THE HAPPINES OF WHOM I LOVE THE MOST

What should she have said? Ian had called to that boy before she could explain something. The least she wanted was to give false hopes to her son about his father but regrettably, whatever she wanted to say was left aside.

“Mom?” asked Joseph trying to figure out who he was.

“Say hi, my cute angel, he´s an old friend whom I met today.” Alice smiled making Joseph to feel confident again.

“Hi, cutie, my name is Ian,” said Ian bending over him.

“Hi, my name is Joseph Gabriel, nice to meet you.” Joseph extended his hand formally.

No matter how cute he smiled to Ian or how polite he seemed, that name brought him thousands of memories. That was the name of the unfaithful man who tore Alice´s heart apart, was she a masochist to name her son after that cruel person?

Alice looked at them. Her son seemed perfectly fine with the man in front of her.

“How was it that my mom found you, Mr. Ian?” asked Joseph politely.

“Mr. Ian? Aren´t we already friends?” Ian raised an eyebrow.

“My mom says I have to be respectful to older people.”

Ian smiled. “Let´s go, I´ll tell you how that happened.”

From one moment to another, Ian lifted up Joseph making Alice giggle. “Do you want an ice cream? What is your favorite flavor?”

“Yeah! Let´s go for an ice cream!”

“Let´s go but we have a problem over here. The most gorgeous witch that I´ve ever seen is looking at us in not a very nice way” said Ian low but loud enough to be heard by Alice who was already walking up to them.

“A witch, for real?” Alice asked crossing her arms over her chest.

“I also said the most gorgeous” Ian defended himself.

Her son laughed. Ian couldn´t help but sighing. After some minutes, they were walking to his car again.

How can we describe that evening? It was a wonderful time in front of any person´s eyes who saw them walking around the park. Joseph was delighted by his presence, a presence of just an old friend of his mom. He had never shared with a father figure and Ian, he felt like loving that baby since the first moment he appeared in front of him.  Alice continued smiling. It was incredible how her son could be so happy with a person that he had just met. Firstly, Ian had taken her to her favorite place and now, he was there taking the place of a father for that little angel who seemed to enjoy being pampered by Ian.    

“Joseph, I think it´s late and tomorrow you have to go to school!” Alice called her after watching her son going back and forth in that park.

“Oh, just a little longer, please, mom,” he begged.

“Do you have homework to do?”

Joseph looked away. “Yes, it´s too much” murmured her son.

“So, let´s go home and finish that homework”

In that moment, Joseph came up with an idea. “Ian, would you help me?”

Alice laughed at seeing how her son addressed to Ian, his new friend.

“It´s your responsibility, if I say to you aunt Alexa what you just said, do you know what´s gonna happen?”

“Hey, sweet pie,” called Ian while bending over Joseph again. “If you do your homework, we´ll ask for permission to eat out at the place where just the children who do their homework go,” encouraged Ian.

“My mom said she would take me to watch the new movie Batman vs Superman but she has not fulfilled her promise.” Joseph whined sadly.

“Oh, she´s the worst mom ever. Well, if you do your homework I´ll take you to the movies, okay?”

“Yes!” the baby threw himself into his arms.

Alice stared at that priceless image.  “Am I not invited?” Alice called on.

“Of course, you´re invited.” Ian answered.

“We have to go, Joseph, say goodbye to Ian.”

Joseph waved at him confident enough to brag he´ll see Ian again.

“See you around, Ian. Joseph has to do his homework.”

“Go, Alice. I´m looking forward to seeing you, both of you.”

And then, she ran with her son.

“Let´s go, mom, I wanna finish my homework right away.” Ian heard Joseph rushing his mom.  

Ian stayed there until he couldn´t see them anymore. He had to be dreaming, that woman, that baby… just, they had to be a mirage. It had been many years since the last moment he felt complete. It has to be destiny.

Alice arrived to home without saying a word about how her day had been. She went straight to her room willing to help her son with his homework after having greeted Rosa, Maria and her sister. She didn´t want to think about that strange coincide between Ian and her. Tomorrow will be a new day; maybe it was just an encounter that had to happen, no more, no less.        

A new morning was drawn outside, doing her morning routine until she took her baby to the school; she continued looking for a job despite Ian´s proposal. She couldn´t stop thinking about what would happen that night. For the first time since her arriving, the horizon –that horizon where the plan was to find her son´s father- seemed clouded. There was nothing else she wanted more than the happiness of that little treasure of hers. Why did her world succumb since she ran into Ian? She didn´t like him, she didn´t want to like anyone, she was… just confused.

Two o’clock and she was arriving to the school to pick up her son. Too late for her, someone else had thought the same. 

“Ian?” Alice asked him surprised.  

“Hi, Alice, I´m here to take responsibility for my words yesterday,” Ian affirmed.

In the moment Alice thought about thousands of ways she could take to complain about his attitude without being rude, the colorful gate opened. Among all the children coming out looking for their parents was Joseph, who got surprised when Ian appeared in his front and his mom beside him. He ran to her with wide open arms and hugged her.

