Volver a Tus Brazos

The Balcázars decided to withhold the news of Harry’s visit until they felt that Paulina had been given enough time to enjoy her Thanksgiving. It was a decision met with opposition from Adrian and Luis, who argued that their sister should be immediately informed, but their older brother and parents thought that waiting a few more hours wouldn’t do her any harm. After all, it wasn’t like Harry was going to get there right away. He had to drive down to the Los Angeles International Airport, which took about an hour with decent traffic, but that would undoubtedly take more than two on the holiday weekend. He also had to book a flight, then wait to board, and then actually embark on the five and a half hour flight to Boston. If everything went right from him, the earliest he could get to Harvard would be at two in the morning, but he could also get there even later than that. And that was the argument that Irmalinda, Ricardo, and Raphael made. They said that there was no point in telling Paulina in the middle of the afternoon if Harry wasn’t going to get over there until the early hours of the morning.

So despite Adrian and Luis’ protestations, they held off on calling her until it was ten at night on her side of the country. Since it was so late, they figured that she had been able to enjoy her Thanksgiving and unwind after her busy day campaigning with Professor Warren. Since it was so late, they figured that they wouldn’t be completely ruining her holiday, and they were right about that, because when they called, she didn’t pick up. Their call went straight to voicemail, as did all the others they placed. She had turned off her personal phone for the night, and had she been able to, she would’ve done the same to the phone that Professor Warren had given her for campaign use, but since that phone was to be on twenty-four hours a day, she settled with simply turning off her private one. And after she did that, she climbed into bed with her four month old Boston terrier.

Over the course of the last month and a half, she had turned into a weird dog person. She had always loved dogs, ever since she was little, she loved spending time with Hercules and Bilbo in the backyard, but she’d never been one to treat them like kids. She never understood why people spent so much money on clothes and costumes or why they threw them birthday parties or why they set up doggy dates or why they would eat outside in the cold just so they could have their pets with them. None of that ever made any sense to her. In fact, she used to make fun of people who did stuff like that, but ever since Theodora Louise came into her life, everything had gotten better and she couldn’t help but be overly attentive and affectionate to her little puppy. She couldn’t help but make doggy-sitting arrangements for when she was at school or work, she couldn’t help but buy a doggy stroller, she couldn’t help but get her cute little outfits and she most certainly couldn’t help but cuddle with Thea at night, because Theodora might’ve had a high end memory foam bed, but she never used it. The bed was only there for decoration, because Theodora was as in love with Paulina as Paulina was with her.

That was why Paulina didn’t accept Professor Warren’s invitation to spend the night. That was also why she hadn’t accepted the Kennedys offer to spend Thanksgiving evening with them in Hyannis Port. She just wanted to spend the night at home with her Thea. She wanted to take a long bath, to watch Netflix and have a drink or to, and most importantly, she wanted to cuddle with Thea. That was her ideal night, and that was exactly what she did. She took her bath, opened up the Viognier, and then spend the rest of the night watching Parks and Recreation with her little girl.

They watched it until they both knocked out. Theodora fell asleep first, she could never stay up past nine, so when she got sleepy, she nestled into Paulina’s chest and dozed off. As for Paulina, it was nearly two in the morning when she finally fell asleep. She was a little woozy by then, having finished off the wine, but she felt okay. In fact, she was more than okay. She was happy. This, being with Thea, it always made her feel great. And when she fell asleep that night, there were no nightmares to disturb her sleep, because ever since Thea came into her life, those wretched things had gone away. She no longer woke up in the middle of the night crying out for the daughter she had lost, she never woke up with hatred in her heart, and she never went to sleep afraid of what she might dream. That night, she fell asleep with a little smile on her face, and when morning came, she woke up to Thea licking the side of her face.

“Mi corazoncito (my little heart), it’s too early,” she mumbled as she nestled her face further into the pillow. She had a daily alarm set for six in the morning, because at that time, regardless of how she felt, she and Thea would go for their morning walk. “It’s mimis (sleep) time.”

But it wasn’t. Thea knew it wasn’t. That was why she kept licking Paulina’s face, and when Paulina completely shielded her face in the pillow, Thea began to nudge her. She nudged her until Paulina lifted her face from the pillow.

“Pinche (fucking) Thea,” she grumbled as she rubbed her tired eyes. “I’m up. See? Up. Now go get your collar.”

She touched the base of her neck so that Thea could understand what she wanted, and sure enough, Thea jumped off the bed and went over to the nightstand, where her collar and leash awaited her on the bottom shelf. While she did that, Paulina reached over for her phone. She expected to see the time on the screen, but when she took it off the charger, she saw the blank screen and remembered that she’d turned it off the night before. She tried to turn it back on, but it refused to. She had dropped it earlier in the month and although it didn’t break, it did start acting up. There were times when it was fine for several days, but others where it refused to start after having been turned off. And on Thanksgiving morning, after various attempts, it was clear that it would not be turning on again.

“The damn thing finally gave out.” She furrowed her brow in annoyance. “Can you believe that, Thea? I was hoping it’d make it to at least December, but no, it gave out on us.”

By then, Thea was back on the bed.

“That’s alright though. We’ll take it down to the store, have them switch it out. I mean this isn’t a fancy phone or anything, they’re bound to have a replacement lying around. All we have to do is – fuck! It’s Black Friday. Of all days for this to break, it just had to be Black Friday. We’re not gonna be able to go today. The malls are ridiculous and there’s no way I’m putting up with those damn crowds. I guess we’re just gonna have to be phoneless for a few days. It’s not like we have anything important happening this –” Her eyes widened in horror when she remembered the conversation she’d had with Alfred on Thursday morning. “Alfie!” she exclaimed. “He’s getting in at ten! What time is it? What time?” She bolted off the bed and began searching for her work phone. “Where the hell is it? I could’ve sworn I put it with the other one.”

Since it was clearly not on the nightstand, she decided to rummage through her purse and the coat she’d worn the day before, but the phone wasn’t there. But where else could it be? It wasn’t like she took it out all the time, it was usually just stowed away in her bag in case it rang, but it wasn’t there and it wasn’t in the coat and it wasn’t on the fucking nightstand. So where was it? For a moment she feared that she’d lost it at one of the events, and then she started freaking out, because her mind began concocting various scenarios in which Professor Warren would’ve called her in the middle of the night, but just as she was verging on tears, she remembered that she had carelessly thrown her purse on the coffee table when she first walked in. So maybe, just maybe, it was there. And sure enough, when she ran into the living room, it was lying there on the coffee table. She immediately reached out for it, her index finger was quick to press the power button at the top of it, and when she saw what time it was, her eyes widened in horror.

It was 9:17 am.

“That can’t be right,” she whispered as she fiddled with the power switch. She turned the phone completely off, then turned back on, hoping that it would be before six, but when the phone went back on, it was 9:18. “How’d we managed to sleep that long? We never sleep that long. You always wake up at six or before six and then the alarm goes off and – agh!” she tossed the phone onto the couch. “I’ve made a mess of things, Thea. I shouldn’t have turned my phone off. I don’t know what I was thinking when I did, but I shouldn’t have because your Uncle Alfie called yesterday to ask if he could fly out and I said yes. I told him he could and now . . . now we’re gonna be late to pick him up and my phone doesn’t work and he’s probably gonna try calling that one when he lands and . . .” she grew quiet and looked over at her puppy, hoping that her presence would soothe her like it always did, and sure enough, Thea’s beautiful brown eyes were enough to pacify Paulina. “You’re right,” Paulina eventually said. “I’ll just us the work phone. I have his number written down. So I’ll just use it and who cares if Warren gets mad. I’ll pay her for whatever charge she gets billed. What matters is that we get to your Uncle. Now let’s go outside so you can do your business. I’m afraid we’re gonna have to skip our morning walk today, there’s just no time for it, but I’ll make up for it later today, I promise.”

Paulina put the collar on Thea and left the leash on the couch, she then quickly slipped on her UGG boots and because she didn’t feel like wasting her time by going back into her room to grab a coat, she simply wrapped her throw blanket around her shoulders, grabbed a couple plastic bags and walked outside with Thea.

It was cold out, but after having been at Harvard for two years, Paulina had a newfound appreciation for 38°F. Her family and friends in California thought she was crazy for saying that it wasn’t so bad, anything under 60°F was freezing to them, but as odd as it sounded to her Southern Californian loved ones, the truth was that 38°F was a hell of a lot better than 22°F or 7°F or -3°. That was why she was pleased when she went outside, because it might’ve been chilly out, but it wasn’t freezing. There were no clouds in the sky. No chance of snow. It was great weather for Alfred’s unexpected visit, and she hoped he would enjoy it as well.

She was excited to see Alfred. The last time she saw him was in August when she was back in Azusa. He and Olivia flew out to visit her, they were warmly welcomed by her entire family, but try as she did to present and cheerful and as outgoing as she used to be, she just didn’t have it in her. She didn’t smile like she used to, her lips curved and she flashed her teeth but it never reached her eyes. That was a side effect of miscarrying. She lost her smile and her laugh, she lost her appetite, but thankfully for her, her friends understood. They weren’t angry at her for not telling funny stories and for not laughing boisterously, they weren’t mad at her for staring off into space or for not having the energy that she used to. They understood that she had been through a lot, Olivia knew that there hadn’t been closure and Alfred knew that she was still grieving for the daughter that could’ve been. They had been understanding and compassionate with her during the worst of times, and now that she was better, she wanted to demonstrate how far she’d come. Now her smile reached her eyes, her laughs were genuine, she hadn’t completely regained her appetite, but she was slowly getting there. And it was all thanks to her little Boston terrier.

Theodora Louise Balcazar had brought back her smiles and her laughter, she had brought back that loving look in her eyes and the desire to once more reconnect with life. Thea was better than any medicine the doctor’s had given her. She was better than the antidepressants that Daniella had prescribed her. That was why Paulina got off them. She had been depressed because she felt that she had been robbed of the privilege of being a mother, but now that Thea was in her life, she was able to fuss and worry, to dote and scold. She was able to be a mother to a wonderful little puppy, and although puppy Thea could never replace the actual daughter that Paulina had lost, she was more than enough to make her want to wake up in the morning.

