“Get out! Get out of my house! I want you out immediately. Here are your things. Leave now.”

“Calm down.”

“Did you hear me? Calm down? Nothing. Don’t tell me to calm down. This is my house. Look at me. I said look at me. This was the surprise you had for me? What? You thought you were going to make a fool of me? Well, no, young lady. You wanted adult decisions? Here are your adult consequences.”

“No, Dad. Please don’t do this. Please.”

“Please what? What should I do? What? This is my fault now? Now I’m responsible? Everything has an explanation.”

“Calm down. An explanation? You owe me one. Tell me. Where is the English course I paid for so you could study abroad?”

“Dad, everything was true.”

“What truth? And the swimming lessons? That was the sport you were practicing? This is what you were disappearing for three hours a day for? Why did you never tell me? What did you want? For me to applaud you? To throw you a party? To cry with excitement?”

“No, Dad, look, listen to me. Everything happened very fast.”

“Fast? Nothing happened fast. You have brought me the worst shame. What did you want? To humiliate me? Well, you succeeded. You both succeeded. I am the shame of the entire neighborhood.”

“Quiet, they’ll hear you.”

“I will not be quiet. My family. A lineage of upright men, of military men, of warriors. And you come along to trample all over it, to come out with this. Tell me, what did I do to you? What did I do to you?”

“Dad, I’m sorry.”

“What do I get from your apology? Tell me, what do I get from your apology? Let’s go inside the house. Come on. You will be quiet, and if you’re in such a hurry, then you can leave with her immediately.”

“It’s night time. We can’t—”

“I don’t care that it’s night time. You didn’t care. I spent two years at war. And you come out with this? You could have told me over the phone. You could have warned me. And now I ask you, who is the father?”

“I can’t hear you. Who is the father?”

She doesn’t even know who the father is, but somehow this is my fault, right? You are the shame of my family. And I don’t want to see you here in my house ever again. And the few things you have left, I’m going to burn. Don’t cry at me. Stand up straight. I’ll tell you again. You made adult decisions, you face adult consequences. And if it bothers you so much, if it hurts you so much, the shame your daughter is putting me through, then I will pack your few rags myself and you can leave with her immediately. So you choose—your daughter, or me. Because I’m going to tell you right here, right now. Look at me. Don’t ever call me Dad again. I am not your father. Now get out. When I come back downstairs, I don’t want to see you here. Do you hear me? Get out of my house.”

Melina, I’m so sorry. You know how your father is.

No, I can’t. I can’t leave him. I have to stay with him.

What? Here. See you later. Goodbye.

Mom, but you can’t do this to me. Mom. Mom. Mom.

This is Rodrigo’s house. Good evening, sir.

Good evening, miss. I’m sorry, but my employer is tired of giving handouts.

No, sir, you’re mistaken. I don’t want any charity. I’m Melina. Melina, and I need to speak with Rodrigo urgently.

Miss Melina, I should tell you that my employer has forbidden the young man from going out at this hour.

No, listen, I’m going to tell the truth. Rodrigo is the father of this child, and I don’t know what to do. I need to speak with him right now.

What? One moment. I’ll be right back.

Don’t move, ma’am. It’s the young lady.

And what did she say she wanted?

She said she needs to speak with Rodrigo. And you’re not going to like this if you see the child in her arms. Unfortunately, he is the son of young Rodrigo.

What?

Yes, miss. Yes. Come here. Come closer.

Good evening, ma’am. Yes. How can I help you?

You’re Rodrigo’s mother? Why do you want to know that?

Please, tell me if you’re Rodrigo’s mother or not. I need to speak with you.

Well, if I were Rodrigo’s mother, what would you have to say to me?

The thing is, ma’am, Rodrigo is the father of this child.

I see. I need to speak with your son because my parents kicked me out of my house. I don’t know where else to go. I need somewhere to stay with this child, please.

And you expect me to believe you just like that? Fine. I’ll go to Rodrigo’s house and tell him this child is his, and then everyone will believe me. Ma’am, please don’t be like this. Look, it was already raining earlier, and he got wet, and now it’s stopped, but it’s about to start again.

Things don’t work that way. You can’t come to me and tell me that child is Rodrigo’s without me knowing if it’s true or not. My Rodrigo is an exemplary student. The best in his class. He’s in the best school in the city, and I’m even thinking of buying him a car because his grades are excellent. I don’t believe my son would get involved with a girl like you.

Oh, ma’am, please don’t be like that. I need to speak with Rodrigo urgently.

Look, I’m going to ask you to leave. I don’t want to treat you badly, and I’m certainly not going to let you into my house. You’re a complete stranger. Please, escort her out.

No, please. Rodrigo. Rodrigo, come out, please. Rodrigo.

Miss, leave.

Yes, please.

No, Rodrigo, I need you to take responsibility for our son, please. My dad kicked me out of the house, and I don’t know where to stay.

Well, I told you not to have that child, Rodrigo.

So, what this girl is saying is true? That child is yours?

I don’t know, Mom. We were at a party together. That’s all. That’s all.

Rodrigo, please, I need you to give me somewhere to stay. I can’t sleep on the street with the baby.

Are you sure that child isn’t yours? Yes, Mom. Yes, he’s mine.

Okay. Given that Rodrigo finally managed to grow a pair and admit the child is his, I’ll do you a favor. Yes, the child can stay here. But only him. I will not allow my grandson to wander around like some vagrant, staying somewhere where something bad might happen to him. So, you give me the child now, and you leave.

