Chapter 37

Liz talks with her mother about what she plans to do now that her father is no longer around and expresses her strong desire for her mother to move in with her. "I don't want you to stay here alone; and soon enough, I'll need my mother close by. Isn't that true? I'll need a lot of help—your help."

Her mother responds, "Daughter, my place is here. And I won't be alone; your aunt is right next door; our whole family is close by, so there's nothing to worry about. I promise I'll visit you more often, especially when my grandchild is about to arrive."

But Liz insists, "But, my beautiful mom, I really wanted you to live with me. I wanted us to spend more time together."

"No, daughter. I'll always be there for you whenever you need me. But your father never wanted to leave here, even when you decided to move away. I asked him to come with you, but he said we would always be here for you. Now I understand. This is where our story began. And now your story will begin, your family, with the man you love and who loves you very much. You two will be very happy."

The two of them hugged, cried, and promised to see each other more often. This time, they wouldn't spend so much time apart. They would be more present in each other's lives.

"Now, let's go to your grandparents' house; let's see how they are doing. And afterward, we'll go for a walk." Liz replies that she just needs to answer the phone that's ringing, and then they'll go.

Penne asks how her friend is doing. Liz replies, "It still hurts a lot, but I'm trying to stay calm for the baby's sake. And to keep my mother more at ease too. I know she's suffering a lot. So many years together. They got married very young, and now she finds herself alone; it can't be easy for her."

"And how long do you plan to stay there?" Penne asks.

Liz answers that maybe just for this week. She explains that her mother doesn't want to travel with her, that she still needs to resolve some business matters with her uncles, and that she's also waiting for Henry, who will accompany her on the way back.

"Waiting for Henry? I don't get it," Penne teases and asks, "What did I miss?"

Liz smiles and tells her friend that they are getting married. "I accepted his marriage proposal."

Penne asks if she's sure, if she's not just doing this out of sadness and might regret it later. Liz responds, "No. When I saw him packing his suitcase, I felt an emptiness, a pain in my chest, a fear of losing him too. Then I realized I want to be by his side forever. And there's no reason for us to stay apart. We love each other; our baby is on the way. Everything is already decided."

"I'm so happy for you two, my friend," Penne says emotionally. "I've always told you to give him another chance; after all, he never did anything wrong. And he's always loved you so much. He loved you and still does."

"I'll call you later to tell you everything in detail, but now I'm going to check on my grandparents with my mom. Thank you, my friend, for everything. And thank Nick too. We'll see each other soon, OK."

Henry and Liz spoke on the phone for five days straight until he said he had resolved everything and would be flying out that afternoon, arriving at night. "And I miss you so much."

"I miss you too. I thought you had given up on coming back."

"No, on the contrary. I resolved everything I needed to so I could be with you without any worries. We'll see each other later tonight."

Liz replies, "I'm eagerly waiting for your arrival. See you soon."

She tells her mother that Henry will arrive at night, that he's leaving now. She asks Laura (the maid) to prepare a nice dinner for when he arrives so they can have dinner together. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything in the kitchen," her mother responds.

"In the meantime, I'll take a bath and rest a little. When he arrives, I'll be ready. I feel like a teenager waiting for her first boyfriend to come to her house." Liz kisses her mother and goes upstairs to her room.