Page 24 of Don't Tell Me Who To Love

“I don’t think he was close to anyone except Miguel, cariño. I’m ashamed to say that the role model he should have had in a father wasn’t there for him, though he idolised Miguel.

“Grandpa was away a lot when he was younger?”

“Yes, Miguel moved between London and Gibraltar gathering intelligence, helping the resistance with my father. He was a good man at heart. If I had my time again, I would have challenged his decision to have your dad schooled away from home. It was harder for a woman then. A husband’s word was final. I owed my life to Miguel because he’d helped me get away. I couldn’t embarrass him. His ideas about your dad’s career were fixed, driven by his own. Discipline and structure were more important to him than anything.”

“Not to you though?”

Nana shook her head. “Rigid rules that suffocate individuality and passion are not right. I should have been there for my son, and I wasn’t. The war made my relationship with Hugo difficult, because while he was being taken care of by a nanny, I looked after other people’s children evacuated from London. In my mothering of those poor children, I lost sight of my own.”

Nana looked dispirited, and Gabi wanted to take away her pain. “You’re the best Nana anyone could wish for.”

Nana smiled and put her hand to her chest. “Cariño, Gabriela. I love you with all my heart.” She stroked Gabi’s face. “You are a beautiful soul, and you will make many mistakes over the years too. I know I should have done better by your dad, and maybe I will always regret that, but I can’t change what I did.”

“Hindsight is kind of a bit late, right?”

Nana laughed. “True. But I have relived the moment I should have made a different decision many times. I’m sorry that he wasn’t the dad he should have been. It’s my fault.”

Gabi couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat. Nana had wanted to do things differently, and because of how life was back then, she hadn’t been able to do diddly-squat about it. It was heartbreaking. She wondered how her dad might have turned out had he been bought up by his mum rather than a nanny and the schooling systems, and her heart warmed towards him. “How’s your sherry?” she asked, to change the topic and lift the mood.

“Excelente.” She took a sip. “I’m going to see that apartment this afternoon, if you’d like to come. If we like it, maybe the owners will let us rent it until the sale goes through, then we can cancel the holiday booking.”

“Do you want to stay here permanently?”

“I don’t know, cariño. I feel at home here, and I never expected that. It’s as if a part of me never left and is happy to be reunited.”

Gabi felt as though her emotions had been sucked up inside a tornado and spat out in tiny pieces. The positive on the horizon had been Aisha, and the disappointment from being let down earlier resurfaced. She sighed and sipped her beer. There must have been a good reason for Aisha not showing up, surely? “Maybe I could look for a job?” she said.

“You have one. You’re looking after me.” Nana said and sipped her drink.

“And if you have too many more sherries, I’ll need to carry you back to your room.” Gabi laughed. “Anyway, I’m not going to be your paid carer if we’re going to live here. You’ll drive me up the wall.”

Nana laughed. “Well, don’t go looking for a job in a bar. You’re better than that.”

Gabi shook her head. “I’m not qualified for anything else,” she said.

“Rubbish, Gabriela.” Nana looked over Gabi’s shoulder and smiled. Gabi turned around, and her stomach kept turning. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

“Excuse me for interrupting you.”

Aisha’s wavy hair fell past her shoulders, and the sunlight passing through it reflected a range of rich browns and auburn red. Her black skirt stopped just above her knees, and she wore thinner heels and a loose-fitting red blouse. Casual and comfortable. She was a mirage calling to all Gabi’s senses. Gabi’s skin tingled as Aisha gazed the length of her body. She felt naked and vulnerable, and she ached for Aisha’s hands to trace the route her gaze had just taken.

Aisha cleared her throat. “Gabi, I’m sorry I couldn’t meet earlier. I had to run an errand.”

Nana patted Gabi on the back of the hand and rested back in her seat. “Best you go and get changed, cariño.” She smiled. “Go on, go on.”

Gabi should have objected. Nana had ordered tapas, and Gabi had said she’d go to see the apartment, but she knew her words would be wasted. And the last thing she wanted was to spend the afternoon with Nana when she could be with Aisha.

Aisha stepped forward and held out her hand. “You must be Gabi’s Nana. I’m Aisha.”

Nana clasped Aisha’s hand between hers, and Gabi could almost see Nana’s thoughts as she smiled.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Nana said, then looked at Gabi and frowned. “What are you doing still sitting here when this beautiful young woman is waiting for you?”

“Una hermosa mariposa,” Aisha said to Nana.

If Gabi blushed any harder, she would explode from the heat.

Nana patted the silver butterfly pinned to her dress. She’d worn it every day since they’d left England. “Me gusta mucho. Es mi favorito. I have a very talented granddaughter,” she said.

---