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Eric stares at her.
“All right, Luz ... I’ll talk it over with her.”
“When?”
“I don’t know. Maybe when she gets well. What do you think?”
“Great! You want to be my uncle?”
“Sure.”
“Why?”
Eric is starting to get exasperated. My niece can be quite exasperating. I decide to rescue him.
“Luz, do you want to go to my room to watch cartoons?”
Luz’s face changes. She smiles and dashes off to my room.
“Thank you, love,” says Eric, grinning.
“You’re welcome.”
That night, when Eric and I are finally alone in my apartment, he takes complete care of me. He has a notebook in which he jots down what medications I have to take and when. I’m surprised at how exacting he can be when it comes to patient care. He makes no reference to our argument, for which I’m grateful. When we go to bed, he gives me a kiss on the lips.
“Rest, love. I’ll take care of absolutely everything.”
On Monday, when Eric goes to work, my sister comes over to relieve him. At eleven o’clock, I get a text on my cell. It’s Miguel:I just found out you’re Eric Zimmerman’s girlfriend. You fox, you sure pulled the wool over my eyes! You have to tell me all about it. Kiss, get well.
When I put the cell down, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
63
I’m on medical leave for three weeks, and I’m using the time to give my apartment a last cleaning and to pack up all the things I want to take to Germany. Eric wants to buy me a safer car, but I refuse. I love my Seat León. My insurance has it fixed in record time, and I imagine it’s because Eric has been all over them. The car comes back like new.
Eric takes care of me with great tenderness and helps me with my packing. I’m not taking a lot of things, just clothes, photos, books, and my music. I want the rest to stay here; as time goes by, I’ll take it with me little by little.
The day I return to work, everybody in the office just stares at me. I’m an object of great curiosity. They know I’m the big boss’s girlfriend, and they do what I hate so much: gossip!
“Now that you’re the boss’s girlfriend, will you still have breakfast with me?” Miguel asks, but in jest.
“You dweeb ... Of course.”
On the way to the cafeteria, he asks me about my health. I tell him about my accident, and he listens, horrified. When I go to pay at the cafeteria, the employees won’t let me. They have orders from Mr.Zimmerman not to charge me for anything I consume. Once I’m back at my desk, my supervisor is solicitous. Her tone of voice is now soft, and she makes a real effort to be pleasant with me. A real gem, that one. Now that she knows I’m Eric’s girlfriend, she treats me with kid gloves.
Ten minutes later, a young woman comes into the office and sits at what used to be Miguel’s desk.
“Are you Judith?” she asks me.
I nod.
“I’m Claudia, Mr.Zimmerman’s new admin in Spain.”
I’m quite surprised. Eric didn’t said a word to me about her while I was on leave, but I can’t say I find it that strange. During my convalescence, Eric didn’t want to talk about anything to do with work. In fact, he wanted the doctor to extend my medical leave, but I wouldn’t let him request it.
Eric sees me as soon as he walks through the door.
“Good morning, Mr.Zimmerman.”