A World Alone

Thalia took a deep breath as Leo held her close to him. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering before wiping away another tear. Slowly pulling away from Leo, she looked up at him. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled, “I didn’t mean to break down like that.”

Leo looked at her concernedly. It hurt him to see her like this and he wished that she would open up about what happened. “Are you okay?” Leo asked her. Thalia nodded and shifted so she was sitting more comfortably, “I guess I should tell you what happened,” Thalia murmured, “My padre called.”

Leo raised his eyebrow. Thalia’s never really talked about her father and he’s never seen any pictures of him – it never really came to his mind until now. “It’s a long story…” Thalia mumbled, brushing her brown hair over her shoulder.

“It all started when I was about 13. I came home from school and I saw my father with another woman in my parents’ bedroom. My dad begged for me to keep it a secret but it was something major, I couldn’t just keep it from my mom. So, I told her and she instantly filed for divorce. Before he left to find a place for himself, he told Theo and I that we could call him any time we wanted and that he would visit as much as possible. He did all the things that he promised, but after I turned 16, he just stopped altogether. I figured he just got tired of wasting his time on us and decided to just live his own life. Theo and I learned to live with it, but we never forgave him. Our mother had to work double shifts and everything to keep Theo and I in school and to put food on the table. I got a job when I turned 17 as a part time journalist working for the local paper and Theo started getting more involved in football. Soon enough, I went to college and Theo got into Boca Juniors and after all this time, he hasn’t made any contact with us up until this evening.” Thalia explained.

Lionel looked baffled and he hated that she had to go through all that. “I’m so sorry, nena.” Leo frowned before moving to hug Thalia. “It’s not your fault, Leo,” Thalia sighed, “Let’s just forget it ever happened.”

-

The next morning, Thalia bounded down the stairs eager to start the day. She made plans with Leo today and she was excited to focus all her attention on him and forget all the drama that happened yesterday.

“I’m going out soon, Theo,” Thalia yelled absentmindedly. She could hear chattering from the living room and she figured it was just Theo talking to one of his friends. Brushing her hair back, Thalia walked towards the living room to say goodbye to Theo when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her father was sitting down on the couch with Theo and her mother. When they noticed Thalia standing there, her father finally stood up. “Thalia…” he breathed out in disbelief as he moved to approach her. “It’s me—your padre!”

Thalia furrowed her brows and moved away from him. “Padre? You’re not my padre. Get away from me.” she hissed. Thalia could hear her mother sighing from the couch and she knew that she should calm down. A look of hurt flashed on his face and he stopped walking towards her.

“Listen, Lia—” he started but got cut off when Thalia shook her head. “No, Javier,” she snapped, using her father’s first name instead, “How dare you come back here after 10 years and act as if everything’s okay?” Thalia shot at him.

“Thalia…” she heard Theo say. “Just sit down and listen to what he has to say.”

Thalia felt her heart pound in her chest. She felt like he didn’t deserve a second chance. But she knew that her mother would appreciate it if they would stop fighting for a while. Brushing past Javier, Thalia took a seat beside Theo.

Javier sighed and walked back to the living room area and stood in front of the family. “Thalia,” he started, “I’m getting remarried and I want you to be at the wedding.”