It was because of Thea that Paulina no longer went to sleep praying to be reunited with her daughter. It was because of Thea that she began to see the beauty in life again. That was why she turned into a weird dog lover, that was why she treated Thea like her daughter, and why she always took her out on walks. That was why she felt guilty about not being able to take Thea out on her morning walk, because Thea had done so much for her that the least Paulina could do was walk her along her favorite streets, but they were running late. Alfred was set to land at 10 o’clock, and he would undoubtedly clear immigration in less than an hour, so they were pressed for time. That was why Paulina urged Thea to hurry up, and when Thea finally did go, Paulina was quick to scoop up the poop and throw it away in the waste container.

The pair then ran back inside their little house, where Paulina quickly changed out of her pajamas and threw on some warm clothes. She didn’t bother with putting on makeup or doing her hair. She simply brushed her teeth, applied face cream and then put on a beanie that her mother had knit for her. Had she had more time, she would’ve made an effort to look more put together, but it was nearing 9:40 and she really had to get going.

“Come on, Thea!” she called out as she slung her purse across her shoulders. “We’ve got to get going. Uncle Alfie’s gonna be landing soon.” She busied herself by grabbing the stroller from the hall closet. She fully expected to find Thea standing right next to her, but when she turned around, Thea was nowhere to be found. “Theodora!” Paulina bellowed, but this time she didn’t say it English, the name was pronounced in Spanish. “Te me sales ahorita mismo porque si no, no te voy a llevar al aeropuerto. (You better get your little butt over here right now, because if you don’t, I’m not gonna take you to the airport).”

Thea didn’t understand Spanish as well as she did English, but from the stern tone of Paulina’s voice, she knew that she had to crawl out from beneath the blankets on the bed.

“There you are!” exclaimed Paulina as she scooped Thea into her arms. “I was beginning to think you didn’t want to go with me, but I should’ve known better than to think you’d pass up on a drive. Now, let’s get your coat on. It’s a bit chilly outside and I don’t want you getting sick.”

She placed Thea atop the entryway table, next to a vase filled with old sunflowers. Quick as she could, she put on the insulated jacket. It wasn’t one that would cut off Thea’s mobility, her legs were free to move as they desired, but her back and belly were well protected from the elements. And as soon as Paulina finished putting on the coat, she scooped up Thea into left arm and with her right, she carried the stroller.

When they got outside she rested the stroller against the concrete wall that ran along, and as soon as she locked the door, she picked the stroller right up and slowly made her way up the stairs. She cursed herself for not having put the stroller in the car before she carried Thea up the stairs, but there was no turning back, she had to make her way up the stairs with both of them, and when she reached the top, she set the stroller down for a moment before picking it up again.

Upon reaching the car, she set down the stroller and grabbed her keys from her back pocket. With her keys in hand, she opened the front row passenger seat so that she could place Thea into her little car seat. Paulina knew that she should’ve had the seat in the back row, away from potential airbags, but Thea refused to sit anywhere other than shotgun. That was her place, and that was why she smiled so brightly when Paulina placed her in her seat. She loved going on drives, and it was torture having to wait for Paulina to put away the stroller, but when Paulina did get back into the car, Thea couldn’t help but bark from excitement.

“Is my little girl excited to meet her Uncle Alfie?” Paulina asked as she rubbed the back of Thea’s ear. “I’m so happy you are and I know your Uncle is gonna love meeting you. Yes, he is. But before we go over, I have to leave him a message. Okay? And as soon as I’m done, we’ll head.” Paulina took out her phone and address book. She turned to the one with Alfred’s number on it and then dialed. Sure enough, her call went straight to voicemail and determined to use as little minutes as possible, she spoke quickly. “Good morning, Alfie! It’s me, Paulin. I’m calling you from my work phone since the other one stopped working this morning. That’s actually why I’m running a bit late. Well, not actually late since the airports only like fifteen minutes away and I’ll definitely get there before you land, but I just wanted to let you know that if for any reason I’m not there when you get through immigration, just go ahead and call me on this number, but I promise that I’ll be there when you land. I honestly can’t wait to see you. I’m fucking stoked! And, uh, that’s all for now. I’m gonna hang up so Thea and I can drive over. Love you, Alfie! Bye!”

Satisfied with her message, she stashed her phone back into her pocket.

“Ready Thea?” she asked as she placed the key into the ignition.

To her question, Thea yelped, knowing very well that it was expected of her.

“Alright then,” said Paulina, smiling brightly. “Let’s go pick up your uncle.”

Since it was relatively early on Black Friday, traffic was nonexistent. Most people were either knocked out at home or waking up to watch college football games, and the people that were out, were concentrated at malls and shopping centers, far from where Paulina drove by. So she was able to get to the airport a little faster than she normally would have and after struggling to find a decent parking spot, she finally secured one on the third floor of the structure.

By then, it was 10:07am.

Despite having made good time, Paulina still felt like she was running late and she acted accordingly. The moment the car was parked, she jumped out and ran over to the trunk to get the stroller out, and before she settled Thea into it, Paulina laid down a Little Mermaid blanket that Thea loved. It was a must for stroller rides – well, that and a Piglet plush doll. They kept Thea warm and entertained during long walks, and when she saw them waiting for her, she started wagging her tail excitedly.

With Thea safe in the stroller, Paulina locked up the car and made her way over to the nearest elevator. She walked quickly, wanting to get to the arrivals level of Terminal E. She had to go all the way down to the ground level and then take a little path that led her to the main sidewalk area. She had naively believed that since there wasn’t much traffic getting into the airport that that meant there wouldn’t be many cars on the arrivals level, but she was sorely mistaken. The arrivals level was filled with buses and taxis and limousines and an assortment of other vehicles, and it felt as if the traffic light had been tailored to only notice their existence, because despite repeatedly pressing the pedestrian crosswalk button, the damn light refused to turn red. She stood right there for what felt like forever until it was finally her turn to walk, and instead of walking, she ran. Thankfully for Thea, her stroller was equipped to be used for jogging.

She easily maneuvered through the crowd, dodging pedestrians and their luggage as she raced towards the arrivals level. Only a few short months ago that would’ve been impossible for her to have done. She wouldn’t have been able to run into the airport or even powerwalk in, there would’ve been a swarm of photographers forcing her to move slowly, but as of three months ago, the paparazzi were no longer part of her life. They no longer hounded her and snapped shot after shot in hopes of getting a fat paycheck, she was no longer financially worth pursuing, and she fucking loved that. She loved that her pictures weren’t worth anything anymore, because that meant she could race through the airport without having cameras shoved in her face by the press or having random strangers take pictures of her on their cell phone. She moved freely, only thinking of getting to the arrivals level of Terminal 3, and when she finally did get there, she pulled off to the side so that when Alfred came though, she would be right at the end of the gated area.
Thinking that she had a long wait ahead, she decided to pick up Thea, but just as she leaned over to get her little puppy from the stroller, a familiar voice called out to her.

“Paulin!” it exclaimed.

At the sound of her name, a massive grin burst onto her face and instead of getting Thea from the stroller, she stood straight up and when she did, she saw Alfred walking towards her at full speed. Even at a distance, she could see the dark bags under his eyes, but despite his obvious sleep deprivation, he looked happy – a little nervous, but happy nonetheless. And she was overjoyed at the sight of him. In fact, she was so caught up in her emotions that she momentarily forgot herself and charged him. She ran right up to him and before he could even say anything, she pounced on him, taking him into a strong embrace. It was insane and it made him stumble a bit, but Alfred didn’t mind. He was just relieved to see her smiling like that again and to see her full of energy. The last time he saw her, she had been frail, there had been no color in her cheeks or twinkle in her eyes; the last time he saw her, he feared that she would wither away into nothing, but she came back from that. She was alive again, and if that meant she was going to embarrass him by hugging him like that, then so be it.

“Bloody hell!” He laughed as he held her tight. Her face was buried into the crook of his neck, inhaling the comforting smell of his aftershave. “I reckon you missed me.”

“Just a little,” she replied, and as she spoke, she pulled away from the hug. “Who am I kidding? I fucking missed you like crazy, Alfie.” There were tears in her eyes, but despite them, she smiled. “You seriously don’t know how happy I was when you called yesterday. I didn’t . . . I couldn’t believe that you were actually flying out. You’d told me that you were planning on coming out in January to pick out the ring, so I was expecting you then, but I’m just so excited to have you here.”

“And I’m terribly pleased to be here,” he assured. “Also, thanks so much for having me. I know it was incredibly last minute and that –”

“Don’t even say that, Alfie. You know my place is as good as yours. You could randomly show up on the doorstep and I would have a bed waiting for you and food on the table.”

It had been a long time since Alfred heard her talking like that. She had tried to be a good friend during the time following her miscarriage, but she hadn’t been able to. Not that he was angry at her for it, she didn’t even have the energy to be good to herself, so she just went through the motions of being a friend, but now she was standing there, talking like she used to, looking healthy, and he saw so moved that he couldn’t help but hug her again.

“I’m so glad to have you back . . .” he told her when they pulled apart, and knowing that it was best not to delve too deeply into personal matters out in public, he changed the conversation. “I heard your message, by the way. Had to play it twice in order to understand what you were saying.”

“Was I talking too fast?”

“A bit, yes.”

“I was trying not to use too many minutes,” she explained. “I mean, if it was my phone I wouldn’t have cared, but since I was using my work phone, I figured that I probably shouldn’t spend too much time on an international call.”

“Could you get in trouble for that?” he asked.

“Probably not,” she told him. “I’m Warren’s favorite so there’s quite a bit of leeway there, but still, I’d rather not push it. You know? I don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her. Not that I would, but you know how it is.” With the back of her hand, she wiped the tears that had fallen. “Well not that we’ve hugged and I’ve cried, I think we should get out of the way. We’ll blocked the aisle long enough and I have someone to introduce you to!”

“Am I to meet Stephanie?” he asked. “We missed her the last time we were here. Via was terribly disappointed. She was so keen to meet her.”

