I wasn’t used to that.
I wanted people to look at me with admiration and not with pity or judgment.
But the real surprise came when Lara’s father approached with an elongated box wrapped in cream paper.
—Doña Teresa—he said with a kind seriousness—, my wife and I wanted to give you this, but after what happened in the church we understood that today it had to be delivered here.
I got nervous.
—No, sir, I cannot accept such expensive gifts…
He smiled.
—Open it first.
Inside there was a shawl.
Not an ostentatious one, nor one covered in rhinestones. It was a deep green shawl, elegant, soft as water, with exquisite embroidery along the edges.
The same shade as my dress.
I felt the tears returning.
“My wife chose you weeks ago,” he said. “Lara told us about you from day one. We knew you wanted to honor her in some way, but we never imagined how much.”
I could only say thank you.
And in the midst of all that, I understood something that left me even more calm: Lara had been watching me for some time. Observing me. Understanding things that not even my own son noticed in his enthusiasm.
Later, when the night was already lit by the garden lights and the music became more cheerful, Marco approached my table.
—Mom, come here.
-Where to?
—Let’s dance with you.
I burst out laughing through my tears.
—No, son, I don’t know how to dance those things.
He gave me the same stubborn look he used to give as a child when he wanted to get his way.
—So you’ll learn today.
He led me to the center of the garden. The music lowered slightly. And in front of everyone, my son hugged me and began to move slowly with me, like when he was little and would climb onto my feet to “dance” in the kitchen.
The people applauded.
Someone cried.
I rested my head on his shoulder and, for a moment, I no longer saw the married man, the professional, the owner of a better life.
I saw the child I raised with tomatoes, sleepless nights, and pure stubbornness.
“Are you happy?” he whispered in my ear.
I only thought about it for a second.
—Yes —I replied—. Because today you made me feel that everything was worth it.
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