew it. He had said it to make sure that nothing happened in his absence, and she didn’t really like his manner of marking territory.
“Yes, it’ll be a month later.”
David was leaving to Italy to work day and night with Interpol. For some time, he had been a well-respected officer and they were more than happy to have his help there. They had been after the camorra for many years. And he’d be there six months since nothing was strongly tying him to Madrid. He loved Silvia, but this job opportunity could take him to the top if it worked out well.
“Well, I should be going. I’m going to miss you.” He stroked Silvia’s face and she smiled.
“Me too.”
“Bye, preciosa.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.”
Silvia only nodded and smiled at him, nothing more. They said goodbye after another kiss and with a simple wave of his hand, he got back in his car. The redhead didn’t know if his leaving was a positive or negative thing. She was going to have a lot of time to think.
She sighed and looked at the clock. She had about 15 minutes before she had to wake Noah up, so she went downstairs to pick up the mail, as she did every day. She cleaned up what was left of her breakfast and prepared Noah’s. She sifted through the letters and, before going to get dressed, she came across an envelope with no address, only her name in large letters. And she knew that hand-writing.
“It can’t be…” she muttered. She opened it carefully and her heart pounded. As she pulled out the sheet of paper, millions of butterflies took flight in her stomach and she shook her head.
“Look in Noah’s pants.”
It was Pepa’s writing.
She left the envelope and paper on the counter and leaned against its edge. She thought twice about it, but a small smile escaped her lips and she checked the time again. She could wake her daughter now.
“Noah, let’s go,” she said as she opened the curtains.
“Mmm…” the girl grumbled, turning over without opening her eyes.
“Come on, mi amor,” Silvia insisted, pulling Noah’s cover down, causing her to pull her knees up.
“School’s not going anywhere…” Noah said annoyed, repeating the phrase that they always told her whenever she was in a rush to get to someplace particular. Silvia smiled and looked around the room.
“Where’d you leave your clothes from yesterday?”
Noah didn’t respond, she was curled up into a ball, not wanting to wake up.
Silvia then threw herself down beside the girl and peppered the girl’s cheek, forehead, and nose with loud kisses. Noah started to laugh.
“Mami! Stop!”
Silvia tickled Noah until she responded by trying to tickle her back, finally trying to hit her mother with a pillow.
“Okay, come on, it’s getting late. And the clothes?”
Noah jumped out of the bed, now that she was more than awake. She stuck her finger in her mouth and looked all around. She ended up ducking down to pull some clothes out from underneath the bed.
“Here!”
Silvia frowned.
“You know…you’re a bit messy, eh? Alright, go wash your face, I’m going to warm up your milk.”
“I’m going, I’m going I’m going!” The girl sang, hopping to the bathroom. Silvia rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl’s pants. She searched the pockets and found a new piece of paper.
“What has Noah hidden on top of the wardrobe this time?”
She shook her head and rubbed her face with her hands. She shouldn’t be playing along but…the excitement was too much. She heard her daughter start cracking up laughing in the bathroom, so she walked over there. Noah was looking at herself in the mirror, running her finger along the spikes she had made with her hair.
“Look, mamá! I look crazy!”
Silvia joined in laughing, her daughter could be pretty comical. The pajamas with grey elephants on a pink background, her slippers that she dragged around because they were a size too big, the pillow marks still on her face, and her hair a mess. She looked so funny, Silvia couldn’t help taking her in her arms as if she were a baby and kissing her belly. That made them both laugh again.
She went to warm up her daughter’s milk, and while Noah drank it, she went to her bedroom. She took out the clothes Noah would take with her that day, sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. She had athletics today, so as she got Noah’s sneakers out, she was a bit concerned. She couldn’t forget the inhaler, so that was the first thing she put into Noah’s backpack.
When she left the clothes out on the unmade-bed, she looked at the wardrobe.
“This…this is absurd,” she whispered, turning her back to the wardrobe. She was going to make the bed, but she turned to look at the wardrobe again. “Bah, only because I’m curious.”
