AllFreeNovel
Share Us
31
LUCÍA
The first thingI did the next morning was call my parents to tell them that I was heading to the city to spend a few days with Valentina. Dr. Martín and his wife agreed to take care of the cat for a few days until I figured everything out, and then I would make arrangements to bring her to me, depending on what I was able to work out at the hospital.
I paced my room, waiting for it to be light out. I’d had a second night of restless sleep, but this night was because adrenaline was coursing through my veins. My phone was on the bed, the other end of the line ringing. It was early, yes, but Valentina would answer my call.
“Hey,” she whispered, her voice filled with sleep, but there was a smile on her lips. I could tell from where I was standing. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, suddenly shy about what I was about to say. “Any chance I can stay with you for a few days?” Iblurted. I wasn’t ready to tell her what I would be doing in the city, but I would no doubt fill her in as soon as I saw her later that day.
“Umm, not su?—”
“Who is it?” a soft voice croaked in the background. I heard a hushed sound from the other end of the line, a groan. Some shuffling. And then the unmistakable sound of a door closing.
“Valentina.” I dragged her name, my voice loud above my movements. I had tugged a suitcase from the attic, the sweltering heat making my hands sweaty and my movements clumsy. The luggage rolled down the stairs, the sound making the cat dart across the room directly under the bed. “What the fuck!”
“Oh my god,” she said, her voice muffled, probably because she was covering her face with her hands. She was hardly embarrassed at anything—she let go of things with such ease. Nothing fazed her. “Qué vergüenza.”
“You do you, baby.” I snickered, even though I was confused about it all. I thought there had been something going on between her and Charlie. “Who is it? Do I know him?”
“Just some guy,” she whispered. “Alright, enough about this. When are you getting here?” She sighed on the other end of the line. “I’ll make sure he's out of the house by the time you get here.”
“Text me the address again. I’m leaving in an hour or so.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” she said, the door opening again. The hinges screamed at the action. I winced.
“I’ll tell you later. I have to finish packing.”
“Love you.”
I moved back and forth from my bedroom to the downstairs for the next hour, tidying up the house and finding all my loose items. There was a different pair of scrubs in the laundry room, the set folded on the countertop and smelling nice and fresh. That was probably my mother’s doing before she left, even when she knew I wouldn’t need them for a while. The thought made me smile, and I suddenly felt relieved after coming to the decision that I did.
After the conversation with Dr. Martín, I had returned to the house, still heartbroken about what he’d shared with me but determined to understand what it meant for me. So I hatched a plan. I recruited Sonia, who was still the night nurse at the hospital, and had her do some sleuthing for me. Then I had called the head of the pediatrics service and asked him for a meeting. He was happy to hear from me but a little bit surprised since I’d cut out all communications with everyone I knew from the hospital.
I shoved my hand in between the cushions in the sofa, trying to find the remote to turn the TV off. It happened every time there was a blackout—the damn thing wouldn’t stay off. I felt around the tight space and came up with three still-wrapped tongue depressors. I barked out a laugh. It was absolutely ridiculous. Had he taken these to have an excuse to see me?
I love him.
The realization hit me hard, and suddenly there was more impetus to my actions, propelling me forward to the next step.
A drive that would usually take eight to nine hours took me less than seven. Not because I was being reckless, but because everything was coming up Lucía. I hit all the green lights, all of the toll booths were free of cars, there were no trucks on the roads, and all the gas stations and rest stops were empty, allowing me to speed through anything that I needed to do to get to my future. It was like the universe was telling me to get out of Tres Fuegos, and then it delivered. Handed me that big city on a nice, shiny platter.
Valentina’s family home was inside a big gated community in the suburbs a few miles outside the city, so different from our small town but somehow very similar. All the houses were large, sprawling buildings with manicured lawns. The security guard at the gate eyed me curiously, calling in my arrival and cross-checking it with a list on a document to confirm I was, in fact, welcome there.
I pulled up to the house. The large building was somewhat in disrepair on the outside, which didn’t surprise me, since not a lot of people used this home on a regular basis. Her sister, Francisca, had an apartment in the city center, and her father was incarcerated. For over a decade now. Herfamily had been the first one to live in this neighborhood back when it was just a large piece of land, so they were practically royalty—the home sat on a double lot with a golf course behind it, right in the middle of the community.
I parked the car on the circular driveway and got out, the door immediately opening to my left. The house was beautiful, even in its current state, ivy growing on the sides and over the windows. The roof tiles were covered in moss, and it was evident that no one had lived here in years. And to top that, it was eerily quiet out on the street. There were no sounds of leaves being ruffled by the wind or birds chirping in the trees.
It immediately felt different than Tres Fuegos. Contrasting. Despite being in a small community that had its fair share of similarities with my hometown, it felt like part of a city. In the way any city was different from any small town, with its city things I craved the most, even if my town was home.
Valentina walked outside, my brother Charlie trailing behind her, concern in his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, tugging at the collar of my shirt. His face went somber at the comment. Valentina turned to look at him for a second, and then her eyes were on me.
“I called him,” she said, almost nonchalantly. “Just to make sure he was aware you were coming here.”
“How did you know he was here?” I cocked my head.
