Chapter 47

GABRIELA

I'm really a little bored at home, I missed my brothers and my family in general, but I couldn't go home and be reproached for what had happened with my siblings. It was my fault what happened, even though my mother told me it wasn't.

As much as I don't like hurting people and even less my family, at this moment it's what I'm doing and I know it well, but if I went home, I would hurt my siblings who I am more than sure would hate me. They hate above all things and with reason they should hate me, María was hospitalized for a couple of days and Mario was in the emergency room due to the beatings.

It's about to be twelve noon when I got a call from Marcos, which is strange, because in theory he's in class, but I don't hesitate to answer in case something has happened to my siblings.

"Did something happen to my siblings?" I asked, starting to get worried. "No, nothing has happened that you need to worry about." Marcos assured, which made me calm down instantly "So why are you calling? You scared me." I stated, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm calling to ask you a favor."

"Then do it now before they scold you for not being in class." I laughed. "It seems Ana is leaving class early today and Carlos can't go pick her up." He began and a smile began to invade my face "I'm delighted to go for her, you know I love spending time with her."

"I appreciate you doing me that favor." My best friend thanked "There's nothing to thank, you know I'm happy to do it." I responded "Carlos will leave the keys in the mailbox so you can get into the house" he informed and I nodded "Ok, I'm going. Go to class." I scolded him, "I'm going, sometimes you look like my mother."

"Sometimes it seems like you need me to treat you like you're my son." I laughed. "I'll start calling you mom then." He joked, "Don't even think about it because I'm not." Marcos laughed again and hung up. I put the things in the backpack so they wouldn't get in the way, I took the car keys and the jacket. It didn't take long to get to Ana's school and as soon as I arrived, she was with her tutor at the door.

Luckily for us, she had no problem with me taking her since she had seen me with Marcos and Carlos quite a few times and apparently, they had put me on the list of people who could pick her up. "Gabriela!!!!" The little girl exclaimed when she saw me.

"Hello beautiful, how was your day?" I asked after picking her up in my arms. "Great, a new girl came to school today and she's in my class." She said excitedly. "That's exciting." I nodded. "Why didn't Marcos come with you?" The little girl questioned after looking at everything around us. "Because Marcos has a class."

"But you should be in college too." She pointed out and I shrugged, because in a way, it's true "I should, but let's say I'm on vacation for a month." I commented vaguely "So we can play every afternoon?" she asked excitedly. "Of course, as long as you do your homework first."

"Will you help me?" She asked and I nodded with a smile on my face "Of course, but let's go home, you must be hungry." I said when I heard her stomach growl. "Yes, I'm hungry, especially if you do lunch."

"How so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because you cook better than my brothers." She responded rolling her eyes "I don't think so, they cook very well." I supported them "Not as much as you." We headed towards the car, I opened the door for her to get inside, I fastened Ana's seatbelt and as soon as I finished, I went to the driver's seat and to her house. The keys were where Marcos had told me, so I took them and we went inside.

Once inside the house we started making food since Ana wanted to help me and we made pasta Bolognese with grated cheese. We finished it before Marcos arrived from college, we decided it's better for her to do her homework and that way if she wanted, we could play all afternoon.

"This is very difficult Gabriela." Ana protested and I denied, "It's not, let's see, when Marcos takes some candy from you, do you have more or less candy?" I asked and she frowned. "Less." Ana responded quickly, "And imagine he takes four candies from you and you had ten, how many do you have left?" I asked "Less candy." She repeated "Yes, but how many candies do you have?"

I could see how hard she's trying and I understand it's difficult for her, it was also difficult for me when I was little, my mother always had help me with my homework and you could say sometimes she did it for me, my strong point is not mathematics and that's more than clear to me.

"I'll teach you a trick that worked for me, I don't understand why they didn't teach it to you at school." I said, even though I hadn't exactly been taught it at school either. "Would it be easier to subtract?" She asked, hopefully, "Sure, look, hold up your fingers and tell me how many they are." I asked for "Ten."

"How many candies did you have?" I asked "Ten." She responded again, "Well, imagine your fingers are candy, and your bad brother comes and takes four of them." I lowered four of the fingers she had raised and she looked at her hand for a while and when it seemed she understood it, Ana smiled.

"I have six candies left." She said with a big smile on her face "See how easy? You shouldn't always use it, it's just a help." I said "Ok, now it's easy to subtract." She stated, focusing back on her duties.

"I don't like mathematics; I like to sing." The little girl protested, "Well, if that's what you like, do it." I supported her "Someday I will be famous like you." She responded and I laughed at the little girl's imagination. "I won't be a famous princess." I answered, laughing, "Of course, you'll see."

"You will be, you'll travel all over the world and everyone will love you." I responded "Will you be there?" She asked and I nodded, because I would do it without a single hesitation. "Whenever you need me, darling." I promised "Thank you Gabriela. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked "Can I call you mommy?" I looked at her surprised, I wasn't expecting that question at all, I honestly don't understand what that question was about. "But you already have your mother, princess."

