Page 16 of Until You Came Along

“Hermes, please, don’t make the young people uncomfortable,” she reprimanded him again.

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” Baco said, unconcerned.

Hermes looked at me without paying attention to the others.

“And you, what do you say?”

“I don’t have to put up with you at all because I enjoy the company of the members of this family… well, the vast majority of them.”

Baco burst out laughing because he immediately understood my clarification, and Catalina also hid a smile.

“And which member of this family would be excluded?” he insisted, and I noticed that he had returned to formal address.

“I prefer to keep that information to myself.”

“That’s enough, Hermes. Delfina, please excuse this interrogation,” Catalina said.

“It’s no problem, I’m used to it,” I stated, challenging him with my gaze.

“We’re leaving now,” Baco said. “See you soon, Mom. Hermes, I’ll see you at the office.”

“Goodbye,” I said as I turned, feeling Hermes’ penetrating eyes on me and seeing how Catalina looked at her eldest son with surprise.

Chapter 2

“He kissed me without asking permission and to me it felt like glory. I returned the kiss with long-delayed hunger”

—Mario Benedetti

On the way home, Baco seemed quieter than usual. At first I tried to bring up topics of conversation, but when I noticed he really wasn’t in the mood to talk, I preferred to remain silent. Upon arriving at the building and getting out of the car, I truly felt the exhaustion. Baco was still quiet and thoughtful, and it was starting to make me impatient because since I’d known him, he had never behaved this way.

“Thanks for the invitation, I enjoyed it very much, but now tell me what’s wrong. You’ve barely spoken,” I asked, as the elevator rose swiftly.

“Why should something be wrong?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. If nothing’s really wrong, tell me why you’re so quiet, because we can agree that being silent isn’t characteristic of you.”

“I was just thinking about something that occurred to me, but maybe I’m wrong,” he said, thoughtfully.

“And is it something you can share with me?”

“I think not for now, but don’t worry because it’s not important,” he clarified, downplaying whatever had him so reflective.

“Very well. But I want you to know that you can count on me for anything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Delfi.”

At my apartment door, he said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you for accompanying me. I enjoyed the evening today, and I assure you that at my family’s parties, I rarely do.”

“You’re welcome, I had a great time too.”

“In the end, my brother didn’t throw you out,” he pointed out.

“That’s true, he didn’t.”

“And he was quite attentive to everything that had to do with you,” he commented.