Chapter four.

- I miss daddy. - Says Amanda making snouts.

- I know, honey. I promise you will be with him soon. - I rub her head forcing a smile.

I don't know when I'll have the courage to face it anymore, but I think I'm behaving like an immature teenager. As an adult, I must know how to deal with my situation.

It is decided, next Monday, I will go to the city and I will leave Amanda at least a week in which I am located. I have two days to prepare myself psychologically.

Sigh. This is going to be more difficult than it seems, but all for my baby and her happiness. Amanda is a very intelligent girl, I know that in time she will no longer believe the issue that her father is not with us for work reasons, as I have led her to believe.

It is time to see our faces and let them be what God wants.

(•••)

- It is a very wise decision on your part. You are looking for Amanda and not only for you and your pain, but that is aliform mothers. - Jorge says while he peels potatoes next to me.

- It still hurts, but I have Mom as an example. She would never let herself fall and even less knowing that she has children to fight for. I have already understood that a divorce is not the end of life. - I shake my hands and taking the bowl, I add the rice to the pot.

- Sure, that bossy lady is the best example. She reminds me of my wife. Those two when they get together is too stressful.

I laugh a little, knowing that she is telling the truth.

- I love seeing them together. Creating gossip and testing recipes. - I lean on my hip on the counter when I have finished my part. - You peel the potatoes, Jorge. - I laughed seeing it. She does it badly.

- I trained to be a bodyguard, to handle weapons and create emergency plans, not to peel potatoes.

- You learned to use a knife, what is your excuse?

- Slitting a body is much easier than peeling a potato without removing too much food. - he complains.

- Have you cut someone's throat? - I pretend to be alarmed knowing that she never has.

- Of course not. I mean that in training when we started practicing with those dolls, we pretended to do it.

- I am relieved to know that my fake grandfather is not a murderer. - I pat his shoulder.

- Grandpa, his father! That he is older than the panela. I am barely forty-five springs.

I chuckled at his drama.

- Ay, Jorge, never change.

Without further ado, I leave the kitchen trusting that he will not let anything burn.

- Amanda! - I scream to know his whereabouts.

- Madam, the girl fell asleep watching television and I went to put her to bed. - One of the girls appears, scaring me.

- Good heavens, Clara ... I almost died of fright. - I put a hand on my chest.

- I'm sorry. - She blushes, How cute! - Ah, I also wanted to let you know that the boss Esteban called a while ago, he says that he needs to speak with you urgently.

My brother? Urgently?

- Didn't he tell you anything else? - I ask confused as I go to her office with her behind me.

- No, ma'am, he just said that.

I nod and walk over to the desk, leaning over to turn on the computer.

- Okay Clara, you can leave. - I say without seeing her but I can feel how she moves her head in a "yes" - By the way, - now I look up and she turns to me. - Go to the kitchen and supervise Jorge, I don't want Martha to give something if he burns the place down. - She laughs but she nods and leaves.

I program the computer and while my brother answers, I settle down and put my best serious pose.

- Milena, the most clownish sister in the county. - Is that his greeting?

- Wow, how long did it take you to think about that sentence? Do not go to melt, little brother.

"Wow, you get stupider every day." - I roll my eyes.

He is my older brother, he leads our parents' company, and yet he acts like a child. Amanda is more mature than him.

- What is the fact that you asked for me? Clara told me that she was urgent.

- And it is. - She agrees. - It has to do with your beloved ex-husband.

I sigh in anticipation of what he is going to say to me. Whatever it is, it won't be good.

- I would like to say that whatever you do, I'm not interested. But if you tell me it's urgent, it's because he has something to do with me in some way. Or with Amanda.

- More than anything, it has to do with you. - I see how he makes himself comfortable in his big bed. - Yesterday she came to see me. He wanted to talk to me. Of course, I told him that I was not interested in what he had to say to me but he just said your name… I couldn't resist and let him speak.

- Ok, - I cut him off. - In summary, tell me everything that happened yesterday.

- He said things like he misses you and so on. That he was stupid for leaving you and a lot of nonsense. At first, he did not understand the size of his impudence ... But as I got closer I understood that he had taken. And you know that drunkards always tell the truth.

Unable to avoid it, a huge laugh comes out of me.

- And did you believe him? Eduardo is an expert liar. He has always known how to handle alcohol, what he told you is a complete sham. Something wants.

- Back to you.

- Yeah right.

- No, he wants something else. And believe me, neither his daughter nor I have anything to do with it.

- I would tell you to listen to him, to talk to him, but that would be very hypocritical of me. Plus you know I never liked him. The only thing I am grateful to him for is having given me Amanda as a niece, she is the only thing that he has known how to do well.

I laugh at his comment. My brother is the best in the world.

- On Monday I have planned to go to the city. To face my life. - I confess.

- And how good that you do. I need help here and I don't trust anyone but you. Besides that you have to earn your share, the day they are distributing the inheritance, I do not want to see you claiming anything.

I laugh for about the fourth time in what I've been talking to him.

- I'm the universal heir, and if you don't believe me, ask mommy.

His uproarious, ugly laugh comes through the speaker.

- Mommy tells you that so as not to make you feel bad, but we all know that I've always been the favorite. The inheritance goes to me.

- I drug my mother to sign some documents in my favor before anything else. - I raise my right leg to the chair and lean my arm there.

- I'll put you on notice right now, then.

- Now, let's get serious.

- Tony !, Come please. - A female voice is heard in the background.

I open my eyes wide when I recognize who it is.

- Oh my god. - I do drama. - Cuñis! - I squeal like crazy.

I watch as Ana's face becomes more visible, frowning trying to see me.

- Oh no. - My brother puts a hand on her face with regret. He knows what is coming. - My love! - she yells, and in the background, I can hear my brother's voice say: "don't get lesbian now"

- How is life with Esteban next to you? - I ask lowering my leg to rest my arm on the desk and my face in my hand, feigning tenderness.

- Your brother is not as good a lover as you, my dear Lena. - Yeah, she's the only one who tells me like that.

- I have already offered you to come and live with me, especially now that I am single. - I bathe my eyelashes and inside I want to laugh when I see my brother's annoyed face.

- Well, now... You go finish our breakfast,- he turns to his girlfriend. - And you, think about what we talked about. - now address me.

- Don't worry, I'll inform you of anything. I love you. - I blow him a kiss, he responds in the same way and we hang up.

Sigh.

I'm tired. Truly tired.

Where is the man I fell in love with? The one that instead of causing me problems and pain, made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

He changed and as far as I know, he remade his life with another person, why not do it too? It is time to get firm and serious in my life.

It is time to resurface, like a phoenix.

[•••]

"Cuñis" means sister-in-law. That's the term for your brother's girlfriend or your boyfriend's sister. I hope they understand. Thank you so much for everything.