Chapter 81

GABRIELA

Right now, I'm sitting in the garden. Marcos was calling me millions of times and then Alex, so I guess he already found out what had happened.

I still can't believe it. Yesterday she was fine, so fine she even spent an hour talking to us. She remembered everything! I thought the medication was going well, that it was delaying the illness, which at the end of the day is what we wanted. I didn't expect to receive the news I received this morning.

It's not that it affected me much this happened, I had assimilated one day it would happen and it didn't affect me that much after everything I learned about her treating my father and see it myself, she practically didn't deserve my respect. The thing is, despite all, it affected me, and my parents acted as if nothing had happened. As if it were a normal thing in everyday life and that's what didn't fit me. It couldn't be they were taking it that calmly, and right at this moment the day my mother came from the hospital comes to mind when she was acting kind of weird, and Monica had also acted weird when she talked to me, and that's when everything clicks in my head. They had known this all this time and they didn't say anything!

I got up angry and went to the house where my mother was because my father had gone to the hospital. As soon as I walked through the door my mother stared at me. "What's wrong Gabriela?" She asked a little confused, "Why hadn't you told me this was going to happen?" I returned the question and I could see how she frowned. "What are you talking about?" mom questioned "That you knew and you didn't tell me anything. You knew grandma's days were numbered and you didn't tell me anything! Didn't I deserve to know what was happening with Grandma instead of becoming half attached to her?

"Gabriela, we didn't want you to get sick." my mother said calmly, or at least as calmly as she could "Shit mom, I found her dead this morning! Do you really expect me to take this well? I could have avoided getting more attached to her!" I said frustrated, "I highly doubt you could help it. Understand us Gabriela, you had more things on your mind to worry about than to add the fact your grandmother's days were numbered. We did it so all this time you spent with her wouldn't affect you."

"I should have known." Just at that moment, Marcos enters the door and looks at me with that sad face I hated everyone looking at me with, so I ended up leaving the house angry. I didn't want to know anything about anyone, but of course, Marcos followed me.

"Marcos, leave me alone. I want to be alone." I said sincerely, "And I don't want you to have a bad time, so no, I'm not going to leave you alone." My best friend responded, "I hate you, Marcos." I answered even though I didn't mean it, "You love me and you know it." refuted my best friend "Where's Ana?" I asked, realizing I hadn't seen Ana. "At home, she'll be coming in a little while with Carlos. We had to know how you were doing before bringing her."

"I'm fine." I assured "No, you're not, you were arguing with your mother a while ago." He pointed out and I rolled my eyes. "They knew grandma was going to die and they didn't tell me anything, Marcos. Didn't I deserve to know?" I asked "Gabriela, both you and I know what it would affect you if you found out when they did it. I don't know what problems you had with your grandmother, but in recent years you became fond of her, it would affect you, no matter how you feel, and I'm sure all they wanted was for you to enjoy the time you had left with her."

"It shocks me I didn't find out about it sooner, Marcos." I whispered and he nodded. "I know, but I'm also sure you'd rather this happened than her suffering." He pointed out and I nodded, because that's true at least. "Well, think she will be better and she won't suffer anymore. That's what you need to focus on right now."

"Maybe, but you know? Yesterday she was talking to us for an hour. She remembered everything Marcos. I don't remember her ever telling us that he loved us and yesterday she said it several times." At that moment I started to cry and Marcos hugs me. We stay like this for a couple of minutes until I notice Marcos moves away and arms that I would know anywhere hug me, which makes me cry even more if that were possible.

"Everything will be fine, beautiful." When I calmed down a bit after a few minutes and Alex pulled me away and stared at me as he wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks. "I'm sorry about your grandmother, love." My boyfriend lamented and I denied, because the last thing I wanted was anyone's pity. "Don't do it, I hate being looked like that." I reported and Alex frowned. "Like what?" He asked "With pity. I hate being looked at like that." I responded "And I hate seeing you like this, I don't like seeing you this bad at all."

"It will go away in a while, don't worry about me." I asked and Alex denied "I will always worry, so don't tell me not to." He answered and I shrugged, because I knew it's like that. "At least try." I asked again "I won't even try, you're my girlfriend and I have to worry about you, that's what a couple is about after all, right?" He asked and I nodded, because it's something you did for your partner "Okay, whatever. But can we go for a walk? I don't want Ana to see me like this when she comes." I responded and he nodded.

We got up and walked for a long time without saying anything. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it's one of those silences that are comfortable. Alex had put his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close to him, which kept me calmer than I was a moment ago.

"Beautiful, are you feeling better?" He asked and I nodded. "Yeah, but I don't want to go home." I answered, "But you'll have to come back, you must be with your family." He said, "At home they will do nothing but get on my nerves and I have to be okay." I responded, "That's true, but if you want, I can stay with you so you can be calmer."

