Chapter 54
I’M VERY CLEAR ABOUT THIS
VICTORIA
Pepa and Alfredo are still meeting, and while I wait for them to finish, I’ve started packing up my office and putting things in boxes.
On Tuesday, they gave me forty-eight hours to think carefully about my decision, and although I told them I wouldn’t change my mind, they insisted that I take a couple of days to mull it over.
But, as I told them, I’m ready to consider my time at the newspaper over; I need a different way to enjoy my work, and I’ll do that by being with the woman I love.
Now that I’ve cleared out my desk and taken down some pictures I bought to spruce up this corner a bit, everything looks empty and silent, as if no one had worked here for the past few years.
I know I’m going to miss the rhythm of the newsroom and that I’ll cherish the memories I’ve made here, but it’s about time I devoted my time to a different kind of dream.
Carolina sent me a couple of messages and told me that Elena has thrown herself completely into her work to take her mind off what’s going on, and I’m worried it’s taking a toll on her.
I should have been strong enough to say no when I needed to, but I didn’t feel like arguing, and that’s led me to stay here much longer than I originally promised.
As I finish packing the cactus Joana gave me into one of the boxes, I’m startled by a couple of knocks and her sudden presence.
We haven’t stopped arguing since we broke up, and to be honest, I was hoping our friendship wouldn’t fall apart too.
I barely give her a smile, but she walks over and sits in the same armchair Alfredo occupied during his last visit to my office.
“From what I can see, you’ve already made a decision,” she says, breaking the silence that has settled between us. “I can’t believe you’re going to give it all up for love.”
“I’m not giving it up. There are many ways to be a journalist in our country,” I explain, turning my back to her and gathering some books. “Work isn’t everything, and someday you’ll realize that.”
“Right now, there’s nothing more important than my new job.”
“Maybe you’ll understand when you find yourself alone at eighty,” I reply, looking her in the eyes now. “You still have time to find someone worth it. At your age, I was about to get married.”
“Did you get married seven years ago?” she asks, and I nod, leaning on the table.
“It hasn’t been that long, but it feels like an eternity.” I smile as I recall it. “I was just as obsessed with this job as you are, so I gave it my all, and in the end…” I sigh, crossing my arms. “I ended up very alone. I advise you not to follow in my footsteps.”
“Of course I won’t. It wouldn’t even cross my mind to give up a deputy editor position for a relationship you don’t even know if it’s going to work out,” she declares, and just as I’m about to open my mouth to reply, I see through the office windows that Pepa and Alfredo are finishing their meeting.
“I’ll leave my things here. I’ll be right back. If anyone calls my phone, let it ring.”
“Sure, no problem.”
ELENA
With the phone pressed against my ear, I settle in more comfortably and remove the hair tie that held my hair in a small ponytail.
The sea breeze moves a few strands of hair, causing a slight tickle on my face, and that brings a smile to my lips that matches the restless beating of my heart.
I can’t wait to hear Victoria’s voice and spend a few minutes with her, even if it’s just over the phone.
Ever since we spoke and she told me that her bosses already know she’s leaving the newspaper, things have been much calmer, and I can’t wait for her to come home so I can hug her and leave all our problems behind to focus on us.
The ringtone ends and the call cuts off so suddenly that I feel compelled to redial, and once Victoria picks up, the butterflies flutter inside me, making me bite my lip.
“Hello? Is this Elena?” a woman I don’t know at all asks me. “This is Joana. Victoria is a little busy right now.”
“Joana?” I ask, a little scared. “What are you doing with her phone?”
“She left it here, and I figured, since it’s you, it must be important.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s meeting with Pepa and Alfredo,” she simply tells me. “You’ll be happy to hear this—they’ve offered her the deputy editor position and are doing everything they can to get her to stay; they don’t want her to leave.”
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“Me?” she asks, a little confused. “Our bosses gave her forty-eight hours to think it over. Vic still had her doubts, and, well, from what I can see from here, things are going pretty well.”
“Vic?” I shake my head a couple of times. “No…” I stammer, not quite sure what to say or do. “I…” I murmur. “Is that true?”
“Why would I lie to you? Victoria is the best; she’s Alfredo’s protégé, and I’m sure she’ll get him to change his mind,” she replies.
“You should be proud. Your ex-wife is wonderful, Elena. It’s a shame you haven’t been able to see what a great journalist she is.
What I find unbelievable is that you’re letting her give it all up—don’t you think you’re being too selfish? ”
“Selfish?”
“Yes, but well, apparently you’re more important than all of this. Although to me, it’s bullshit,” she confesses, stirring a bitter feeling inside me. “Do you want me to tell her you called?”
“No need.”
“Okay…” she replies. “Well, it’s been a pleasure, Elena. I hope your brother’s wedding goes well. I really wish I could have met all of you.”
Before I can say anything else, I hang up.
I’m overwhelmed, confused, upset, and frustrated.
I still don’t understand why Joana answered the phone, or why she was so harsh with me.
Victoria didn’t tell me anything about her bosses or her insistence that she not leave the newspaper, and the shock makes me wonder if it’s true that I’m being selfish for letting her leave a job she’s so good at.
Tears well up in my eyes almost without warning, and as they roll down my cheeks, I realize just how much Joana’s words have hurt me in a single moment.
It’s true that Victoria is wasting the chance to achieve her biggest dream, but she’s doing it for me, for us, for our relationship.
And, in the end, I’m the one who’s going to be blamed for this, even though I never wanted it to happen.