Chapter 108 - They Don't Trust - Feds
Simón
In the dining room, they were waiting for us; it was Sunday. The first thing Cebolla did was pick up Isaac. Everyone in the house appreciated him, but he showed a greater, almost paternal affection. What he just confessed to me was revealing, and he was right. I must respect his demons; I have my own. I only hope he can tame them, just like Roland did. "I'm good at giving advice, and me? I don't take a damn one." The lady approached to give me a strong hug; her eyes were swollen. We took our seats.
Rasca culo came down despite Inés's scolding, and he kissed her forehead to calm her down. Cereza had arrived with her family, and the children were next to Inés. Clarisa greeted us; she was a charming woman. I don't know if it was out of respect, but Roland's seat remained empty; no one dared to sit in that chair, the head of the table. I greeted Diana, who was next to me.
"How did it go?" Something told me she would play an important role with Miguel.
"Very well, and I must confess something to you."
"Yes, sir, tell me."
"I killed the father of your children, the same one who hit you."
"Jaime Jaramillo was the bastard who hit you?" Cebolla's reaction surprised us all, and noticing it, he controlled himself. "Sorry, it's... that idiot killed Isaac's sister." The tears in Inés's eyes surprised me.
"We understand."
I said, and seeing his clenched face warned me to stay quiet. Cereza and Rasca culo were talking among themselves, Clarisa was feeding little Sebas, while Cereza was cutting the meat for Meli, her five-year-old daughter.
"Thank you," Diana said after a few minutes, her face flushed.
"Simón, in the afternoon I agreed to meet Raúl, who will accompany me?" I exchanged a look with my second, who shook his head.
"I have a visit to make, but Mojón and Rasca culo will take care of you."
"Rasca culo is incapacitated!" Inés intervened.
"I'm fine now; I have no problem accompanying the lady."
"We arrived just in time." Mojón and Churrusco entered the dining room.
"Wash your hands and sit down. Ana!" The maid came out. "Two more places, please. Mojón, before you go out with the lady, I want to talk to you."
"Ma'am..."
"There are children at the table; we'll talk later."
"Yes, ma'am."
We held back our laughter; Inés would scold us all, but she nagged Arnold, though we all knew he was her beloved child.
"I like Arnold and Gustavo," we all laughed.
"Do you swear you won't do anything?" I looked at the lady.
"I wouldn't miss being Isaac's godmother for the world."
"Bless that angel," Inés exclaimed. "God sends messengers at the right and precise moment."
No one refuted the words of that beautiful woman who disarmed us with a mother's gaze. We could be the worst scum, but we gave Inés the place of being the only one we stayed quiet for. Well, until Mrs. Verónica arrived.
…………
Verónica
I was supposed to meet Raúl at four in the afternoon. Simón had left a couple of hours ago, and Miguel had locked himself in the basement again. I was in the room with Galaxia, sleeping with her and her two puppies. D’Artagnan stayed with my father. Not long ago, I put Isaac to sleep. I had to admit, that little angel had helped me a lot to overcome the depression. I had to understand that the only sure thing in life was death. While some died, others were born, and that little one not only helped me but helped all of us cope with the pain of losing Roland.
I went into the bathroom to freshen up a bit; I didn't want to look haggard for the meeting with Raúl. He was having a tough time. It seemed he was affected by whatever he had with Miguel, or well, now I know from Flaco's words that they weren't a couple. I didn't delve much into the matter. I accept, tolerate, and respect everyone's sexual decisions; no one has the right to judge anyone. The important thing is to live according to our happiness without harming society; no one should have an opinion.
That is, as long as what you do doesn't make you feel bad. But if inside you, there's that doubt of doing something wrong or it doesn't give you peace, it's because you did something improper. There are no better judges than your heart and conscience; no one can judge you better than yourself. That's why when I tried to take my own life, it felt horrible, and I have asked God, my father, and brother for forgiveness. I went down the stairs with my dogs behind me. The phone rang, and seeing the screen, it was my father.
"Hi, Dad," I said as I reached the kitchen.
