Page 141 of Tell Me What You Want, Or Leave Me

“Yes, Papá, a little.”

His laughter and happiness, as always, swell my heart. I talk to him and Raquel at the same time. They both want to talk and show me their joy. Then my sister takes command of the phone.

“Cuchu...as soon as you get home, call me, and we’ll talk. I have lots of Lucía’s little things that can be useful for the first months. Oh God...oh God...you’re pregnant. I can’t believe it!”

“Neither can I, Raquel. Neither can I,” I murmur.

There’s another struggle for the phone. My father wins this time.

“Sweetheart, are you eating well?”

“Yes, Papá, don’t worry.”

“Have you already gone to the doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Your sister wants to know if you’re taking any kind of folk remedies.”

I crack up.

“Yes, Papá. Tell her I take folic acid.”

“Oh, I’m so happy. Another little grandchild!”

“Yes, Papá, another little grandchild.”

“Maybe it’ll be a boy.”

“And what if it’s a girl? Then what?”

My father laughs.

“Well, I’ll have another woman to love and pamper in my life.”

We both laugh again.

“Is Eric better?”

“Yes, Papá, much better. We’ll be discharged in a couple of days.”

“Well...hey, is he happy about the baby?”

Eric has hardly slept since he found out. He’s constantly worrying about my eating and resting, and, when he sees me vomiting, he gets sick too.

“Eric is like you...happy.”

We talk several more minutes, and, when I see Amanda leave the room, I quickly say goodbye to my family.

“I’ll walk you out,” I tell her.

We go to the elevator together. We know we have a pending conversation.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“Congratulations on the baby,” she says.

“Thanks, Amanda.”

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