‘The Pingüinos Club is hosting the very first game of women’s polo,’ he said. ‘I am going to take you, so that you can see what women can do. I think it’s important for you to see how brave and capable young women can be, that nothing can stop you from achieving whatever you set your mind to.’
Valentina beamed at the idea of going anywhere with her father. ‘Will Mama change her mind and let me play polo?’
He laughed and placed a hand on her head. ‘No,cariño, I don’t think so. But perhaps it could be our little secret that we’re going?’
Valentina hurried after him when he began to walk again, struggling to keep up with his long stride as she dreamed of what it would feel like to ride on the back of one of his magnificent ponies.
A few minutes later, as Valentina walked up and down the stables and touched the velvety nose of each horse as they peeredout at her, their heads hanging over their doors, her father called her name.
‘Valentina, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.’
She turned immediately and went to join her father and another man who was dressed in riding gear.
‘This is José,’ her father said, and she held out her hand as he’d shown her to do. ‘José, this is my daughter, Valentina.’ The man seemed surprised to be introduced to her, but carefully took her hand and gently shook it, as if he was holding something breakable. ‘He has recently moved here from Spain to be my stable manager. José is very important to me.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Valentina said. She knew what her father was trying to tell her—if José was important to him, then he was important to her, also.
A movement caught her eye then, and she saw a boy step out from behind one of the stable doors. He had a mop of thick black hair, and when she smiled at him, he poked his tongue out and made her laugh, and she had to quickly bite down on her lip to stop from making any noise.
‘Ahh, Basilio, this is my son, Felipe,’ José said. ‘Felipe, come and say hello to Mr Santiago.’
Valentina watched as the boy wiped his hands on his jeans before shaking hands with her father, his dark eyes meeting hers for a fleeting second before he stood back. She could tell he was older than her, maybe by a year or two, and she liked the way he went to one of the horses who was whinnying and appeared unsettled as he pressed his hand against the horse’s cheek to calm him.
‘Your son is also a gifted horseman?’ her father asked, watching him.
‘He is,’ José replied. ‘We like to say that it runs in the blood in our family. We’ve been horsemen for generations.’
‘And how old is he?’
‘Almost twelve years old,’ José said, and Valentina saw the way his eyes twinkled when he spoke of his son, the same way her father’s did when he introduced her to someone new.
‘Well, let the boy ride as a reward for all his hard work. I like to see young people enjoy the sport. Who knows, he might be riding for my team before long, just like his papa.’
As her father turned to leave, Valentina spoke, her soft voice stopping the men from walking away.
‘Papa, perhaps Felipe could teach me to ride one day?’ she asked.
Her father laughed, as did José, but she saw that Felipe was looking earnestly back at her, as if he didn’t think it was a silly idea at all.
The car journey to her papa’s office took forty minutes, and she stared out of the window and looked at the scenery as they passed. Her father was busy reading documents, and she found that she couldn’t stop thinking about the boy, Felipe. There had been something about him, a manner he had with the horses, or the way he’d looked at her, that made her wonder about his life.
‘Papa, what was it like growing up in Spain?’ she asked.
He set his papers down and turned to her, his smile kind. ‘It was where I learnt everything there is to know about olives and olive oil,’ he said. ‘I shall take you there one day soon, to see our old farm. It’s been too long since we last travelled there, and I want you to remember your heritage.’
He placed his hand gently to her chest. ‘You’re Spanish in here. Just as I am.’
She nodded, but he didn’t turn away from her.
‘You have something on your mind?’ her father asked.
‘I was only wondering what it must have been like for Felipe to move to Argentina from Spain,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t like to leave my home.’
‘Ahh,’ he said, smiling as he angled his body towards her. ‘You have a kind heart,mi hija, it’s one of the things I love most about you. And it’s true, it must have been very hard for Felipe and his family to move here, but I offered his father a very good job, earning more money than he could have ever dreamed of making where he was working in Spain. It made sense for them to come here, to live a different kind of life.’
Valentina sat silently for a moment, considering what her father had just told her.
‘If you want the very best people to work for you, and you want them to be loyal to you, you must pay them well and treat them with respect. It’s why my employees feel like family, and one day, when it is you making the decisions about the business, Valentina, I want you to remember that. It’s one of the most important lessons that my father taught me as a boy.’
