44.
LEONARDO VILLAR
Manuela falls in love at seventeen.
I find out because I see a boy standing at the gate.
Holding flowers.
Terrified.
Good.
“Who are you?”
“Caio.”
“Last name?”
“Mendes.”
“Age?”
“Seventeen.”
“Identification.”
“Dad.”
Manuela appears behind me.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting to know him.”
“You asked for ID.”
“Security.”
“He’s my classmate.”
“With flowers.”
Caio tries to hide the bouquet.
“They’re for a project.”
Manuela looks at the roses.
“Roses do projects now?”
“I can explain.”
“You don’t have to.”
She looks at me.
“You’re going inside.”
“This is my house.”
“Office.”
“No.”
“Dad.”
Olívia appears.
Takes in the scene.
“Leonardo.”
“I’m thinking.”
“You look angry,” Manuela says.
“I’m thinking.”
The old phrase prevents disaster.
I go inside.
From the window, I watch them talking.
“Do not spy,” Olívia says.
“I’m not.”
“You’re behind the curtain.”
“That’s visibility.”
“That’s stalking.”
“He brought flowers.”
“You used to bring flowers.”
“And look how that ended.”
Olívia folds her arms.
“Are you using your own catastrophic failure as an argument against your daughter dating?”
“It feels relevant.”
“It isn’t.”
I sit.
“He could hurt her.”
“He could.”
“And we are allowing that?”
“We cannot stop her from living just to prevent pain.”
“We could try.”
“Your father tried to control everything.”
The sentence stops me.
“Don’t do that.”
“It’s true.”
“I’m not him.”
“Then don’t act like him.”
I look toward the window.
Caio gives her the flowers.
Manuela smiles.
“What do I do?”
“Trust what we taught her.”
“And if it isn’t enough?”
“We’ll be here.”
When they come inside, I make an effort to be civil.
I ask about school.
Family.
Plans.
I do not request a background check.
Yet.
After Caio leaves, Manuela sits beside me.
“You scared him.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
Lie.
“Dad.”
“A little.”
“I like him.”
“I know.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to run away, get married, or forget school.”
“Right.”
“And if he does something bad, I’ll tell you.”
“Right.”
“Do you trust me?”
I take my time.
“You.”
She hugs me.
“That’s enough.”
The phrase I once used with Olívia.
Maybe trust is not the absence of fear.
Maybe it is allowing the person to choose anyway.