“No. Find a youngster who needs work, has plenty of ambitions, and is not filled up to their eyeballs with coke.”
“Charity doesn’t mean quality.”
“It’s not charity. It’s giving a chance to somebody who might just need it.”
“You’re growing soft with age.” But she wasn’t pissed, more amused than anything else. Damian didn’t comment, and she looked at her watch. “Time for your visit. She’s on the third floor, door 32.” She rose and they did too. Armando ran to Gabe and climbed into his arms, his large, dark eyes on that fancy lady facing Papá. “I’ll see you soon, I hope. We need to discuss the deal and sign.”
Damian’s lips curled up. “Sure.” He went for a light hug, and she gave it back with a smile.
“I mourned you, you know… good to have you back.” She let him go, smiling. “Second chances are everything.”
“And new beginnings.” A wry smile, and he turned to Gabe and Armando. “Let’s go and see abuela.” Noticing the boy’s silence, but he didn’t probe and waved back at Christine.
They took the elevator to the third floor and found the room on that corridor in soft grey and crème tones, cheerful flowery pictures on the walls in golden frames.
Damian breathed when Gabe knocked. “This is the golden dusk? Fucking nightmare…” Shutting up when the old woman opened the door with a smile. She knew they were coming and grabbed Armando by the arm, pulling him into a tight hug, saying something in Spanish. He stayed quiet, but hugged her back. She gestured them in, that large flat flooded with sunlight.
She put her hand on Gabe’s arm. “Dile que todo esta muy lindo.”
Gabe turned to Damian. “She says everything is very nice.”
Damian just smiled, nodding. The old lady went to sit with Armando then, speaking in Spanish, and Gabe and Damian stood by the window, watching that quiet park sprawling underneath, the top of the trees up to her windowsill.
Gabe’s soft voice. “So… you and her?”
Damian grinned, his eyes on the trees. “Thought you wanted to know.”
“You’ve never said she’s that much older…”
Damian looked at him. “What’s that to you? You’re with an older guy, too.”
“But…”
“What? Because she’s a woman? We met at a business conference, some sort of charity auction. I was thirty, the kids still small, and I was already fed up with everything. Drunk too, from what I can remember. Sleepless nights because of Kevin howling. But she caught my eyes, even if I could see she was older. You’ve seen her, right? Properly. And you were floored.” Grinning at Gabe’s silence, that slight color on his cheeks. “Yeah… So, imagine me, seeing that gorgeous, feral woman in her late forties. I was under a spell. She came to our table, and we spent the night talking. She was intelligent, wicked funny, and had that sexy voice she still has… so, after a while, we just looked at each other and left. Straight to a hotel. And spent the night. And many nights after.”
“You had an affair?”
“Uhum… on and off… until we stopped seeing each other, shortly before my last trip.”
Gabe’s eyes widened. “You never said anything about her… you said you fucked around… not that you had a second wife.”
“Christine was not a second wife. She was my mistress, and confidante, and everything you can dream of in bed.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “That is until I met you.” He stroked his fingers down Gabe’s face. “Funny. She’s always told me that I should be with a man, that I wanted a man. But I dismissed it and still kept coming back for more. She had that masculine vibe… I guess you could see that. Even close to sixty, she’s gorgeous as fuck. And she was right. I do need to be with a man. With you.” He smiled at Gabe’s eyes welling up. “You have nothing to fear, Gabriel. I won’t let you go, or drop you because of her, or anybody else.” His eyes went to the old woman and his son, chatting. “I do hope she’s not filling his head with nonsense.”
“Like what?”
“Like fuck knows what. I don’t trust her.”
“How much are you paying for this?”
“I won’t tell you because you’ll faint. Enough to have her bathe in comfort until she dies. And I got a discount.” He winked and leant against the window, crossing his arms. “When do you start your training?”
“In two weeks. The company let me go with immediate effect, so I don’t have to work it off.”
“Oh! Best news in weeks.” He grinned. “More time for us. I found a kindergarten for Armando, so we’ll be grand during the day.”
“What do you have in plan?”
He turned to his smiling voice. “Many things… Looking at houses. Fucking. Looking at more houses. Fucking some more.”
