CHAPTER 13
At precisely one o”clock, the doorbell chimes and Victoria rushes to the door, her heart fluttering with anticipation. She knows it”s Daniel; he texted her only five minutes ago, announcing his imminent arrival. The door swings open, and she envelops him in an embrace so fierce, it”s as if he has returned from war and she, a mother fraught with the terror of potential loss.
“I can’t breathe, Mom,” Daniel gasps, his face flushed a bright red from the tightness of her hold.
From down the hallway, Micaela emerges, her expression one of bemused curiosity. She watches them, pondering — not for the first time — if her aversion to motherhood, her choice to prioritize her own life, is selfish.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Victoria releases him at last, smoothing a hand down his arm. “Do you remember Micaela?”
“Of course.” Daniel turns, offering Micaela a warm smile paired with a cheeky double kiss, which Micaela returns with equal affection. For the first time, a twinge of jealousy prickles at Victoria’s heart.
“Are we ready to go?” Daniel rubs his stomach. “I’m starving.”
“Would you like to join us until your guest arrives?” Victoria offers, surprising even herself with the invitation.
Micaela smiles, touched by the gesture. “No, thanks, I don’t think they’ll be much longer. Enjoy your lunch,” she declines, her eyes twinkling with fun as she winks at Daniel, sparking another wave of unexpected jealousy in Victoria.
“She’s a good girl,” Daniel comments as they step outside.
“You wouldn’t say that if you had to live with she twenty-four-seven,” Victoria retorts playfully.
When they arrive at the restaurant, a place Victoria had meticulously selected after confirming its top rating, she eyes Daniel with a mix of affection and apprehension.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Daniel probes, sensing her unease.
“Your father called me this morning,” Victoria plunges in. “He told me María said you’ve been having visits from an older man. Is that true?”
For a moment, Daniel’s face loses color, but he quickly recovers with a charming smile and a dismissive wave of his hand. “Are you guys really listening to María? She’s ancient, Mom. Maybe she’s talking about the elevator technician. Dad’s the condo president, and whenever the guy comes for maintenance, I’m the one who ends up signing off on it.”
“Are you sure, Dani? Don’t lie to me, honey. If you’re involved in something strange, you can tell me.”
“Strange?” Daniel bursts into laughter. “The only strange ones are you, Dad, and María.” His eyes sparkle with mischief. “I haven’t brought any older men home, Mom. Just classmates from uni to study or play video games.”
“Alright,” Victoria concedes, though not entirely convinced. She wants to trust her son.
The rest of the meal unfolds smoothly. Mother and son catch up, and Daniel eventually persuades her that moving in with a friend is beneficial for him.
“It’ll teach me to stand on my own two feet,” he concludes after a list of well-thought-out reasons.
“You’d be standing on your own if your father and I weren’t covering all your expenses,” Victoria points out, and Daniel swallows hard, “but alright, I agree. We’ll trust you. Just remember, if you fail even one exam, the adventure’s over and you’re back at your father’s.”
“That seems fair,” Daniel says, standing to envelop his mother in a hug.
As they exit the restaurant and part ways at the doorstep of the house, Victoria feels the familiar weight of her shared living situation. With a heavy sigh, she murmurs to herself that it’s only a matter of time. The book project with Micaela is moving swiftly, and soon, she”ll reclaim her space.
Stepping into the quiet house, Victoria assumes Micaela must have gone out for lunch as well, and a rare smile crosses her lips at the thought of having the place to herself, if only for a little while. She hangs her purse on the rack and takes the stairs two at a time, eager to slip into something comfortable.
Just as her hand touches the doorknob, a series of heavy sighs from within halts her in her tracks. If only she had heard a moment sooner, she might have paused, but inertia carries her forward and the door swings open. There stands Micaela, stark naked, her legs entwined with another woman in a compromising embrace. A cocktail of rage and an inexplicable sense of betrayal bubbles inside Victoria.
“Have you no shame?” she hisses before spinning on her heel and descending the stairs so rapidly she hardly registers the steps.
From the doorway, Micaela watches, her expression a mix of confusion and surprise. The brief glimpse of Victoria, furious as a storm, unexpectedly sends a thrill through her, culminating in a climax that even the woman with her notices with astonishment.
Needing air, Victoria steps out onto the porch, refusing to share any space with Micaela and her lover. Moments later, the author with Italian surnames and the other woman pass by. Micaela bids her guest goodbye with a casual double kiss and turns to face Victoria, who waits for the door to close behind the woman before unleashing her thoughts.
“You are utterly disgraceful,” Victoria manages to say, her voice low to avoid the neighbors” ears, though she yearns to shout.
“Because I slept with a woman? What’s so wrong with that?” Micaela asks, her tone calm.
“It’s everything! It’s disrespectful and rude. I would never bring a lover into the bed we share.”
Micaela frowns, sensing the depth of Victoria’s anger but recognizing the truth in her words. “Okay, maybe I went too far,” she concedes reluctantly.
“Maybe? You”re vile. You better change those sheets immediately and sanitize the bathroom and anything else you two touched.”
“That’s a bit much, Victoria,” Micaela points out, a note of defensiveness in her voice. “You’re right about not bringing her into our shared bed, and I apologize for that, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult me like this.”
Victoria knows she”s right, but her anger sends her words flying faster than her thoughts can catch them.
”I have every right to do as I please, and if you don”t respect me, I don”t see why I should respect you,” she snaps.
Micaela”s voice rises too, tinged with frustration, ”I already said I”m sorry, but really, Victoria, to react like this... maybe you”re just jealous?” Her words send a wave of fury coursing through Victoria, so potent she imagines grabbing one of the garden”s decorative stones and hurling it at her.
”You know what? You”ve got your plot and no problem writing, so you don”t need me at all. Figure it out on your own,” Victoria spits out before storming into the house, leaving Micaela wordless and stunned.