I’d never had a close relationship with my mother, and it was no surprise then that I’d come to see Melba as a sort of stand-in. She always listened to my problems without judgment, and her advice was invaluable.
When it came to Georgia, though, it was different. Too hard to talk about.
I unstuck my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “When I was twenty-two, she studied here for half a year.”
“And you fell in love.”
It wasn’t a question.
I gazed into the older woman’s eyes. “Is it that obvious?”
“You still look at her like she’s a gift from God.”
I ducked my face, ashamed. “I wasn’t completely honest with her. I ended up breaking up with her because I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Let me guess. You were hiding another girlfriend.”
“No!” I looked up in alarm.
Melba chuckled, and I saw she was kidding. “I know you would not do that.”
“I wasn’t… When I was in school, I presented myself as something different than I actually was.” I gazed into my coffee, too ashamed to go on.
“Ah.”
“Yes.” I peeked at her.
“Young men are very prideful.”
“To a fault,” I sighed. “I ended up ruining the best thing that ever happened to me. And all because I was afraid.”
“That she wouldn’t like the real Rodrigo?”
It hurt like hell, but I dredged up the truth from deep down in my soul. “Yes.”
Melba shrugged, as if the answer were obvious. “It’s not too late. Show her who the real Rodrigo is now.”
I worked my jaw around, looking for an argument.
“What do you have to lose?” she asked.
Good question.
I’d spent the better part of the last decade alone, with the exception of Sebastián, Melba, and the staff. My friends were few, and most of them I only saw at work. Though I had been successful in the career sense, I always felt that something was lacking.
Finally, after years of dreaming and working, I had what I wanted. And yet I still ached for more.
“Nothing,” I suppose.
Melba made that sound of hers that meantI told you so.
Licking my lips, I put my coffee cup in the sink. “We’ll see.”
She chuckled. “It’s your life. I hate to watch you waste it, though.”
The comment burned me to the core. “I should get going. Have a good night.”
As I walked out of the house, I replayed our conversation. Melba had a point, I knew it. The right thing to do was show Georgia who I really was.