No, ma’am. What are you thinking? If my son stays, I stay too.

Look, what was your name? What is it? Melina. Melina, look, I really want you to understand that what I’m telling you is for your own good and clearly for the good of my grandson. You two are very young. You won’t be able to handle a baby alone. And there’s no better option than to leave him with me. Don’t worry. I won’t bother you. I won’t ask you for money. Just leave the child with me, and you can go on with your life, do whatever you want. Here, my dear Rodrigo and I, right? We’ll take very good care of him.

I don’t know, Mom. I really don’t want to commit to this.

Shut up! Precisely because we are very young, you can’t leave me on the street. You can’t take my son from me.

Your cynicism is astounding. I’m not stealing anything from you. I’m doing you a favor. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave. You have two options. Leave the child with me and leave. Or both of you leave. You decide what’s best for your son.

You know what? I’m leaving. Leave me alone with my son. Excuse me.

Can you explain to me what you were thinking when you got involved with that girl? You can tell she’s from such a low class. Explain yourself, Rodrigo.

Mom, you know, young people’s things. Something unexpected. Young people’s things.

Look what your “young people’s things” ended up with—a child. Look, even if that child is yours, I couldn’t let that girl stay here. What did she think? That she’d get off that easily? She shows up, “This child is Rodrigo’s, I’m staying here,” and her life is solved? No, I wasn’t going to allow that either. But I do want that child to stay with us.

Mom, but she’s the mother. She has to take care of him.

And you’re the father, and I’m the grandmother. The child isn’t going to find a better place to live than right here.

Mom, I don’t want to.

I don’t care what you want, Rodrigo. It’s completely irrelevant to me. I’m trying to help you solve this problem, and you come with your rules. The child is staying here. What I do need to do is find out where this young lady is going. Now go.

Yes, Victor. Ma’am, tell me what I’m good for.

I need you to help me find out where the child is so I can bring him here to the house.

Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll take care of it. I’ll make some calls, and I’ll keep that information for you. Of course, right away.

No, no, no, I didn’t mean right now. Tonight, that girl needs to learn that life isn’t as easy as she thinks. Tomorrow morning, you take care of that and help me find out where that girl is with the child so I can go see my grandson.

Yes, ma’am, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I’ll make some calls, and I’ll keep that information for you.

Yes, perfect. Tonight, that girl needs to understand that life isn’t easy. That way, when you go to find her tomorrow, it’ll be much easier for her to hand over the baby. It looks like it’s going to rain, and I have a feeling she’s not going to have a very good night. But oh well, that benefits me. That will be all. Well, let her learn that this isn’t a world of roses. And close the door tightly, please. We wouldn’t want her to get any ideas about coming back.

Don’t worry. There’s nothing.

I need to find somewhere to stay. My baby could get sick. Why can’t I breastfeed you? Why? Why are we here?

Oh, that girl. Such a young girl. What are you doing here all alone?

Sir, I’m not alone. I’m with my parents.

Don’t lie. There’s no one else in this entire park. It’s dangerous around here.

Sir, please, you have to leave. If you don’t leave, I’m going to call my dad.

What dad? There’s no one around here. You’re an ungrateful brat.

Life is beautiful.

So the drunk was bothering you. Don’t worry, ma’am, it was nothing.

What did he say to you?

He said this park was very dangerous, but I’m not worried because I’m with my parents. We went out for a walk.

Your parents? Where are your parents? It’s very late.

Well, I’m going to take this.

What are you doing, sir?

I’m taking this. The easy way. Oh, you decide.

Okay, sir, but don’t take the diaper bag, please. My baby’s food is in there.

Well, your baby’s food is now my food.

Hey, hey, quiet. This is my area. This is my neighborhood, and you have to pay for it.

But sir, please stop shouting.

Okay. And now, how do I feed you? I have nothing. My backpack. Oh, no. This can’t be happening. There’s nothing here, just notebooks. What do I do now?

Easy, son. We found a place where no one will bother us. Yes. Easy, little one. I’ll get you food somehow. You must be starving. Easy.

Oh, here you go, sir. Enjoy your meal.

Thank you. It looks delicious.

Oh, excuse me. The restroom?

Oh, it’s diagonal to the right.

Great. I can leave my things here.

Yes, don’t worry.

What do you think you’re doing, sir?

Sorry, I was just hungry.

But I’m watching you steal the gentleman’s wallet, even eating his order.

No, no, sir, no. I’m sorry. I’m really hungry, truly.

But just look at how you’re dressed. You’re dressed like a student to trick people.

No, sir. No, no.

If you want, truly, I’ll return this, but please don’t—don’t do anything to me, please.

I’m keeping this. And this isn’t going to end here. I’m calling the police. Police.

No, sir, please don’t do that.

No, what’s all this commotion about? I can explain.

It turns out that this young lady, dressed like a student, was taking this wallet from a customer who went to the restroom and even eating his food.

No, forgive me, truly. I was just hungry. But don’t do anything to me. Don’t take me in, please. I’ll return everything.

You don’t fool me. I know people like you. This is a very prestigious place in the city. You’re under arrest.

No, sir, please. I can’t get arrested. Please don’t do this to me. I beg you.

You’re going to the police station, and your parents can come get you there.

No, my parents won’t want to come get me.

Hold on, can I know why you want to arrest this young lady?

And why do you have my food and my wallet in your hand?