Her and her pride, like always. She pulled over the chair Noah had in her room and stood on top of it. She touched the top part of the wardrobe and could only feel a piece of paper with something on top. She grabbed both things. The object was a small box, like a locked jeweler’s box. She read the paper:
“Paloma Park, 10:30. I’ll give you the key there.”
She shook the box next to her ear. There was something inside, it was only one piece. She read the paper again and sighed, but she wasn’t smiling anymore. Should she go?
She put the box in the bag and went to the kitchen where her daughter was smashing half the toast with one of her fingers. When Noah realized her mother was behind her, she turned around and pouted, but Silvia cut her off.
“You’re going to eat all of it, and no, don’t start whining with me.”
Noah crossed her arms and inflated her cheeks. She kicked the table and Silvia gave her a small smack on the head.
“Did we start the day on the wrong foot?”
The girl looked at her in confusion and pushed away from the table. She looked at her feet then pretended to write to figure out which side was her left and which was her right. She pointed at one of her legs.
“It’s an expression,” the redhead explained seeing the look on her daughter’s face. “Finish your toast.”
“And…” Noah tried to think of a question to avoid having to eat. “And what does it mean?”
“You say it when someone wakes up in a bad mood or has bad luck.”
“Like when mamá gets on owie when she wakes up and hits her toe on the bed and yells?”
Silvia laughed. Pepa had the bad luck of almost always hitting her small toe on the foot of the bed.
“Yes, like that.”
“And after, when she goes to the bathroom and there’s no water? And then when she goes to the kitchen and she drops her glass of milk?”
Silvia crossed her arms. Noah still hadn’t taken another bite.
“Cariño, we can go on like this all morning, but you’re going to eat that toast.”
Noah peered at the toast and picked it up unenthusiastically. She looked at her mother out of the corner of her eye and dropped the toast to the floor. Silvia looked at her angrily.
“Noah!”
“I started the day on the wrong foot!”
Links to the original story:
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8481210-por-si-eramos-pocos-01-11-09-23-40/
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8680673-por-si-eramos-pocos-ii-28-11-09-21-35/
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8848739-por-si-eramos-pocos-iii-14-02-10-0-55-finalizado/
Rating: PG-13
NB: I know, I know, I rock. :-P Work's been ridiculously slow, so I've been able to churn out all these updates that I hope y'all are enjoying. I apologize for not responding to the comments in the last few posts, but I am reading them and I appreciate them! This is more than likely going to be the last update 'til next year, so I hope y'all like it.
March 27th
A week had passed since the incident. In the last seven days, the people who surrounded Noah had had their thoughts irrevocably changed, and not just because of the girl’s illness.
At the precinct, the mood was so tense that there were moments when you could cut the air with a knife.
Don Lorenzo worked non-stop and at his age it was taking a toll, he was getting quite old. Lola spent the days coming and going from Lucas’ and Sara’s chalet, worried about them, remembering that she had left precisely because of these kinds of fears that always came with being a family of police officers.
Paco and Mariano had been put in charge of Curtis, Rita, and Povedilla, tracing leads, unsuccessfully interrogating their detainee, going back undercover in the strip club which was, as expected, under new management.
At the precinct, everybody kept a look out of the corner of their eyes, any movement was suspicious, even the janitors had to sign-in before walking into the building. Everybody was on the lookout for the clues that would lead them to El Gordo, to Alec, or to both. They only thing they all wanted was to live peacefully, although this was more difficult for some than others.
Pepa and Silvia’s fears were compounded by the thought that they could be under the Italian Camorra’s radar again, by the reality of their daughter’s illness, and, in smaller part, by the relationship between the two of them. They kept a much closer watch on the girl, although, after seven days with the inhaler, they had gotten used to it. Noah learned when to use the inhaler without needing to be taught, any exercise now was causing her to feel pressure in her chest that only the inhaler helped relieve. But in any case, that didn’t slow her down and she continued to be just as restless and mischievous as ever.