"She's never there, however you're always there and we need you, it's as if you were my mother and my brothers' sister." She whispered, "But I couldn't take your mother's place, she will come back." I tried to convince her "I don't think so, when Carlos spoke with them yesterday, she argued and I understood something about them not coming back, they left us alone."

"I'm sure you heard wrong princess; they will come back." I said, trying to remember if Carlos had said something "So you don't want to be my mom?" Aba asked, getting sad. "It's not that, I adore you little one, it just wouldn't be right for you to replace your mother with me, she loves you." I insisted "If they loved us they wouldn't have left."

I can see how a tear escaped from her chocolate eyes and I didn't like seeing her like that. I don't know what's happening with their parents, in theory they should have already returned from their vacation. It's all weird to be honest and later I would have a talk with Carlos to find out what the argument he had with his parents was about as Ana had told me, but at this moment I had to focus on her and make her feel better, she had than to be happy.

"Don't cry beautiful, if that's what you want, I can be, but know it's not to replace your mother." I assured her, "You are better than my mother. "Can I call you mom?" He asked and I nodded "Call me whatever you want princess."

Just at that moment Marcos and Carlos entered through the door and Ana runs alongside them, making Carlos pick her up in his arms. "How is the queen of the house?" Carlos asked. "Well, Gabriela is my new mother." She said excitedly "And how is it she's your new mother?"

"She's better than mom and loves me more than her, so I asked her if she could be my mom and she accepted." Ana stated, "That's great, princess." Carlos said, looking in my direction. "Then now I can call you mom, since you are my sister's mother." Marcos laughed, giving her sister a kiss on the temple. "Don't be mistaken, Marcos, I'm only for her, since you're older than me."

"Four months alone." He replied, "But you're already older than me, and you're twenty-two years old. What do you expect your mother to be like?" I asked, "Don't bother mommy Marcos she's just mine." The little girl defended me "Don't you want to share it with your favorite brother?"

"My favorite brother wouldn't steal candy from me." She countered and I laughed "What are you talking about?" Marcos asked, frowning without understanding what his sister is referring to. "It was just an example, Ana, it doesn't mean he does it in reality."

"Believe me, he does." I looked at Carlos who could be seen with a big smile, but it wasn't one hundred percent natural, something had him angry which makes me think what Ana said is true.

"See mommy? He steals my candy." Ana protested, "Well, don't worry, I won't let him continue taking candy from you anymore. Now let's go eat, then we have to finish your homework." I said "Ok." With that Marcos and her went to the kitchen laughing while Carlos stood next to me.

"How come she calls you mom now?" he asked, looking in the direction his siblings had gone. "I don't believe it myself, but she told me she heard you arguing with your parents the other day and you said something about them not coming back. What's really happening Carlos?"

"She heard me?" He asked surprised "So it's true?" I questioned "Guys, are you coming to eat or what?" Marcos asked, "Let's go eat." Carlos said, starting to walk to the kitchen. "Don't think this is going to stay like this Carlos, I plan to talk to you later."

"Am I going to have to call you mom like Ana?" He asked and rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot." I huffed "Ok mom." I don't know why exactly everyone called me mom today, and it's not really something that bothered me too much, at least coming from Ana, from her brothers I found it funny they wanted to call me that since they were older than me and I saw them as brothers.

"It's funny your face when I or Marcos call you mom." He laughed. "Well, you'll stop doing it, because if not, I'll have to call you daddy two. Would you like that?" I asked "I'm not your father, I'm something like your older brother." He countered, "So my older brother is going to call me mom, isn't that weird?"

"Ok, it's weird, but know you will be a great mother one day." He now said seriously, "Why do you in your family today say I'm your mother?" I asked, "Because you behave like a mother we never fully had" I could see how he became a little sad and I decided it's necessary to talk to him about this issue, because the truth is I didn't understand much what's happening in his family, which I considered part of mine, and I didn't like at all to see them so downcast.

"Don't be sad and let's go eat before your siblings come for us" I said with a smile on my face "Ok, but we still ran out of food." He laughed. "Don't worry, I did a lot knowing what your siblings are like."

"By the way, I already got a job." My best friend reported "That's great Carlos, congratulations. I'm happy for you." I congratulated him "Yes, now we won't have to depend on my absent parents, if they want to separate from us, let them do it, I'm not going to allow them to destroy Marcos and Ana, they don't deserve it."

"Neither you. You know you have me for what you need, I'm serious. If you want, I can even help you with whatever you need." I assured him, "I know, that's why Ana loves you like you're her mother." He answered "I love her so much too; I love the three of you very much."

"And we love you too." He put an arm over my shoulders, gave me a kiss on the head and we headed towards the kitchen to eat quietly as a family since for me it was what they were, people who belonged to my family and I'm grateful to have them in my life.