Sir, I can explain. It turns out that the young lady, while you were in the restroom, was stealing your wallet and eating your plate.

You fell for it. You both fell for the joke. Let me introduce you to my granddaughter. She likes to play jokes like that when I’m in special places, like this one. My love, look, look, the gentlemen are scared. Do they think it’s true? She’s my granddaughter.

Yes, yes, I’m his granddaughter. I always play jokes like this on him.

Yes, don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. Look, let’s do this. This little plate and this stay with me. And you, officer, thank you very much. Oh, I appreciate you always being vigilant in taking care of people. You can leave now, there’s no problem. And you, sir, well, well done for defending your things. It’s a test. You see, this proves that you’re a good worker, so continue with your work.

Officer, excuse me. Let me know if anything happens.

No, don’t worry. Thank you. Thank you. Excuse me.

Now sit down and explain all this to me, please. Now you’re really going to explain to me why you were doing this.

Sir, truly, forgive me, but I was very hungry.

Perfect. You being hungry, I can excuse. And the wallet?

The thing is, I have a son.

That justifies stealing, because you have a son? No, no, sir. Let me finish explaining. Listen to me. Besides, you look like you come from a very good family. Why are you doing this?

No, sir. Let me explain, please. I had to sleep in a park. A park very far from here with my son. And right now, I don’t have—my dad kicked me out of the house, and I don’t know how to get food for my son because I was also robbed.

Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me—and where is your son?

In the park over there.

And why did you leave your son alone?

I needed to get him food.

Do you know that can’t happen? Yes.

Do me a favor. Right now, we’re going to get him. Here. Take this. I’ll take care of this.

Look, look. Grab him. He’s crying.

Baby. Easy. Oh, he’s like this because he’s hungry.

Look, let’s do this. Come. You run, and I’ll take care of the baby.

Are you sure?

Yes, yes. Look, let me see. Give him to me, give him to me. I have experience. Come here. Look, he’s calmed down.

Yes, you’re very hungry. I can’t imagine the baby. But why haven’t you been breastfeeding him?

I don’t know. I can’t. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

But a bottle. We can give him a bottle.

I can’t. They stole the baby’s diaper bag.

But why are you on the street? I mean, you told me your dad is military and all that, but you could have found help, something, right?

When my dad kicked me out on the street, I tried to find the baby’s father, but he’s a spoiled child who goes to a really expensive school. And his mother—his mother just covers everything for him and kicked me out of her house. She didn’t want to take responsibility, and I had to find a place.

I imagine the father is the same age as you, huh?

The worst part is the place I found was the worst in the world. It was lonely. I got robbed. I don’t know what to do, truly. I have nothing. I have no way to feed him.

Look, the good thing is he’s calmer now, just a little damp. I’m going to propose something. How about you finish eating all that, and you and your baby come to my house with me?

Sir, that’s a little strange, don’t you think? I just met you.

Yes, you’re right, but you have two options. Either you and your baby come to my house, or you keep wandering the streets with nothing to feed him. Come to my house. You don’t have another option. Look, what’s more, if you agree to come to my house, we’ll stop on the way and buy the baby’s formula, buy what he eats, the milk he drinks.

Okay, fine. But your family won’t get mad?

Look, my children—my children are already grown. They live abroad, and my youngest daughter lives with her mother. So don’t worry. I have a huge house, and you could stay in a bedroom. What’s more, you should go change the baby. He feels damp. You should change too. Come on, trust me. You don’t have another option. I promise nothing bad will happen to you.

Okay, fine. Let’s go.

Perfect. But finish that. Yes.

Come on. Hello, precious. Come on, get in.

If you don’t mind, I’ll sit in the back.

Whatever you want. Yes. Come on, get in.

Oh my God. Oh, what have we gotten ourselves into? I don’t think this was a good decision. Oh, but I have nothing to feed you. I’m getting out.

What are you doing?

Nothing, I was just trying to roll down the window because it’s really hot. Don’t worry. Yes. I’ll start the car and turn on the air. Nothing’s wrong. Look, I bought food for your son and also some other things that might help him. Now we’re going straight to the house.

Thank you.

Okay, we’re here. Look, this is my house. The first thing you need to do now is go change the baby. Yes, change his things and everything else. I bought you some things. Here to the right you’ll find a bedroom. Right there is a bathroom where you can change him.

Yes, truly, thank you so much for everything. Thank you for being there for me.

But what’s your name? Nice to meet you. My name is Javier. And you?

My name is Melina.

Okay, Melina, you know what? Look, here it is.

Thank you.

Please, go change him. Yes. And there’s also the bottle so you can feed him.

What happened? The baby is bathed, changed, and fed. He was starving. He must have been. But well, everything’s fine now, that’s the good thing.

There’s something I didn’t understand. This thing about the baby’s father.

Oh, it’s very complicated, truly, because we were never anything serious or anything.

What do you mean you weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend? A relationship?

No, it’s just that at the time, my mom gave me a lot of freedom because my dad wasn’t home. And we met at a party, and what had to happen happened.

Well, I imagine the mother of your baby’s father might change her way of thinking.

No, not at all. That woman is evil. You don’t know what she proposed to me. She told me to leave the child with her and go back to the streets.

Well, we don’t need to worry about that anymore. The good thing is you’re here now. Now, young lady, what you’re going to do is take a shower, change into those little clothes in the room where the bathroom is. There’s also clothes that might fit you, and we need to get all that sorted out. Then we’ll see about school and everything we can do for you. I hope your dad changes his mind too. Now, go take a shower.

