CHAPTER 12
Victoria and Micaela have been isolated in the house in Vinuesa for two weeks now, and surprisingly, they haven”t killed each other yet. The barbs still fly freely at every opportunity, but as far as living together goes, things have improved. Micaela no longer uses earplugs; she”s grown accustomed to Victoria”s snores as if they were part of her own dreams. Victoria no longer barricades their beds with a pillow wall that takes up too much space, nor does she mind waking up with Micaela”s arm or leg draped over her. She simply moves it aside and gets out of bed. It seems they have learned to adapt to each other”s quirks and habits, and somehow, almost unconsciously, they are tolerating each other more. There are many moments when they find themselves chatting as they did on the first day, which, much as they hate to admit it, means their relationship has become significantly more cordial.
As for the writing, it flows astonishingly well. Since they plotted out the story, they have divided the tasks and write chapters based on each other’s strengths. Javier is thrilled with the drafts they send him. The more he reads, the more convinced he becomes that merging the minds of these two writers was a brilliant decision. He makes sure to express this in his emails, confident that the book will be a success.
Micaela, for her part, is overjoyed. Thanks to Victoria”s guidance and their collaborative method, her writer”s block has completely vanished, and her fingers dance over the keyboard with the fluidity they had months ago.
”Done!” she declares euphorically after finishing the latest chapter.
Micaela glances at the word counter glowing on her screen—2304 words. She mentally adds Victoria”s previous 1780 to the tally. They”ve been writing at a breakneck pace, and it”s only eleven in the morning. If it weren”t for their planned break today—the first in weeks, allowing them each a visitor—she”s certain they would have churned out another chapter apiece.
”Got it finished?” Victoria sidles up next to her, bearing a steaming cup of tea for Micaela, which she accepts with a grateful smile. She rises, offering her seat to Victoria, who adjusts her glasses and focuses intently on the screen. To Micaela, every gesture Victoria makes seems increasingly captivating.
Reading and critiquing each other”s work has become part of their daily rhythm. They edit, suggest additions, and sometimes, reluctantly, trim down the text, always debating their choices passionately.
”So, what do you think?” Micaela asks, perching perhaps too close beside her.
Victoria doesn”t look up right away. ”I haven”t finished, and back up a bit, will you? It”s warm today,” she chides.
”Not done yet? Maybe you need new glasses.”
”My glasses are fine. They”re just for reading. And I”d finish faster if you didn”t write such long chapters.”
”Like that one you wrote last week? Nearly three thousand words?” Micaela retorts.
”That was necessary.”
”This one is too,” Micaela defends stoutly.
Victoria finally looks up, a suppressed smile twitching at her lips. Micaela”s provocations are starting to amuse her more than irritate her. ”It looks good,” Victoria concedes after a moment, her eyes scanning the last lines. ”I wouldn”t add or take away anything.”
”Really?” Micaela”s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
Victoria nods and glances at the wall clock, calculating time to dress and prepare for her son”s visit. Micaela suggests, ”Maybe we could split the chapter? Leave the last part for the next one.”
But Victoria doesn”t answer; her phone starts to ring, displaying her ex-husband”s name. ”Excuse me,” she says, rising to take the call in privacy on the porch.
Victoria”s relationship with her ex has always been strained, especially since he seems to think that covering expenses is enough parental involvement. It had been hard for her to let their son, Daniel, move in with his father for university in Madrid, closer to everything and, ostensibly, easier for him.
”Hello, Santi,” she greets, a hint of suspicion in her voice. Sitting on the porch steps, she picks up a small stone, turning it over in her fingers.
”No big deal, Victoria. Just wanted to tell you Daniel mentioned he”s visiting today,” Santiago”s voice comes through the phone.
”Yes, that”s right.”
”I thought it might be a good time to talk to him. I”m worried,” Santiago adds, his tone unusually serious.
Victoria”s heart races, her protective instincts flaring up. If her usually indifferent ex is concerned, it must be something serious involving Daniel.
“Worried? What’s going on? Is Dani okay?”
“He’s fine, perfectly fine actually,” Santiago’s voice is smooth, too smooth. Victoria’s brow furrows—if he were here, they’d already be mid-argument, just like those last stormy months of their marriage. Santiago always had a knack for dancing around issues.
“Can you just be straightforward?” Victoria demands, her impatience thick in her voice. She can almost see Santiago’s sly grin on the other side of the line.
“A couple of days ago, he mentioned he wants to move into a shared apartment with a friend. Says it’s closer to the university than my place, saves him time, and they can study together.”
Victoria hesitates, biting her lip. “I don’t know, Santi. What if things get out of hand?”
“I thought the same, but he insisted. I think we should trust him. It’s going to cost us, though.”
“I figured as much.”
“Well, I told him to discuss it with you today, and if you agree, I’m okay with it. But that’s not what’s really bothering me.”
“Oh, it’s not?” Victoria stands, pacing the patio, her nerves sparking like live wires under her skin.
“What is it then?”
“This morning, I left for work a bit later and ran into María, the cleaning lady.”
“And?” Victoria presses, her voice sharp with urgency.
“She said Daniel has been seeing an older man for weeks.”
Victoria stops dead, her heart hammering a frantic beat. It takes a moment to find her voice. “An older man? I don’t understand. Is Daniel bringing an older man to your house?” Her words tumble out in a rush.
“That’s what she told me. She didn’t go into details, and honestly, I was so thrown off, I didn’t ask for any. I thought maybe you, being closer to Dani, could ask him.”
“Of course, I’ll ask him. And you could be a bit more observant about what’s happening under your own roof,” she snaps, her frustration boiling over.
“Hey, don’t go there. I remind you, I have an office job. I don’t have the luxury of staying home all day.”
“You’re right, sorry,” Victoria apologizes, her tone softening. “I’ll talk to him and call you.”
Victoria hangs up, her expression thoughtful as she turns the matter over in her mind, pondering how to approach her son.
“Everything okay?” Micaela asks, her concern evident.
Victoria looks up, surprised by the depth of interest in Micaela’s eyes, then sets down her phone with a heavy sigh. “Motherhood woes,” she adds, nodding.
Micaela doesn’t respond; there’s little she can add on that front. As if understanding each other perfectly, they walk in silence back to their room to dress before their visitors arrive. They haven’t delved deeply into this topic, and while Micaela knows Victoria’s visitor is her son, Victoria has no clue about Micaela’s guest, assuming it must be a family member.