Silvia, for her part, hadn’t stopped analyzing and re-analyzing the bodies of the two triplets that had been murdered. Though she felt a pinch in her stomach when she remembered that night in the strip club, she volunteered to close the site and search for drugs, fingerprints, or even one miserable hair to aid their investigation.
And then there was the ‘going home’ part.
For the redhead, the last few months had been anything but happy. After the news of Pepa’s pregnancy and after sleeping with David that night, she had realized that she needed to move on, and with urgency. She hadn’t felt any pleasure with David, she even found it to be uncomfortable, but she had to get rid of those feelings for Pepa one way or another.
At first she felt like a complete shit, for using him and for lowering herself to sleeping with someone she didn’t even love, but then she realized that maybe she could love him some day. That New Year’s Eve, she had told him that she needed a friend and if one day she needed a partner, she’d turn to him, and that’s just what she did. She would never fall in love by chance again, like she did with Pepa. She would never run into a friend from the past who she kissed one time and start up a relationship as unstable as the ups and downs of a roller coaster, and much less would she ever feel with anyone what she did with Pepa, so that’s why she had to wait to fall in love, force herself to.
She did, in fact, like David. Physically speaking, more than personality-wise. He was tall, younger than she, muscular and attractive, and what’s more, he had a really handsome face. As for his character, he made her laugh, he worried about her, and he loved her look of concentration. But he wasn’t like Pepa, and she knew that very well. He didn’t stay in bed to stare at her tenderly, he didn’t smile at every move the redhead made, he didn’t touch her hair when he saw that she was upset…for Silvia, David was the type who would bring breakfast to bed but wouldn’t enjoy it there by your side. But she knew that he was like that, that more than love, he had a bit of an obsession, a small need to have her just to have her. And in his thoughts, Silvia would be the perfect lover to have in secret, to have clandestine moments with, to sleep with and then not have to give a massage to before falling asleep. And it’s just that, he was the kind of person who was more focused on his job than on love.
“If I force myself…” The redhead thought to herself.
She knew that if she looked for him while he scanned through reports, if she called him and sent him three messages a day saying she loved him, if she said nice things, if she seduced him…he would surely end up completely in love, but Silvia couldn’t do it.
“Not yet,” she said.
But it was too soon, because Pepa was still in her head, waiting for her. When she had determined to try things with him, to invite him to live in her house, to have family dinners with Noah, to try to have something more substantial with him…Pepa had to go and start talking to her again. Noah got sick and they went right back to touching each other, to holding each other. And that kiss to Pepa’s forehead was just a diversion to not kiss her lips, because that’s what she had really wanted to do.
“You’re an idiot,” Sara had told her. She had found out about all this when she and Silvia went shopping one Sunday afternoon, escorted by an undercover cop, of course. “It’s just that you couldn’t be any more stupid if you tried, tita.”
“Joder, Sara…” Silvia grumbled as she stroked the soft down of a coat.
“Don’t start with the joder. I just don’t know why you’re telling me this. So I can be upset knowing that you two could be together except you’re not because of your pride and stubbornness, is that it?”
“It’s not because of my pride, nor my stubbornness, it’s not because of any of that. You think that I can live like that? Now I’ll kiss you, now I’ll hate you? Sara…I can’t get carried away again, because I can’t…I can’t trust Pepa.”
“Said the pot to the kettle!” She said sarcastically. “Tita, please! It’s Pepa, it would never cross her mind to hurt you.”
“I know that, but her problem is that she does it without realizing it. Pepa…Pepa is the most clueless person in the world. And I’m sure that she wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but she does it without meaning to. It’s happened many times already.”
“And that’s why you’re running. There you go, run away from the storm and hide.”
Silvia shook her head, crestfallen.
“The few times that I’ve tried to weather the storm, I’ve been knocked down. When we didn’t take that break in Barcelona, there came her lies and my doubts. When I didn’t want to get divorced to see if we could work things out, she kissed Aitor. Out of fear of fucking things up again, I tried to stay away after New Year’s Eve, but I couldn’t help myself and I fell again. And I swear to you that I was never more sure that we could go back to being a family on el día de reyes when I told her I loved her…and she was pregnant, Sara. I can’t risk myself anymore, it scares me.”