I’m going to take a shower. Oh my God, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Mr. Javier has been so kind, but that kiss on the cheek was very strange. And I can’t leave either. I have nowhere to go. And besides, here my baby will be able to eat. So will I. Oh, I don’t know what to do. I’m going to have to trust him. It’s all I have left.

Don Javier, what are you doing here?

Oh, I heard the baby was crying a little, and since you were showering, I decided to give him the bottle. That dress looks really good on you. You look truly beautiful.

Thank you. Please don’t hurt me.

No, no, no. Stop. Stop with that. Stop saying I’m going to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you. No, I don’t want to hurt you. Why do you say that?

It’s about the kiss earlier. Look, that was a kiss on the cheek. Because I don’t know, I see you as my daughter. You remind me of my daughter, nothing more than that. I would never hurt you. Here, there’s something that has me very worried. Look at this. What you have on your legs—I’ve been observing it all day. How long have you had that?

They appeared a little after I got pregnant.

Look, I don’t want to alarm you or anything, but those spots are a sign of an illness. Do you have any symptoms or anything else?

Sometimes I get dizzy, but that’s from postpartum.

Do you get out of breath quickly too?

Yes, I get tired very fast.

Look, I’m going to do something. I’m going to have some tests done on you to really rule anything out. That could be—it could be leukemia.

What? Yes, but don’t worry. Easy. Yes. Let’s wait for the test results. Let’s hope everything is fine. And relax. I just want to ask you something. Get it out of your head that I want to hurt you. Yes. Now, forgive me for coming into the room like that. I just came for the baby. Excuse me, Melina.

Good morning. Look, I washed and ironed your uniform for school, because we’re going to school. Yes, I’m going to take you to school myself. You can’t keep missing classes. We have to go to school. Look, another thing. We’re going to have breakfast, but before that, I’m going to take your tests to send to the lab, like I told you yesterday.

But what about the baby?

Oh, don’t worry. I already hired a nanny to stay with him.

Okay, fine. I’ll go change.

Yes, don’t be long.

Yes.

Okay, young lady, we’re ready to have breakfast, but first we have to do the test I told you for the labs.

Oh, Don Javier, you don’t know. I’m really scared of needles. They terrify me.

That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we have to do the test so everything is okay. Yes. And it’s quick. I just do the test, we stop by the lab, leave it for them to run the tests, and that’s it, before you go into school.

Truly, I don’t want to go to school. They’ll make fun of me, and besides, my dad doesn’t want me to go to school.

No, nothing will happen. Look, you can’t lose the opportunity to go to school. That’s impossible. Yes. And at school, they won’t know whether your dad kicked you out of the house or not. It’s simple. You simply can’t—you can’t lose that because when your dad comes to his senses, you haven’t missed your classes, and that’s what’s important. Do we agree?

Okay, fine. Now let’s do the test.

But, uh, you’re going to do it?

Of course.

No, that has to be done by a professional.

Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I’m a doctor. Yes. I’m an oncologist.

What? Really, you’re a doctor? But why do you never work, since I’ve known you?

Oh, well, it’s just that I’ve been busy with other things.

Oh, you don’t know. My biggest dream has always been to be a doctor, but that’s not possible anymore.

Why not? Of course it’s possible. After everything that happened, it’s very hard for me to go to university.

Nothing is impossible. Yes. What you have to do is follow your dreams, move forward. Remember you have a son. That can be achieved. Yes, it’s true.

Now lose the fear, young lady, and let’s take our test.

Yes. Okay. Okay. Let’s see. That’s it. Very good. Let’s see, breathe, please. Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. Done. Okay. Now we’ll go have a little coffee.

Okay, we’re here. Your school.

Don Javier, truly, thank you so much for everything you’re doing, but I’m a little nervous.

Nervous, why? It’s your school. You’ve always been here.

That’s not what I mean. It’s that I’ve never left my son alone before.

And I understand that, but he’s not alone. He’s with a nanny. Look, don’t worry. Yes. She’s someone trustworthy, someone I’ve known for a very long time. Nothing will happen. I understand that many bad things have happened to you and you distrust others. But it’s time for that to start changing. Yes, relax, everything is fine.

If only my dad were like you, everything would be much easier. None of this would be happening.

You have to understand your dad. He’s your father. Look, I believe that parents always want the best for their children. Always. And this is one of those times. It hurts him a lot to know that in his mind you failed him, but that’s not the case. You know that things sometimes happen because of a lack of maturity, but he’s just being a father. He’s protecting you. And I assure you, look, when he finds out that you’re in school, that you’re continuing your studies, surely he’ll talk to you and ask you to come home. I’m sure that’s what will happen.

Now you just need to go study. You have everything. Nothing is missing.

No, I brought everything. Truly, thank you so much. I’ll never get tired of saying thank you.

Don’t worry. Look, I think you should go because the security guard is looking impatient at the door. Otherwise, he won’t let you in.

That’s true. Yes. Done.

Oh, I’ll pick you up.

Oh, thank you. Yes, don’t worry.

Good. I’ll wait until you go in, see what happens with the guard.

Okay, sure.

Where do you think you’re going?

I’m going to study.

I’m sorry, but access is only permitted for students. And you don’t belong to this institution.

What are you talking about? I am a student at this school.

Look, your father was very explicit with the school administration.

No, please, let me in.