“How was your day, honey?” Alice asked.

Joseph ended the hug and went to Ian without answering her question.

“Now, I have to share my son´s attention.” Alice crossed her arms over her chest.

“I think so,” Ian answered before greeting Joseph.

“Hi, Mr. Ian.”

“Hello, sweet pie. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, let´s go to the movies!”

Ian laughed lifting up the baby boy. It was incredible but he was feeling to live for Alice and for that baby who didn´t share blood with.

They got into Ian´s car all together. Without wasting more time, their happy day was about starting. Joseph in the back while Alice was next to Ian. The car started off.

It is incredible how life prepares us for new challenges, challenges that in the end, make us stronger. A long path of hardships where we finally found the answers to those questions we asked for over and over at the sleepless nights.

That long path that Gabriel was fated to walk by, had been illuminated in the mere instant that a grey car passed by his blue car letting him know about the arriving of that woman he never imagined to see again. The engine stopped, his sight was on her and her smile next to the man who also smiled but not only that stole his attention, what about the child in the back who was looking around careless?

Life was giving him the answers to the questions he asked for before. Six years later, a million of memories assaulted his mind at seeing that woman. Maybe… it was too soon to say she was the heart he lost just for a stupidity.

He just wanted to come back and make that grey car stop. Coincidently, the night before he had dreamed about her.

Ian drove on for a little while until they arrived to the movies. None of them could describe how wonderful that evening was. Just, they didn´t have words to describe what they were feeling. Alice, her son and Ian, the ever dreamed family was walking around the mall center after having watched the movie.

But if only she could have feelings for him, everything would be different. Fate was offering her the family she couldn´t have had with the man she had loved the most. But if the places between Ian and Gabriel would change, may it be different despite the pain?

“I loved the movie!” cried Joseph while Ian and Alice were walking side by side allowing themselves to be enchanted by the little person who was like a son for Ian. “Mom, did you see when Batman stood up in front of Superman? If I had been Superman, I would´ve done this-” expressed Joseph kicking in the air.

“I also loved the movie, sweet pie” Ian approached to him ready to lift Joseph up.

“I´m Batman” Joseph insisted.

“So, I´m Superman and your mom Wonder woman, what do you say, sweet pie?”

And being more than a way to play along with the boy, it was a way to let Alice know what he was feeling for her. Alice looked at him firmly; there was something else in his eyes, something she couldn´t guess or… she didn´t want to know about.

“Yeah, my mom is Wonder woman.”

Alice looked away. Any action or word against Ian´s words left short what she wanted to represent him.

“We have to go home, Joseph, you already had fun and now, we´ll get back to reality where your homework is waiting for you.” Alice rushed him.

“But I have no homework, my teacher said I didn´t have to do homework for having handed in my task before anyone else. Can we stay a little longer with Ian?”

“No, honey, we have to go, I´m sorry.” Alice answered provoking a sad gesture on his sons face.

“Please, Alice, I´m on my last days of vacation and I won´t be able to be with you two as often as now, please Alice, stay a little longer.” Ian almost begged. He had hope, he had hope to see them a little longer.

Alice stared at him. The brightness in his eyes made her doubt. Everyone remained silence. If only Alice knew that a piece of his heart were hanging by a tread for her answer.

“Just 30 minutes, okay?”

“Yess” Ian and Joseph gave each other five.

Two more hours were enough to Alice to think about the answer she was gonna give to Ian´s proposal. Seeing her son with the person that had given everything she couldn´t before for not being that father image her son needed, made her think straightforward to her answer. She just wished not to expect more than he already gave them.

Joseph ran over the mall center choosing his next favorite toy after Ian had offered him one at seeing how he was looking at them through the shop windows.   

“You shouldn´t please him, he´s not angel, he also knows how to be a demon.” Alice said seeing her son enchanted by the toy he had between his little hands.

“I hope to be there to scold him when he´s wrong.” Once again, Ian gave her an indirect of what he wanted for his life.

Silence for over five minutes.

“Ian,” called Alice again. “I wanna tell you something.” She stuttered.

“Go ahead.”

“I do..., I do need you help to get a job in the hospital you´re working at.” Alice looked down.

“For real, Alice?” Ian wanted to confirm before jumping due to the happiness she was provoking him with that answer. “You don´t know how happy you make me. You´re not gonna regret this decision. I´ll help you as much as I can.  You have no idea how much I prayed for this moment.”

“I think you don´t have to pray for this anymore, now, pray for me to get the job.”

“As I said, you already had that job.”

And out of the blue, Ian hugged her. She –without knowing how to react–, just stayed there with wide open eyes.      

“I promise you I will make you happy; both of you, I´ll make you two happy.” Ian expressed near her ear. “I swear it. I´ll do my best.”

And Alice, what was that feeling in her heart that made her speechless?