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“Enough, Mamá!”
“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” admonishes Marta.
Furious, Eric looks back and forth between his sister and his mother.
“I’m old enough to decide for Flyn and for me.”
“Perfect,” says Marta. “Then move your ass, get back to Germany, and take care of him. Because if you don’t, it’ll be Mamá and I who decide what to do about him.”
Eric lets loose with a string of profanities. The Iceman is back!
Then very quickly, the fight stops. I’m fascinated by how these three challenge one another with just a look. Finally, mother and daughter get up and leave.
Eric turns on his cell. “Tomás ... my mother and sister are about to leave the restaurant. Take them to the hotel. We’ll take a cab later.”
“I’m pretty mad at you,” I say as he ends the call.
“Listen, Jude, they’re right. I need to go back to Germany and deal with him, but I’m not going to stick him in a boarding school. Hannah would never forgive me, and I wouldn’t forgive myself. As for me, don’t worry. I’m at the top of the list of people who don’t want me to go blind, OK?”
The word “blind” makes me shudder.
And now once more, I’m aware that the man I adore has a terrible condition, and my anguish returns. I flinch, and when I breathe hard to keep my tears from falling, Eric takes my hand.
“Easy, sweetness ... I’m fine.”
I nod, but I don’t say a word.
Eric tugs on me, and I get up and sit on his lap so I can hug him properly, without any concern about how people might look at us. I need to feel him next to me. I need to smell him. I need to have him, and more important, I need him to know he has me.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m calm. Eric pays, and we leave the restaurant in silence. We take a cab back to the hotel.
We stay quiet once we get to our suite. At first, I don’t have the energy to fight, and when we settle in, Eric takes my hand again.
“Listen, Jude ...”
“No, you listen, you goddamned stubborn jerk. In terms of Flyn, whatever you decide is fine. He’s your nephew, and you know better than anyone what you need to do. But in terms of your condition, if you love me and you want us to continue, please do me the favor of going back to Germany and doing what you need to do.” My tears flow freely now. “You’ve officially made me your girlfriend, so I suggest you take care of yourself, because I love you and I want to spend many years with you. If you want, I’ll go with you. I’ll be there for as long as you need. But please, I need to know you’re OK. Because if something happens to you, I ... I ...”
Eric hugs me, and I crumble.
“I’m sorry, sweetness, I’m sorry.”
But I shove him off me.
“Go fuck yourself,” I say. Eric’s face is serious and desperate. “If you love me, be responsible and take care of yourself! That’s how you can show me you love me.”
“Come here, love.”
“No.”
“Please ... come here.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
He finally sits down on the bed, determined to wait out my temper. He knows me well enough now to understand it’s better if he gives me a little time to calm down. Ten minutes later, I feel ridiculous, and without him having to say anything, I go and sit on his lap again. We stay like that until I try to kiss him and he pulls away.
“Did you just pull ‘the cobra’ on me?”
Eric smiles and squeezes me tighter.