"Campeón, mi cielo,"
I say to my kids as they walk into the office. I dropped down on my knees in front of them to plant kisses on their forehead, the one on my daughter's lasting longer. She smells of baby products and fruits. Then I ruffled my son's hair, proud of the way he helped his sister out of the car and into the building. I had watched them from the office window immediately when they had arrived, an old protective habit I had adopted.
"How did your latin sessions go?," I directed this question to my son.
"It went well, sir, my tutor is confident I can take part in this year's exams. That's how good I've become," his curt reply is so respectful and composed. I'm a little worried for a second at how he's too formal, but that's the outcome of how seriously he viewed life. I acknowledged his reply by a head nod.
"What about you Reina? How's piano lessons?," I faced my daughter, pulling her close from her waist. Seeing the attention now on her, her face changed distinctly and she pouts her lips.
"It wasn't fine daddy. My tutor keeps complaining about everything I do and it makes me sad. I want to do ballet instead, daddy. Please," she whined, giving me what she calls puppy eyes.
"But muñeca, you've changed your extracurricular two times in a row now. This would make it the third. Why don't you stick with this a little longer, huh? And we'll see how it turns out. You like playing the piano, don't you muñeca?"
"Yes daddy," she sighed, dramatic and long, and I smiled despite myself, knowing this conversation wasn't over. It never was.
"So when will she be here?," my son asked. I rose slowly to my feet.
Pride swells again at how time conscious he was and how he notices patterns. He notices absence too. That kind of awareness comes with a price.
"Soon campeón" I answered him.
Lumina Logistics was a sterile, successful enterprise in the northern part of town. It's one of the many businesses I'm a share holder in. After the meeting with Brenda the other day, I had made plans for her meeting with my kids. And this office suits the mood I want. With this single move, I establish the grounds that Brenda wasn't welcome back into my life. She could see my children from time to time though.
The door opened, the air in the room became tight and tense. My kids turn their heads towards the door and I'm carefully watching their reactions. Curiosity flickered on their faces the moment Brenda walked in. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, before settling on me briefly. She nods her head slightly as a form of greeting and I nod back.
"You're late," I said, my voice a low, dangerous rumble that cuts through the room.
"It was the traffic-"
"I don't care about the traffic, Brenda. I care about the schedule," I interrupted, my precision as sharp as a blade. I stood there for a while before walking to my seat behind my desk.
"Whatever. Why meet here? What's wrong with meeting back at the house? Here's too distant. Impersonal than all of the other offices I have been to, if that's even a possibility," she remarked.
"Just the way I like it," my definitive response infuriated her. She was about to start an argument before she realised the kids were with us in the room.
"Carlitos sweetheart, how are you?," she turned around to ask, forcing the kind of warmth that's supposed to come naturally to a mother.
"I'm better than the way you left me" his response carried so much suppressed anger. So much for a ten year old child.
"Oh...umm. Good." She turns to look at me like I was the catalyst behind his cold composure. Turning back to Serena, she asked, "How about you Serena? How are your studies?"
Serena looks at me, as if wondering how to answer. I smile, encouraging her that it was ok to be honest with her answer. Although I don't think she knows how to do that. With the way Carlitos had answered, she could guess all hasn't always been well. "I'm good," was all she could come up with.
"Campeón, muñeca, why don't you both take a seat on the couch." I say gently They move obediently, Carlitos making sure his sister's comfortable before proceeding to take a seat.
"Brenda….." I point to one of the seats in front of me. After they were all seated, an awkward silence filled the room. I'm not surprised, just curious as to how this meeting would unfold. My kids only know this woman as their mother, but without her presence. She failed them about two years ago when Carlitos was eight years old and Selena was just three.
"Brenda? Don't you want to ask them other things than how fine they are and how their studies are?" I say, looking at my watch.
She exhales, "I didn't know I'll be such a burden Alex,"
I have almost forgotten how often Brenda tries to play the victim. When things used to be good between us I tried to calm her, make her feel loved at my expense. I'd given the relationship my all, and she thought it wise to throw it to the trash. Her loss.
"Daddy? We could all play any of your board games," Serena said. My baby girl is such a wise one.
"Of course, Corazoncito. But daddy won't join you today. I'll just sit back here and watch, okay?" I say. She nods her head and I signal Carlitos to get the chess board.
"You do remember how to play chess, right?" I ask Brenda. "Because these kids are world champions in the game."
Brenda chuckled, "How hard can it be?"
They play and I work lightly, occasionally looking up to watch their progress. Brenda was surely getting her ass whooped, with Carlitos in the lead. The scene before me feels so calm and ordinary, almost real, until Brenda spoke up.
"So, Carlitos dear, what sports are you taking on?"
I look up from the papers on the table. Carlitos, the calm brooder that he is, doesn't respond immediately.
"Come on dear, talk to mummy, I mean you're still too young to play basketball. And too quiet to be a footballer. Or is it only chess games you're good at? You know that won't be enough. I hear badminton or tennis is good for boys your age."
"And where did you hear that?" I ask.
"A friend of course. She has a boy just about his age. I might even need to introduce them. Don't tell me you isolate them in that big house."
"Brenda? What are you driving at?" I ask. I don't take kindly to someone talking down on my kids because I don't do that to them.
"Oh don't be so melancholy Alex. It's paramount to their social life," she says beaming at me from across the room.
"What sport dear?" She's directing the conversation back to Carlitos.
"You want to really know?," he asked quietly. She nods, making a wrong move on the board. "If you really wanted to know, you should have stayed around to find out"
She winced. "It's ok if you don't want to answer." she looked at Serena "and you? Do you have a boyfriend yet?"
"It's enough. Time's up Brenda." I didn't raise my voice, I didn't need to.
I placed a call to Ignacio, my kids driver, to come take them home. After they've left, I looked at Brenda, "We're done with the session Brenda"
"When we were bonding? Are you being for real? Why would you
do that?"
"Get out, I'm not going to say it again"
She knows not to mess with me.