Chapter 29
Maite leaves her house and shivers from the cold as she looks up at the sky, wishing summer would arrive soon. She walks a few steps on the sidewalk and opens Olga's gate, slipping into her yard and reaching the entrance to knock on the door.
"What are you doing here?" Olga asks, surprised.
"Get your coat, we're going to see the parade," Maite orders.
"The parade? I'm not in the mood, Maite."
"I don't care, I want to see it and I don't want to go alone," her neighbor says in an authoritative tone.
Olga trembles from the cold.
"I feel bad, Maite, but Violeta's coming this afternoon and I'd rather be here when she arrives."
"I know very well when my daughter is coming and that she'll still take a while to get here. Besides, if she arrives, she can come to the center and meet us. You need to get out and get some fresh air, Olga, I'm serious."
Maite is very worried about her. Since Violeta told her about her job offer, the uncertainty of not knowing her decision is sinking Olga, who just goes from work to home and from home to work.
Knowing that Maite won't give up, Olga puts on her coat and they go together to see the parade. Even in the middle of the crowd, Olga is so alert that she notices her phone vibrating in her pocket. She discovers it's an audio message from Violeta and steps away from the noise to listen to it. In it, Violeta tells her there's a traffic jam due to an accident and she'll be late arriving, so Olga relaxes and manages to disconnect and enjoy the parade with Maite.
When they're back and reach their street, Olga's heart races when she sees Violeta's car parked at her door, not her mother's, but hers.
"She's arrived," she says while checking her phone.
Just as she's taking it out, Violeta gets out of the car and smiles at them while putting on her coat.
"You're just arriving?" her mother asks as they approach.
"I just parked," Violeta smiles with her gaze fixed on Olga.
She approaches her mother and, after giving her a strong hug and two kisses, turns to Olga, whom she grabs by the cheeks and kisses with a passion that leaves her more overwhelmed than she already feels. After the kiss, they melt into a hug, and in the middle of that intimacy they share despite Maite's presence and still being on the street, Olga breaks down and starts crying for no apparent reason to Violeta, who looks at her with a surprised expression.
"Let's go inside, come on, we'll freeze out here," Maite says, opening the outer door of Olga's house.
The two go inside and Maite, although very concerned, decides to leave them alone and go to her house.
Once inside, Violeta hugs Olga again, gives her a thousand kisses, and says everything she can think of to calm her down.
"But why are you like this?" she asks gently without moving away from her.
Olga feels completely broken. For her, Violeta taking so long to respond to her boss's offer only means she has many doubts, and she doesn't know what's worse, if she accepts or if she doesn't know what she wants.
"Because I'm happy to see you," Olga says, telling a half-truth.
"Well," Violeta cradles her face in her hands and smiles with a bold and amused gesture that throws Olga off, "you should be even happier, because I've turned down the offer and as compensation for my dedication and effort, my boss has forgiven me in writing for the fifteen days I owe him by contract in exchange for doing video conferences with Teresa, the colleague I have ongoing projects with."
Olga has suddenly stopped crying and looks at her paralyzed.
"Are you serious?" she manages to ask after a few seconds of silence in which they just look at each other and smile.
"Yes, that's why I took longer to get here, I had to stop by home for a bigger suitcase," Violeta confirms with a kiss.
Olga takes her hand and guides her to the couch because she needs to sit down.
"But Violeta, have you thought this through? It's an important decision and a very drastic life change."
"You call being able to be with you drastic?"
Violeta makes a face. Olga shakes her head slowly, still shocked.
"No, honey, but..."
"No buts, Olga. I've thought about it a lot, don't think I haven't. And thinking so much is what made me have a shitty week. I left here knowing that I wanted to stay and being very clear that I wanted to break with my life in Madrid and start over here, with you, with my mother and at the bakery."
Olga starts crying again, her emotions are overflowing. In her head, the only weekend she imagined was a horrible one where Violeta arrived saying she had accepted the offer and she told her she couldn't keep seeing her.
"Stop crying, Olga," Violeta says, distressed, "you'll end up making me cry too."
Olga smiles through so many tears and kisses her.
"I just need you to confirm it to me one more time, Violeta. Tell me you're doing this for yourself and not for what we have, you can't reject something you've been fighting for so long and..."
"Shut up already," Violeta cuts her off, putting a finger on her lips. "During these days I've realized that what I was fighting for was just a way to keep myself motivated in that job, a wrong way of convincing myself that I liked it, but after the days I spent helping at the bakery, I've understood that's where I truly enjoyed myself and felt useful. I don't want to leave, Olga, I like this town, I like working at the bakery, and I like you."
Olga smiles and wipes her tears with her sleeve.
"I'm glad, because I'm falling in love with you, Violeta, and you don't know what an awful week I've had," she says and pulls her until Violeta ends up sitting on her thighs.
"Well, that's over; you're going to have Violeta until you're sick of me," she jokes against her lips.
"I highly doubt that will ever happen."
They both kiss and laugh, and when things start to heat up, Olga stops Violeta.
"Wait," she says breathlessly, "first we have to give the news to your mother, the poor thing is also very worried."
"Alright," Violeta accepts resignedly. "By the way, this week I have to go to Madrid for a couple of days to finish packing my things and settle the apartment rental issue, and if possible, I'd like you to come with me."
"More reason then to go see your mother," Olga smiles, then gives her a pat on the bottom and they both head out the door.