Page 7 of Keepsake

Papá was a strong man, righteous, someone I always wanted approval from. I knew I fucked up many years ago when I left and broke their hearts in a million pieces. Even now, as they grieved for their baby, Papá’s eyes scanned my bloody knuckles and shame overwhelmed me.

The hands holding the newspaper shook, and he put it down, his eyes closing in a disappointing sigh.

Forty-six years old and that sigh still cut me like a knife.

“A month,” I said, trying to avoid a confrontation.

Papá’s eyes left my knuckles and met my eyes, his eyebrows raising from the sudden change of subject.

“I’ll give Mamá a month to settle down and then we’ll bring Logan in and tell the kids. That’s enough time.”

He nodded. I knew he was holding himself back from saying anything.

Mamá came back a second later, breaking our silence. “You think we should send them to school on Monday?”

“Lachlan goes to school?” I asked.

She nodded. “A fancy preschool Sofia put him in because of work…” She trailed off, the silence speaking for itself.

Sofia was a receptionist in a big corporation after years of being a cashier in a supermarket. It was a better job and came with a couple of perks. But she was a receptionist. The preschool wasn’t going to be an option when she wasn’t—

“If there’s a problem, I’ll pay for it.” I swallowed down any other thoughts.

“You don’t need to.”

Refusing to listen, I raised my hand, stopping her in her tracks.

“I talked to Papá. We’ll leave things as they are for now. For a month.”

Mamá was back on the defensive once again, her back straight, eyes trained on me. “And after a month?”

“Then we’ll talk to the kids and tell them.” She opened her mouth to argue but I was faster. “That’s it, Mamá. One month. It’s the right thing to do. I’ll tell Logan she needs to wait.”

“A month and then you take them away from their home?”

Yes, the kids lived with them now, but it wasn’t always like that. They used to live with Sofia and her good for nothing partner until Sofia left him and he disappeared from the kids’ lives. Still, she moved to another house and tried to make it on her own. Only recently she asked if she could stay with my parents. The room Dash slept in still looked exactly like I left it with the addition of the boxes they brought with them.

Sofia, Vienna, and Lachlan shared her small room. This house wasn’t something Sofia wanted; I knew that much. I wasn’t going to tell my mother that, but Sofia only came home out of necessity.

Maybe that was why she chose Logan. The kids would want for nothing. If it was only to make them comfortable, Logan was a good choice.

“A month.”

TherewerefourrulesI lived by when analyzing an investment risk.

First, diversifying. Everyone knew that one. You can’t put all your eggs into one basket. I never did, and I advised my clients of the same.

So, I didn’t put all my hopes on Alvaro Castillo. He told me to wait a month for things to settle down with his parents. He promised I’d meet the kids, but diversifying was key. I contacted my lawyer, aka my favorite cousin Willa, and she assured me we had this even if Caridad refused to let me in the house.

Second, establish a probable maximum loss plan. I’ve been called a pessimist before, but things change. It was that easy. The market could flip, and you didn’t want to be caught off guard. I always assume I’ll lose a little.

So, I assumed I might lose Alvaro’s support. I might never win Caridad over. But I couldn’t lose the kids. That was the only thing on my mind as I drove over for our first meeting. My margin of loss was on the adults. I didn’t care about what they thought. Well, I cared a little, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. The kids, though? I couldn’t lose them.

Third, require a margin of safety. A margin of safety left room for judgment errors, mistakes, or unforeseen adverse conditions. It might sound like rule number two, but not quite. This one was about the mistakes I would make. Some things were out of my control, but I had to prepare for the things under my control just as much. I couldn’t bet on my perfection.

That was why I ordered about fifty parenting books. Dash was fifteen, Vienna eight, and Lachlan only three. The age range was too great. No one could be a perfect parent, but I could minimize my gap knowledge. I was prepared for mistakes, but I’d try my best to avoid them.

Fourth, think long term. Investing was a marathon, not a sprint. Just like parenting.

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