No. You decided to trade that uniform for a baby, so you no longer belong to this institution. So be so kind as to leave.

No, excuse me. I’m going to study. I have to go.

You’re not going anywhere. No, I have strict orders not to let you pass.

Yes, speak. Yes, it’s me. I left my number for the results. So we’re in time. How good. Yes, of course, immediately. Of course. And the other thing, yes. Yes, of course. Not at all. Thank you.

You cannot enter, I told you. Leave.

But why is her entry prohibited? May I know? Why are you denying entry to her, a student?

And why are you asking me for these explanations? Just because she won’t let her in? I’m asking, who gave the order?

Her father gave explicit orders that this girl is a shame to her family and to this institution.

Look, sir, I don’t believe that her father said that. That’s impossible. Look, sir, we only owe explanations to family members, and in my years of service, I’ve never seen you around here.

I am her uncle.

Her uncle, yes. Or maybe the father of the creature she’s carrying now.

Look, sir, I recommend that you and the young lady leave this honorable institution. Or if you prefer, I can call the authorities and let them handle this case. You decide.

Don’t worry. Let’s go, Melina. This isn’t over. Have a good afternoon.

Are you okay? Yes. Let’s go.

I hate my dad. I’ve hated him my whole life.

Easy, your dad is angry about everything that happened. I assure you he will change his mind. Now let’s go, let’s go to the house.

Yes, Don Javier, are you okay?

Yes, I just think I got a little worked up from the bad time the guard gave us. Let’s go.

Okay.

Victor, can I know where you’ve been?

Ma’am, forgive me for taking so long, but—

Yes, obviously you took too long. Look, it’s already getting dark.

I should tell you—well, it’s your lucky day. I have good news. My sources indicate that she slept under a bridge or maybe in a park, but the important thing is she’s safe.

And what good is that to me? I want to know where she is.

Well, my contacts gave me the location. If you like, I can provide you with the information.

Where is her whereabouts? But with whom? Where? Why didn’t you find out anything else? Who was she with?

Yes, what I know is that she’s with a man.

A man. A man, yes. Family? Friend?

Ma’am, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. What I do know is that the man hired a nanny, and that nanny is a friend of mine.

Okay, okay, okay. That does help me. Perfect. So at least we know where she’ll be. If this child is my grandson, he needs to be with me. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning.

No, no, no, no. As a recommendation, it would be best if they leave in the morning. After that, she will contact me, and I’ll inform you, ma’am.

Yes. Okay, perfect. That was all I needed for today. Very well. Good work.

May I leave? Yes, thank you very much. See you later. Done. You’re welcome. You’re welcome.

I still can’t believe my dad said I was a shame to the family. That’s just… there are no words.

I already told you, he’s saying that because he’s very angry, but with time, everything will pass. Don’t worry, okay? Besides, look, I saw you were desperate to get to your baby. He’s so beautiful.

By the way, I have the results of the tests you took.

Really? What did they say?

Well, very good news. You know? Your illness is in a very early stage, and with good treatment, you’re going to get through it. See? Not everything is bad. So yes, everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.

Now, to celebrate, and knowing that I paid the nanny for the whole day and she’s not going to earn that money so easily, how about we leave this handsome guy with the nanny and I invite you to eat?

Yes, but where?

At the same place where you tried to rob me.

Okay, fine. Done. I’m going to get ready. I’ll wait for you.

What happened? Help, please, help.

What? What happened to her?

I don’t know. She fainted. Can you help me, please?

Hey, hey, an ambulance. Call an ambulance.

Yes, I’ll call. I’ll call.

Everything okay? Yes, everything’s fine. Here’s your medication. I’ll tell you the prescription later. Surely everything is fine. Yes.

Oh, Don Javier, truly, thank you so much. It looks very delicious.

Yes, it looks very delicious. But you, young lady, this is the last meal you eat like this because you need to start eating well. We already have the doctor’s prescription. We were told what you have to do. We need to go get your medicine.

Yes, we have to do that. But first, we also have to worry about school. You need to go back to school.

Oh, I know, but it’s a little hard. You know how my dad gets, and I’m also a little nervous about starting from zero.

Nothing will happen. We’ll find a way to solve all this, and worst-case scenario, you can enroll in another school. No problem. Just one thing—the medicine is very strict. Don’t be stubborn like before. I told you to change, to put on the other clothes I have there. You decided to come in the same clothes.

Don Javier, I don’t want to be a bother anymore. Yesterday I wore that outfit, and I don’t even know whose it is. And today it seemed like too much.

Look, that outfit you said you don’t know whose it is—I’ll tell you. It’s my daughter’s.

Really? You told me? You told me yesterday you have a daughter.

Yes. Look, the thing is, my daughter decided to go live with her mom because her mom found a new partner, and I don’t know what she told her about me, but she doesn’t want to see me.

Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know things were like that. But a question? Do you truly love your daughter?

I love her with my life, and I’d give anything for her to talk to me again. We don’t talk anymore. Her mom asked her to block me and never see me again. Now I’m worried about other things, but well, let’s forget that.

Yes. Look, all parents love their children. Get that into your head. Now let’s focus on you eating your food and also on the medicine for your illness.

What’s that? What do you have there in your hand?

It looks like some bugs bit me this morning. That’s all.

But well, we have to keep eating because remember, this is your last meal like this. The rest have to be nutritious meals.

Oh, but I really like this food. It’s very good.

Okay, fine. Enjoy it.

