Beyond the end

Misunderstanding

Andrea was spending a few minutes, waiting for Clare to arrive. She had inquired with Philipe Carson, the surgeon who had operated on the rector. The night had passed quietly, the man had responded well to the operation, but he was still sedated for the cardiocirculatory values.
"Still here, Dr. Zuckerman?"
"Philipe – she smiled – I am waiting for Clare Arnold. I want to give her updates on her father"
"I should be able to do it, just as I gave them to you"
"Don't be touchy, she's a friend of mine and maybe she finds more comfort to hear them from my voice"
"But if the news is positive, what comfort does she need?" Dr. Carson sat down at the table in the doc room to sip a coffee "You seem a little stressed, Andy"
"Andy?"
"Yes, don't you like it?"
Andrea replied "To tell the truth no, my name is Andrea"
"Okay, Andrea" he chanted the words well; "sorry, I didn't want to stiffen you"
"Don't worry, after a blank night, some not really kind answers are understandable. Philipe, I know very little about you. Are you from Los Angeles?"
"Yes, born and raised in the California sun. You?"
"Me too; but I've been absent for several years"
"Why?"
"A failed marriage behind it, it's a long story"
"I feel you; don't I have these long stories to tell?"
"Have you ever been married?"
"I didn't have the time"
"Why?"
"I had to excel in my job"
"Someone here has lost sight of modesty"
Philipe smiled, "It has nothing to do with modesty. My parents didn't want me to be a doctor"
"Why?"
"They wanted me to take care of the family business; a real economic empire"
"A tear-breaking story: the rich scion who fights with his father because he wants to cure the destitute"
'More or less'
"And did you succeed?"
'More or less'
The conversation was pleasant, Andrea was starting to like that man.
"I'm here now, my parents accepted my choice, but I had to promise that if I had to regret the medicine, I would go back without delay to help my cousin Stuart. An idiot emeritus who now manages everything"
"Stuart Carson?"
"Do you know him?"
"More or less. She was about to marry one of my best friends. That then, precisely because she realized that he was an jerk, called the wedding off"
"Yes, this story is not new to me. Someone must have told me; while he was a heartthrob, I was working hard, I had to prove that this was my real way. It was the only way to escape from the clutches of the family"
"Dr. Zuckerman?" A nurse entered the room "there is a girl asking about you;
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No thanks, I'll do it"
"Why don't we continue this conversation at dinner?"
Andrea was teased by the idea, she liked that guy more and more "It seems like a good idea, but not tonight. I have to make up for the missed night's sleep, otherwise I would be a zombie"
"As you want Dr. Z. to let me know then"
"I won't miss it" and headed to the waiting room, with a spontaneous smile and the joy that the news always brings with them.
Andrea found herself in front of Clare, with the face of those who had just finished crying.
"Clare, but maybe you misunderstood the news you were given last night?"
"In what sense?"
"Your father is fine, the operation went well. In fact, he spent the night peacefully, so the surgery was fully successful. It's still sedated because he has to rest, but you'll be able to see him tomorrow."
The first smile opened on Clare's face, from 12 hours to that part "I'm happy"
"So why did you cry?"
"Steve"
"Steve what?"
"Nothing" Clare shook her head
she would have liked to start crying again; she would have wanted to shout the indign she felt for a betrayal suffered, from the man he loved and the girl with whom she shared the apartment, because it was evident that she was not his friend; she would have wanted to hug the only man able to comfort her, but who at that moment was unconscious.
"Nothing Andrea, I'm just very tired and still scared. A little too emotional. But I'm fine. Thank you"
And she hugged her, with a weak squeeze.
Ecuador
Ecuador had also become Brenda's place. They came and went from those enchanted places as soon as possible. She could fully understand why Dylan had found his refuge in those places, which were now also her own.
she settled under the magnolia in the garden along with Blanca and Isabel. They cleaned green beans for dinner. An impressive amount of green beans and vegetables to cut.
