Title: Por si éramos pocos by Belenuski - Chapter 13 (Part 1)
Title: Por si éramos pocos by Belenuski
Rating: PG
NB: The start of Chapter 13 is finally here! Hope y'all like it...I'll try to get more out soon. Read, enjoy, comment! ;-)
13. And then, he arrived.
April 15th
It was cloudy. In Malaga, it was quite windy by the beach, but Silvia didn’t mind, quite the contrary. She had taken off her shoes and walked along the sand, looking out at the sea. She neared the shore and when she saw a shell, she bent to pick it up, not realizing the water was coming towards her. When the water touched her feet, she quickly jumped away.
“It’s freezing!”
It was five in the afternoon and there were lots of people leisurely strolling down the promenade. Elderly people walking arm-in-arm, younger people on bicycles, kids with skates on the bike path…Silvia stepped out of the sand to continue her walk to the hotel, and while she sat on a bench and slipped her shoes back on, she noted the calm happiness that was in the air there. It was what she liked most about that city, the quiet, peaceful charm, the joy and friendliness of the people.
“That’s how the south is,” Pepa had told her one night when they were talking over the microphone, using the webcam. “The people open up to you with a smile, you get used to walking around unrushed and…you end up falling in love with the place.”
Silvia took off her thin jacket when she walked into a bar and, greeting the bartender she already knew since she had been going there for coffee every evening, she took a seat at a table that overlooked the street. While she drank her coffee, she saw a mother and daughter walk by holding hands, talking about whatever the girl, who was probably the same age as Noah, was animatedly saying. She smiled thinking about her daughter and sighed. She missed her.
She had been in Malaga for exactly two weeks and in a couple of days, she’d return to Madrid. She’d had plenty of time to think and her two weeks of vacation had run out, so she had to return to the precinct.
She had already accepted the fact that, whether the boy took her last name or not, it was silly to think she wouldn’t be his parent. She was with Pepa, so she’d be seeing him every day, and he, imitating his sister, would call her mamá, which had her a little worried. The boy would sooner or later ask questions and…what would they tell him? Pepa had made it clear what she would prefer:
“When Noah’s older, she’ll know that she was conceived through artificial insemination…he’ll think the same thing.”
But that didn’t seem like a good idea to Silvia. If they let him think that he was conceived in a hospital, wouldn’t that be lying to him? It wouldn’t be right. And then there was the factor of later telling him the truth, which in this scenario, she also didn’t view as being right. Aitor, as he was now, would be known to the boy as a friend of the family, as a cousin. Noah adored Aitor and he surely would, too. And then, one fine day, they would tell him that Aitor is his father. How would he feel?
She had thought about it long and hard all the days she’d been in Malaga. In the end, she had reached the decision of what she thought would be best, and that would be to not accept being the boy’s father and giving him Aitor’s last name. That the boy should call Aitor “papá” and she “Silvia”, with the redhead simply being the girlfriend of his mother.
She looked at her watch; it was six. She got herself comfortable in her chair, looked at the sky, and sighed. That night, when she spoke to Pepa, she would tell her. That, no matter if it hurt, it seemed it would be for the best.
_______
It was raining in Madrid. Pepa, inside a book store, also looked up at the sky, dark and full of clouds. It hadn’t stopped raining all day and puddles had formed on the streets, puddles that Noah jumped into with her rain boots the whole way to the store. Pepa, skimming through a book, looked behind her and saw her daughter going through some of the children’s books. She smiled. It had been Noah who had asked to go that afternoon because she wanted to look for new books for her collection. She still couldn’t read, but looking at the covers gave her a good idea of what she wanted to try. The store was small, so Pepa was able to leave Noah alone in there.
Noah walked over to the next aisle of children’s books a little annoyed, she couldn’t find what she was looking for. She saw a cover that got her attention and when she opened it up and saw the last picture, she closed it and put it back on the shelf with a sigh. She did the same with three or four more books, but none of them seemed to interest her.
“Have you found one, cariño?” Pepa asked as she walked up and stroked Noah’s hair, looking around to see if she could find a book to buy her daughter.
“No, but I don’t care, because if nobody’s made the book I want, I’ll do it.”
Pepa looked at her in surprise, but she smiled when she imagined her daughter writing a book. Would she be a writer when she grew up?
“But...you still don’t know how to write.”
“Yeah, but I can do it in pictures. And, I’m gonna start in the big school, and they’ll teach me to read and write.”
Pepa smiled more widely, happy that her daughter had that desire to learn, but even so, she glanced around again and looked at the covers of the books that, placed crookedly on the shelves, she figured her daughter had grabbed.