“Nope. Not Stephanie. She’s back home for the holiday, but I promise you’re gonna absolutely love who I’m introducing you do.” Paulina led him towards the stroller and when she reached it, she gently took Theodora into her arms. “Alfie, I’m sure you recognize her from Skype, but it’s time to formally introduce you to my little Theodora Louise.”

Alfred did indeed recognize Thea. He had seen her fairly regularly throughout the course of the last month and a half, whenever Paulina Skyped with him and Olivia, Thea was always right there with her. The first time he’d met her, he’d been taken aback, because he knew that Theodora was the name that Paulina had intended for her miscarried daughter. He knew the importance behind the name and although he didn’t tell Olivia, he was scared that Paulina wasn’t in a good place mentally. He thought that naming the puppy Thea was unhealthy and that no good was going to come of it, but now that he saw Paulina smiling as she hugged her puppy, now that he saw there was color in her cheeks and life in her eyes and that her once emaciated figure was on the mend, he knew that her dramatic recovery was due to the little Boston terrier.

“Pleasure to meet you, Thea.” He greeted her, affectionately rubbing the back of her ear. “I was wondering when I’d finally have the honor.”

Theodora loved being loved. She was a spoiled little puppy and had been raised in an affectionate and loving environment, so the moment Alfred started talking to her like that, she became incredibly excited. She actually became so excited that she jumped out of Paulina’s arms and into Alfred’s.

“Well aren’t you a quick one.” Alfred commented as he held her. “Is she always like this?”

“Not really,” she replied. “She’s honestly never jumped out of my arms to get into someone else’s. Usually, it’s the other way around. Whenever Meredith takes care of her, Thea always rushes to get to me, she’s like that with Warren to – well, I guess Francis is the only one she’ll jump out of my arms for, but other than him, you’re the only person she’s done that with. I guess she’s just really excited to meet her Uncle Alfie.”

“Am I an Uncle then?”

“You are,” she said with a smile. “Unless you think it’s weird. I mean, if –”

“It’s an honor to be her uncle,” Alfred assured. “I’ve always wanted a niece, so this works out quite nicely.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. If you want, you can put Thea back in the stroller, that way we can get going.”

“I’ll carry her.”

“You sure?”

“It’s no trouble at all.” He told Paulina.

“Then let me have your bag.” She didn’t want him carrying his luggage and Thea.

“What for? It doesn’t weigh anything.”

“Still, I’d like to carry it.” She insisted. “You are my guest, after all. Now let me have it.”

“Oh. Alright then.” He handed over his duffle bag.

“See that wasn’t so bad, Alfie.” She slung it across her shoulders and then took hold of the stroller handles. “The car’s not far from here, and once we get in, we’ll go to this really good café for some breakfast and once we’ve eaten we’ll go shopping! Ah! I’m so stoked to go engagement ring shopping. You’ve no idea how much I’m looking forward to this. I’ve been looking forward to this since you told me at Oxford that you wanted to marry her, and when you called me up yesterday, I just got all sorts of happy.” She paused briefly before asking. “Or do you want to take a nap first? We could definitely go to the house if you’re tired, because that’s a long flight and I just realized I didn’t ask you how it went. How was it?”

“The same as always, I suppose.” Alfred replied as he followed Paulina out the exit. “There was a bit of turbulence along the way, but for the most part it was fine. And rest assured that I don’t need a nap. I feel quite alright, though I must ask if you are planning to leave Thea in the car while we eat.”

“Why would I do that?” she asked, still pushing the stroller.

“Because animals aren’t allowed inside restaurants.”

“You’re right, but we’re gonna eat outside. The place we’re going to is completely fine with Thea being there. We just get a table in their little patio area and Thea stays in her stroller and we’re good. And I called ahead to see if the jewelry shop would let her in and they said it’d be fine so long as she was held or on a leash, and she’s probably gonna be in her stroller so we’re good.” When they stepped outside, she remembered that it was cold out and that Alfred might not want to eat outside. “I just realized that it’s pretty chilly out. Are you okay with eating outside or would you prefer we –”

“This isn’t bad weather for Harvard, so I’m alright with eating on the patio.”

“Did you ever have to deal with below zero temperatures?” she asked him.

“Thankfully not,” he replied. “As low as it got while I was here was 11°F. It was bloody awful, I didn’t go out at all for nearly a week, so I can’t imagine how you’ve managed these last two years, because I’ve seen on the news that they’ve been unusually cold winters.”

“They have, and it’s been such a fucking pain. The first winter was awful, but last year I had my mom living with me for part of it, so it was a lot better. I’m a little nervous about this years, but I have my parkas and hopefully it won’t be too bad.”

Her mother hadn’t lived with her for part of it, she’d stayed with her throughout almost the entire winter. She had been at her daughter’s side from the moment she returned from England up until late February. Irmalinda was with her for the first seven weeks, because Paulina’s right arm was in a cast and she couldn’t really do much. She couldn’t cook for herself, she couldn’t clean, and she couldn’t write, so Irmalinda took all that responsibility upon herself. She typed out the papers that her daughter dictated and made sure she was well fed and well groomed. Irmalinda stayed an addition five weeks, because the doctor had her doing physical therapy once a week. Paulina told them to do it twice a week to get it out of the way, but they wanted to take their time to ensure that everything had healed properly before they signed off on her. Irmalinda then spent the following four months with her daughter, because the press was cruel and merciless. They were worse than before, determined to have her give a statement and some of them even tried to set up appointments between her and their bosses because they wanted an exclusive. It was a full time job keeping her daughter safe and despite the fact that it kept her from her husband and her children, she gladly did it. And she would’ve done it even longer, except that Paulina couldn’t take it anymore. She was grateful that her mother had taken care of her, but she needed her own privacy, she needed to sulk and grieve, because with her mom there, she couldn’t truly feel her sorrow. She couldn’t risk mourning Thea like her heart demanded her to. So in February, she told her mom that she was alright enough to look after herself, and despite her reservations, Irmalinda left.

“So how’s work been?” Paulina asked. “Are you going to be quitting anytime soon? I remember you said that once you saved up enough money for an engagement ring and house of your own, that you were gonna work for the government.”

“I’m actually being considered for a position at the moment. Since the Financial Services Authority proved inept at properly regulating banks during the financial crises we’re still recovering from, the government decided something ought to be done. So they’re currently drafting legislation to create two new agencies. It appears entirely that the FSA will be abolished and the agencies will take its place, and when that does happen, I will be a member of the Prudential Regulation Authority. If all goes well, I will be making the transition in about two years, so there’s still quite some time to go, but it’s an honor to be a part of it from the start. And I honestly don’t think I would’ve been considered for the position had it not been for the recommendation from Professor Warren.”

Alfred had spent three weeks during the summer of 2011, assisting Professor Warren in her implantation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The three weeks had gone by quickly, but in that time, Alfred had learned more than he had during his time at law school and he had proven to be such a hard worker that Elizabeth told him to put her down in case he ever needed a reference. And so when he heard that changes were going to be made to the FSA, he wasted no time in speaking to the leader of that movement and after having told that Member of Parliament to get in touch with Professor Warren, Alfred had been told that a place would be reserved for him in the Prudential Regulation Authority.

“That’s incredible!” Paulina gushed. “I am so fucking proud of you, Alfie. Why hadn’t you told me that?”

“It’s not something I’m meant to be discussing.” He replied. “It’s all terribly private, not even Olivia knows. I don’t want to tell her until I have the actual position instead of just a reservation, because there’s always a chance that the legislation might fall through, though it seems likely that it will be approved. So please, do keep it quiet.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” She promised. “But despite all that, congratulations! It’s amazing to hear you’ll be able to do what you’ve always wanted. Here’s hoping that the FSA is quickly abolished, that way they can set up their new agencies and you can get to work.” They crossed the road and went into the parking structure. “We’re just gonna go a couple floors up, but I just can’t get over this. We have to toast, Alfie.”

“Perhaps later, at dinner.”

“Definitely then,” she stepped into the elevator and then pressed the button for the third floor. “Just so you know I’m making your favorites.”

“Which ones?” he asked. He quite desperately missed her cooking.

“All of them,” she replied.

“But that’s . . .” he began to protest.

“Last time you visited, I wasn’t able to cook anything for you, but now I can, and I’m determined to make everything you like. So you better smile and eat it all.”

“Believe me, I’ll not leave anything on the plate.” He grinned. “But are you quite certain? I’d hate for you to spend ages cooking when we’ve not much time together.”

“It’s not gonna take that long, and even if it does, I have an open kitchen so you can hang out in the living room and I can cook while we catch up.”

The elevator soon came to a stop and they stepped out onto the third floor. They walked a little while before arriving at her car.

“This is me,” she told him.

“Did you get a new one?” asked Alfred.

When he and Olivia had visited her in California, she had been driving around in an older Camry, but the car parked in front of them was a fairly new Prius.

“It’s Professor Warren’s.” Paulina told him, somewhat embarrassed. “Well, one of them.”

He raised his brow.

“You know how I usually get everywhere on my bike?” she asked as she opened up the trunk so she could put away the stroller. She waited until he nodded to proceed, “Well, that’s how I’ve been getting around here, because I hadn’t really seen a point in driving my car all the way out here and I was able to get around alright, but then Professor Warren announced that she was gonna run for the Senate, and since I’m her personal assistant, I have to go all over Massachusetts, so commuting on my bike wasn’t cutting it anymore. A lot of the time, I could bum a ride with her, but sometimes I have to go ahead to make sure everything’s okay or I have to go to another location, and so I was taking the train and the bus, but it was pretty stressful, so she decided that I’d be better off with a car. And she let me borrow one. It’s crazy, I know, but one day she just pulled me aside and gave me the keys. She covers the insurance and all that and she always tries to give me money for gas, but paying for gas is the least I can do. And it’s not like she doesn’t have a car now. She just bought a new Prius this year and her husband has a car, so they were actually planning on selling this one, but then she decided to keep it at least until the end of the campaign so I could use it.”