No. What’s wrong?

There’s Rodrigo. The father of my son. He was here, in the same place. Look at them, the kids are fine. Do you want to have a little fun?

Yes. Let’s leave the food and come back.

Yes, we’ll be back. Yes. Come on, come with me.

I don’t know why I thought it was going to be sunny. Looks like it’s going to rain. The day looks super dark.

Stop right there. And you, sir, who are you? Yes. What do you need?

It’s none of your business who I am. I want you to give me everything you have.

You’re going to rob us? Of course, sir. But you don’t look like a thief.

Ah, it doesn’t matter. We thieves wear suits and ties too. Now give me everything, please.

We’re not going to do that. We’re not giving you anything.

That’s how it is. You don’t know what I’m capable of. Now get on your knees. Kneel down, sir. Kneel down, please. Down on the ground, on the ground. That’s it, very good. Now lie down.

What? Stop laughing. Lie down. Lie down.

We’re not going to lie down.

Lie down. Come on. Look at the ground. On the ground. Very good. That’s it. Now, now get up. Get up. What? Come on, stand up. Stand up. Don’t make me use what I have here. Come on, up, up. Now you’re going to be little frogs.

What? What? Little frogs. Come on, start counting. What’s wrong with you? Come on. One, one. One, two. Come on. Three, four, five. Very good. You, what’s your name?

I’m not telling you.

Rodrigo, right? You’re Rodrigo. I have a message for you. Stay still. I have a message for you. No, actually, someone has something to tell you.

Hello, Rodrigo, how are you? I’m just here to remind you that you have to take care of the baby, or else you know how things will go for you. He’s my grandfather, and he’s a very bad person. Very bad. Be careful. I told you. I told you, but you didn’t listen to me.

What’s wrong with you, sir? Easy, easy, easy, sir.

Look, Melina, you know all this. You know how my mom is. All this chaos is because of her. You know her, and you know it.

Well, I’m sorry. I don’t care. This is so you know that you have to take responsibility for the child and also so you know that you can’t make fun of her again.

Sir, I have nothing to do with this. Please.

Silence. On your knees. Come on, kneel down, kneel down. Fix your gaze. Fix your gaze. You’re going to count to, like, a thousand?

To a thousand.

To a thousand. Fine. Silence. And we’re going to stay right here. We’ll take a few steps back. Count. Fix your gaze and count. Count. One.

Count louder. Two. Count. Three.

I think they got really scared, didn’t they? Too much. And can you believe he actually believed you were my grandfather? Yes, well, I’m very good at acting. So now he knows you’re not alone. Hopefully at some point he’ll come to his senses and take responsibility. But now, let’s eat before this gets cold.

Yes.

Mom, Mom, Mom, you won’t believe what just happened to me.

What is it? I ran into Melina in the park.

Rodrigo, don’t tell me you’re following that girl.

Mom, the grandfather.

Whose grandfather? Can you explain yourself? The grandfather threatened us. He was with a friend. He made us get on the ground, humiliated us, almost hurt us. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. I was just coming to that. I’m going to change my clothes because I already know where they have my grandson. Because if that child is your son, I’m not going to allow him to be wandering around anywhere with people who can’t even give him a good life.

Mom, to be honest, I don’t want that.

I’m not asking you what you want. Right now, go change. Because you were big enough to do other things, but not to be responsible for your actions. Come on, come on, look at you, you’re all dirty.

Don Javier, are you okay? Yes, everything’s fine. It’s just that—I was saying it because since you got out of the car, you’ve seemed strange. You haven’t spoken, and you always talk.

No, I’m very good. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just a little worried because the nanny didn’t call me back, and she hasn’t told me how things went with the baby. Look, put that stuff over there—it’s your medicine—and I’ll go see what happened with the nanny. So don’t worry, everything’s fine.

Okay, thank you.

So you’re my Rodriguito’s son. Well, if you’re my grandson, you’re coming with me. I will never allow someone of my blood to be out on the street. Especially with that girl who looks like she doesn’t have a penny. But, oh, looking at you, you do look like me. You’re very—

Good, good afternoon. And you are?

I’m the grandmother of the child.

So you’re Melina’s mother, right? No, no, no. No, I’m the mother of the child’s father.

Okay, I have some questions for you. First, what are you doing here? How did you get in? Second, who are you to come see the child? Yes, Melina told me that you treated her very badly that night when she came with just the child in her arms looking for help because her parents had kicked her out.

Well, I don’t believe I know you. I don’t know who you are, and I don’t have to answer any of those questions. And the only important thing here is that the baby’s family is me. I can come whenever I want.

Yes, but you are in my house and entered without permission, so I think I can call the police to take action.

Don’t worry. I’m leaving right now. But I’m taking my grandson.

You’re not taking anyone. Understand? What are you doing here, ma’am? I came to take my grandson. I cannot allow him to stay with you and have you give him a miserable life.

No, that’s a lie. You, ma’am, are not taking anyone. You know why? Because I’m going to call the police that you entered my house without permission to try to take a baby that isn’t yours.

Neither you nor anyone else is going to stop me from taking my grandson. And especially not you, little girl.

Oh no, maybe not me, but you know what? I can call the police. You tell me.

You know what? Fine. Keep the child for now, both of you. But you’ll be hearing from my lawyers. And I recommend that you do call the police, but to see what a man your age is doing with a young girl.

Get out of my house. Yes, now. I said now.