“What kind of book do you want? Maybe if we ask someone, they’ll bring it.”
Noah thought about it, but she shook her head.
“It’s a secret.”
Pepa rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that Noah always said that when she was too embarrassed to tell the truth. The brunette looked at her watch and her eyes opened wide.
“Six!” She grabbed her daughter’s hand and buttoned up her yellow raincoat. Noah put on her hat. “Run, cariño! Or we won’t make it!”
Pepa opened the umbrella and helped the little one open hers. They raced away as quickly as they could, but the rain started to come down harder, so they had to seek shelter under the metal awning of a closed café. Panting, Pepa leaned against the wall. Noah laughed at the sight of her mother so tired out, but it’s just that her five-month pregnancy was starting to take its toll. Noah heard a thunderclap and, frightened, she pressed her face to her mother’s stomach. “Mamá! There’s thunder, I’m scared!”
“Come on, Noah, you’re a big girl now. The thunder is nothing more than noise.”
“No, no! Pick me up, pick me up!” The little one hopped up and down with her arms outstretched, but Pepa shook her head.
“None of that, I already have enough with your brother.”
Noah started to pout, but her mother continued to ignore her, she was used to it. At first, it was painful to Noah back to bed when she had had a nightmare, but her daughter was growing up and she didn’t want to turn her into one of those girls who at 12 years old still needed her mother at all hours.
She looked at her watch and sighed. They would be late. She suddenly felt a vibration underneath her belly and for one second, she got excited thinking it was the baby. She had been hoping for a few days now to feel him kick since five months is when they started doing that, more or less, but she still hadn’t felt anything and this time wasn’t going to be the exception. She pulled her cell out of her purse.
“What’s up, Sara?”
“Tita, I need you to come to the house.”
“I’ll be there in a couple hours, if it stops raining that is.”
”A couple hours? You can’t come now?”
“No way, I have to go for an ultrasound.”
”But…I need to talk to you or Silvia, and since she’s in Malaga, well…”
“Well, lucky for me! What’ve you done?”
“No, it’s just that…well…Tita, seriously, I have to talk to you in person.”
Pepa rolled her eyes and looked at her at her daughter, who had put her hat back on and clutched tightly to her mother. Noah’s clothes were starting to get wet since her rain jacket was soaked.
“Well, I’m sorry, but it’s pouring out, I’m stuck under a metal roof with a girl who’s grabbing me tighter and tighter, my clothes are soaked, and I’m not going to make it to my appointment on time.
Pepa heard a sigh on the other side of the phone and figured her niece was nervous about something.
“Can I pick you up in the car and that way we can get it done altogether? You won’t get any more wet, I’ll get you to your appointment, and then we can talk.”
“Perfect. You see? Now we understand each other.”
Ten minutes later, a grey car with Sara behind the wheel pulled up in front of the café and, in one quick race, mother and daughter climbed inside, able to finally go to the consultation with Juan. Sara didn’t say a word through the whole ride, she seemed nervous, absent.
“Hello, Noah!” The doctor exclaimed when he saw her. “And you’ve brought a friend today?”
“She’s my cousin, Sara!” The girl said proudly.
Sara smiled in response and when she did, Juan’s eyes shot open wide.
“Sara?! Lola’s daughter?! It’s amazing! Do you remember me? How you’ve grown!”
“Great…” Pepa mumbled as she walked inside uninvited and sat down on the examination table. She still remembered when they had came for the insemination the first time. Juan had flattered Silvia the whole time, being that she was the sister of the woman he had been in love with during college, he was excited to see her. Now, this young blonde had unexpectedly shown up and made him smile.
“Well, come in, come in,” Juan turned on the computers and with a look, indicated that Pepa should lay down. Noah sat on cousin’s lap and Sara looked around the room curiously. “I’m an idiot! I had been thinking about Pepa and Lola’s family separately, but I suppose that when she married Silvia, she became your aunt.”
As he said this, he had lifted Pepa’s shirt to start applying the gel.
“Well, she was already my aunt before. She’s my father’s sister.”
Juan turned around and looked at her in incomprehension. Then he turned to look at Pepa blankly and she sighed.
“Nobody had told me that,” Juan said curiously.
“It’s not exactly an important fact…can we get started sometime today?”
Juan shrugged his shoulders and spread the gel. Before turning on the monitor, he looked at Sara again.”
“You also joined the police, right? Lola told me something like that.”
“Yes, I guess it’s family tradition. Even my husband, too.”