“Bloody hell,” whispered Alfred. “You weren’t joking about when you said you were her favorite. That is to say, I knew you were her favorite. That much is obvious that knows you both, but to hand over a car . . . that’s massive.”

“I’m fucking endearing,” she told him. “That’s why she trusts me.”

“Must be,” he said with a smile. “I still can’t get over it though. She’s given you a Prius.”

“Not permanently.” Paulina walked over to the passenger seat and took out Thea’s chair. “Just until the campaigns over.” She stepped away so she no longer blocked the door. “You can sit down now, and I know I’m imposing on you, but do you mind if Thea sits with you? She hates the back.”

“S’alright.” Alfred climbed into the car and kept hold of Thea. He wait until Paulina sat in the driver’s seat to ask, “Do you think she’ll let you borrow it once you go with her to Washington?”

“I’m not going with her to Washington.” Paulina turned on the car.

“But I thought you’d –”

“So did I.” She slowly backed out of her parking spot. “I figured I was gonna work with Warren until I was ready to start my own political career, but a couple weeks back she took me out for lunch and told me that no matter what happens with her campaign, that I’m going to go work for Senator Minerva Stevenson.”

“Is she also from Massachusetts?” he asked.

“No. She’s actually the senior United States Senator from California.” Just talking about Senator Stevenson made Paulina nervous.

“Are you acquainted?”

“Yeah, fairly well. Whenever I accompany Warren to Washington, we usually meet up with her, but I never . . . I never thought she’d want me. You know? I didn’t think she’d ever consider me for a position, she’s got her own team set up, but apparently she promised Senator Kennedy that she would take me on after I graduated Harvard. And now she’s making good on that promise. I’m to be one of her personal assistants, and I hope I don’t fuck it up, because I don’t want to make Warren or Ted look bad. They’ve both vouched for me, and . . .” she took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. “. . . I just want to make them proud. I want Warren to feel like she didn’t make a mistake by taking me on and keeping me, and I know that Senator Kennedy passed away, but I want him to look down at me from heaven and feel like he made a great choice by opening all these doors for me, because without him these opportunities would have never presented themselves. I would’ve had to have started from the bottom, but I’ve been incredibly blessed. And sometimes it’s a little hard to process.”

“You deserve it though, all of it.” He looked over at her. His gaze fixed on the side of her face. “And I’m not saying that because I’m your mate, I’m saying it because it’s the truth. You deserve that and so much more. And you’ve no idea how glad I am to see things are working out for you.”

“We’re both getting what we want,” she said as she drove out of the parking structure. “I’m entering politics. You’re getting married and soon enough you’ll have that regulatory position. Do you know when you’re going to ask her?”

“This December. I’ve actually secured the same room we had when we went to Edinburgh for the Jazz festival. She loves it up there so I thought it’d only be right to ask her to marry me where I first confessed my love for – are you crying?”

“Ignore me.” She sniffled. “Just keep talking.”

“But you’re crying.”

“Happy tears,” she assured him. “I’m just really glad you guys are finally gonna get engaged. It’s been a long time coming.”

“So you think she’ll say yes, then?”

“Are you for reals, Alfie? There’s no fucking chance of her saying no.” Paulina glanced over at him and flashed a smile. “If you would’ve asked her to marry you at Oxford, she would’ve done it. So rest assured that she’s gonna say yes and you have to promise that you’ll have someone recording nearby or taking pictures, because I’m emotionally invested in this.”

“You’re mental.” Alfred laughed.

“Be that as it may, I need to see at least one picture of you down on one knee and one of you two just like celebrating.”

“I hardly think a celebratory image would be appropriate.”

“Alfie, gross!” she let out a booming laugh. “I meant a picture of you two hugging and kissing after you give her the ring, not a picture of you two banging into the night.”

“Serves you right for not being specific.” He smirked. “But I do promise to have pictures taken. I’m quite keen to have it properly documented. That way when we’re old we can show the grandchildren.” He cleared his throat. “Enough of that though, tell me, how is your family?”

“They’re alright,” she replied. “But don’t change the subject. This weekend is all about you and your lovely future wife. Now tell me, are you asking her parents for her hand?”

“I am.” Now it was him that was nervous. “I – well, I intend to do so on Sunday.”

“Next Sunday?”

“This Sunday?!”

He nodded.

“When are you leaving? You just got here! I thought you were going to at least stay until Sunday morning.”

“I had intended to do so, but since I’ve come to fetch the ring and Olivia’s working Sunday night, I thought I might take advantage of that. I’ve asked her parents out to dinner, they’re to leave Collette at home with a nanny, and I intend to ask them at the restaurant.”

“Do you know what you’re gonna say?”

“I’ve an idea.” He told her. “I meant to tell them that I love and respect their daughter, and that it would be an immense honor if they would permit me to ask her to marry. Of course, I’ll elaborate. I actually want your input on it, once we get the ring and get to your flat, we’ll get to work. You will help me, won’t you?”

“It’ll be an honor.” She smiled. “We’ll work on it for however long it is you’re here. Which reminds me, how long are you gonna be here? Because I mentioned to Francis that you were visiting and he wants to have dinner.”

“Does he?”

She nodded.

“Why?” Alfred blurted out. “No offense to him, but I thought I bored him when I was here during the summer.”

“You didn’t bore him.”

“He literally told me that I was an old man.”

“I tell you that all the time,” she said, dismissively.

“That’s different.”

“He likes you.” Paulina stated. “And when he called you an old man, he meant that affectionately. So are you gonna be around for dinner tomorrow?”

“An early dinner,” answered Alfred. “My flight leaves at 19:52.”

“That’s not so bad. As long as we have you at the airport around five-ish, it’ll be good. If it wasn’t Thanksgiving weekend, we could’ve pushed it until six or nearly seven, but the fucking airport’s gonna be swamped. Although since its Saturday, I don’t think it’ll be that bad. The flights on Sunday are the ones that’ll be fucking awful, but anyways, I’ll call him later, let him know we’ll eat early.”

“You don’t think he’ll mind, do you?”

“He’ll be alright with it. Francis is good to eat whenever, and he was gonna come over early regardless of what time we had dinner.” She was so used to having Francis around that she failed to notice Alfred’s surprised look. “So you said you’re proposing in December. After Christmas? Before?”

“Next week, actually.”

“What?” she screeched. “What do you mean, next week? You don’t even have the ring yet!”

“But I will.” Alfred was confident in that. “And once I have it, I’m not going to be standing about, wasting time. It’ll drive me mad. That’s why I spent this week getting things in order.”

“How are you gonna get her up there though? What if she has to work?”

“Doesn’t have to,” he told her. “She actually has Friday through Sunday off.”

“Did she request the days?”

“Not at all. You see I was rather sneaky. I spoke with the lady that handles the scheduling at the hospital and asked her to please give Olivia the weekend. It took quite a bit of begging on my part, but once I explained why it was that I needed her to have the days off, she agreed.”

“But how are you gonna get her up there?”

“That’s what I need you for.” Alfred laughed. “I’ve already booked our flights to and from Edinburgh, I figured an eighty minute flight would be loads better than a six hour drive, but I’ve no idea how I’ll bring it about.”

“When does the flight leave?”

“Friday morning at six o’clock.”

“That’s fucking early.”

“Not that early,” he argued. “Unlike us, Olivia’s partial to mornings and besides, if we fly out early, we’ll have more time there.”

“True.”

“I imagined I’ll propose on the second day.” Alfred continued.

“You’re gonna wait that long?” she blurted out. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that if I were you, I’d find it hard to sleep beside her when the engagement ring is hidden away in the suitcase. That’d be fucking stressful for me. I’d just keep thinking about the ring and how things are gonna play out. If I were you, I’d propose on Friday, because that way you’d be able to spend the next two days celebrating your engagement.”

“I hadn’t thought of that . . .”

“You should at least considerate it,” said Paulina. “Because that stuff is so nerve-wracking. Not that I know from experience, but I’ve heard from my brothers. When Luis asked Daniella to marry him, he took her to Disneyland and planned on asking her at night, when the fireworks were going off, he even had a speech planned out about how Disneyland had always been such an important place for our family and how he wanted to make it a special place for theirs, but then he kind of freaked out.”

“What happened?”

“They went to go take a picture by the giant Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street and he said that he just like had to ask her, otherwise he was gonna spend the entire day panicking, so he dropped on one knee, pulled out the ring, and in a trembling voice asked her to marry him. She said yes, of course. She’s as much of a Disney nut as the rest of us, but like I said, I think asking early is better, because then you’ll get to enjoy yourself and breathe a little easier.”

“I must say that does sound quite lovely, because these last few days have been a bit stressful for me. All I can think about is finding the ring, asking her parents, and then figuring out how to properly propose. I never knew it’d be so bloody complicated. I always thought all those novels would be of use for this, but so far, that’s not been the case.”

“You’re having trouble with that, because you haven’t found the ring yet.” She glanced into the rearview mirror and then merged into the left lane. “Once you find it, everything else will fall into place.”

“You truly think so?”

“I do,” she smiled as she spoke. “An engagement ring is magic. And I know I run the risk of sounding silly, but when you find the right one, you’ll imagine the way it’ll look on her finger, the way it’ll glimmer in the sun and how her smile will be reflected in it. When you find the right ring, you’ll see her walking down the aisle and see her rubbing a huge pregnant belly with it.” A sad little smile played across her lips when she said that, it was her damn heart trying to fuck things up, but she wasn’t about to let it. She had made progress towards happiness and she wasn’t about to see that all go to waste. “Once you find the right ring,” she went on, her voice soft, “You’ll see your life with her and it’ll be easier to figure out how you want to go about starting it.”

“See, this is why I flew out here.” His gaze was fixed on the side of his face as he spoke. “You truly understand how important this is for me, and most importantly, for Olivia. I couldn’t have done this anyone else. That’s why I asked you while we were still at Oxford, and that’s why when my mum offered to go with me in London, I turned her down.”

“Alfie!”

