Page 83 of Tell Me What You Want, Or Leave Me

Eric curses. He’s heard his nephew, and now he’s in a tizzy.

Stuck together like glue, Graciela and Dexter can’t seem to stop kissing. They’re not bothering to watch the show at all. Their kisses and caresses are enough for them. That makes me laugh. It took them forever to decide, but now they can’t let go of each other for a single minute. I can’t even begin to imagine the bacchanal in their room. Their level of togetherness is so intense, Flyn now calls them the Limpets.

I look up at the sky and watch as various dots come rushing toward us. The parachutes open, and they begin to slowly drop. Eric’s white as a sheet. I’m worried. “My love, are you OK?”

He shakes his head while staring at the ground. “Have they landed yet?”

“No, my love...they’re still coming down.”

“God, Jude, don’t tell me that!”

Trying to understand the effort he’s making to be there, I run my fingers through his hair to try and calm him. “They’re here, my love. They’ve touched down safely,” I say as soon as Sonia and Marta are on the ground.

Eric’s breathing changes, he looks where everyone’s looking, and claps so his mother and sister can see him.

What an actor!

As the days go by, I notice Laila is charming with Graciela and me but considerably less so with Simona. What is going on?

One afternoon when we’re at the pool, Eric and Björn come by after work. They look so handsome in their suits.

“C’mon, dudes, take a dip with us,” says Dexter, who’s in the water with us.

Eric and Björn vanish, then come back about ten minutes later in their swimsuits and dive into the water.

Eric immediately swims toward me and encircles me in his arms.

“Hello, beautiful,” he says after giving me an adoring kiss.

I return his kiss, and two seconds later we’re playing in the water like a couple of kids. Simona leaves us a tray poolside with various goodies. Without hesitation, Laila goes to the tray, fills a glass with orange juice, and brings it over to the edge of the pool for my German.

“Here, Eric, freshly squeezed. Just like you like it.”

Eric happily takes it, but I am somewhat astonished. She doesn’t look at me; she only has eyes for Eric. And then suddenly, she adds, “And this Coke with double the ice is for Judith, which I know she loves.”

That gets my attention. She’s quite observant.

“Thank you, Laila.”

“Thank you for always being so kind to me.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re all sitting on the edge of the pool, and Björn playfully shoves me in the water. Quickly, Eric pushes him, and he falls in too.

“Let’s race,” he challenges me.

I don’t answer but start to swim with all my might toward the other end of the pool. When I’ve practically reached my goal, Björn grabs my feet and pulls me back.

When I manage to get my head out of the water, he grabs me by the waist, and pulls me to where I can stand.

“You’re a cheater, you know that?” I say as he lets me go.

“I’m like you. I don’t like to lose.”

We both laugh, and, when I think I’ve found the right moment, I ask, “What’s going on between you and Laila?”

“Nothing.”

But his gaze is tense, and I can tell he wants to know what I know. We look at each other for a moment and understand one another perfectly.

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