Oh, my love, don’t worry. No one is going to separate us.

Melina, relax, that’s not going to happen. Yes. Let me make sure this lady really leaves the house, young lady.

I want to know something. Why did I find a woman in the baby’s room trying to take him away?

Oh, she told me she was a relative of the child and that she wanted to see him.

Hmm, how strange. If she’s a relative of the child, how did she find out he was here in my house? And I haven’t told absolutely anyone about that. Only you, the one who’s taking care of him, and I see you going with your little bag, already leaving.

Look, the truth is, she offered me money. She told me that if I let her see the child, she would give me a lot of money, and besides, the butler knows me.

You do know that that could land you in jail, right? Because I could call the police right now and tell them that I have a person here I hired to take care of a child, but you brought a stranger into my house, giving out information.

No, no, don’t do that. Nothing happened. The baby is fine. The lady just looked at him. You don’t have to call the police. Please, I can say we can come to an arrangement.

First, I’m not going to pay you absolutely anything for having taken care of the child. You know I need that money, please. And second, you’re going to go with your friend the butler, and you’re going to tell him that no one lives here anymore, that Melina and I have moved somewhere else. Understood? If not, you tell me, I call the police, and everything gets resolved that way. I’ll tell the butler that you don’t live here. Now get out of my house. Get out!

Don Javier, the baby is already asleep, but I’m really worried. I don’t understand how that woman found out where we were staying.

Look, let’s say it was my fault. The nanny I hired, I don’t know how she made contact with her. She accepted a bribe to let her in here, into the house. But I just kicked her out. Yes, don’t worry, everything will be fine.

And the baby is fine? Yes, he’s sleeping peacefully. But truly, this situation has me too worried.

Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Yes. Now we need to focus on your treatment, on your medicine. That’s what really matters. Yes. And everything will be calm. This will all pass when you, young lady, are back home with your parents and everything is fine. Besides, she won’t come near you when you’re there.

Oh, understand that I’m not going back to my house. My dad is a horrible person. If you had seen how he kicked me out of the house. No, he doesn’t deserve to be a father.

No, no, no. Let’s see, don’t say that. Yes. Your dad loves you. He loves you very much. I’m sure he will end up understanding all this.

How I wish you were really my father. I would love you so much. I would never leave your house. No matter what my mom said, I wouldn’t do it. I would stay with you.

No, don’t worry. Don’t say that. I assure you that in your house, they love you very much too. Look, let’s do something. Here’s the prescription. Here’s how you have to take all the medication during the day, during the night. Remember, even though your illness isn’t advanced and we’re still in time, we do have to be careful.

Yes. But you can read it later, no problem.

Okay. You don’t know how much I would give to just stay here living.

No, no, no, no. Let’s see, that can’t be possible. Understand something. My purpose with you—to help you—is finished.

What? What do you mean it’s finished? What purpose? What?

I understand myself. I’m a little tired. I want to go to sleep. If someone comes looking for me, tell them I’m not here.

Yes. Is that okay with you? Okay. I’ll make sure no one bothers him.

Oh, baby. Hello, little one. Hello. Oh, I don’t know what I’ll do if someday we’re separated. But that’s not going to happen. Yes, Don Javier has been an angel to us. He’s taken care of us and given us a place to stay. Oh, my love. Hush.

Melina.

Daughter, where is my grandson? Where is he?

What are you doing here? We’ve come to talk to you. Your dad wants to talk for a while. We want to apologize. We truly made a grave mistake with you.

Will you allow me to speak, young lady? How are you? Answer me, how are you? Good or not?

Good. Here with her mom.

We want to see how you are, how the baby is. What are you doing in this house? Don’t you have a home?

First of all, how did you know I was here? Who let you in? And how do you know this place?

Don Javier—Don Javier came to visit us, daughter.

Let’s see, we’re the ones asking the questions, but yes, your mother is right. There’s a Mr. Javier who came to our house to explain what was happening with the baby.

What are you doing, bothering other people’s houses when you have a home?

Oh, what? What happened? What’s wrong with you? Let’s sit her down. Let’s sit her down. Do you feel okay? How do you feel? Bring her some water with valerian or water with sugar, something sweet.

No, no, I’m fine. Easy. Are you sure? Yes.

Now, can you explain what you’re doing here?

What do you mean, what are we doing here? We came for you, my love. We came for the baby. Don’t you have a home? Mr. Javier came to our house and talked with us.

Tell me, how is Melina? We haven’t seen her. We don’t know where she is. She’s with the baby’s father. What happened? Tell me, please.

She’s fine, it’s just that she’s been through complicated situations. I believe that what you and your wife are doing isn’t right.

But the thing is, well, it was a very hard moment when her father found out, and he has a very strong character. He’s military, and the truth is, it got out of hand that night.

Yes, she told me about it. But really, it’s not fair. Trust me, it’s not fair.

And how is she? Well, where is she? She’s fine. She’s in good hands. It’s just that I think you two, my love—

Good morning. The gentleman came to talk to us about Melina.

And the gentleman? He already left. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you, sir. Tell me how I can help you.

Sir, I know that you are a little—you more than anyone are angry about what happened with Melina, but it’s not fair what you’re doing to her.

Look, sir, family situations are resolved inside the home, not outside. If you’ve come to advocate for that young lady who disrespected us, I’m going to ask you to leave. Yes, I already have many headaches regarding that, and I don’t want to talk about anything at all. And please, don’t open the door for this gentleman again.

