Chapter 36
THE SURPRISES LIFE brINGS
JORGE
After much pleading, I’ve finally managed to get us to go hiking together and for Elena to take time off work, though I still don’t know how.
I’m glad she accepted the proposal without a word of complaint, and, thinking about it, I admit I’d like her not to have so many responsibilities.
Now I feel a little guilty for letting her handle all the wedding preparations, but every time I see her smile and hear her laugh, I know she’s happy, and that’s what matters most to me.
Last night, Carolina and I were talking about how, after all the fuss over Victoria, things between them seem to be going better than we thought.
We both have a theory that they’ve cleared things up; however, she takes it a step further and has hinted to me that they’ve surely done a little something else.
I don’t have the headspace to imagine that much—I just want the group’s atmosphere to be more relaxed so we can enjoy everyone’s company like we used to.
Pablo and Inaki have placed bets on my sister’s relationship, and even though I don’t find it the least bit funny, they’ve forced me to participate.
I have no idea who the winner will be or if anyone will have guessed correctly; I just hold on to the idea that we want the same thing: for them to get back together.
It looks like the perfect day to spend in the mountains; it’s not as hot as it’s been lately, and the breeze keeps the sun from burning too much.
We’ve been walking for over half an hour, and even though I’m the only one used to doing this almost every day, I haven’t heard a single complaint from anyone.
“Jorge, man! Are you planning on making us hike the whole island?”
“I knew this silence was too good to be true,” I exclaim, and the rest of them laugh.
“Don’t laugh. One day you’ll miss my complaints,” Pablo says.
“You say so,” Victoria says, and my sister gives her a knowing smile that lasts only a few seconds, but Carolina notices it just long enough to nudge me so I don’t miss it.
“You’d better stop talking and pick up the pace. I want us to reach the tower by mid-morning, and if we keep this up, we won’t be back until late afternoon,” I protest, and Pablo’s snort prompts Inaki to give him a friendly shove.
“Come on, it’s not that bad; we only have a couple of kilometers left.”
“This guy is crazy…” he says again. “It’s been ages since I’ve walked this much.”
“You can still turn back,” my sister encourages him with that playful gesture that’s so typical of her. “But if you get lost, don’t blame us later. I still remember the time we went on the Faro des Moscarter and Portinatx trail. We almost had to call the police.”
“Don’t go overboard,” he mutters, embarrassed. “It was nighttime, and you know I don’t see well at that time of day.”
“Yeah, right…” Victoria and my sister reply in unison. “Come on, let’s keep going. The longer we delay, the later we’ll get back,” Victoria encourages him, and then she takes Pablo’s arm to keep up with the pace I’m setting.
Silence envelops us all, and for more than twenty minutes we simply enjoy the scenery at this end of the island; from here, we can see the cliffs in the distance, the waves crashing against the rocks, and the different shades the Mediterranean Sea takes on depending on its depth.
“This place is spectacular, huh?” Victoria, who stands beside me, puts her hands on her hips and gives me a weary smile. “Although I have to admit you’ve gone a bit overboard this time.” She laughs and points at Pablo. “I don’t think we’ll see him again until the wedding.”
“That’s what he gets for not getting off the couch,” I reply, raising my voice, and my friend gives me the finger, which makes me burst out laughing. “I’m glad you’re having a good time,” I say to Victoria now. “It seems like things are going well between you and my sister.”
“We just needed a little time,” she explains, looking around for Elena. “Not everything that’s dead seems to be truly dead.”
My sister, who hasn’t missed a single detail of our conversation, walks past us and moves ahead. I’d love to be alone with them and ask them more directly, but since that’s not going to happen, I swallow my questions and walk over to take Elena’s arm.
“Are you going to tell me what’s making your eyes sparkle?” I whisper to her so Carolina and Ana won’t hear us. “Because if you think I’m stupid, little sister, you’re very wrong.”
“You’ve already talked to her,” she tells me, and once I look into her eyes, she gives me a wink that turns into a little laugh. “Stop thinking about me and enjoy this. I know it’s been one of your favorite places since you were a kid.”
“Is it far?”
“Are you okay?” I ask, genuinely concerned, and completely ignore Pablo.
“Much better than fine.” My sister gives me a kiss on the cheek, and once she smiles at me, I know she’s telling the truth.
The day Carolina told me she’d asked Victoria to be her maid of honor, the first thing I thought was that she was crazy.
We argued for hours because I seemed to be the only one aware of everything her return to the island would dredge up; but, apparently, I was pretty blind because I wasn’t able to realize that the only thing my sister needed to be happy was exactly that: for Vicky to come back.
I suppose there are things that are beyond my control and that I can’t stop, and the whims of fate are one of them.
I don’t know what she expects to happen, whether something good will come of this or if I’ll have to watch my sister sink back into despair, or if she’ll be the same as before thanks to Victoria.
I’m not sure I have enough patience to wait for either of those two things to happen, but right now, all I can do is make sure Elena is okay and that, in the future, she remembers these years as the time she needed to move forward with a relationship that, at some point in our lives, we all wanted to emulate.