39

Eloise

Pregnant, I was pregnant. Heavens! A son! Inside my womb was a child, the offspring of me and Julian. After the initial astonishment, I was no longer afraid, the only thing I felt was a good feeling, a new and unknown feeling arising in me, having the feeling that a being grows inside you, is something magical and incredible. With just one day of discovery, it was as if I already knew and always knew he was there, it was such a great affection, such pure love, unlike anything I've ever felt.

Olivia and João stayed by my side the whole time, including when I went to tell my grandmother. I was pacing outside my room as I waited for them to arrive with the test results they came back for when I had left them in the car.

As soon as they arrived, my hands were sweaty and I felt more nervous than ever, I was sure my dear grandmother would never judge or fight me, but it was impossible in my situation to imagine what her reaction would be. So I walked in with the test in hand, as my friends hugged me with tender words of comfort.

"Hey..." I said giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Since I have good grandchildren, they never leave me." She said smiling at the three of us. The truth was that since she was hospitalized, a small conflict had started over who would stay in the hospital more often. And none of us wanted to lose.

"How is the most beautiful woman in the world?" John asked and kissed her hand.

"I'm much better now, son." Dona Florence put on her best smile as we all knew how much she loved compliments.

"Grandmother... Can you please explain to João later that he must always let his sister use his car?" Olivia relaxed. And the moments that followed were filled with the joy of being together, even though part of me was missing and my inner pain still hadn't lessened.

"I also have something to say." I started to speak and my tremor increased. I tried for a few minutes while everyone was quiet to hear me. "Oh my God, I don't know how to do this." I exclaimed through tears. The nervousness was so much that tears were already dominating my eyes.

"My love." My grandmother said taking my hand. "I already know what you mean, I know every detail about you. Do you remember that I taught you how to eat alone? How to walk, how to write your beautiful name, and when I taught you how to tie your own hair? Remember also the First loose tooth? My angel, I know from when you fell in love for the first time, until when you had your first kiss. I know you dear. Anyway, I know that a child grows inside you... I just waited for the moment when you would tell me." When she finished saying, my face was already a river and from my throat it was possible to hear the sobs.

"Pardon me." It was the only thing I could say, it was like I'd let her down.

"I have nothing to apologize for, I'm not going to fight with you, I would never do that. The only thing I do is be happy and support you, because I love you, and I also love my great-grandson. " I smiled with joy hearing her say that. I looked at my friends who were with eyes full of tears and huge smiles beside me.

"I'm so happy!" I spoke amid tears of emotion. "There grandma, I love you so much. I really don't know if I'm going to be able to live like this, with the uncertainty of you in my life..."

"Look at me." He asked and I looked into his eyes. "Now you will be a mother, you have a being that will need you, already needs you. You have to be strong, yes, you have to learn to have the responsibility of protecting someone. You can't think only about your suffering now, you have to think about your calls, your friends and now this baby who needs you. Also, your fiance. I know you will be very happy as a family."

"Thanks for everything. Really!" I thanked him and kissed his face.

Then my friends and I lay on the bed around her, we talked about children and she told us some arts that the three of us did when we were little, many that we don't even remember anymore. It was so good to hear her, her voice there next to me, her hands still warm, I so wanted it to be forever.

I wish God, that our family was forever.

Julian

Days passed after I was arrested, Agnelo was gone and I had no news. Drifting around in that fucking jail like a criminal when that son of a bitch Harry was running around. It was a shitty jail, there I understood why the boy had run away, the guards slept almost the whole day and the jailers most of the time let the keys fall on the floor. If I wanted to, I would have run away, but this time I wouldn't. I wouldn't live like a fugitive again.

The longing for my white girl only increased every day, my dick was hard almost all the time when I remembered the way I had her. But that was a minor thing considering the pain in his heart when he remembered her voice, her skin, her kisses, her sweetness.

My bail.

