The next call was from his former mother-in-law; a narcissistic woman totally obsessed with appearance and status.Her call focused on the embarrassment Micah had caused and the reassigning of the seating arrangements for dinner with his absence.She felt, and it was in her words, that Micah had absconded from the festivities with his guard, whom he had dressed up like his own personal sex doll.Anya stated with a certain amount of vehemence that she was totally mortified, and Micah needed a firm talking-to when he arrived home about duty, loyalty, and his role in the continuance of her lineage.
“Hmmph,” Eduardo said, ending the call.
The last call came from his eldest son, Yuñior, who began the conversation with a deep breath.“My loyalty to my brother is only superseded by my loyalty to you, Papa, but I don’t want you to enter the conversation with Micah unaware of his intentions,” Yuñior said.
Eduardo felt tired before even answering the statement, “And those intentions are?”
“Well, he asked me to be his best man for his and Alita’s nuptials,” Yuñior said.
“Noted,” Eduardo replied, “anything else?”
“I'm proud of him.He stood his ground.He met each young woman, spoke with them individually, and remained respectful to the tradition until he didn't any longer and left,” Yuñior said.
“Good enough; are you doing well?”
“I am,” he replied.“I guess let me know when I need to fly in for Micah’s wedding,” he said as he laughed and ended the call with his father.Eduardo drove home in silence.Micah's intentions had become increasingly obvious over the past few weeks, and in all honesty, Eduardo already understood what his son wanted and with whom.Now, he just needed to hear it from Micah’s mouth.
****
IT WAS LATE WHEN MICAHand Alita arrived.Alita still wore the dress she’d had on at the opening night of the regalia.He assumed she’d left it on intentionally so he could see what she was wearing in case Anya had made comments on her attire.
“Papa,” Micah said, entering the door first.
“Micah.Alita,” Eduardo said.“It's been a long day.Let's talk in the morning.”
“Good night, Papa,” Micah said, heading up the stairs.
Alita paused for a moment, looking at the Fer de Lance.She wanted to add context to the situation, only adding.“I remembered the steaks for Angel.I also grabbed some beef sausages for you to place on the grill and a few rib eyes for the Lady of the Lands.I shall put those away first.”
“Thank you,” Eduardo said, watching her.“His decision to walk away can change everything for a lot of people.Do you understand the weight of his decision?”
“I understand more than I am ever allowed to speak on, but a new sun means new conversations,” Alita said.
“There is a lot more to you than we see, isn't there,” Eduardo stated, watching her wheeling in the case of meat.“Did you get a chance to see your family while you were there?”
“I did, Señor, and they are doing rather well,” she said, softly smiling.“I also brought some of my mother's cocadas.Angel really loves them.”
“Fair enough; rest well,” he said as she gave a nod.“The dress is lovely, and you look very nice.The emeralds are a nice touch.”
“Oh, this old thing,” she replied, giving a brief smile.Her face lit up when she smiled, and he agreed with his son that Alita was a lovely young woman.
The thing he didn't understand was the level of connection between the girl and his son.Was it a matter of comfort for Micah, leaning into the familiar, or was Alita his actual life partner for all the right reasons? The rising of a new sun answered all his questions.
*****
AFTER THE MORNING RIDE, during which Eduardo broached no subject with his son as they rode the fields and took samples from the coca and coffee leaves, they arrived at the house to have a quiet breakfast.Micah, wanting a cucumber salad he'd tasted at Tim Johnson's house, sent Alita to the garden to pick vegetables with Isabella.Eduardo took this as the ideal time to speak with Micah about Argentina.However, before he had a chance, Eleon called Micah.
He shouted into the phone about honor.
He yelled at Micah about duty.
He screamed into the phone about the loss of potential deals in his cattle business.
He demanded that Micah return to Perona de la Mar to fulfill the obligation and sign the contract.
Micah replied, “No.”He ended the call.
Eduardo sat, not sure what was happening in his son's head, but his eyes said something different.Micah stood up.His hands fisted, and he began one long run-on sentence that began with, “Fuck him, and the horse he rides to wrangle those funky ass cows.”