“What?” he asked, unfazed by her outburst. “I could’ve never had her input on the ring. Can you imagine the monstrosity she would have picked? Knowing her, she would’ve undoubtedly gone for the most massive diamond, and I know for a fact that Olivia hates rings like that. She says there’s no beauty to them, that all they are is a bloody status symbol.”

“That is true.” Paulina agreed.

“And she’s so determined to be involved in the process that she’s taken it upon herself to send me pictures of rings she’s keen on, and I know she means well – honest, I do, but my mum doesn’t know Via. She doesn’t know the sort of life we intend to have or the sort of life we have now. That’s why when you mentioned you weren’t going home for Thanksgiving, I knew I had to take advantage of the situation by flying out. It felt like a sign to me, as if the universe was telling me not to wait any longer, and I’m so bloody happy to be here with you, because there’s no one else I’d rather do this with.”

“Fucking Alfie,” she said with a smile. “You sure do know how to make a girl feel special.”

They weren’t in the car much longer after that. The café that Paulina frequented with Francis was only ten or so minutes away from the airport, and if her navigation system was to be believed then the case was only a couple blocked from the jewelry shop. At the café, the pair had a light breakfast of pastries and coffee. Alfred wasn’t much in the mood to ear. He’d eaten during the flight over and was still somewhat full. As for Paulina, she didn’t eat much. She was eating more than she had in the past, but her appetite still wasn’t what it used to be.

After breakfast, they headed over to the jewelry shop, which turned out to be a lot nicer than Paulina had expected it to be. She sort of figured that since Alfred had wandered in there, it would be a little hole in the wall shop run by the elderly, because Alfred didn’t care for big shops, but surprisingly enough it was a fairly large space with a traditional brick exterior, although the interior was by all means modern and luxurious. It was a high end jewelry shop that had a lot of old pieces as well as new ones, and the moment that they walked in, they were greeted by a smiling young woman who asked if they needed any help.

“We’re just looking,” said Paulina.

“For anything in particular?” asked the young woman. “Perhaps a necklace? Earrings? A ring?”

“An engagement ring,” replied Paulina. “So if you could point us in the right direction, we’d be set.”

“I’ll do more than that. Let me escort you over there.” Since she worked on commission she wanted the sale. “How long have you two been together?”

Paulina let out hearty laugh, and Alfred couldn’t help but join in.

“We’re not together,” replied Alfred. “She’s my best mate, actually.”

“I am so sorry about that. I just assumed –”

“S’alright,” assured Alfred, still smiling. “You’ve made her laugh, so it was more than worth it. Now I don’t mean to be rude, but we are truly quite alright on our own.”

“Y-yes, of course,” stuttered the woman.

“That was fucking hilarious,” said Paulina when the young woman was out of earshot. “Did you see how freaked out she got?”

“It was awful!” He laughed as he spoke. “By the way she reacted, you’d have thought that she’d something much worse.”

“Seriously,” agreed Paulina. “That was the sort of thing you’re supposed to laugh off, but she took off as soon as she had the chance. It’s better that way though. Now we don’t have to have someone trying to sell us stuff. We can just look at our own pace and hopefully find a ring.” She pulled back the stroller canopy so Theodora could see. “Isn’t that right, Thea? We’re gonna fine Auntie Olivia’s engagement ring, and she’s gonna love it.”

Finding the right ring proved to be a harder task than either of them had imagined. They’d been naïve enough to think that they would find it in the engagement ring section, that one of them would just stand out to them and that would be it, but they went through the entire engagement ring section without being wowed. They even asked to see pictures of the rings that could be ordered, just to see if one of them would be it, but that didn’t make a difference. There was no diamond ring worthy of Olivia, there was nothing that captured her essence.

“Do you want to try another place?” she asked him. “There are couple places that Francis recommended. We could always –”

“No,” replied Alfred, softly. “The ring’s here. I know it. This is where it has to come from.”

“But we’ve already looked at all the engagement rings.”

“Then let’s have a look at the others.”

“Alright then, let’s look.”

They looked at the ruby collection, at the emerald collection, at the aquamarine collection, at the pearl collection, but nothing stood out. They were becoming increasingly frustrated. This wasn’t supposed to have lasted two hours, but there they were, critiquing every ring that crossed their path. The sapphire collection was the only one that was left, and Alfred didn’t want to go with a sapphire, because ever since the Royal Wedding, everyone was getting sapphire engagement rings and he didn’t want to get Olivia something that someone else already had, but strangely enough, it was in the sapphire collection that they found the ring. It wasn’t a traditional sapphire, not a brilliant blue, instead it was a vibrant pink sapphire and on each side of it, there were diamonds that made the color pop even more. Along the platinum wedding band, there were smaller diamonds encrusted into it, but it wasn’t a flashy ring, it was beautiful, it was simple, it was perfect for Olivia. And the moment they saw it, they knew that had to be the one.

That was the ring Alfred would present to her while he was down on one knee. That was the ring she would walk down the aisle with. That was the ring that she would wear while she rubbed her beautiful pregnant belly. That was the ring that would have the honor of gracing her finger.

“I reckon this is it,” whispered Alfred, his eyes glued onto the ring. “This is the ring!”

“A pink sapphire . . . it’s as beautiful as her.” Paulina wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “You’ve found the ring, Alfie. You’ve got it!”

“I have. Haven’t I?” He looked away from the ring, and when he did, Paulina saw that there were tears in his eyes. “I never thought a bloody ring would make me cry, but look at me, I’ve gone to bits.”

“That’s alright.” She squeezed his shoulder as she smiled at him. “Because this isn’t just some ring, it’s a promise you’re gonna make to her.”

“Do you think she’ll be keen on it?”

“I know she will.” She assured him as she removed her arm from around his shoulder. “She’s gonna love that ring as much as she loves you.”

“Then I believe its time I make my purchase.”

“In that case, I’ll go find someone that works here.”

“There’s no need for that.” He told her. “I can fetch them myself.”

“Not even,” she said, dismissively. “You have to stand guard. We can’t have someone else taking the ring. So just hang tight and I’ll be right back.”

Before he could protest, she took off. She didn’t have to walk far, one of the employees was already making her way towards them. Company policy dictated that employees follow up with customers every so often, and the woman was going to do just that. Not that she expected them to be ready. She’d been discreetly watching them throughout the last two and a half hours, and felt that they would be in the shop much longer, but when Paulina informed her that they were ready to purchase, she was pleasantly surprised and was more than happy to earn her commission.

She smiled as she took down the specifications for the ring. It had to be brought down a few sizes, but since there was a jeweler onsite it wasn’t going to be a problem. The woman told them that for no extra cost, the ring would be ready by Monday morning, but since Alfred was keen to have it with him by the end of the night, he offered to pay whatever fee necessary, and sure enough, the ring was ready early that evening.
The pair decided not to go home while the ring was being made. They instead opted to walk around the streets of Boston, and it was nice. It had been a long time since they’d been able to just walk around aimlessly and talk. The last time that Alfred had been in America, the paparazzi was still obsessed with her, but now she was of no importance to them and so she walked around Boston with Alfred and Thea. She laughed and spoke freely. She was so at ease that he couldn’t help but be amazed by how much she reminded him of the girl he’d first met at Oxford.

When the ring was finally ready, they drove over to the house and since Meredith was at her son’s for the weekend, she parked in the driveway. The house was messier than Paulina would’ve liked. Had she woken up in time to walk Thea, she would’ve been able to change the sheets on her bed and tidy up a bit, but the damn alarm didn’t go off. And when Alfred walked into her home, he saw books scattered across her coffee table and dirty dishes that needed to be washed.

“Sorry about the mess,” she apologized to Alfred. “We woke up late so I didn’t get a chance to tidy up.”

“S’alright,” said Alfred. “You should see my flat during the week. Now that’s a mess. This is fine. It’s only a few books, is all.”

“Still,” she argued. “I wish I would’ve put them away, but since you say you don’t mind, just go ahead and sit down. I’m gonna go change the sheets and I’ll be right out.”

“Ya don’t have to do that.” He told her. “I can do it myself.”

“You’re the guest,” she said, firmly. “And guests can’t change the sheets.” She was about to walk away, but realized that she hadn’t offered him anything to drink or eat. “Do you want something to eat? I’ve got chopped up fruit in the fridge or I can make you a quesadilla to hold you over until dinner.”

“Thanks, but I’m actually not hungry.”

“Are you sure? You haven’t eaten since we grabbed those sandwiches earlier. Or how about some tea? I’ll go put the kettle on.”

“I’m fine. Honest, I am. Now go change those sheets. Otherwise, I’ll be the one to do it.”

“Alright then, but if you need anything –”

“I know where everything is,” he reminded. “And if you moved anything, then I’ll just rummage until I find what I need, but I won’t have to because I’m saving room for dinner. Now let’s go change those sheets.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Then I’ll just watch you do so.” He stated. “I’m keen to chat, you know. It’s been ages.”

The sheets and blanket were quickly changed. Paulina had clean ones in the linen closet, so she just grabbed those and put them on the bed, and threw the dirty ones into the wash. When she finished making the bed, she told Alfred to put his bag in the room and to comfortable. Alfred told her that he was fine, but he was actually rather tired. He hadn’t slept during the flight over, nor had he napped since he’d been in Boston, that was why she insisted that he have a shower, because Alfred was always tired after a good shower. And sure enough, when he stepped out of the bathroom, he took a seat on the couch and passed out.

While he slept, Paulina busied herself in the kitchen. She made Alfred his favorite garlic roast chicken with rosemary and lemon, which were paired with wild rice and a vegetable medley along with mashed potatoes. For dessert, she made him fruit tarts and white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream. It was an indulgent feast, and Alfred gladly ate until he couldn’t take another bite.

“Bloody hell, I missed your cooking.” He told her as he rubbed his stomach. “Do you remember when we’d all get together to cook? Well, when Via and I would stand about watching you cook.”

“Of course I do,” she smiled at the memory. “We’d always go to the market together to see what we were in the mood for and then we’d cook and get drunk, and – fuck. I miss that.” She took a drink from her beer. “I miss living just a couple minutes from you guys and being able to just call you up to hang out.”

