Chapter Thirty: Family trip

A month had passed since Marina was left by her great love. She decided on her own that she would devote herself more to her studies and that God willing she would find a new love. Her mother was already seven months pregnant and they found out that it would be a boy, and named him Ethory, which according to her mother's friend was a beautiful Biblical name meaning God's Chosen.

With high school started, she and her family could go out more in the evenings, as there was more rest from work and the girl's school. The family decided that they would go bowling at the weekend, take lots of photos and leave everything sad behind and concentrate on their future, where in a few months they would have a new family member.

When she was at school, she showed that she was the best, that she didn't care about her broken love life or her family problems - which weren't many - only that she wanted to fulfill her dream of returning to her siblings in Sete Lagoas.

But when she got home, all she wanted to do was lie in bed, crying and regretting what had happened. Her wounds, which had previously been closed, were reopened when her ex left her, because she didn't think this could happen in her life.

She dreamed that she would marry him in a few years' time, that they would start a beautiful family and be happy, that her parents wouldn't die and that she wouldn't have to be adopted as a teenager and separated from her siblings, that she wouldn't have to adapt to a new place, meet new people, be disappointed a few more times and feel her heart empty, with no reason to want to live.

Marina felt this way for a few weeks, and when she realized that she was practically "waiting for her life to end", she decided that it was past time to suffer for those who didn't deserve it and that she needed to turn things around, live more, talk to her friends, even if it was her siblings, and know that life isn't just made up of good times, but of all of them, and we just have to want to live through the bad times or try to find some good lessons from the difficult times.

The evening arrives and the family goes for a drive through the city. Marina decides to take her camera to record every moment, while Sandra puts a good stereo in the car. Everything was in complete peace when the universe decided to get in the way with a heavy downpour. Traffic becomes congested and they are late arriving in the center of Nova Friburgo.

With some difficulty, Miguel manages to find a good place to park and the three of them enter the snack bar where the bowling alley is located. Because there were only a few people there, they had to wait for more people to arrive in order to complete the team, as the minimum was six and the maximum twelve people per lane.

Meanwhile, the girl was browsing the internet and ended up finding a photo of her ex-boyfriend with the girl he had impregnated, but his smile didn't look sincere.

Sadness was once again trying to shake her heart, but she took a deep breath and continued looking at the other posts, telling herself that it wouldn't discourage her evening with her family.

As it was taking too long for the game to start, the three of them decided to have a snack, a Calabrian pizza to be precise, and just when she thought she was going to be bored, she spotted a familiar boy in the middle of another family.

Her smile widened when she realized who it was. She thought about going to meet Lucas, but changed her mind when she saw him with the girl who had kidnapped her months ago. After that day, the two of them became closer, but he always tried to protect her so that it wouldn't happen again.

A week after the incident, Lucas went to Marina's house and asked her to marry him. He had broken up with the girl and was willing to stay with her, but the girl, afraid that the child would suffer, decided not to accept and gave the excuse that she needed some time alone to forget who had hurt her. He understood her motive, but still didn't stay away from her, even at the risk of his family turning against him.

Marina kept looking at Lucas. Her eyes sparkled and although she was afraid of falling in love again, she decided to let it go, because she needed to give love a chance. There's no point in trying not to feel what is already destined to be human.

Not wanting to get close to boys for fear of getting attached, or not wanting to move on with life for fear of regretting it, but taking a chance without fear of what might happen, giving in to passion again without caring about the consequences, because that's falling in love, taking a chance, wanting to feel loved, even if it involves suffering and regret, and that's what she did.

She straightened her dress, fussed with her dark hair and got up from the table, heading towards the boy she couldn't stop thinking about, and although she still suffered from her old love, she wanted to forget him for a moment, to have with her the one who loves her the way she is, that she knows he won't abandon her if there's a bad moment, but that he'll face every moment of her life with her, that he'll be by her side no matter what, and if she does get hurt, at least she'll know that she tried to be happy, that she got on with life and that not working out is part of everything that exists in the world.

