Uninvited Encounter

We went to my parents' house in such a heavy and almost silent atmosphere, if it weren't for the children sitting in the back. Any word coming out of my mouth at that moment would be related to our debts, and I wasn't willing to hear a single word from Carlos that wasn't related to that. It was a long few minutes until we finally entered my parents' property, which didn't seem like a simple dinner from the number of cars in the parking lot. I almost regretted wearing that plain moss-green knee-length dress, but I was much more regretful of leaving my loose hair, which was flying everywhere, including my mouth. I get out of the car and pick up Marisol, while Carlos takes Juan. We enter the family house, and Valéria greets us, super excited about the party, or maybe I was just too exhausted with the day.

"Good to see you all," my sister says, hugging us. "Wow, they're getting so big."

"Yes, they're growing at the speed of light," Carlos replies.

"Where's the nanny?" I ask directly.

"She's taking care of the children in the TV room," Valéria says. "Let's go there."

She leads us to the TV room, where we leave the kids, and then we go to the room where everyone is already gathered: the dining room.

"I thought it was just a dinner," I comment to my sister.

"Well, it was," Valéria affirms, walking by my side. "But then Mr. Penedo got a crazy idea, and here we are with several guests. Nevertheless, sis, I must admit that there are a few who made this night worth it."

"Really?" I ask my sister, surprised by her way of speaking.

"Actually, just one..." Valéria says, blushing.

"Are you in love, Val?" my husband asks from behind us.

"Who knows?" my sister responds, all mysterious.

We enter the dining room, and my father is laughing with his guests. I bet he's telling the story of his first date with my mother and how disastrous it was. Mr. Ramón Penedo looks in our direction and then raises his whiskey, announcing our arrival.

"And here are the fruits of our thirty years together!"

All the guests turn to us. I'm smiling at all of them when my eyes meet X, who is clapping slowly. My body freezes, I blink a few times, but he doesn't disappear because it's not a mirage. X is actually sitting in front of my father. My smile vanishes instantly, and the same question runs through my mind: What the hell is he doing here?

"Come on, sit, my beloved family," my father continues, who, without a doubt, is already a bit drunk.

My father points towards the two chairs next to him, already reserved for us. Valéria walks to her seat, which, ironically, is next to X. He stands up and pulls the chair for my sister, who thanks him with her best smile. The blush on Valéria's face betrays who she had been talking about earlier, much to my dismay.

"Are you going to stand there?" my father asks, drawing my attention.

Carlos holds my hand and leads me toward the seats close to my father. I let my husband sit next to my father, which might seem strange to other people, but Carlos knew it was a way to prevent my father from being annoying to me. And since I don't have much patience, I would end the dinner before it even started. However, at that moment, all I wanted was not to be in X's line of sight.

"This is my oldest daughter, Dália Penedo..." my father begins introducing us, gesturing with his whiskey. "Salazar... And her husband, Carlos Salazar."

I squeeze my husband's hand tightly, anticipating my father's acerbic comments about Carlos being unemployed or me becoming the head of the family. Even any joke about my job when I was supposed to be a lawyer. But my father just lifts his glass to his lips and takes a sip. I breathe a sigh of relief, letting go of my husband's hand. At least not this time.

"Oh," my father says, pointing his glass in all directions. "You already know everyone, except him, who's part of MAMA ÁFRICA, the NGO my daughter was a part of. Now he's a member of the same golf club as me and hangs out at the café. He may no longer be my daughter's boss, but he has become a dear friend of the family."

"Thank you for the kind words, Ramón. It's an honor to be part of your family," X replies, raising his champagne glass toward my father. "By the way, you have a beautiful family. And seeing your wife, I know where your daughters got their beauty from. In terms of beauty, that is." X finishes, looking at me as I gulp down my wine all at once, much to my husband's astonishment.

"Oh, that's very kind of you," my mother says, embarrassed.

"I'm just speaking the truth, Dulce," X affirms. "In fact, the translation of your name does it justice... Sweet. You possess a sweetness that complements Ramón very well; I believe that's the formula for a happy marriage."

"Are you not married?" my sister quickly asks.

"It's complicated," X replies evasively, leaving everyone at the table with a question mark. "Marriage is complicated."

"I know how it is," my husband surprises me. "I hope everything works out for you."

"Thank you, but as I said, my marriage is not as simple as it seems," X explains to Carlos.

"Well, I believe every couple goes through crises in their marriage. My wife and I went through one, but we managed to overcome it," my husband says, hugging me. Carlos kisses me passionately and then looks at X and continues, "I hope you can overcome yours too."

"I'm divorced," X replies, matter-of-factly.

"What a pity," my sister says, but her face doesn't show it. "Has it been a long time?"

"It's somewhat recent, but definite," X responds.

"Oh, I hope you don't see divorce as love not working out," my mother says sympathetically.

"No, not at all. I will never think that way," X denies, now looking at me.

"Did you love her?" I ask with a hint of doubt. "Or do you still love her?"

"It's complicated, but I feel that I do love her, yes," X replies.

"Great. A friend once told me that for a marriage to work, we need to have open conversations with our partners and show what we feel. Did you do that, or do you agree? Because if you haven't, your wife may not have noticed many things... So, it would be good if you did that because I'm sure she'll regret not noticing sooner. You know, when you have a marriage, you have to work on it and do everything to make it work," I finish my paraphrase of the advice X insisted on giving me years ago, holding my husband's hand and turning to him with a smile. "You have to work on it."

"You took that advice so seriously that you became the head of the family," my father comments, as I expected. "Anyway, now that you're free, get to know other women, enjoy yourself without any commitments."

"Thank you for the advice, Ramón, but I know that the love of my life is out there somewhere," X comments, looking at me. "And I will do everything to find her."

"How lovely," compliments my sister, blushing.

"Allow me," I say, quickly getting up. All that chatter made me nauseous.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asks, concerned, as he sees my very pale face.

"Yes, I'm just a bit nauseous," I reply, moving away from the table.

"By the looks of it, we'll have a third grandchild," I hear my father say from afar.

I rush to the bathroom, open the door, and head towards the toilet, grabbing onto it for a moment. It was all too much for me. Not only was he at my workplace, but now I had to deal with X in my family. I stand up and walk towards the sink, where I clean my mouth, wet my wrists and neck. I stop for a moment, looking at myself in the mirror while repeating to myself that I need to pull myself together and that he can't affect me anymore. I take a deep breath and then dry my hands and throw the paper in the trash, leaving immediately. I don't even open the door and come face to face with a black suit in front of me.

"Excuse me," I say.

"No problem, Doce," X says, forcing me to lift my head and look at him.