“That was the best,” he told her. “Do you remember when I sent you a text on Ash Wednesday asking if you were free?”

“Don’t even remind me!”

“Ya told me that you were at mass, but when I told you that I had some edibles, you said you’d be there in ten minutes.”

“I fucking cut in line so that I could get my ash and then I biked over to your house. I almost ran someone over!”

“And then after you ate it, you went mental.”

“It was awful!”

“I remember you standing in front of a mirror, saying that the devil had possessed you!”

“Don’t laugh!” her face was bright red. “My eyes were all bloodshot so I genuinely thought that I was being possessed for being a dumbass that got high on Ash Wednesday.”

“I can’t help it though!” he said as he laughed heartily. “I can still see you standing in front of the mirror, saying that you were going to have to have a bloody exorcism! But you were only like that for a little bit, because I got you the clear eyes and told you it was Holy Water.”

“That was good thinking on your part.”

“I figured since you thought the devil was in you, that Holy Water was the only way to set you straight. And it did. After that we got to drinking and laughing.”

“Didn’t we stay up until like five that day? I remember we looked like shit when we showed up to class later on.”

“We were still high when we went to class.” He said, knowingly. “Why the hell did we even go? We should’ve just taken a personal day.”

“That’s what I said we should do, but you said we had to go.”

“Did I? How annoying!”

“It was,” she said. “And we went to three lectures that day, so we didn’t get back to your place until pretty late.”

“And then we got smashed again.”

“That was when we had that five day bender.” She smiled at the memory. “Remember when Olivia showed up on Sunday and scolded us?”

“How could I forget? She told us we were silly little children, and then she fed us.”

“That’s Via. First she tells you off, then she makes sure you’re alright.”

“It’s impossible for her to stay mad long. Her hearts far too big for that.”

“It is.” She agreed. “She’s the kindest person I know. She’s just beautiful, inside and out.”

He nodded in agreement.

“And she’s gonna be an incredible wife and mother.” She smiled at him. “You’re a lucky man, Alfred. And she’s a lucky woman, because I know you’re going to be a fantastic husband and father, when the time comes.”

“You flatter me.”

“Not even.” She reached across the table and gently pressed his hand. “You’re a good man, Alfie. That’s why I love you as much as my brothers. And that’s why I’m gonna be crying like crazy when you guys get married.”

“You will go to the ceremony?” he asked in a small, nervous voice.

“Of course I will.” She told him. “Why? Am I not invited?”

“Don’t be daft,” he said. “If it weren’t for your meddling we would have never happened. It was only that I – well, I was afraid that you might not be keen to return to England.”

“I’m not,” she answered honestly and for a moment, her smile vanished. “I swore never to go back, but for you and Olivia, I will. I’ll be there for the wedding and whenever you two start having kids, I’ll go visit at the hospital and you better be damn sure that I’m gonna be there for the Christenings. You guys are stuck with me for life.”

“You have no idea how fucking pleased I am to hear that.” He sat up straight. “And now that you’ve said that, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I – well, now that I have the ring and that you’ve told me that you’ll be at the wedding, I think it only right to ask you something that I’ve been meaning to ask for quite some time. I’ve actually had this on my mind for several years and I know I’m rambling, but it can’t be helped. Truly, it can’t.”

“You don’t have to get so worked up, Alfie. It’s just me. Whatever it is, I’m gonna do it.”

“That’s why I’m asking you.” He said. “Because regardless of how things are going in your life, you’ve always managed to be there for me, and that’s why I want you . . . I want you too . . .”He couldn’t just tell her. His emotions were getting the best of him and so he did the only thing he could think of, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old jewelry box. “Here.” He placed it in front of her. “That’ll explain things.”

She looked from the box to Alfred, confused as to what was going on. He’d said that he needed to ask her something, he then said that he wanted her to do something, and then he just put a fucking jewelry box in front of her and she didn’t know what the hell to think. What could he possibly need her to do that involved that box? Confused, she decided to just open it up and when she did, she only became more confused, because inside was a pocket watch.

“I don’t get it . . .” she picked it up. “I thought you had to ask me something.”

“I do.” He assured.

“Then why are you showing me your pocket watch?” she had seen it on several occasions. “What’s this got to do with anything?”

“It has to do with an old Ferrars family tradition,” he told her. “When I first left to university, my father gave that to me. Gifting a pocket watch is a practice that has been carried out by the men in my family throughout the last three centuries. It might seem a bit silly, but the idea is that the pocket watch will become incredibly dear to its owner, and you know quite well how important this watch has been for me. It is the only piece of jewelry that I have ever truly cared for, and subsequently, it is one that I must part with.”

“Why?”

“Because the tradition is that a father gifts his son a pocket watch and when the time comes, the son gifts it to his best man.”

“W-what?” she stuttered.

“I’ve thought long and hard on the matter. I thought perhaps I ought to ask my cousin Geoffrey, who’s truly the only person in the family that I really get on with, then I thought about perhaps asking my mate Simon, you’ve met him before, and well, he and I have been mates since we were little, but asking them didn’t feel right.”

“Alfie . . .” there were tears in her eyes. Was he really asking what she thought he was?

“Don’t get me wrong, I do want them standing at the altar with me, they’ve earned it for putting up with me as long as they have, but I couldn’t possibly have either of them as my best man. It wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that, because you . . . you splendid, brilliant woman are my best man.”

The tears fell freely . . .

“So what do you say? Will you be my best man?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, and despite her tears, she smiled. “Of course, I will. Nothing would make me happier.” And she stood up and still holding the pocket watch in her hand, she walked over to Alfred, and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered as she hugged him. “Thank you so much, you don’t know how happy you’ve made me.”

“I reckon I do.” He hugged her back. “You’ve no idea how thrilled I am. Honestly, I was afraid you might not go to the wedding at all and now you’re going to be my best man, and fucking hell, it’s gonna be brilliant. You’ll be at my right when she’s walking down the aisle, you’ll be there.”

“I will,” she promised as she pulled away. “I’m gonna make sure everything goes how you want that day. I’m gonna throw you an epic stag night that’ll –”

“No strippers.” Alfred didn’t care for exotic dancers. He didn’t find them attractive and didn’t see the point in paying women to pretend to be interested in him. “And to be honest, I don’t think I care all that much for a stag night.”

“You’re having a stag night,” she firmly told him. “And don’t worry, there won’t be any strippers. It’s gonna be a night aimed at celebrating you and how wonderful you are.” She went back to her chair. “I’m honestly so stoked for this. We have to pick out your morning dress and then the outfits for the groomsmen.”

“Won’t Olivia pick that?”

She shook her head. “That’s one of the things that the groom really has to do on his own. She picks out her dress. You pick out your morning dress.”

“Right then. Well I suppose we’ll see to that once a date is settled on.” He grew quiet a moment. “Will you be doing the morning dress? Or would you prefer a proper dress?”

“The morning dress is fine. I mean if I’m gonna be your best man, I should look the part.”

“Regardless of what you wear, you will be the best man. I’d only just realized that there might be an issue with the attire.”

“There’s no issue,” she said, dismissively. “I’ll wear what the groomsmen wear. I’ll have it tailored for me and keep my hair short. It’ll be fine. So don’t waste your time thinking about it, because we have more important shit to do.”

“Like what?”

“Like celebrating,” she told him. “Today’s been epic and it deserves to be celebrated. I’ve got a bottle of tequila from Penjamo that hasn’t been opened. What do you say we get at it?”

“That’s that brilliant one from where your dad’s from, right?”

She nodded.

“Let’s have at it then.”

They made an impressive dent in the bottle, but were careful not to overdo it. Alfred no longer drank like he used to at university, and for her part, Paulina didn’t overindulge because she had to walk Thea in the morning. So she drank until she was pleasantly buzzed and when the time came, she cuddled up with her puppy on the sofa bed in the living room. Early the next morning, before Alfred woke, she and Thea went out on their morning walk and when they were done, they went right back to sleep. It wasn’t until after nine that everyone properly woke up, and after breakfast, they just sort of lounged about in the living room, talking and laughing. Neither Paulina or Alfred changed out of pajamas, they were so caught up in catching up that they forgot all about Francis coming over, it wasn’t until he showed up that they remembered.

When Francis got there, he didn’t ring the doorbell. He had, months earlier, been given his own key and as such, he knocked twice out of courtesy and then let himself in. He expected to see Paulina standing up to greet him, like she always did, but when he went inside, she was sitting on the couch, engrossed in conversation with Alfred. The only person that noticed him come in was Thea, and it was when she let out an excited little bark that Paulina realized he was there.

She instinctively turned in direction of the bark and when she saw Francis scooping Thea into his arms, her features brightened. Alfred was taken aback by the change in her appearance. Before that, she was smiling and laughing, she was happy, but suddenly, she was so much more vibrant, her smile widened and her eyes shone, and that was a look that he hadn’t seen for years.

“Francisco!” she exclaimed, gleefully. “What’re you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming over until noon.”

“Fucking Aurelia, it’s already ten after.”

“Not even. It’s only like –” she glanced over at her clock in the living room, and sure enough it was 12:11pm. “No fucking way! I thought it was earlier. It feels like it’s still ten or something.”

“That’s because your lazy ass is still in pajamas.” He stepped closer to them. “I thought you were gonna be ready to go.”

“Why would I? We’re not leaving until three.” She stood up. “If anything you should go put on some sweats, because Alfie and I are not changing right now. Right, Alfie?”

“Right you are,” replied Alfred with a smile.

“They’ve banded against me Thea!” Francis exclaimed dramatically. “What should I do? Give into the comfortable temptation?” He lifted Thea to his face, and when he did, she happily licked his cheek. “You’re right, I want to be lazy.”

“It’s the best thing to be on a Saturday.” She walked over to him, and when she reached him, she hugged him and pecked his cheek. “How was the drive over?”

“It was alright. There wasn’t much traffic, so I got here pretty fast. The only reason I was late was because my ma made you a pie, and she wouldn’t let me take it until it was cool.”

“Strawberry rhubarb?”

“I told her you didn’t like that anymore. So she made you an apple.”

“I fucking hate apple pie.”

