Page 5 of We Shouldn’t Do This Again

“Well, maybe a few of them,” he finally concedes with a laugh.

I burst out laughing, feeling how the conversation relaxes me and brings me closer to them despite the distance.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all, Dad; you’ve always had that knack for making friends wherever you go.”

For a few minutes, we talk about those little, everyday things that bring us together—school and my students, the weather in Valencia, which is already starting to get hot, and how strange it feels to see my father in a place so different from his usual routine. Jota appears in the living room and lies down near me, as if he wants to be part of the family conversation unfolding on the screen.

“My goodness! He’s grown so much!” Miriam remarks when she sees him appear on the screen.

“He thinks he owns the whole house.”

“Because he actually does,” my father adds with total conviction, as if Jota were just another son. “And you’re not going to deny it.”

The conversation flows naturally until I notice something strange in the way they look at each other. It’s a brief gesture, almost imperceptible to someone who doesn’t know them well, but I recognize it instantly because I’ve seen it before in other happy couples, and I miss it in my own life. Dad clears his throat with a nervous sound that puts me on alert.

“Lidia…”

I raise an eyebrow curiously.

“When you say my name like that, it means something serious has happened.”

Miriam smiles sweetly, as if trying to lighten the mood and soften the conversation that’s about to come.

“We wanted to tell you something important, sweetheart. And we wanted you to be the first to know. You’re an essential part of our story.”

My father takes a deep breath before continuing, and his eyes shine with an emotion he can’t hide.

“We’re getting married, Lidia,” he says, his voice full of emotion. “And we want to share this special moment with you, to have you be part of everything from start to finish.”

For a second, I remain completely silent, processing the news. Not because it’s bad—on the contrary, it’s wonderful and fills my heart with sincere joy. It takes me a moment to react because I wasn’t expecting it. But soon I find myself swept up in a wave of emotion that floods my heart.

“Really?”

Dad nods, looking more radiant and happy than I’ve ever seen him before.

“Really. We’ve thought about it a lot, and we think it’s the perfect time.”

I look Miriam straight in the eyes through the screen, and she seems so calm and content that I can’t help feeling deep joy in my chest.

“That’s…” I begin, searching for the right words because I want them to know how much this means to me. “That’s wonderful, really. I’m so happy for you both, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

And I do. My father and Miriam have known each other for over a year, but the love between them was never slow or gradual. It was like one of those summer storms that comes to soak everything, without giving you time to take shelter.

“Your father and I are completely sure about taking this step,” she explains with that conviction that leaves no room for doubt. “We love each other, and we believe this is the perfect moment to take the plunge and join our lives together forever.”

Miriam looks at my father tenderly, and I melt inside.

“Life goes by so fast, daughter,” he adds. “And we can’t let time pass by living half-heartedly, without giving ourselves completely to what truly makes us happy.”

I know he doesn’t say it just to say it. Behind those words lies advice I should take and follow to the letter. Ever since Bárbara—my ex-wife and the love of my life—and I got divorced, my love life has turned into an endless string of failed attempts, dates that lead nowhere, conversations that don’t spark anything in me. Relationships that never really become real, that stay on the surface without going any deeper.

I force myself back to the present, pushing those memories aside for a moment so as not to spoil the joy that has colored the conversation from the start.

“So when’s the wedding?”

My father leans a little closer to the camera, excited like a child with a new toy.

“The last weekend in May, right here. At the Ukulhas resort, surrounded by this sea and this sand that looks like something out of a dream…” he replies excitedly. “We’ve talked to the staff, and they’re fine with it. In fact, they’ll help us with whatever we need.”