Lucía hesitated before answering.
“Your mother.”
“My mother? Why? What for?” Lucía finally looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and pain.
“Your mother asked me to save it for you. For the baby. And… for something you didn’t want to face.”
I was completely confused. My mother had passed away six months earlier, and although she was always prepared, I never imagined she would have set aside money. Lucía continued:
“Before she died, your mother wrote to you and asked me to use that money to make sure you could take a few weeks off when the baby was born. She knew your company wasn’t offering paid leave and she was afraid you’d have to work nonstop. She wanted you to be there, to not miss the beginning of your child’s life, like she and you did when you were little.”
That blow struck me right in the heart. I remembered every silent conversation between my mother and me, her regret for having missed so many moments. Lucía, her tears welling up, added:
“She gave me precise instructions: this money is for Javier, so he can be the father she couldn’t be. She begged me not to use it for anything else. Nothing.”
I was speechless. Guilt washed over me as I realized I’d almost forced her to betray my mother’s last wish. Lucía took my hand.Continue reading…