"Hi, sweetie. How's my princess?"
"Alright, stop spoiling me so much. Since when do you call me princess? I thought I was your angel," Inés looked at me curiously.
"You are my daughter, my heaven, my life, my angel, my little one, and my princess," I rolled my eyes.
"Cut it out, Dad. It's weird for you to be so sweet when you're usually an ogre," I heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
"Someone I adore and almost lost made me realize a big mistake," my heart tightened. "Even though she knows how important she is in my life, my bad temper kept me from telling her with words how crucial she is for this old man to keep living. Though it wouldn't kill me, the pain would."
"Dad," my eyes filled with tears, and Inés's arms wrapped around me. "Forgive me."
"Of course, I forgive you, daughter. But those bad events made me see the mistake I was making. Now, I even tell your idiot brother how much I love him."
"He's turned into a marshmallow!"
I heard Santiago and laughed again. I loved these two men.
"Daughter, I'm calling to tell you that you're going to be an aunt." I screamed and jumped with joy. "I'm going to be a grandfather! The wedding is in two months; we moved it up so we wouldn't have to alter the wedding dress because of the belly."
"That's wonderful! When are you coming?"
"I'll visit you in a few days."
"Okay, Dad. I love you, and tell my brother and sister-in-law the same. I have to go."
"Are you going with Rat or Onion?"
"You know I am." If I said no, he might travel here or, worse, scold them.
"Then I'm at ease. I love you, daughter."
"I love you too."
Onion came in with Isaac in his arms. I looked at Inés, and it was evident that this child was revolutionizing that man's life; he looked like the dad. He handed the child to his grandmother because that's what Inés proclaimed herself. At lunch, I was surprised to see how well they got along. When Roland was around, I saw them from afar and never thought they were such good friends. According to Inés, they treat each other like siblings, but with a lot of respect for their roles, and my husband is always the leader.
"Ma'am, they're waiting to take you to your visit."
He was an impenetrable wall, too reserved despite his friendly, smiling, and playful expressions. Nothing like Simon, who rarely smiles, although he had changed recently. We headed to the exit, and six men were waiting for me.
"Is this a joke, Miguel?" He shook his head.
"I don't think so. It's the first time Rat or I won't accompany you. Believe me, my boss hasn't stopped calling to make sure you have the proper personnel."
"Arnold and Gustavo would have been enough. Are Cherry and Crusty coming too?"
"The first two will be with you the whole time; the others will just escort you."
"I'm not going to try anything against my life." He shrugged.
"We still don't trust you."
I closed my eyes; I earned this. I kissed his cheek as a goodbye and headed to the armored car. If Roland was obsessed with my safety, his cronies surpassed him. We were heading to Raul's apartment. I was in the back with two gorillas beside me. Arnold and Gustavo were huge, one blond and the other tan. Cherry was driving, a short man with a round face and red cheeks.
The night I met him, I thought he was red from the rescue operation, but no, his cheeks are always that color, hence the nickname. His wife, whom Inés introduced me to a few days ago, was very lovely, a real angel. I had seen her at my wedding. Crusty was in the passenger seat, a muscular guy with braided hair. And here I was, escorted by four different men, plus two motorcycles following us.
"Why do they call you that, and you accept it?" I looked at the man they called Scratch Butt, who smiled.
"I was born in a small village in Córdoba named that. My birth certificate says I'm from Scratch Butt. The nickname was given by boss Roland when I was interviewed years ago; he couldn't stop laughing. I don't mind; only in this world am I known by that nickname. A place in Colombia named that? Holy Virgin. We stayed silent. When we arrived at Raul's studio apartment, he came out, and with the joy of seeing my best friend again, I ran to him. I couldn't hold back the tears, and his kisses on my forehead didn't lessen them. Being in my friend's arms comforted me. I loved this skinny guy.
"Now you're the ungrateful one." He didn't stop hugging me.
"Swear to me, Vero, that you'll never do something as stupid as trying to kill yourself again."
"I swear." I pulled away from his embrace. "Do we stay here or go somewhere?"