Her niece looked at her sadly, the truth was that she had no right to be throwing things in her face. Silvia was only trying to move on, she didn’t want to hurt anybody…but it upset her so much that they both loved each other and she couldn’t do anything to help them.
It was an intense conversation, but it didn’t last any longer.
And while Sara was the best confidante, while she tried to no interfere and only help from a distance, this time she couldn’t, this time she had to tell Pepa about the conversation, and contrary to what Sara had thought, Pepa took it as a positive.
“I’m going to get her to trust me again,” the brunette said. “Even if it takes twenty years.”
______________
Silvia took the last bite of her toast when she heard a knock at the door. She knew exactly who it was so she only tightened her robe and opened the door, smiling at the well-dressed guy who had left his Mercedes with two giant suitcases waiting downstairs for him to say goodbye to his girlfriend.
“You going already?” The redhead asked. “What time does your flight leave?”
“At 10, but you know, getting there two hours early is crucial.”
“Yeah…”
Silence. Since Noah’s asthma had started, there had been many silences between them. Or rather, since Pepa and Silvia had started speaking again, the relationship between Silvia and David had cooled considerably. But it was because Silvia had Pepa in her head all the time and she didn’t like the idea of kissing one while thinking of the other.
“And Noah?”
“Asleep, it’s still early. I’ll get her up soon to go to school.”
“So that by the time I come back, she’ll already know how to add.”
“And probably subtract, six months is a long time.”
“Pepa will already have had the baby by then.”
Low blow. That comment crossed the line and they both knew it. He had said it to make sure that nothing happened in his absence, and she didn’t really like his manner of marking territory.
“Yes, it’ll be a month later.”
David was leaving to Italy to work day and night with Interpol. For some time, he had been a well-respected officer and they were more than happy to have his help there. They had been after the camorra for many years. And he’d be there six months since nothing was strongly tying him to Madrid. He loved Silvia, but this job opportunity could take him to the top if it worked out well.
“Well, I should be going. I’m going to miss you.” He stroked Silvia’s face and she smiled.
“Me too.”
“Bye, preciosa.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.”
Silvia only nodded and smiled at him, nothing more. They said goodbye after another kiss and with a simple wave of his hand, he got back in his car. The redhead didn’t know if his leaving was a positive or negative thing. She was going to have a lot of time to think.
She sighed and looked at the clock. She had about 15 minutes before she had to wake Noah up, so she went downstairs to pick up the mail, as she did every day. She cleaned up what was left of her breakfast and prepared Noah’s. She sifted through the letters and, before going to get dressed, she came across an envelope with no address, only her name in large letters. And she knew that hand-writing.
“It can’t be…” she muttered. She opened it carefully and her heart pounded. As she pulled out the sheet of paper, millions of butterflies took flight in her stomach and she shook her head.
“Look in Noah’s pants.”
It was Pepa’s writing.
She left the envelope and paper on the counter and leaned against its edge. She thought twice about it, but a small smile escaped her lips and she checked the time again. She could wake her daughter now.
“Noah, let’s go,” she said as she opened the curtains.
“Mmm…” the girl grumbled, turning over without opening her eyes.
“Come on, mi amor,” Silvia insisted, pulling Noah’s cover down, causing her to pull her knees up.
“School’s not going anywhere…” Noah said annoyed, repeating the phrase that they always told her whenever she was in a rush to get to someplace particular. Silvia smiled and looked around the room.
“Where’d you leave your clothes from yesterday?”
Noah didn’t respond, she was curled up into a ball, not wanting to wake up.
Silvia then threw herself down beside the girl and peppered the girl’s cheek, forehead, and nose with loud kisses. Noah started to laugh.
“Mami! Stop!”
Silvia tickled Noah until she responded by trying to tickle her back, finally trying to hit her mother with a pillow.
