Page 137 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
I choked on my saliva.
“I still haven’t gotten a thank you, by the way,” she grumbled. “And here I gave you the gift that keeps on giving.”
“Chloe!” My phone pinged, and I forgot what I was going to tell her when I saw the message was from Gabe.
Gabe
Thank God for plane wi-fi.
Is it too much to say I miss you already?
Luna
THANK GOD!! And it’s not too much. I miss you too!!
gabe
For the firsttime in two decades, I stepped back in the country I’d come from. I hadn’t made it out of the airport yet, but when I saw the posters withBem-vindo ao Riowelcoming me to thecity, something shifted within my chest. Maybe it was just my imagination running wild with the concept of a homecoming. Whatever it was, I couldn’t deny the anticipation that sang in my veins.
On a whim, I stopped in front of a welcome poster and took a quick photo with it in the background. I had never taken a selfie in my life, but this seemed like the perfect moment for a first. I sent it to Luna and trailed the people from my flight to the immigration area.
If only Luna could have gone with me. The fourteen-hour trip would have been more enjoyable, and I might have been less anxious about seeing my father again.
I’d sent him my flight details, and he offered to arrange a pick-up. I’d refused because I was more than capable of getting a cab, but when I walked out into the arrivals hall, I saw my father front and center.
My steps faltered. This was the first time I had someone I knew waiting to greet me in the airport. He even had a cardboard sign markedBem-vindo, Gabriel,reminding me of Luna and Tala’s favorite Christmas movie.
“Gabriel,” his voice rang out, deep and gravelly.
The sound of it took me back to my childhood days when he called out to me upon coming home from work. Our house had been so small that I could hear him wherever I was. Right now, he could’ve been hidden in the back of the crowd, and I would have immediately recognized his voice.
I gave my father a genuine smile for the first time in over a decade, and the corners of my lips wouldn’t stop lifting. They only spread wider when I recognized his younger brother, Tio Santi, standing beside him with Tia Carla, who was flailing her arms in the air.
Raising my hand in a brief wave, I headed toward them. My father met me halfway, catching me in a bear hug that knockedthe breath out of me in more ways than one. He felt frailer than before, his stomach more prominent and soft, but he still smelled of the spearmint candy he used to chew to mask the scent of his favorite tobacco.
I’d forgotten about that—until now.
“Welcome back, Gabriel,” he said as he thumped my back twice.
“Olá, Pai.” I breathed in but couldn’t smell cigarette smoke on him. My mother had nagged him to stop smoking and he’d tried to multiple times only to pick up the habit again. Had he finally quit? “Do you still smoke?”
“I quit four years ago. Had to stay alive long enough to see my only son again.” Another thump came, heavier this time.
“Mission accomplished.” I took in his face, more weathered than before with creases around his eyes. His hair had turned a shade of silvery gray that carried over to his beard, and the tattoos I remembered marking his forearms had multiplied, covering more skin than it left bare.
A pang of sadness hit me as I realized just how much I had missed out on due to my own stubbornness. If I had given him a chance sooner, I could have supported him as he conquered his addiction. I would have witnessed the other life changes he’d made since moving back to his hometown.
At least I had time. I was here now, and I had to make this visit count.
“You look good,” I told him.
“Your father, he is still popular with the ladies.” Tio Santi clapped my shoulder.
“Tio Santi.” I grinned back at him. I couldn’t remember much of him from my childhood, other than him launching me in the air and my mother scolding him to be careful.
He stood a few inches shorter than me now, but he remained built like a brick. “Cesar, let go of your boy.”
My father released my right side and Tio moved in, enveloping both of us in a tight embrace.
