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She smacks me on the chest, then moves to leave. I hold her in place.
“Abuela used to say to me, ‘Belén may make a good wife on the surface, but Leticia has a heart of gold. And besides she could be your wife in the future.’ I remember shaking my headat the idea of it but then laughing and smiling too. Abuela said you didn’t leave your bed for two days when your dog died.”
“He was killed,” she corrects me. Yes, it was a road accident. Someone was speeding on the road, and they knocked him down.
“The worst part of it wasn’t him dying but the fact that he was hurt so bad that he suffered all the way until we reached the vet. It was so painful seeing someone you love in so much pain. Well, it was for me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Belén never cried. Not one drop. Then I realized that she’d never done it with anything. Never. When our parents were nearly going through a divorce, we could hear them fighting nearly every day. I was the one begging for them to stay together, and with her, nothing. Then again, I think of Dr. Wayne Dyer when I think of Belén.”
“Who is he?”
She beams, making me curious about who he is, and a wave of jealously takes over me. The idea of Leticia with another man instantly does that, but he’s not the one sharing her bed. I am. And I intend to keep it that way.
“He’s a spiritual leader. His voice and teachings have made me combat so many insecurities and even times of depression.”
She surprises me as she says it, because she’s one of the most confident people I know. I can’t imagine her being anything other than happiness and sunshine.
“You can’t give away what you don’t have,” she goes on to explain, but I have no idea what this has to do with Belén.
“Meaning?”
“Belén doesn’t have love. I don’t know why or how, but she doesn’t have it, so she’s not able to give it away. The moment she does, then it won’t be an issue.”
I clear my throat, because in a way, I can relate to so many things she’s saying but in the way she could never understand. I shift her to the side of me and then start to leave the bed.
“Did I say something wrong?”
I shake my head, but her hand touches my leg. She was brought up in a family where her parents loved her and probably treated her like the golden child. Maybe Belén had a different upbringing, and this is why for the first time, I’m starting to realize why I connect with Belén a lot better than I do with Leticia.
“Diego, talk to me.”
“It’s just that Papá used to accuse me of the same thing. He would say that I was the youngest and the coldest of my brothers. Maybe growing up with a dad that hated you and a stepmother who was indifferent to your existence does that to a person.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know how my mom died?”
She shakes her head, but then I’m debating about whether to explain it to her. If bringing up the cold memories of the past will make me feel better or if getting it off my shoulders would be a relief saying it out loud. I decide better of it. We’ve spent months working together, but in the last few days, we’ve talked more than we ever have. This is so different to being in the office and keeping an eye on her.
As much as one part of me wants to tell her, my chest tightens, and my throat feels dry as if it’s a warning that this is not me. I’m not the type to kiss and tell, so I should keep it to myself.
My phone rings, and I take it as a sign to get out of bed and to reality.
“¡Diga!1” I say as I see it’s Lucas calling me.
“Little bro, how you doing? It’s weird. I haven’t heard from you in days.”
It’s not like him to call me bro, nor worry about hearing from me for days. Then again, we do speak nearly every day, so I get out of bed and ignore the sigh Leticia’s making as I grab my boxers and put them on while trying to have a conversation with Lucas.
“The time difference and all that.”
“It’s Lucas,” I mouth to Leticia. She nods, but I can see the disappointment on her face. As I leave the room, she flops back onto the empty bed.
“Belén is driving everyone crazy, and I’m not sure it was a good idea to leave her in charge of everything.”
“I left her as a secretary. That’s not exactly everything. If you worked for the business, maybe then we would have more family members on board, and you wouldn’t be calling me while I am on my honeymoon.”