“Go on! You’re married? With someone from the precinct? Do I know him?”
“Juan, please…” Pepa insisted.
He turned on the monitor. He was the very curious type and he was more focused on the unexpected visit than he was on finding the fetus, so he lifted up the probe before really searching for an image of the baby. He looked at Sara again and she, enjoying their absurd conversation, nodded.
“Well, I don’t know, but his name is Lucas Fernandez.”
“Lucas…” he muttered. “Lucas…that name sounds familiar.”
“He’s Silvia’s ex-husband, do you mind if we continue?” Pepa urged, agigated.
Juan’s mouth hung open in disbelief and he placed the probe back on Pepa’s belly, still not looking at the monitor.
“What are you telling me?! Let’s see, let me clarify. Silvia was married to Lucas, who’s now your husband. At the same time, Pepa is your father’s sister, and your father is Lola’s husband. So, that means Pepa and Silvia are sisters-in-law…what a circus! And here we are looking for the smallest one of the family!”
“Excuse me? Looking for?” Pepa asked sarcastically.
Sara laughed loudly and the brunette lifted her hands to her face in desperation. Noah looked at everyone without understanding anything.
“Well, he’s not the smallest one, there’s another.”
Pepa pulled her hands away from her face and looked at her niece.
“Now you’re going to tell me I’m expecting twins…” she grumbled.
“No, I’m telling you that I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
Noah raised her head and looked at her cousin with her finger in her mouth, then she bent her head and looked at Sara’s belly. That she did understand. Juan smiled happily and Pepa slowly sat up, holding up her shirt so it wouldn’t get messy with gel.
“What?”
Sara bit her bottom lip and smiled.
“That’s what I needed to talk to you about.”
Pepa, still with her mouth open, pointed with her finger.”
“But…you’re serious?”
“I’m six weeks along.”
The brunette placed her hand over her mouth and then she smiled. Not caring if it got dirty now, she let go of her shirt and threw out her arms to hug her niece.
“Sara, that’s great! Ay, madre! Just wait until Silvia finds out! Noah!” She looked at her daughter. “You’re going to have another cousin!”
“Another one! Yay!”
They all started laughing. Pepa gave her niece a giant kiss.
“How did Lucas react?”
“I haven’t told him yet, I will tonight.”
“Wow! Congratulation, Sara! Congratulations!”
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
NB: The start of Chapter 13 is finally here! Hope y'all like it...I'll try to get more out soon. Read, enjoy, comment! ;-)
13. And then, he arrived.
April 15th
It was cloudy. In Malaga, it was quite windy by the beach, but Silvia didn’t mind, quite the contrary. She had taken off her shoes and walked along the sand, looking out at the sea. She neared the shore and when she saw a shell, she bent to pick it up, not realizing the water was coming towards her. When the water touched her feet, she quickly jumped away.
“It’s freezing!”
It was five in the afternoon and there were lots of people leisurely strolling down the promenade. Elderly people walking arm-in-arm, younger people on bicycles, kids with skates on the bike path…Silvia stepped out of the sand to continue her walk to the hotel, and while she sat on a bench and slipped her shoes back on, she noted the calm happiness that was in the air there. It was what she liked most about that city, the quiet, peaceful charm, the joy and friendliness of the people.
“That’s how the south is,” Pepa had told her one night when they were talking over the microphone, using the webcam. “The people open up to you with a smile, you get used to walking around unrushed and…you end up falling in love with the place.”
Silvia took off her thin jacket when she walked into a bar and, greeting the bartender she already knew since she had been going there for coffee every evening, she took a seat at a table that overlooked the street. While she drank her coffee, she saw a mother and daughter walk by holding hands, talking about whatever the girl, who was probably the same age as Noah, was animatedly saying. She smiled thinking about her daughter and sighed. She missed her.
She had been in Malaga for exactly two weeks and in a couple of days, she’d return to Madrid. She’d had plenty of time to think and her two weeks of vacation had run out, so she had to return to the precinct.
She had already accepted the fact that, whether the boy took her last name or not, it was silly to think she wouldn’t be his parent. She was with Pepa, so she’d be seeing him every day, and he, imitating his sister, would call her mamá, which had her a little worried. The boy would sooner or later ask questions and…what would they tell him? Pepa had made it clear what she would prefer:
“When Noah’s older, she’ll know that she was conceived through artificial insemination…he’ll think the same thing.”
