I walk into Valentina’s childhood bedroom to find the curtains drawn, her small frame huddled beneath the blankets. It’s been over a week, and she’s refused to leave her bed unless I make her.
A soft sigh escapes my lips as I crawl into bed with her and spoon her, my hand wrapping around her waist, her head against my chest.
She tenses for a moment, but she doesn’t say a word. It’s been days since we had a real conversation, and nothing I do or say gets a response. I’m growing increasingly worried about her, and it kills me that I don’t know how to make her feel better.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” I admit, unsure if now is the right time. She doesn’t respond, not even when I tighten my hold on her. “A few days… before… I had lunch with Abuela. You see, the ladies she plays lotería with didn’t believe that you got married. She’d shown them news articles of me and bragged about her grandson-in-law being a Windsor, but they accused her of lying.” I chuckle as I think back to that day. “She called me and demanded that I come over right away. She sounded a lot like you do sometimes, the way she ordered me around. I finally realized where you got that attitude of yours. From the way she was talking, it was obvious that she had me on speakerphone. I heard the ladies with her taunting her, saying how she was taking her joke too far.”
She turns a little, her eyes roaming over my face. It’s the first time she’s even properly looked at me in days.
“Naturally, I dropped everything to go see her. I took my most expensive car and drove to the community center she was playing lotería at, not in the least surprised to find her standing on the curb with her friends, waiting for me. I pulled up in front of them and left my car right there on the street, making a big show of it. I walked up to her and lifted her into my arms, twirling her around the way I would do with you. She laughed, and I think it’s the happiest I’d ever been, other than when I’m with you. She looked so proud and vindictive as she introduced me to her friends. I’d never seen her that way, but I played along the entire time, and she loved every second of it.”
“Really?” Valentina asks, and I nod. She turns to face me, and my heart starts to race. She’s so close, but there’s never been more distance between us.
“That’s not all, though. About twenty minutes after I got there, the police arrived, telling me they’d tow my car if I didn’t move it. Abuela never knew, but I’d actually set up the whole thing. When she called me, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on, so I figured that if I was going to avenge her for the ridicule she had to endure because of me, I’d better do it right. So the police are there, right? But seconds later, Zachary Kingston pulls up right next to my car, a police escort with him. Instantly, the traffic police steps away and apologizes.”
Valentina stares at me wide-eyed, her gaze enraptured. “When we got married, Zach told me that something like marrying us couldn’t be used to repay the favor I did for him, so according to him, he still owed me one. I cashed it in that day. He made a really big deal out of greeting me, and then he profusely apologized for being late for our meeting, saying that he’d struggled to make it in time because the meeting location changed so suddenly. He told all of your abuela’s friends that she must be incredibly important to me, and that they’d better never offend her.” A soft laugh escapes my lips as I shake my head. “We had no meeting whatsoever planned, but he played his role perfectly. So there Abuela was, with both me and the mayor standing by her side. Her friends all freaked out, and she was so insanely proud. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happier.”
“Why did she never tell me this?”
I cup her face gently and press a kiss to her forehead. “When I took her home, she made me promise I wouldn’t tell you. As the excitement wore down, she felt embarrassed. She told me that she’d raised you to be better than she was that day, and that she didn’t want you to know how petty she’d acted. Abuela was worried you’d think less of her, so I promised to keep my mouth shut in return for a favor. I hope she’ll forgive me for telling you now.”
“What favor?” My wife asks, frowning.
I laugh and grab my phone. “I asked her to record a message for me I could show you if we ever had a huge argument. Something that would make you forgive me right away. Her condition had been deteriorating by then, and I wanted something I could hold on to throughout the years.” I show her the video, and tears gather in her eyes as I press play.
“Val,” Abuela says on the screen. “Don’t be mad at Luca, okay? That man loves you more than anything, but he is still a man, and they are dumb, Princesa.”
Valentina laughs then, and it’s the first time I’ve heard her laugh since we got the news. I stare at my wife in awe as she watches the video, and I silently thank Abuela for returning her smile when I couldn’t.
“Every time you’ve brought him home, he’s never looked away from you for more than five seconds. When he thinks you’re not looking, he smiles as if he won the jackpot, because ese estúpido niño thinks you’re the biggest prize.”
In the background, you can hear me muttering, “Are you calling me stupid, Abuela? Even I know what that means!” and Valentina laughs through her tears, her eyes meeting mine for a moment.
Abuela side-eyes me in the video before turning back to the camera. “He means well, Princesa. Knowing Luca, he probably didn’t mean to hurt you. If you think you can forgive him, then please do. Don’t stay mad for too long. Don’t waste this precious time together, okay? He loves you, and so do I.” She pauses then, her eyes narrowing. “But if you think you can’t forgive him, just come home, Val. I will beat him for you if you want me to, okay?”
At this point, I clearly grab my phone back from her, and the sound of her laughter fills the video. “She is my granddaughter,” she tells me, as the screen portrays the tiles on the curb. “I love her the most, and I will always take her side.”
“You were supposed to take my side this time, Abuela. You don’t even know what I’ll have done when I show her this! Maybe I just had to work late!”
“Then you shouldn’t have made her wait!” Abuela shouts at me, and then Abuela and I both burst out laughing before the video cuts off.
I cup my wife’s face and sigh. “Needless to say, I was going to crop that video before ever showing it to you. Can’t believe I got told off for something I hadn’t even done.”
She looks into my eyes, and for the first time in days, I see a hint of joy in hers. “I love you,” she whispers. “So much.”
I press a lingering kiss to her forehead and inhale shakily. “I love you more, Valentina.”