“Of course you do, but I love it.” He grinned. “I’m just fucking with you. She made the strawberry one. It’s in the backpack.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “I love your mom. She makes the best pie.”

“She fucking spoils you.”

“That’s why I love her.”

“And speaking of spoiling you, Nana Alva made you some tamales.”

“De puerco con chile verde (pork with green salsa)?” she asked.

“Obviously,” he told her. “See that’s why I told you to go. Nana Alva had the day off and she still went over to make you some tamales, because she said that the niña needed some.”

“I feel like such an ass,” she grumbled. “You’re gonna have to let me borrow your phone so I can call Nana Alva and your mom.”

“I’ll let you borrow it later. My mom and my brothers were gonna go sailing, so they’re probably on the water right now and you know how Kennedy’s are when we’re out there. Don’t want anything interrupting. And Nana Alva is with her grandbabies, and not even I would call her when she’s with them.”

“Alright then, I’ll guess I’ll be calling later. Give me your backpack though. I want to put the food away and go say hi to Alfie, then you can go change into your sweats. Wait. Do you need clothes from your backpack?”

“No. I’m just going to grab some from my drawer.” He set Thea down on the couch so that he could take off the backpack, and once he did that, he picked her right back up and went over to Alfred. “Sorry about that, Alfred. I would’ve greeted you right off the bat, but you know how it is when there’s good food to be had.”

“I understand entirely,” assured Alfred. “I once ignored Olivia when I was stuffing my face with a delectable fruit tart Paulina had made me.”

“Those things are fucking delicious.” They were also a favorite of Francis. “Did she make you one?”

“Two, actually.” And knowing very well what Francis’ next question was, he said, “And yes, there is a bit left over. It’s in a purple container in the fridge.”

“Do you mind if I –”

“Not at all. Have at it.”

“You’re a good man, Alfred.” Francis stated. “And once I change into my sweats, I’m gonna demolish that fruit tart.”

“Then go change so you can have at it.” Alfred couldn’t help but laugh lightly.

“In that case, hold Thea while I get out of this.” He handed her off to Alfred. “I’ll be right back.”

As Francis closed the bedroom door, Paulina reentered the living room space and took a seat beside Alfred.

“You know you don’t have to give him your food, right?” she asked Alfred.

“I know.” He replied as he petted Thea. “S’alright though. He seemed thrilled at the thought of having fruit tart, and as a fellow enthusiast, I could hardly deny him.”

“He’s just ridiculous. Whenever I make it, he acts like it’s been forever since he’s had it.”

“When did he last have it?”

“It was last week. A couple days before I flew out to Azusa.”

“That’s long enough for a bloke to crave it.”

“You’re as crazy as he is.” She laughed.

“Only when it comes to fruit tarts,” said Alfred. “Anyway, you got quite mental when he mentioned the pie and tamales.”

“That’s because his mom makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie ever. No joke. It’s delicious. I’ll cut you a piece right now so you can taste it. And his Nana Alva’s tamales are fucking amazing.”

“Nana Alva?” asked Alfred, he didn’t know who that woman.

“It’s his nanny,” answered Paulina. “Well, she’s not technically his nanny anymore. Now she’s his housekeeper. Although he really just has her there to cook for him and to stay at the house while he’s at work.”

“Does she do the tidying up?”

“She does, even though she’s not supposed to. He has a maid service that goes twice a week, so she’s not supposed to do any cleaning, but she’s exactly like my grandma Fabiola. They don’t care if someone else has already cleaned, they have to clean so that it’s done right. I think it’s an old Mexican lady thing.”

“His nanny’s Mexican?” Alfred was intrigued.

“Yeah, she’s the reason he knows Spanish so well. And if you ever hear him talk, you’ll notice that he has a different accent than I do. Not to say that he doesn’t speak well. He speaks it as well as me. It’s only that since Nana Alva is from Sinaloa, he speaks with a Sinaloan accent.”

“That’s incredible. I always thought he learned the language when he was in Peace Corps.”

“So did I, but then he told me the whole story. Apparently, he’s been speaking it longer than I have. His dad thought it’d be good for one of his sons to speak Spanish since the Hispanic community is becoming such a large voting demographic. It’s a political weapon for them, and I’m sure that whenever Francis gets around to running for office it’ll work well for him. Although I did tell him that he needs to learn more Puerto Rican Spanish.”

“I’m going to feel very silly asking this, but I thought it was all just Spanish.”

“It is and it isn’t. I mean, we can understand each other and communicate, but there are certain differences in their language style and phrases and sayings, and I think that since Puerto Ricans pretty much make up the entire Hispanic population in Massachusetts that it’s worth looking into, and he is. We’ve both been immersing ourselves in it.”

“And how do you like it?”

“I love it,” she answered honestly. “I’ve actually been using the slang with Luis, and since he’s been picking it up from Dani, we’re just cracking up. I love learning new insults and sayings. It’s the best, especially when other people don’t know what the hell you’re saying. Our brothers get so annoyed, because they understand what we’re saying, but they don’t actually understand. Does that make sense?”

“Not really, but s’alright.” He laid back against the couch. “Anyway, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Go for it.”

“Why does he call you Aurelia?”

“Because I don’t really like Paulina.” Francis stepped out of the bedroom wearing a pair of old sweats and a Venice Beach shirt that he’d gotten during his most recent trip to California. “I mean, it’s an alright name, but I don’t think it suits her. And I get that her mom named her after her grandpa, but still, I don’t like it. That’s why I call her Aurelia better,” and when he said her name, he didn’t say it English, he said it in Spanish. “And she’s alright with it.”

“It’s a good name,” she said. “And I get to call him Francisco, so it works out.”

“Since we’re on the subject of names, do you have a middle one, Alfred?” inquired Francis.

“I do. Though I don’t particularly care for it.”

“That just makes me want to hear it even more,” said Francis as he wandered into the kitchen. “What is it?”

“Vaughan.” Alfred scrunched his nose. He hated the damn name.

“Why the hell are you scrunching your nose? That’s a wicked awesome name.”

“It doesn’t suit him though. He’s an Alfred.”

“I’m not going to bash the name, because Alfred is a good one,” said Francis. “All I’m saying is that Vaughan is a dude that can kick your ass if you look at him wrong.”

“That doesn’t make me like the name any better,” commented Alfred. “I disagree with my mother on my accounts, but I’ve no quarrels with my first name. It was a brilliant decision on her part.”

“Yeah, but . . .”

And Francis continued to argue that Vaughan was a wicked name and that Alfred should go by it, but Alfred laughed it off. There was no way in hell that he would ever let anyone refer to him as that, and he told Francis that. With the name shut down, the conversation drifted over to Alfred’s brief trip. Francis didn’t understand why Alfred had so randomly decided to fly out and why he was only staying for a day and a half, it didn’t make any sense to him and he told him as much. He told Alfred that he should take a couple days off and that they’d go rowing in Hyannis Port or go sailing, but Alfred politely turned down the request. He had a big Sunday ahead of him and he wasn’t about to postpone his plans for any reasons, and although he very much wanted to discuss some proposal details further with Paulina, he didn’t want to bring it up in front of Francis. He liked Francis, he was good company, but his proposal was a very private matter and it was something he only wanted to confide Paulina with, at least until it came time to actually propose to Olivia.

Francis eventually understood that something important had gone on, but he knew not to ask. Paulina had told him that Alfred was very private and guarded when it came to certain things, and as much as his curiosity wanted to know what was up, he didn’t pursue the subject any further.

During their lounging time at the house, they ate a little and talked, and when 2:30pm came around, they took turns dressing for dinner. Francis had hung up his outfit in the closet so he just put that back on, Alfred dressed comfortably for his long flight, but still looked smart and put together. For her part, Paulina slipped on a dress and put on a coat, because she didn’t feel like wearing pants.

They had their early dinner at the Eastern Standard in Boston. It was a favorite of Francis and Paulina’s. The old school Boston charm was present in the layout and décor, and the food was delectable. They specialized in New England cuisine so there was lots of fresh seafood available, and since Alfred was a lover of seafood, he had himself a pan roasted hake while Francis ordered a smoked pork porterhouse, and Paulina a seared salmon.

“I must admit, I’d never thought that I’d see the day you would order seafood,” commented Alfred when the waitress stepped away.

“Don’t look so pleased. I don’t eat most of it.” Paulina said with a smile. “Salmon’s pretty much the only thing I eat.”

“It’s true,” said Francis. “I tried getting her into lobster and oysters, but she said they were fucking nasty.”

“Well they are.” She grabbed her Chardonnay. “Oysters were just all sorts of gross, the lobster was a little better, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it.”

“But you would eat it if it was the only thing there? The lobster, that is.” Alfred asked.

“I’d eat everything else, and then only get a little from it. That way it wouldn’t look so bad.” Paulina replied. She lifted the wine to her lips and took a sip.

“She’s the only person in the world that doesn’t like lobster,” said Francis. “But that’s alright, because at least she likes clam chowdah.”

“What?” he exclaimed. “That can’t be right. There’s no way she’s keen on clam chowder. We made her try it once and she literally spat it out. Tell him, you spit it out.”

“I did,” she confirmed. “But that clam chowder wasn’t good. You need to try the one that Francis makes. I don’t like to inflate his ego, but it’s delicious.”

“Next time you come around, I’ll make you some.” Francis told him. “And you should bring Olivia along. We’ll go sailing, have some good food. It’ll be wicked cool.”

“That’s quite a generous offer,” began Alfred.

“And you better taken me up on it.” Francis took a swig of his beer. “You’re good shit, Alfred. I like having you around.”

“I beg your pardon?” Alfred was taken aback.

“Good shit means good people.” Paulina jumped in. She could tell that Alfred didn’t particularly care for that terminology. “It’s a Boston thing.”

“Sorry about that.” Francis apologized. “I should’ve known better than to think you’d get that slung. That’d be like expecting me to know what you mean when you use phrases from across the pond. We good though? You’re not offended?”

“Not offended, though I would much prefer not to be referred as that, even it is positive.” Alfred replied.