But that didn’t seem like a good idea to Silvia. If they let him think that he was conceived in a hospital, wouldn’t that be lying to him? It wouldn’t be right. And then there was the factor of later telling him the truth, which in this scenario, she also didn’t view as being right. Aitor, as he was now, would be known to the boy as a friend of the family, as a cousin. Noah adored Aitor and he surely would, too. And then, one fine day, they would tell him that Aitor is his father. How would he feel?
She had thought about it long and hard all the days she’d been in Malaga. In the end, she had reached the decision of what she thought would be best, and that would be to not accept being the boy’s father and giving him Aitor’s last name. That the boy should call Aitor “papá” and she “Silvia”, with the redhead simply being the girlfriend of his mother.
She looked at her watch; it was six. She got herself comfortable in her chair, looked at the sky, and sighed. That night, when she spoke to Pepa, she would tell her. That, no matter if it hurt, it seemed it would be for the best.
_______
It was raining in Madrid. Pepa, inside a book store, also looked up at the sky, dark and full of clouds. It hadn’t stopped raining all day and puddles had formed on the streets, puddles that Noah jumped into with her rain boots the whole way to the store. Pepa, skimming through a book, looked behind her and saw her daughter going through some of the children’s books. She smiled. It had been Noah who had asked to go that afternoon because she wanted to look for new books for her collection. She still couldn’t read, but looking at the covers gave her a good idea of what she wanted to try. The store was small, so Pepa was able to leave Noah alone in there.
Noah walked over to the next aisle of children’s books a little annoyed, she couldn’t find what she was looking for. She saw a cover that got her attention and when she opened it up and saw the last picture, she closed it and put it back on the shelf with a sigh. She did the same with three or four more books, but none of them seemed to interest her.
“Have you found one, cariño?” Pepa asked as she walked up and stroked Noah’s hair, looking around to see if she could find a book to buy her daughter.
“No, but I don’t care, because if nobody’s made the book I want, I’ll do it.”
Pepa looked at her in surprise, but she smiled when she imagined her daughter writing a book. Would she be a writer when she grew up?
“But...you still don’t know how to write.”
“Yeah, but I can do it in pictures. And, I’m gonna start in the big school, and they’ll teach me to read and write.”
Pepa smiled more widely, happy that her daughter had that desire to learn, but even so, she glanced around again and looked at the covers of the books that, placed crookedly on the shelves, she figured her daughter had grabbed.
“What kind of book do you want? Maybe if we ask someone, they’ll bring it.”
Noah thought about it, but she shook her head.
“It’s a secret.”
Pepa rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that Noah always said that when she was too embarrassed to tell the truth. The brunette looked at her watch and her eyes opened wide.
“Six!” She grabbed her daughter’s hand and buttoned up her yellow raincoat. Noah put on her hat. “Run, cariño! Or we won’t make it!”
Pepa opened the umbrella and helped the little one open hers. They raced away as quickly as they could, but the rain started to come down harder, so they had to seek shelter under the metal awning of a closed café. Panting, Pepa leaned against the wall. Noah laughed at the sight of her mother so tired out, but it’s just that her five-month pregnancy was starting to take its toll. Noah heard a thunderclap and, frightened, she pressed her face to her mother’s stomach. “Mamá! There’s thunder, I’m scared!”
“Come on, Noah, you’re a big girl now. The thunder is nothing more than noise.”
“No, no! Pick me up, pick me up!” The little one hopped up and down with her arms outstretched, but Pepa shook her head.
“None of that, I already have enough with your brother.”
Noah started to pout, but her mother continued to ignore her, she was used to it. At first, it was painful to Noah back to bed when she had had a nightmare, but her daughter was growing up and she didn’t want to turn her into one of those girls who at 12 years old still needed her mother at all hours.
She looked at her watch and sighed. They would be late. She suddenly felt a vibration underneath her belly and for one second, she got excited thinking it was the baby. She had been hoping for a few days now to feel him kick since five months is when they started doing that, more or less, but she still hadn’t felt anything and this time wasn’t going to be the exception. She pulled her cell out of her purse.
“What’s up, Sara?”
“Tita, I need you to come to the house.”
“I’ll be there in a couple hours, if it stops raining that is.”
”A couple hours? You can’t come now?”
“No way, I have to go for an ultrasound.”
”But…I need to talk to you or Silvia, and since she’s in Malaga, well…”
“Well, lucky for me! What’ve you done?”
“No, it’s just that…well…Tita, seriously, I have to talk to you in person.”
Pepa rolled her eyes and looked at her at her daughter, who had put her hat back on and clutched tightly to her mother. Noah’s clothes were starting to get wet since her rain jacket was soaked.