We need to know about Melina. We need you to tell us how she is, where she is. Remember, she’s with the baby. Oh, by the way, tell us, where is she? Did she get married? Did she go on a trip?

Yes, she’s happy. I think you need to calm down a little. Look, I understand you. I understand that you’re very upset, but trust me, it’s not right. Many times, children do things that we as parents think will ruin our lives.

No, no, no. Oh, sir, in case you are misinformed, what the young lady did wasn’t a simple childish act. It wasn’t that she broke a vase, broke the television, or simply didn’t go to school. She dishonored the family name and, above all, damaged my honor. So don’t come here preaching to me, don’t come here giving me sermons on how to be a father.

Although, you know what? Thinking about it, dishonor for you is—excuse me—that a young lady sleeps in a park all night, soaking wet from the rain, next to her innocent and defenseless baby, in a park where anything else could have happened. I mean, if that’s dishonor, then I understand you, sir.

Look, she’s okay, right? No, relax, let him finish. Let me speak.

Yes, I recommend that this gentleman write this down, send it in. Surely they’ll prescribe it as a very good novel. That little fantasy story about sleeping in the rain, being alone, helpless—I know it. Yes, and surely she’s planning it because she wants to ruin your life too. So I’m going to ask you, please, that’s enough. I have been very, very cautious, very patient. I don’t want to be aggressive, and I don’t want to be rude. Please be so kind as to show him to the door, and I appreciate your gesture.

Ricardo, tell us how the young lady is. I imagine with the baby’s father on their honeymoon. Happy.

Well, you’re very wrong, you know? I know, I know you’re very hurt. I only have one question. My intention isn’t to come bother you, not at all. Just to make you understand that what you’re doing isn’t right. And you can think whatever you want. I have a question. How old were you when you had Melina? Because you don’t look sixteen.

Remember, please, those were different times.

No, no, no. They weren’t different times. We had the support of the people closest to us. Remember, because we were young but responsible. They weren’t different times. Remember that. We had support from the people who love us most. They were always there. And what happened with Melina truly was a mistake. It was an error, but we as parents should be there with her, supporting her.

Oh, look, look, continue, sir.

Well, I just want to inform you that Melina is at my house.

Of course. Now I understand everything. She’s in my house because your daughter was trying to steal food out of hunger. Now your daughter has turned to crime, and I imagine—

Let me talk, let me talk to him. She left with nothing. That’s not my problem. Here she had everything.

We agreed we were going to calm down. We didn’t agree on anything.

And if you, sir, came to intercede for her, surely to get money from us, you are very wrong, because not a single cent from this house will go to help that young lady.

No, look, I really don’t want to bother you anymore. I just want to inform you of something, both of you. I see that your wife isn’t doing very well either. You know what? Something very important. Your daughter Melina is sick.

What? Let him speak. What? What? What does she have? The flu? A fever. That can be cured with a little pill.

Whether it’s the flu, a fever, or whatever, she needs our help. She has leukemia.

Let’s see, that can’t be diagnosed so simply. That requires rigorous tests.

Of course not, sir. I took her to have some tests done. Fortunately, it’s in an early stage. I bought all the medication. Look, I don’t want to bother you anymore. Yes. And I also don’t want you to think anything else. I live at 77 Algarrobo. Tonight, the doors of my house will be open. If you want to come for her, you’re still in time. You’re still in time. Whatever you think of me, sir, I don’t care. Have a good afternoon.

Sorry. This gentleman, what is your name?

Javier.

Javier. My name is Javier. Excuse me.

Thank you very much, Ricardo.

What are we going to do? What are we going to do about the girl?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

That’s why, let’s go home. Your room is there, your family is there, your mom is there. The baby will be fine. I’m here. And look, whatever it is, the military hospital has good doctors, they have medicine. We’re going to get through this, my love. When have I ever failed you?

I’m not comfortable in this house. Mr. Javier has always been very kind to me. Yes, yes, I know that. He took me in when you kicked me out of the house, when I slept in a park in the rain and was robbed. I endured so many things, and he was the only person who took me in.

Look, please, let’s leave that horrible scene behind. I’m sorry. I recognize that I’ve been a jerk, that I acted like an emotional madman, my love. But how did you expect me to react to what you’re telling me?

I don’t want to argue or fight with you. Quite the opposite. We came here so you would come with us, so the baby would be okay, so you would be okay. And I can’t stop thanking Don Javier, who was kind enough to go to our house and tell us everything that happened. Because if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be here.

It’s true, daughter. I’ll help you pack the baby’s things and yours to go home.

Go on, listen to your mother.

Okay, fine, daughter.

My love, what are you doing here? Who are you? What are you doing here?

Mr. Javier invited me.

Mr. Javier, my dad. That’s impossible.

No, if you want, I’ll go call him right now. I just spoke with him.

Call him? How are you going to call him? I just spoke with him. Can I go get him?

No, my dad passed away.

My heart. My old soul. My home. My sun. You left, but you’re here. I carry you in my voice.

That, that’s impossible. I, in fact, he just gave me something.

Thank you for appearing in my life. With you, I remembered the beautiful responsibility of being a father.

But I don’t understand. You left, but you’re here in every step I take. You left, but you’re here, watching over my heart. My old soul.

Thank you, Don Javier.

Yes, it’s true. I was just coming to get some things, and I was leaving. Your dad truly is an angel, and he loved you very much, and I know who I am because of you.

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