“No problem, Alfred. I won’t call you that no more.” He glanced over at Paulina, and when he saw her smiling and shaking her head at him, he grinned. “So what time’s your flight leaving? I know we have to get you to the airport by five.”

“At 19:52.” Alfred answered.

“Nearly eight, that’s not too bad.” Francis commented. “If it wasn’t a holiday weekend, we could push off taking you to the airport until six-thirty, but with it being as crowded as it is over there, it’s good to take you early.”

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. There were no further misunderstandings and they were free to laugh and talk freely, and knowing very well that Francis was going to try to foot the bill, Paulina excused herself right in the middle of dinner and told the waitress to charge them on her card. Francis was a little annoyed, he had after all invited them out, but he got over it when Paulina told him to buy her a drink later on.

Up until they reached the airport, the mood was relaxed and cheerful, but the moment they pulled into the parking lot, the smile vanished from Paulina’s face. She knew it was selfish of her, but she didn’t want Alfred to go home. She wanted him to stay with her for a week so that it could be like old times, or at least until Sunday night, but he had to get going, he had to get things ready for when he asked Olivia’s parents for her hand in marriage, and so she endeavored to be cheerful during their parting, but it didn’t work out.

“I promise I’m not doing this on purpose,” she told Alfred as tears streamed down her face. “I really am happy that you’re gonna go home and do what you’re gonna do, but it’s was fucking amazing having you here, Alfie.”

“I know,” he said as he pulled her into another hug. “I absolutely loved being here with you. It was fantastic.” And he truly meant it. He loved being able to talk and laugh with her, he loved the fact that she was smiling again and that she wasn’t just going through the motions of life, but that she was actually living! After nearly a year and a half of her suffering, he was glad to see her happy again. “But it won’t be long until we see each other again. Via and I will be here for your graduation.”

“Will you?” she pulled away.

“Of course.” He smiled. “We promised we would, and we’re the sort that keeps promises.”

“That’s why I love you two so much.” Her bottom lip trembled. “And you better fucking call me when you land. Use the new number I called you from on Friday. And when you do what you’re gonna do, let me know.”

“I will. I promise.” He reached out and wiped away a fallen tear. “Now how about another hug? One for the road.”

She hugged him tightly and when she pulled away, she kissed his cheeks.

“Goodbye Alfie.” She sniffled. “Love you!”

“Love you as well,” he told her. “And be kind to yourself.”

He hugged her one last time before turning to shake Francis’ hand, but Francis took Alfred’s outstretched hand and pulled him into a one armed hug. When they pulled apart, Alfred walked up to the security checkpoint and Francis wrapped his arm around Paulina. He pulled her in close and she instinctively nestled into him, so that she could rest her head against his chest.

“He’ll be back soon, Aurelia.” He told her in a soft, comforting tone. “And he’ll bring back Olivia, so it’ll be even better.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I just hate that he didn’t stay longer. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him and the last time he was here, I was . . .” she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. “. . . I wasn’t any fun. So I wanted to make it up to him.”

“He fucking enjoyed himself.” Francis told her. “He got drunk last night with you, feasted on fruit tarts, and was in pajamas for most of today. That’s a good fucking time, if I’ve ever heard of one. Now stop those tears, because I owe you a drink.”

“You seriously want to go bar hopping on Thanksgiving weekend?”

“You got anything better to do?” he countered.

“No.”

“Then let’s go get hammered.”

“There’s only two of us though. One has to be the designated driver if we go bar hopping.”

“Then we’ll get a fucking cab.” He said, very matter-of-factly. “What do ya say? We drop off the car, get a cab, see what the night brings. I mean, it’s already dark out. Perfect time to start drinking.”

They ended up going to seven bars that night, and by the time they left the last one, they were slurring and stumbling about. When they reached the house, Paulina couldn’t even get out of the car, Francis had to throw her over his shoulder to get her inside. Not that she minded, she laughed her ass off as he struggled to carry in. He couldn’t even walk right so he kept almost falling, but it was alright, he didn’t drop her so there were no true complaints on her part.

When they got inside, he dropped her on the bed, and she told him to toss her some pajamas from her dresser. He was too find her pajama drawer, so he gave her one of his. He tossed her an old Boston Red Sox shirt, along with some sweats. He left the room so that she could change, and when he came back in, he was wearing the lazy clothes he’d been wearing early in the day. It wasn’t like they were dirty or anything.

“Wanna watch Netflix?” she asked him from the place on the bed.

He nodded.

“Then go get the pie and then we’ll watch it.”

“I don’t wanna get the fucking pie.”

“Yes you do.” She told him. “I know your ass is hungry, so go get it. Please!”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I’m bringing the milk with me cuz I’m not getting up later to get it when you ask.”

“Bring the half empty one. That way we can just drink it all.”

“Alright, alright . . .” he staggered to the kitchen and then returned with the pie and milk, along with a couple forks. “Scoot your ass over.”

“Nah, this is my side.” She sat up. “You always sleep on that side.”

“Is that the left?” he asked as he handed over the pie.

She nodded.

“That is my side then.” He laughed drunkenly and then placed the gallon of milk on the dresser so he could climb into bed. “Can we watch The Office?”

She nodded and changed it so that The Office would play on the television.

“Where’s Thea?” he randomly asked.

“Right here,” she lifted her blanket, and there, snuggled against her leg was Thea. “She was already here when we got in.”

They only took a couple bites from the pie before they passed out. Paulina was sprawled across the right side of the bed, with Thea nestled against her, and Francis was on the left, with his hand draped across Thea. That was how they slept when they were drunk. That was how they slept when they were sober. Whenever he spent the night, they always ended up watching Netflix or some movie, and since the only television was in her room, it was only normal that they pass out right there.

And at six in the morning, despite still being pretty drunk, they woke up to take Thea out on her walk. Francis knew the drill. Whenever he spent the night, they always took Thea out, so despite the fact that they both wanted to stay in bed, they got up, took her around the neighborhood so she could do her business, and then went right back to the room to knock out until after one in the afternoon. When they woke, they were tired and groggy from having slept so long, but even then they didn’t leave the bed right away. They lay there, talking in low voices and it wasn’t until her phone rang that she got up.

It was Alfred, calling to say that he’d landed and cleared immigration. And when she finished talking with him, she told Francis to get the fuck up so that they could eat breakfast. He had hoped that she would make them some chilaquiles, that was always good for a hangover, but she felt like shit and since she didn’t feel like doing anything, she simply heated up Nana Alva’s tamales. They ate in silence, each finding strength in the spicy pork tamales, and by the time they finished breakfast, they were both able to sit up straight.

“I can’t believe we drank that fucking much.” Francis commented. “Especially you, you were a beast!”

“I shouldn’t have been though,” she rubbed her tired eyes. “My ass should’ve stopped after the fifth drink.”

“If you’d done that, then I would’ve looked like an alcoholic. You did a good thing by pounding.”

“If you say so, but now I feel like I need to just lie in bed all day.”

“Can’t do that though. We gotta go to mass.” Like a good Irish boy, regardless of how much he drank, Francis always went to mass on Sundays.

“Let’s go to the one at five.”

“I hate that one. That’s the one the teenagers go to. And I can’t stand those fuckers. They’re going around, acting like they ain’t doing shit just because they’re in a church youth group! Hah! Those are the worst sinners. I know from personal experience.”

“You are so ridiculous.”

“I’m honest.” He stated. “And you hate them as much as I do. Remember you got into an argument with one of them? Ya told them to stop spending their money on harassing abortion clinics and to spend it on helping the poor better.”

“That’s right. I’d forgotten that.” She groaned. “I guess we’ll go to the one at three. But you’re driving. I don’t feel like walking.”

“Sounds good to me. You wanna shower first or should I?”

“I will.”

They beauty of short hair was that it cut down on showering time. She was in and out, in a matter of ten minutes, and then Francis took his turn at washing off their night of drinking. At a quarter to three, they left the house to go to Mass, and although Francis sped over there, they were still a few minutes late and ended up having to sit way in the back. Not that it was too bad of a thing, it actually ended up working to their advantage. They were able to doze off without getting glared at by the devout old folks up front.

After mass, Francis dropped Paulina off at her house and then took off to his. He had a couple briefings that he had to go over for work on Monday and she had to do some readings, so there was no point in extending their time together.

The moment Paulina got back to her house, she hung up her coat, took off her dress, and slipped into some comfortable pajamas. She was going to spend the rest of her day with her nose in books so she might as well be comfortable while she was at it.

“We’ve got a shitload of pages to read tonight, Thea. Do you think we can do it?” she asked as she plopped onto the couch. “I hope so, otherwise mama’s not gonna know what the hell the professor’s talking about tomorrow.”

She reached out to scratch behind Thea’s ear, but when she moved to do so, she noticed Francis’ phone.

“Uncle Francisco left his phone,” she said. “He’s gonna feel like an idiot when he realizes he left it, then he’s gonna drive back and he’ll be all grumpy. That’s alright though. He looks funny when he’s grumpy.” She took the phone and laid it on the table, that way it wouldn’t fall back in the seat. “Now where were you? That’s right. I was gonna cuddle you before I got to reading. I need some motivation, my Thea!” Instead of just scratching Thea’s ear, she picked her up and pressed her against her face so that she could kiss her head. “Who’s mommy’s favorite?” Paulina cooed as she kissed Thea. “You’re mama’s favorite. You’re my special girl. Yes, you are.” She kissed and stroked her back, and was getting ready to rub her belly a bit, but just as she was going to do that, a knock came from the door. “Come in!” she bellowed, fully expecting Francis to walk through the door. But instead of the door opening, another knock came at it. Thinking that Francis had forgotten his key in the car, she grabbed the phone with her free hand and went over to open the door. “I was wondering how long it’d be before your ass realized you forgot your –” she stopped short when she saw him standing at her door.

She’d long imagined that if he were to ever show up, she’d either slam the door on his face or shout obscenities at him, but now that he was there, now that those damn eyes were fixed on her face, she forgot all she’d ever planned to do or say. All she could do was stare into those lover’s eyes that she had worked so hard to forget.