“Well, I’m sorry, but it’s pouring out, I’m stuck under a metal roof with a girl who’s grabbing me tighter and tighter, my clothes are soaked, and I’m not going to make it to my appointment on time.
Pepa heard a sigh on the other side of the phone and figured her niece was nervous about something.
“Can I pick you up in the car and that way we can get it done altogether? You won’t get any more wet, I’ll get you to your appointment, and then we can talk.”
“Perfect. You see? Now we understand each other.”
Ten minutes later, a grey car with Sara behind the wheel pulled up in front of the café and, in one quick race, mother and daughter climbed inside, able to finally go to the consultation with Juan. Sara didn’t say a word through the whole ride, she seemed nervous, absent.
“Hello, Noah!” The doctor exclaimed when he saw her. “And you’ve brought a friend today?”
“She’s my cousin, Sara!” The girl said proudly.
Sara smiled in response and when she did, Juan’s eyes shot open wide.
“Sara?! Lola’s daughter?! It’s amazing! Do you remember me? How you’ve grown!”
“Great…” Pepa mumbled as she walked inside uninvited and sat down on the examination table. She still remembered when they had came for the insemination the first time. Juan had flattered Silvia the whole time, being that she was the sister of the woman he had been in love with during college, he was excited to see her. Now, this young blonde had unexpectedly shown up and made him smile.
“Well, come in, come in,” Juan turned on the computers and with a look, indicated that Pepa should lay down. Noah sat on cousin’s lap and Sara looked around the room curiously. “I’m an idiot! I had been thinking about Pepa and Lola’s family separately, but I suppose that when she married Silvia, she became your aunt.”
As he said this, he had lifted Pepa’s shirt to start applying the gel.
“Well, she was already my aunt before. She’s my father’s sister.”
Juan turned around and looked at her in incomprehension. Then he turned to look at Pepa blankly and she sighed.
“Nobody had told me that,” Juan said curiously.
“It’s not exactly an important fact…can we get started sometime today?”
Juan shrugged his shoulders and spread the gel. Before turning on the monitor, he looked at Sara again.”
“You also joined the police, right? Lola told me something like that.”
“Yes, I guess it’s family tradition. Even my husband, too.”
“Go on! You’re married? With someone from the precinct? Do I know him?”
“Juan, please…” Pepa insisted.
He turned on the monitor. He was the very curious type and he was more focused on the unexpected visit than he was on finding the fetus, so he lifted up the probe before really searching for an image of the baby. He looked at Sara again and she, enjoying their absurd conversation, nodded.
“Well, I don’t know, but his name is Lucas Fernandez.”
“Lucas…” he muttered. “Lucas…that name sounds familiar.”
“He’s Silvia’s ex-husband, do you mind if we continue?” Pepa urged, agigated.
Juan’s mouth hung open in disbelief and he placed the probe back on Pepa’s belly, still not looking at the monitor.
“What are you telling me?! Let’s see, let me clarify. Silvia was married to Lucas, who’s now your husband. At the same time, Pepa is your father’s sister, and your father is Lola’s husband. So, that means Pepa and Silvia are sisters-in-law…what a circus! And here we are looking for the smallest one of the family!”
“Excuse me? Looking for?” Pepa asked sarcastically.
Sara laughed loudly and the brunette lifted her hands to her face in desperation. Noah looked at everyone without understanding anything.
“Well, he’s not the smallest one, there’s another.”
Pepa pulled her hands away from her face and looked at her niece.
“Now you’re going to tell me I’m expecting twins…” she grumbled.
“No, I’m telling you that I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
Noah raised her head and looked at her cousin with her finger in her mouth, then she bent her head and looked at Sara’s belly. That she did understand. Juan smiled happily and Pepa slowly sat up, holding up her shirt so it wouldn’t get messy with gel.
“What?”
Sara bit her bottom lip and smiled.
“That’s what I needed to talk to you about.”
Pepa, still with her mouth open, pointed with her finger.”
“But…you’re serious?”
“I’m six weeks along.”
The brunette placed her hand over her mouth and then she smiled. Not caring if it got dirty now, she let go of her shirt and threw out her arms to hug her niece.
“Sara, that’s great! Ay, madre! Just wait until Silvia finds out! Noah!” She looked at her daughter. “You’re going to have another cousin!”
“Another one! Yay!”
They all started laughing. Pepa gave her niece a giant kiss.
“How did Lucas react?”
“I haven’t told him yet, I will tonight.”
“Wow! Congratulation, Sara! Congratulations!”
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/