"Love, it's not necessary. I appreciate it, but you will have more things to do than be with me." I pointed out and he denied "Nothing is more important than being with you and taking care of you, my queen." He assured, "But for me there are more important things you can be doing." I insisted, "I suppose, but I'm not going to leave your side if this way we avoid getting on your nerves."

"You are a sweetheart; I really don't know what I did in this life to have you loving me." I said sincerely, "That's what I should say, beautiful, but let's go to your house, Ana must already be there." He pointed out and we started walking towards the house and when we arrived, I could see Ana in the garden with Carlos and Carlota, I don't have the slightest idea when she arrived, but I had to imagine she was going to come. At that moment Carlos turns right to where we were and tells Ana, who doesn't take long to get up and come running in our direction. I pick her up and she hugs me, which can be said to have helped lighten my mood a little.

"Are you okay mommy?" The little girl asked and I nodded. "Better now that you're here, princess." I spent the rest of the day outside, I didn't want to go into the house, not because I'm angry with my parents for not having told me what was happening with Grandma, but because I didn't want to go into the house, it made me remember the moment they took her away on a stretcher and I didn't want to remember it.

"Guys, can I stay at your house today?" I asked Carlos and Marcos nodded, "Sure, but I think you should stay here, with your family." said the first one, "There's no way I'm going to stay home. I just don't want to think about what happened; much less remember the moment they took her away."

"Okay, whatever you want, you can stay as long as you need." said my best friend, knowing I wouldn't change my mind. "If you want, you can come to mine, beautiful." My boyfriend informed and a small smile appeared on my face. "Thank you, love, but I have to stay with Ana."

"You don't have to, mommy, you can go with him." The little girl said quickly. "I'll think about it then." I responded, "You let me know." Alex answered, "Well, we better go home, Ana has to sleep."

"What time is it then?" I asked a little confused. "Half past nine." Marcos informed "It's late, let's go." I said and Ana began to deny "I'm not sleepy, mommy." She protested and I nodded because that's something I knew. "But tomorrow you have to go to the psychologist early, you have to rest, so let's not talk anymore." I said and Ana nodded.

With that I told my grandmother to say goodbye to the others for me and not to wait for me because I wouldn't come home to sleep, which made her ask me why a couple of times, but I wasn't going to tell her the truth, I didn't want to worry, so I told him I was going with Ana and I would stay at their house now, which I did often and is true.

When we arrived, I went to the kitchen to make something for them to have dinner, and they insisted I eat a little, especially Alex, but I wasn't hungry, so they stopped insisting. After an hour, I took Ana to the room so she could go to sleep, which doesn't take long to do, and I leave and go to the living room where the others were.

"Has she fallen asleep yet?" Marcos asked with a small smile on his face. "Yes, she wasn't sleepy but she fell rather quickly." I responded, "As soon as she hits the bed, she falls asleep quickly."

"Look who went to speak, Marcos, you do the same as Ana." His brother pointed out and I let out a small laugh. "What do you know, Carlos?" Marcos asked, acting offended. "I know, because I'm going to turn off the light sometimes, I have to cover you even because you just lay down in bed after studying."

"As you say, but I'm going to go to sleep because I'm dead tired. If you need anything don't hesitate to call me Gabriela." Marcos said, "I say the same thing, I'll get up early tomorrow." Carlos answered, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"We're just saying, see you tomorrow guys, rest up." They both said goodbye, going to their respective rooms and Alex came up to me and hugged me. "You should at least sleep beautiful, that's if I don't plan to pass it on to you." He assured, "And you should go home." I replied, "I'm staying with you today, I already told my mother I wouldn't be coming home today."

"Alex, I don't want you to have problems with your mother now you're starting to get along again." I protested and he denied it with a smile on his face. "It didn't bother her, beautiful, she prefers I stay with you after everything that happened today than I go home and think about how you'll be and not sleep at all because of it."

"But I'll be fine." I assured, "You're not fooling me, beautiful, so I will stay and take care of you as you deserve." He responded, and I decided to leave it since I knew he wasn't going to change his mind. "Thank you, go to sleep now, you have college tomorrow." I noted, "Tomorrow I don't plan to go to college."

"Why?" I asked, frowning. "Because I have to support you at all times, so I'm not going to go." He informed me and I couldn't help but sigh, "Alex…" I started, but he denied, "You're not going to convince me Gabriela, seriously, I'm going to stay with you." He replied, "Okay, but at least go to sleep."

"I will do it as soon as you make it beautiful." He replied and I rolled my eyes "I'm not sleepy." I argued and he denied, "But you're going to sleep, because if you don't, I'm not going to either." He assured, "Okay, I'll try." I gave in even though I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep. "That's not worth it, you have to go to sleep."

"Okay." He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I left my head on his shoulder and Alex starts to run his hand through my hair, which makes me relax a little more at least, but as the minutes go by, I can notice how those caresses are getting slower, so I move away from his shoulder a little and notice he's falling asleep, so I start running my hand along his arm so he falls asleep sooner, which doesn't take him long to do.