“Okay, come on, it’s getting late. And the clothes?”
Noah jumped out of the bed, now that she was more than awake. She stuck her finger in her mouth and looked all around. She ended up ducking down to pull some clothes out from underneath the bed.
“Here!”
Silvia frowned.
“You know…you’re a bit messy, eh? Alright, go wash your face, I’m going to warm up your milk.”
“I’m going, I’m going I’m going!” The girl sang, hopping to the bathroom. Silvia rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl’s pants. She searched the pockets and found a new piece of paper.
“What has Noah hidden on top of the wardrobe this time?”
She shook her head and rubbed her face with her hands. She shouldn’t be playing along but…the excitement was too much. She heard her daughter start cracking up laughing in the bathroom, so she walked over there. Noah was looking at herself in the mirror, running her finger along the spikes she had made with her hair.
“Look, mamá! I look crazy!”
Silvia joined in laughing, her daughter could be pretty comical. The pajamas with grey elephants on a pink background, her slippers that she dragged around because they were a size too big, the pillow marks still on her face, and her hair a mess. She looked so funny, Silvia couldn’t help taking her in her arms as if she were a baby and kissing her belly. That made them both laugh again.
She went to warm up her daughter’s milk, and while Noah drank it, she went to her bedroom. She took out the clothes Noah would take with her that day, sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. She had athletics today, so as she got Noah’s sneakers out, she was a bit concerned. She couldn’t forget the inhaler, so that was the first thing she put into Noah’s backpack.
When she left the clothes out on the unmade-bed, she looked at the wardrobe.
“This…this is absurd,” she whispered, turning her back to the wardrobe. She was going to make the bed, but she turned to look at the wardrobe again. “Bah, only because I’m curious.”
Her and her pride, like always. She pulled over the chair Noah had in her room and stood on top of it. She touched the top part of the wardrobe and could only feel a piece of paper with something on top. She grabbed both things. The object was a small box, like a locked jeweler’s box. She read the paper:
“Paloma Park, 10:30. I’ll give you the key there.”
She shook the box next to her ear. There was something inside, it was only one piece. She read the paper again and sighed, but she wasn’t smiling anymore. Should she go?
She put the box in the bag and went to the kitchen where her daughter was smashing half the toast with one of her fingers. When Noah realized her mother was behind her, she turned around and pouted, but Silvia cut her off.
“You’re going to eat all of it, and no, don’t start whining with me.”
Noah crossed her arms and inflated her cheeks. She kicked the table and Silvia gave her a small smack on the head.
“Did we start the day on the wrong foot?”
The girl looked at her in confusion and pushed away from the table. She looked at her feet then pretended to write to figure out which side was her left and which was her right. She pointed at one of her legs.
“It’s an expression,” the redhead explained seeing the look on her daughter’s face. “Finish your toast.”
“And…” Noah tried to think of a question to avoid having to eat. “And what does it mean?”
“You say it when someone wakes up in a bad mood or has bad luck.”
“Like when mamá gets on owie when she wakes up and hits her toe on the bed and yells?”
Silvia laughed. Pepa had the bad luck of almost always hitting her small toe on the foot of the bed.
“Yes, like that.”
“And after, when she goes to the bathroom and there’s no water? And then when she goes to the kitchen and she drops her glass of milk?”
Silvia crossed her arms. Noah still hadn’t taken another bite.
“Cariño, we can go on like this all morning, but you’re going to eat that toast.”
Noah peered at the toast and picked it up unenthusiastically. She looked at her mother out of the corner of her eye and dropped the toast to the floor. Silvia looked at her angrily.
“Noah!”
“I started the day on the wrong foot!”
Links to the original story:
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8481210-por-si-eramos-pocos-01-11-09-23-40/
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8680673-por-si-eramos-pocos-ii-28-11-09-21-35/
http://pepaysilvia.mforos.com/1469855/8848739-por-si-eramos-pocos-iii-14-02-10-0-55-finalizado/