Farewell to Love

I fold the clothes and carefully place each piece in Carlos' suitcase, which is now in the bathroom. It was a strange feeling to adjust his things in that suitcase as if it were the last time I would do it. I go to his drawer, pick up some more accessories for him, his favorite cologne, choose the shoes to put in the other suitcase, and then go to his closet drawer where he keeps his watches. I find a picture of us from our honeymoon at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I smile and pick it up along with the watch I chose for him. I return to the bedroom, finding my husband standing near the suitcase with a towel wrapped around his waist. I approach him and kiss him, sliding my hand across his chest, and simultaneously biting his lips. I gaze at my husband with my hand on the towel knot, filled with desire:

"And the kids?" Carlos whispers, looking at me.

"Sleeping," I reply. "I want to say goodbye to you in the best way."

"You make it sound like I won't be coming back..." Carlos comments, adjusting my hair behind my ear.

"I don't want to make love to you as if you're not coming back, but to give you a good reason to come back."

I kiss my husband again, and he takes off his towel, lifting me so that my legs wrap around his hips. He guides me to our bed. Carlos lays me down on the bed and then removes my shorts, pulling me close to him. Then he takes off my panties and kneels at the foot of the bed, burying his face between my legs. I feel his tongue touching me, in sync with my shallow breathing. As he touches me more deeply, my body responds. I grip the sheets tightly between my fingers. When I feel myself getting there, my husband starts kissing my thigh, moving up my belly until he reaches my shirt, which he lifts to get to my breasts. He sucks them eagerly but not for long, which frustrates me once again. Carlos kisses my neck until he reaches my ear, slowly biting my earlobe as I whisper:

"Why did you stop? Why didn't you continue?"

"Because I also want to give you a reason to wait for me," Carlos says before kissing my lips intensely.

"You already are the reason, Mr. Salazar," I say, holding his face in my hands.

Carlos smiles and then looks at the photo and the watch scattered on the bed. He picks up the photo, looks at me, and throws it toward the suitcase, hitting it. He then takes his watch, and his eyes linger for a moment: we are running out of time. Carlos gets up from on top of me and walks to the suitcase, closing it. He goes to the closet, picks up the clothes he set aside for the trip, and dresses quickly. Meanwhile, I get dressed again and go to the children's room. I wake them up, tidy them up, and in a few minutes, my family is already in the car on the way to the airport. Carlos and I don't say anything during the journey; we just hold hands for a moment while he drives. At times, I look out the window to hold back tears. That feeling of the last time is once again dominating my mind. We arrive at the airport; Carlos checks his luggage, and then we head to the boarding gate with the children. Carlos kneels down, almost at Juan's height, and he looks at him, still a bit sleepy:

"Take care of Mom and your sister until I come back, okay?"

"Okay, Carlitos," Juan responds, approaching his father and touching his face.

"Papi," I correct for Juan. "He is 'Papi'".

"No problem, love. We've talked about it; he will call me that when he feels like it," Carlos says, looking at me. He returns his attention to Juan and continues, "Can I have a hug, Juanzito?"

Juan approaches Carlos and hugs him tightly. My husband lifts him in his arms and then approaches Marisol, who is sleeping in my arms and kisses her forehead lightly. Finally, he looks at me with his big smile:

"Safe travels, Mr. Salazar," I say, kissing him on the lips afterward. I gently punch his chest and continue, "Call as soon as you get there, okay?"

"I love you, Mrs. Salazar," Carlos declares, kissing the tip of my nose.

"I love you too," I respond with a choked voice.

Carlos puts Juan back on the ground and then adjusts his backpack on his back. He turns around, walking towards the boarding gate, and the tears begin to fall on my face. I try to wipe them as quickly as they fall while trying to wave when Carlos turns around one last time. I take Juan's hand and take my children back to the car. I settle them in and then get into the driver's seat, where I sit for a while crying.

"Mama, why are you crying?" Juan asks, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Because Papi went on a trip," I reply, taking a deep breath.

"Carlitos won't come back?"

"Yes, he will," I answer, looking back as I wipe my face. "And when he comes back, will you call him 'papi,' promise?"

"Okay... But then I'll have two papis!"

"What do you mean, Juan?" I ask, surprised.

"Papi Carlitos and abuelo's papi," Juan says, raising his hands. "Abuelo calls that man 'papi'."

"That man is not your papi, do you understand, Juan? Never call that man 'papi' again, do you hear me, Juan?" I speak firmly to my son. "Your papi is only Carlitos."

"Okay, mama," Juan responds, looking close to tears. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm sorry too," I finish, returning my attention to the road.

***
Although I had a free day before meeting X, it flew by as there were several things I needed to do, like going to the bank and closing the deal, and even the matter of a babysitter for my children, which was not easy, but I managed to find one who was willing to stay. Rúbia recommended a mother of a friend to do the cooking and take care of the house. I spoke to Carlos in the meantime and told him that everything was going well there, without mentioning "Duny" even once. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

The next day, there I am, opening the door to the real estate agency, feeling confident. The girls look at me, surprised, except for Rúbia, who already knew I would be back. I walk towards Suarez's office, where I open the door and come face to face with X, who is just finishing signing and handing the paper to my boss, who looks at me with a smile.

"Mrs. Salazar, what a joy to have you back in our real estate agency," Suarez exclaims.

"Hello, Suarez," I say, waving to X and then approaching the table, analyzing the paper, which is already the purchase and sale agreement. "What's going on here?"

"Our illustrious client, whom I told you about before falling ill, has just acquired the property," Suarez reveals excitedly.

"That's strange, because didn't you request a visit today?" I ask, looking at X.

"I called him and rescheduled it for yesterday," Suarez intervenes. "No need to wait any longer. I made sure to accompany him yesterday."

"Well, I believe that's all," X says, standing up. He stops by my side and continues speaking to Suarez, "Of course, I don't mind visiting the house again with the help of your employee. I need a female opinion for renovations, and I'm sure Mrs. Salazar can help me."

"Whenever you want," I say, seriously.

"Tomorrow, okay?"

"Without a doubt. Pleasure doing business with you," Suarez says, shaking X's hand as he leaves.

"Thank you," I say to my boss, who returns to his desk.

"For what?" Suarez asks, already busy with printing X's contract.

"For closing this deal," I reply with a forced smile.

"Exactly, I closed the sale," Suarez confirms, serious. "You're not thinking you'll get a commission on this, are you?"

"I thought..."

"You thought wrong," Suarez interrupts, sternly.

"Suarez, I need this commission," I say, nervous.

"You should have thought about that when you decided to get a sick leave just to escape your obligations here with the real estate agency," he looks at me and continues, "You're lucky you're still here. Thank this client who intervened for you. Now, go back to your desk and do your job."

"But Suarez..."

"That commission won't go to you, period."