“Now that you married her, can I come back?”
“You’re already back. You clearly don’t need my permission.”
“I was just visiting. Dropping in.”
“It’s quite a drive to drop in.”
Rafa comes outside then, sets a bottle of beer in front of me and has a second ready for himself. He finishes the open bottle and picks up the second.
Using my wedding ring as a bottle opener, I pop the lid and drink a long swallow. I watch the two of them.
“You know what I miss,” Clara begins, setting her cigarette on the ashtray and leaning forward toward me. “Us.”
“Us?” I’ve always known Clara to be more cunning than Rafa may choose to see. It’s never bothered me before. It bothers me now.
“Us,” she says, standing. “Together.” She reaches back to unzip her dress and a moment later, she’s standing in a bikini.
I thought she’d have been naked under there and I mentally berate myself for thinking it. For thinking her so deceptive. I’ve known her all my life. She’s family.
But then she gives me a wicked grin, reaches back to undo her top and drops it to the ground.
I look at her. At her heavy breasts with their large, dark nipples.
And she’s not done yet. I wonder if she’s encouraged by my silence because she hooks her thumbs into her bikini bottoms and pushes them down slowly, bending deeply as she does, giving Rafa an eyeful.
“Clara,” he says, her name a command.
She cranes her neck to look at him, remaining bent over all the while.
“Yes?” she asks coyly.
“Put your clothes back on.”
She turns to me, straightens, cocks her head to the side.
I slide my gaze down, down to the bare slit of her sex, to the pussy lips just visible to me.
“Do you want me to put my clothes back on, Stefan?” She turns in a circle, faces me again. “You used to prefer me like this.”
I sip my beer, let my gaze slide over her once more, then meet her eyes. “That was past. Get dressed.”
Her expression changes, hardens. “That sad little virgin bride of yours can’t be giving you what you need.”
“You don’t know what I need, Clara. We had our fun, but I’m married now. Things are different.”
“You were forced to marry the spoiled brat. Everyone knows that. No one would judge you.”
“I could give a fuck about anyone judging me. Get dressed. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Her eyes turn to slits and she looks to Rafa.
He gestures to the house. “Go inside. Close the door behind you.”
She grits her teeth, bends to pick up her discarded clothes and, surprisingly, does as she’s told.
Rafa watches her until the sliding glass door is closed fully.
“You fucking her again?” I ask him.
He nods once.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think it mattered. She shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, she shouldn’t.”
Silence falls again. Rafa picks up his second beer, drinks half of it.
“I actually came here for a reason,” I say.
“I don’t mind you coming just to have a beer. We used to do it a lot. I miss it.”
“Me too. So much has changed. But I want to repay your father for his help in finding Gabriela. For that beautiful wedding gift which I’m sure cost a fortune.”
“He doesn’t expect anything. I’m sure—”
“I want to organize a dinner. You can bring Clara if you want. You should. If you’re a couple, Gabriela’s going to have to get used to it. And Clara’s going to have to get used to Gabriela.”
“We’re not a couple, Stef. It’s not like that.”
“You’re just fucking her.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’ll leave it up to you.” I finish my beer, stand. “Saturday. A dinner to honor your father. To show my gratitude. It’s time this family came together as a family.”
Rafa stands. Nods. “That’s a good idea, Stefan. It’s past time.”
“I’ll see you Saturday.”
Rafa walks around the table and we look at each other for a long moment and I try to see him as he was. Because now, what I see is the face of a traitor. How sweetly they smile.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“You’re like a brother to me. You know that, don’t you?” I don’t know why I say it.
No, I do.
His betrayal, it wounds me. Because what I say is true. He’s always been like a brother to me.
He studies me, and what I see in his eyes isn’t the expression I expect. There’s a deep sadness inside him.
“You are a brother to me, Stefan,” he says. He leans in to hug me, kisses my cheek. And once again, I’m left thinking of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Of the kiss that nailed Christ to the cross.
28
Gabriela
I step out of the shower just as my phone starts to ring the next evening. I wrap a towel around myself, check the display. It’s Rafa.
Taking a deep breath in, I sit on the edge of the tub to answer.
“It’s done,” Rafa says.
“He’s moved?”
“Yes. With the nurse you wanted.”
“Where are they?”
“I’m just texting you their location. You can call her to confirm.”
“I will,” I say. I’d feel better if Rafa had given me the money to do it myself, but he wouldn’t do that. Said he’d take care of the transfer. That I had to trust him. I just hope I’m not wrong about this because if I am, Gabe will be the one to pay.
“If you need anything else—”
“I’m trusting you. I probably shouldn’t.”
I hear him sigh. “I understand that you don’t trust me. But hearing your father and you talk, fuck, Gabriela, I shouldn’t have taken you to him. I shouldn’t—”
“He told me the truth, at least.”
“Only to hurt you.”
“No. Well, that too, probably. But that’s not all. He’s losing to Stefan and he’ll do whatever he needs to do, hurt whomever he needs to hurt, to change that.”
“Fathers are…difficult.”
“Understatement.”
“Your brother’s safe at least.”
“You won’t tell Stefan where he is?”
“No.”
“You won’t tell anyone else?”
“No. I swear it.”
“Why are you helping me, Rafa?”
“I don’t know. This whole thing is a fucking shit show. It’s not what I wanted. Not how I wanted it.”
“What do you mean?”
Silence. “It’s complicated.”
“The birds died,” I say out of the blue.
“What?”
“The birds in the cage. They were both dead when I came into my room yesterday.”
“Both?”
I nod even though I know he can’t see me.
“I’m sorry.”