Nacre's Promise

Chapter XXXIX : Never give up

Isabel struggled to stay on course. Continue to move forward always and always, without looking back, without letting your guard down and without lamenting your fate. This unyielding determination allowed him to overcome his pain and continue to live, for Diego and for his children.

She had promised herself that she would never give up. His belief was that Diego was not dead, otherwise traces of him or his remains would inevitably have been found. The kidnapping didn't seem like a possible lead either, as no one had asked for a ransom. He could be anywhere, picked up by someone after having lost their memory, unable to return home or even know where their home was.

The network of resistance fighters always supported Isabel in this quest and allowed her to extend the research much further than if she had acted alone. They visited hospitals, health centers, questioned the authorities and the police relentlessly about missing persons or unresolved cases.

When a lead gave a result, Isabel would join them, make a new declaration of disappearance, examine personal effects or objects to see if they could have belonged to Diego. The most difficult was the identification of a corpse. Hope vanished for a moment, immediately followed by the comfort that it wasn't Diego. Then came the pain because of the suffering she imagined in the relatives of the deceased.

The only clue she had was this piece of cloth found hanging from a shrub on the road to Barcelona. She had found a shirt made from the same fabric in Diego's things. She knew this garment, had seen it worn by Diego before, however, this shirt had no hiccups. Was it possible that two identical shirts could have been made? Neither she nor the servants could answer this question.

One day when Salvador and Soledad were spending the afternoon with her, so that the children could play together, she asked Salvador the question.

They had never broken contact despite the dispute with his parents. Salvador supported her in her action and did not hesitate to help her when she needed it. Like Isabel, he was convinced that Diego was not dead and that he was certainly unable to return. He was also considering the possibility that he had lost his memory and would survive while waiting for someone to find or recognize him.

— Do you know this Salvador fabric? Isabel asked, handing him the piece of cloth. I found him on the road to Barcelona after Diego disappeared. I have a shirt with this fabric but it is not torn.

— Yes, of course, Salvador agreed. It seems to me that I once had a shirt in this fabric. It's been a long time since I saw or worn it elsewhere!

— Could you look to see if it's still in your closet?

— Ask Soledad instead, I think she can answer you immediately because she knows absolutely my entire wardrobe! he replied, laughing.

— Thanks, I'll show him this fabric. It's a track like any other. I never let go of anything, it's too important.

— You know, since we were kids, we've always had more or less the same clothes. It was first your mother who made them, then, Dolorès, the valet's maid and wife who continued to make clothes for the whole family. She certainly bought fabric in large quantities, which explains why we often found ourselves, Diego and I, dressed identically, and this more or less continued into adulthood. I wonder if Diego would not have inherited the two shirts following the moves.

— It is indeed possible; I will ask Soledad. She went into the garden, to join her sister-in-law and the children.

Soledad remembered the garment well and also remembered that she hadn't seen it for a long time. She promised to search Salvador's cupboard to see if it wasn't well hidden at the back of a shelf.

The day ended with the laughter and the cries of the children. Marie was still too small to join them. The quartet made up of two girls from Salvador and two boys from Diego got along wonderfully. Soledad asked if Isabel would allow the two brothers to come, from time to time, to spend a day or two with them, so that the cousins ​​could see each other more often.

They didn't live very far from each other, and Isabel gratefully agreed.

She was delighted that her boys could share moments with their cousins ​​after all the hardships they had been through.

She promised to bring them there often.