Sometimes I allowed myself to cry for her, thinking about what she could be going through far from me and also her grandmother, how would she be? Was she still alive? My girl was suffering so much, I was sure because at times my heart would suddenly speed up. As if the two of us were trying to communicate through thought. It was just further proof that we were connected in many ways.

The love I felt for her was so huge that only with him could I survive forever, without needing anything else. I felt incapable and useless for not being by her side when I needed her most, for not being there to protect her as soon as she was called. It was too painful for me to bear. But it would all be worth it.

Fifteen days after I was arrested, already in agony and very angry about my friend's disappearance. He decided to show up.

"Julian Esguerra, you have a visitor. You can stay there even if the person is about to come in here." One of the guards announced and I just nodded.

"What's up buddy!" Agnelo came in greeting me with a smile.

"You fucking son of a bitch! Why did you disappear? Damn! No news, shit! At least to talk about my wife you had to come, how is she? Who have you been seeing? And your grandmother?" I asked impatiently.

"Calm down Esguerra! You really love this young lady, instead of wanting to know about her freedom, which I already have halfway there, you prefer to talk about her." He spoke and I froze. Had he really made it? What the fuck was he talking about?

"I want to know about her." I preferred without thinking twice.

"She's doing very well, I see her when she goes out with friends to see her grandmother and she spends most of her time in the hospital, she goes to school sometimes, very few, and that's it. Her grandmother is still hospitalized and I haven't seen any movement stranger around her house or in the places where she frequents." He explained and I listened attentively.

"Good. My love must be suffering so much!" I groaned, fists clenched, feeling incapable of doing anything for her at the moment.

"Finally in love. Come on, we still have no sign of the Barierre boy. Just today I sent one of my men to look for a lead in Cambridge, he'll bring news shortly, don't worry. And as for you , one of my men who is a lawyer, including the best of them, has already filed a lawsuit to have the complaint withdrawn, alleging that in view of the dangerousness of the family, of everything they have done and are being accused of, of the injuries that Brenda caused the victim, in this case Miss Espinoza, also including the entire set-up plot, which in the eyes of a good lawyer could be said to have been a trap, we will demand your freedom, alleging the inability of the individual who made the complaint to do so, and also that your weapon was taken from one of the thugs at the party, who was disarmed by you."

"Fuck Agnelo! You are a genius." I spoke after listening to him carefully and my heart filled with hope with his words.

"Don't overdo it my friend, for that it's enough to be smart and not unfair to anyone. Besides, my group of lawyers who are taking care of everything. If Miss Espinoza denounces, their sentence will increase." He spoke and my mind could find some peace.

"I don't want her to be involved in any of this. Please, if you have her option out of this, it will be much better for me." I said not wanting to see my cat involved in such a mess.

"No problem. That doesn't help or hinder. Now there's more news for you." He said smiling, taking a piece of paper and a pen out of his briefcase.

"What is it?" I asked strangely.

"Write a letter, quickly. I'll deliver Miss Espinoza to you, shortly after I'll get back to you with her words."

Like a silly teenager I took the paper and between smiles and tears I held back, I would never cry in front of Agnelo. I wrote everything I felt for my fiancée, my crush, the love of my life and my future wife.

My.

Then I handed it to Agnelo and asked the question that had been gnawing at me for days.

"Why are you trying so hard to help me like this?" Not that I didn't like it, but he was going above and beyond the call of duty by brokering a letter between me and Eloise.

"First because you're paying me a fortune, and second because I've been through something similar and I couldn't find anyone to help me." He replied with a sad face but soon returned to normal and the air of an arrogant man too. "Anyway, I have to go. Lots of work to do. I went!" Said and left quickly.

"Thanks my friend!" I exclaimed and he looked back with lost eyes.

Perhaps Agnelo has suffered as much as I have in life. But above all I was happy, my heart seemed to want to jump out of my chest just with the small step of sending a letter, imagine my Eloíse when she reads it.