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Chapter Twenty-Two
It was around six in the evening when I landed in Barcelona. Juana came to pick me up. She apparently rented a villa for the weekend. It was where her, her friends, and I would be staying until I left on Monday. The arrangement suited me fine. Last night’s disastrous call had been plaguing my mind, so seeing Juana was a nice distraction.
Juana’s first party was a family affair as she had previously warned me during a call last week. So, after the airport, we drove directly to their family apartment where Juan and I stayed before. Her friends apparently would be arriving soon, but her grandmother, parents, and a few of their family friends were already inside.
I felt like death, yet I somehow managed to muster up enough enthusiasm as I was being introduced to Juana’s cheerful and overeager family and friends. They were welcoming and quite interested in my life’s story. And since my past was bleak and downright depressing, I lied through my teeth and painted a happy life back home.
As the time went on, with more guests arriving, they apologized and dissipated slowly, welcoming the new arrivals. I didn’t mind it. It gave me a short reprieve to gather my bearings..
“More wine?” Salvador, Juan and Juana’s father, kindly poured more wine into my already half-filled glass.
I softly murmured my thanks. I noted that when you were asked if you want more wine, it didn’t necessarily mean they were asking you if you wanted more or not. It was just a courtesy telling you that you were having more.
Salvador seemed like one of those men who carefully chose his words. The kind that liked to observe and only speak when there was a purpose. His keen pale green eyes steadfastly watched me, trying to read what kind of a person I was as he situated himself across the couch, appearing casual and relaxed.
Years of being an orphan heightened my instincts. I became good at reading people. My radar had never let me down.
“Minorca is a beautiful island; did you enjoy your time there?” he inquired, breaking the ice.
Thoughtfully glancing at him, I took a moment and realized that Salvador was harmless, and that this wasn’t one of those instances where a foster parent decided you were going to be a problem child. He was most likely curious about my relationship with his son.
“It is. Minorca’s beautiful, and I did enjoy my time. Well, with the little time I had, I loved very much.” I began to relax when he beamed at me, showing a toothy smile.
“Beautiful, yes, but Antonia and I won’t be watching the movie.” He chuckled in earnest. “Heart attack in our old age is common, and I’m afraid my wife wouldn’t survive it.” He paused, amused. “But me?” He shifted his hand in the air, weighing the possibility. “Más o menos.” More or less.
I laughed along with him before the grandmother named Celia, and Antonia, Salvador’s wife, joined in on the conversation, voicing out fake outrage that Juan was driving their family crazy with his choices of movies lately. They were too much of a conservative to watch nudity. And I readily agreed. I sure as heck didn’t want them to see me in all my glory.
And right on cue, the prodigal son appeared. Alone. But he didn’t directly come towards us; he sought his sister first and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“If you and River Ellis are ever in Madrid or Barcelona, you are more than welcome to say with us,” Antonia kindly said before giving me a warm, knowing smile. “My children like you. They’ll be glad to have you come and visit when you can get away from Hollywood.”
“How long have you been with him, cariña?” Celia interjected, engrossed in my personal life. I didn’t doubt Juana had provided them everything she knew about River and I. She was one of many teenagers who went gaga for River.
This would be an easy lie, but River’s unfeeling voice echoed in my head, as did Willa’s squealing voice. If he was having sex with her, I wouldn’t know. If it was with another woman, I wouldn’t know either, unless the media reports it. Basing from his scathing tone towards me, there was no hope left. He was going to breakup with me. It wasn’t a matter ofifbutwhen. I could feel it deep into my bones; I just knew it was over.
River Ellis. What could I say? I pondered as my eyes flickered towards their faces before I took a careful sip of my wine and pasted a timid smile. “Well …” I cleared my throat and carried on. “Things aren’t really working out. We’re just too busy to make the relationship work due to our schedules clashing and what not. So, yeah, that’s that …” I used the same tiring Hollywood breakup adage.
Antonio’s happy face shattered into a wounded one. “I’m so sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to pry. I hope I didn’t offend you.”
“It’s fine.” I was made of stronger stuff; I never broke down with an audience. Well, apart from that incident at the park with Juan. “It’s okay. We’re on friendly terms, so it’s not that big a deal.” Friendly would be a stretch, but I couldn’t bear seeing Antonia distressed.
“I’m so sorry. I hope you find happiness. You’re too beautiful and too sweet to be alone. The right man will soon come. You’ll see.” She gave my hand a squeeze. “I’ll pray every day that you’ll find a good man.”
She was being kind, and kindnessright nowwasn’t what I needed. It’d make me teary, and I was trying mighty hard not to go there.
“You’ve broken up?” Juana screamed, coming out of nowhere and making everyone direct their attention towards us. “Por qué?Dios!Ah, pobresita …” She hugged me, wrapping me around her slender arms as she gently brushed my hair aside before pressing her cheek against my head, soothingly speaking to me in Spanish like one would do to a distraught child.
Juana had a flair for dramatics, yet I knew she sincerely felt for me. She was just that kind of a girl. High-spirited. Opinionated. A force to be reckoned with. She was the kind who wouldn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit. I liked that about her, and I silently prayed that she’d forever stay this way, untouched by harrowing heartbreaks, never knowing what it felt like to be lost with no one to turn to.
“I’m really fine, you guys,” I murmured as I gently pulled away from Juana’s cooing. The girl remained by my side, softly rubbing my back.
“Our Juan is single,” the grandma mischievously added, making everyone laugh, effectively breaking the mounting awkwardness.
Oh no, I thought as I laughed along with them. “It isn’t like that with him.” The laughter I had trailed off and tragically died the second our eyes connected, dark eyes boring into mine.
Then Juana’s head was close to my ear. “We’ll party tonight, and you can forget him. If a man doesn’t fight for you, he’s not worth the time. There’s a lot of fish in the sea; you can start fishing tonight.” Juana kissed my forehead before she stood up and entertained friends that obliged her to open their presents.
The food was bountiful, yet I had no appetite. The very idea of food made me want to vomit. The wine, however, sat well in my tummy. So, I nibbled on grapes while I drank with gusto.
