Page 111 of Through You
“Juan, she hit me!” Sofia points at me. “She’s shown her true colors. She’s after our son, so both she and her mother need to leave this house.”
Juan remains silent, assessing the situation.
“Theyhave to go?” Artemis says between clenched teeth.
“Just like five years ago, Mother? When you threatened Claudia, forcing her to reject me?”
I hold my breath. Did I tell him that story when I was drunk?
“What are you talking about?” Sofia looks cornered.
“Did you know about that?” Artemis asks his father, and Juan shakes his head. Artemis goes back to staring at his mother.
“Artemis, I don’t know what lies this woman has told you, but I—”
“Shut up!” His shoulders rise and fall with every breath he takes.
“I won’t let you speak to me like that! I’m your mother! You have to respect me!”
“Fuck respect! You’ve never respected this family, my father, or my brothers. The only thing you’ve accomplished is fucking up this family, why?!” Artemis strides angrily toward his mother.
“Why?!”
Juan steps forward. “Artemis, we need to calm down.”
“No,” Artemis growls; his eyes have turned red. “I can’t keep quiet any longer. I can’t let this go on anymore. You . . .” His voice breaks. “You’ve taken so much from me. It’s your fault I had to take on a role I never wanted because I couldn’t abandon my father, not after all he suffered because of you. And now I find out that you took away the girl I adored. What did we ever do for you to want us be so miserable?”
Sofia tightens her lips, and tears roll down her cheeks.
“I’m just saying out loud what no one in this house has dared to speak until now.” He breathes heavily. “I’m simply telling the truth. Why have we never been enough for you? Why?! Why do you look to other men to fulfill you? If that’s what you needed, why didn’t you leave my father so that he could rebuild his life?
Why did you sentence us to years of watching him consumed by pain to the point that he turned into someone so cold we don’t even recognize him?”
Apolo’s eyes fill with tears and he looks away. My chest grows tight. The pain and frustration is palpable in Artemis’s voice.
“Why, Mom?”
And right there, in front of almost all his family, two big fat tears roll down Artemis’s cheeks. I’ve never seen him look so vulnerable. It’s as if he’s revealing this sadness and how difficult this experience has been for him for the first time. Juan’s eyes have also reddened. He’s just become aware of how much his children have suffered in silence.
“Artemis,” Juan begins, but Artemis raises his hand to stop him while keeping his eyes fixed on his mother.
“Answer me!” he exclaims, wiping away his tears. “Have we ever mattered to you?”
Sofia bows her head and cries.
“Answer me!”
I move closer to him and take his arm. “Artemis.”
He looks at me over his shoulder, and I can see the anger in his eyes begin to subside. It reminds me of the time when he found his mother with another man and almost beat him to death.
I grab his wrist. “Enough.” I entwine my fingers with his. “It’s all right. That’s enough. Let’s go.” He shakes his head and gives me a sad smile. “Please.”
I remember it clearly, as if it was yesterday. The anger radiating off him is very similar. So I bring my other hand down and interlock it with his, and return his sad smile.
“It’s enough.”
I take him away from there, holding hands. The silence is deafening. Not even Mrs. Hidalgo dares to protest or throw an insult at me as I walk away holding her son’s hand. This morning’s discussion has been a wake-up call for this family. Artemis never imagined how his words would change the course of our lives. Sometimes it takes one person to speak the truth out loud to bring about change. I stare at Artemis over my shoulder. He follows me with a sad look on his face, and squeezes my hand, looking like he’s afraid of getting lost if I let go.