After getting up from her chair and taking a few looks at the boy, she plucks up the courage to approach him and says:

-Hello. What a surprise to find you here - She smiles and fiddles with her hair, a little shy.

-My grandmother decided that today was family day and made us come along. I even thought about inviting you, but you told me earlier that you were going out with your parents. I guess fate wants us to see each other today - and he gives the girl a wink that makes her happy - Unfortunately, she had to come along - he says, pointing to the woman holding the baby - But at least there's a silver lining, since we're in the same place.

-At least you're spending time with your son, which is a start. Especially since she had forbidden you to see the child.

When they separated, his wife forbade him to see his own son. He only saw him at weekends with her. At first, he was shaken by the situation, but he knew that this was her game to lure him back. It had been five months since they had separated and at the moment Lucas was coping well.

The two of them remained silent for a long time until their grandmother called them and the idea came to her of inviting them to go bowling with them, and as luck would have it, they accepted. Marina and her friend took the opportunity to catch up and without her realizing it, the boy grabbed her hand, and out of shyness or the fact that her heart was racing, she didn't do anything, just smiled and carried on talking.

Diego approached her soon after and tried to get close to her, but to no avail, and huffing, he left the place and went off to some corner. The games began and it was a unique moment of peace and joy, which unfortunately didn't last long, because something unexpected happened: Marina's mother felt her sac rupture, which meant two things: that in a few minutes her new brother would be born and that the baby would be born prematurely.

Miguel quickly took his car from the parking lot and put his wife in it, taking her to the city hospital. The nearest one was a twenty-minute drive away and, because he was worrying too much or didn't realize it, he didn't take Marina with him. The girl, realizing this, starts laughing and before she leaves the place, heading towards the bus stop, Lucas grabs her hand and says:

-Mari, let me take you home. It's late and it's dangerous to go out alone at this time of night.

-I don't usually accept it, but I don't want to walk around alone. So let's go before anyone notices.

-Where do you think you're going?- Diego appears, watching the scene and itching for a fight.

-Where I go or don't go is none of your business, after all, you have nothing to do with my life.

-I wouldn't say that if I were you, after all, my grandmother is in there and she won't like you leaving her alone.

-First: I'm of age. Secondly: I warned her and Thirdly: Go find something to do instead of trying to make my life hell. Why don't you look for Milena, she's inside with my son on her lap. Since you're such good friends. It's funny that my son doesn't even look like me, but I can't even give an opinion, otherwise there'll be conflicts in the family, but you know what I think? That this son is yours and you want to manipulate me to get my family's inheritance, but you won't succeed, because my parents worked hard to get it and it's not going to be her or you who gets anything-He finishes speaking and once again takes Marina's hand, leaving him stunned by the information, and goes to the bus stop.

The two remained silent during the journey and when Lucas was about to say something, she said:

-How are you feeling?

He looked deep into her eyes, making them sparkle with joy, with a mixture of relief and something he couldn't identify.

-I'm relieved. I thought I'd never have the courage to say what I said today. It might cause a stir, but at least I'll find out the truth once and for all. I need to know the truth because I don't want the child to suffer if he's not my son and this doubt eats away at me every day. But let's talk about good things. How do you feel knowing that you will soon see your brother's face?

-Happy, but I've made a decision in my life. I've been talking to my mother and I've decided that I want to be close to my siblings. My sisters are already living with Thiago and have asked me to stay there for a while, but I'm seriously thinking of moving to Sete Lagoas, because I've always loved this place and it's where I've spent my whole life.

Lucas is saddened by the news, after all he still loves her, but he has also discovered over time that when love is true you have to make sacrifices, even if it hurts to see the one you love far away, but what really counts is seeing your love happy, whatever your decision and so he just says:

-I think you should follow your heart, because even though I really want to have you around I can't interfere with your happiness and if it makes you feel good then do it. I only ask one thing: don't forget me.

-I'll never forget you- She kisses him on the cheek and just as she's about to leave him, he looks into her eyes and kisses her passionately. She doesn't even hesitate to fight, she just lets the moment happen and her heart fills with the joy of kissing his lips again.