“Later, he told me that the tumor Mateo had is the one he’d been studying for years and that there was no one in the country better prepared to operate on that particular tumor than he was. God was really looking out for us that day.”
“I’d say so, and He’s been looking out for you ever since. Look at how well Mateo is doing now.”
“He’s so much better than he was, but there’s still a long way to go. Sometimes the other kids at school ask him why he walks funny or why his face is ‘frowny.’ He tells them because he had cancer, and now he doesn’t.”
“I love that. He’s such a great kid.”
“Yes, he is. Somehow, he’s come through all the craziness still as sweet as he was before.”
“That’s thanks to you. You’re so good with him.”
“He’s the most precious thing in my life.”
“Do you want more kids?”
The question seems to take her by surprise. “I certainly didn’t want them with Joaquín. He barely noticed Mateo until I left with him, and then he was more interested in him than he’d ever been. I have no idea where he was the day Mateo had surgery. I texted him several times, but never heard from him.”
“Every new thing I learn about him makes me hate him more than I already do.”
“Believe me, I get that. I was very careful to make sure there wouldn’t be any more kids with him. I got birth control injections at the clinic so he wouldn’t find pills in the house. He wanted more kids, but what I think he wanted more than anything was more reasons to tie me to him. It wasn’t about the children. It was about controlling me.”
“Well, if there’s one bit of good news in all the chaos of the last few days, it’s that he’s locked up, and he’s going to stay that way for a long time.”
“What’ll I tell Mateo about his father when he asks?”
“He’s old enough to hear the truth.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she says with a deep sigh. “He probably won’t be surprised. He’s seen Joaquín in action enough to be afraid of him. He hated having to go with him for overnights.”
“Thankfully, he won’t have to do that anymore.”
“I suppose that’s one… What’s the term for when something good comes of something bad?”
“Silver lining?”
“Yes, that’s a silver lining.” She glances at me with a hopeful look in her eyes that I haven’t seen before. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about maybe trying to find my father.”
“Really?”
Nodding, she says, “My mother always said he seemed like a good man, although she only met him that one time, so I’m thinking maybe that good man would want to know he has a daughter and a grandson.”
“I’m sure he would. What else do you know about him?”
“That his name was Jon, he was from Minnesota, and he was stationed at Homestead while he was in the navy during the mid-nineties.”
“Sofia… That’s probably enough to find him. Do you have a Facebook account?”
“Yes, and Instagram.”
“You should post that you’re looking for a man named Jon from Minnesota who was stationed at Homestead in the Miami area in the mid-nineties and knew a woman named… What’s your mother’s name?”
“Mildred, but she goes by Millie.”
“A woman named Millie. Say that anyone who knows who this might be can contact you by direct message. And ask people to share it.”
“You really think that might work?”
“It can’t hurt. Social media is very powerful, and when people start sharing, you never know what’ll happen.”