AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nana pinched her lips together, narrowed her eyes, and shook her head. “I don’t think I know her. I said to Gabriela, the best flamenco is in Sacromonte. It would be a pleasure. Please thank your mama.”
Aisha turned to Gabi and smiled. “It starts at eight p.m.”
Gabi nodded. It was more than a month away. She had to see Aisha before then or the time in between would be like serving a life sentence. The thought of meeting Aisha’s parents and family made her feel uneasy. Aisha’s life was hard, and Aisha wasn’t entirely happy. She was stuck, and Gabi was annoyed with Aisha’s parents and frustrated that Aisha couldn’t do anything about it. She didn’t like the feeling of helplessness that irritated her chest and tugged at her heart either.
Gabi hugged Aisha quickly and brushed hot cheek to hot cheek as they said goodbye.
Aisha hugged Nana. “It was lovely to see you again,” she said.
Nana smiled from Aisha to Gabi and back to Aisha. “Thank you for the tour. I’m looking forward to a long siesta when we get back.”
Gabi smiled. She would rather spend the afternoon with Aisha.
“She’s very sweet,” Nana said as they sat on the bus back to the hotel. “And beautiful.”
“She is.” Gabi stared out the window and felt the physical distance separating them. “Why didn’t you come back to Spain before?” she asked. Gabi would return, no matter what, if it meant she would get to see Aisha one last time.
Nana patted Gabi’s leg. “I thought about it after Miguel died, but it was never the right time. I didn’t want to see Juan with a family of his own. I wasn’t ready to let go of my parents, and I was nervous about reopening these memories.” She looked towards the palaces. “England was my home, and I thought I’d end my days there. It was easier that way.”
“What changed?”
“I was approaching seventy-five. If I didn’t do it soon, I never would. I found the idea of not seeing Granada again unsettling. And that feeling wouldn’t go away. I had to come back, to rekindle my heart before my time ran out. I want to die with the happiness I had when I was here. Daft, I expect. But I feel closer to Juan, and more at peace. I think you know what I mean.”
Gabi took Nana’s hand and squeezed it. “I do.” She felt for all that Nana, Aisha, Juan, and her grandparents had lost. “I don’t think my heart can love that deeply again,” Aisha had said, and the words stuck in Gabi’s throat. But she wasn’t ready to let go of Aisha either.
16.
MATÍAS’S HANDS WERE BUILT for farming, though he worked with the dexterity of an accomplished pianist. He cut, soldered, and moulded the precious silver metal with ease, and by the end, the rough cut of two birds of peace joined at the wing emerged.
Gabi turned them in her palm. “That’s brilliant.”
He cut another piece of metal and hammered it into a thin metal round sheet. He wound the sheet carefully around a wave-shaped wooden pole and stretched its edges, so they touched. He compressed the centre to create curves that formed right angles to each other moving in opposite directions, like petals. The fundamental shape of the spiral appeared.
He handed it to Gabi. “It’s very basic.”
“It’s awesome.”
He stood and motioned to the seat. “Now it’s your turn.”
Gabi’s hands trembled as she started to work. She blew into her palms to reduce the clamminess. Moulding and soldering, she lost track of time. She frowned at the shape of the metal in her hand. It was crude, but it was a start.
He inspected the bird shape. “You’re good,” he said.
“I have a lot to learn.”
“I have met others much older who know less.”
She lowered her head. “Thanks.”
“Would you like some herbal tea or water?”
“Either, thanks.”
“Try the spiral while I’m gone.”
“I don’t want to waste the—”
“You won’t,” he said and smiled.
