La Bikina: Through The Years

1918: kitchen floor

Imelda was startled by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist from behind. She rolled her eyes with a smile, but then Hector kissed the spot in her neck he knew she couldn't resist, and she melted into his touch.

"You're home," she murmured, turning around in his arms. They were standing so close, their noses were touching. He closed the distance between them, capturing her mouth in a sweet kiss.

"Hector," she said, breaking the kiss. "I need to tell you something."

Panic filled his eyes. "Are you alright? Mi vida, what happened?"
She reassured him quickly. "No no, nothing bad. It's just that, well..." Her lips curled up into an involuntary smile. "I'm pregnant," she blurted out, and couldn't help but laugh, still not believing that they were going to have a baby.

She let out another laugh at Hector's reaction, at how his mouth dropped open and tears filled his eyes.

"Pregnant?" he asked reverently. "You're really embarazada?"

"At least I think so," Imelda replied, and she tenderly touched her still-flat belly. There was a child, a child, growing inside of her!

Hector knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her belly, and overwhelming affection washed over her at the sight.

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?" he questioned, and stared up at Imelda with such a look of adoration it took her breath away.

"I have no idea," she replied. "But I'll love them equally, just the same."

She sank down on the floor next to Hector and laid her head on his shoulder. In response, he kissed her head and pulled her closer to him.

She closed her eyes contentedly. It had been ages since she had smiled so much.

A soft lullaby formed on her lips, one her mother used to sing to her, one she hadn't thought of in years, yet the memory of the lyrics remained. She sang softly, tenderly, and Hector joined in. They sang for hours, until all the candles in their home melted into puddles of wax, until dusk faded to night, never getting up from the kitchen floor.