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custom of theirs, some sort of ritual that even those who knew them well didn‘t understand. It would take most people less than ten minutes to finish each one of their meals.
Pablo looked down at his leg. Robinson wasn‘t fooling. His foot was healing at a rapid pace, and the substance that Robinson smeared all over his foot and the lower part of his leg was almost gone. His foot no longer hurt, but moments before, he thought it didn‘t hurt because it had fallen asleep. His cell phone rang. Maria, his girlfriend wanted to know how he was doing. They lived together, and they were so happy that within a few months they would get married. It was like they knew, from the moment they met in person and looked in each other‘s eyes, that they were made for each other. Maria was always worried about Pablo. She had to know every move he would make, and now that Pablo had been in a car accident, her overprotection became a lot more extreme. She would call him every ten minutes, not to know what he was doing or who he was with, because she wasn‘t jealous and possessive, but to know how he was doing. Pablo excused himself and wheeled himself all the way to David‘s bedroom, the bedroom that was farthest from the dining room, just to have a little privacy, and the Emadorian family chose to ignore his conversation with Maria. He got to David‘s bedroom, turned on the light, and started talking.
“Hey, sweetie, how are you?”
“That‘s what I was going to ask you?”
“Well, you‘re not going to believe this, but…I have good news. Robinson covered my foot and the lower part of my leg with…something, some ointment…but I didn‘t see a tube of cream or anything, or even a container. It was this really strange ointment that had no smell.”
“Nothing that comes from Robinson Bennett should surprise you, Pablo.”
“I know. The thing is that within hours, my foot felt better. It stopped hurting and it even looks much better. It almost looks like my healthy foot, and my skin is absorbing the strange ointment, just like Robinson said.”
“That‘s great, honey. Why aren‘t you home?”
Ignacio and Lorena told me to stay awhile when they noticed how fast my foot was improving. They said that they wanted me to walk out of this house, leave the wheelchair behind, and walk into my home.”
“This is surreal,” Maria said, smiling. “I always knew the Roman family cared about you, but I had no idea they loved you that much.”
“Honestly I didn‘t either. It was today that I found out just how much they love me. They love me and Jose like we‘re their children, too, and David, Elmer and Carlos love us like we‘re their brothers, too. That means I‘m going to have to stay here just a little while longer.”
“I can‘t wait for you to get home. I want you here. You know I worry about you.” “Maria, I‘m going to be fine. It‘s not going to happen again. I‘m going to take better care
of myself.”
“Do you promise me that, Pablo Milian?”
“I promise.”
“I heard you always keep your promises, no matter how hard they are to keep.”
“That‘s what people say, but I think it is hyperbole. If it is true, I hope to be someone my loved ones can count on for the rest of my life.”