Blanca smiled at her, committed to breaking the tips precisely and letting go of the good pieces inside the open cloth. They played games with English-language words in which Isabel also participated. Spelling games and competitions with other kids. Brenda looked at that little girl while she was busy with something else. She was hopelessly attracted to her.
"So how's it going with the show?" Isabel asked her.
"Well" Brenda smiled "very well, we're proceeding with the shooting, well" Brenda stopped "apart from this little vacation."
Isabel smiled "what about Dylan?"
"Very good," Brenda said convinced, "you know there was a difficult time but we got over it."
Isabel peered at Brenda's eyes and then turned to Blanca alone.
"Sweety I think it's time for homework"
"No give me another five minutes I like to stay here"
"Blanca.." Isabel gently scolded her.
The little girl showed a faint disappointment "it's okay" hugged Brenda loudly who greeted her with an affectionate "see you later".
Both followed her with their eyes as she slipped into the shadow of the house.
"She's a wonderful little girl," Brenda said.
"It's true," Isabel nodded with a smile, "unfortunately she's not lucky with adoptions. One just failed."
"Really?" Brenda asked.
"An international adoption, the documents are all in the hands of social workers. Blanca speaks English, I thought she would be among the first to leave. But I'm sure they'll find her a good family. In short, when you do this job you know that sooner or later these guys will leave, either because they have come of age, or because someone welcomes them. The only thing that remains is the hope that they are well and that the memory of the past period here will always remain. Let them come back just to tell us they're fine."
"Has anyone ever come back?"
"Someone"
"were they okay?"
"Someone wasn't, unfortunately. Sometimes bad luck is an evil witch."
"And you're not afraid?" Asked Brenda "I really don't know how you let them go"
"I have to," Isabel replied, "we can't keep them forever. I have to have confidence in the world. Having children is an act of trust in the world."
"I'm sorry you can't have any of your own," Brenda said naively.
"What makes you think I can't have any?" Isabel asked.
"Oh sorry"
"No," she smiled, "don't worry. I can have children Brenda but I chose not to have any I already have my kids here. I wanted to take pain out of the world in this way, there is so much need.
Brenda was listening to her kidnapped and almost at fault for her inability to have similar feelings. She still came up with entangled tears, you don't know exactly where.
"What's going on?" Isabel asked.
"Dylan and I are trying to have a baby, well you know, after what happened, it's been over a year that we've been trying. It's a frustrating suffering. Sometimes I think he doesn't want it, I mean, he has Sammy, maybe he's satisfied with that, but I can't find peace."
"I understand," Isabel replied, "but how do you say he doesn't want it? Is that what he told you?"
"Dylan would do anything to make me happy. He would say everything. He feels guilty but I feel something is missing. Sometimes I blame myself I think I'm the one who's too hectic and that just because he doesn't have my rhythm doesn't mean he doesn't care. But then you see? We take, we leave, we would no longer have that freedom that he also had with Sammy and which I would gladly give up. That strange feeling I feel is that I'm not sure he would give it up."
"You only have one solution, talk to him clearly"
Brenda shook her head.
Blanca went out at that moment.
Brenda looked at her, in the curved and young features. She would have really liked to have a daughter like her one day. With that same vividness in the eyes.
With that flicker and that higher intelligence. Smart.. Energetic.
Los Angeles.
Brandon was waiting at the airport. Kelly should have landed from San Francisco at times. Fortunately Grace had fallen asleep during the car ride and Sammy was busy getting massaged by those armchairs by a coin. He laughed like crazy and made Brandon smile too.
That evening he was going to talk to her. Kelly's path was halfway. There were still several weeks to go, she had matured the idea of resign from High School so it was evident that by now she had immersed herself and entered that new career, and in fact she was reborn and if somehow Brandon felt proud to have been part of that turning point, as a silent and faceless hero, on the other hand he felt that that summer would be cruciale for him too. An opportunity like the one Simmons had proposed to him could be worth gold for his career and some trains don't go over easily. Sammy had moved to do somersaults on the fixed barriers, under Brandon's watchful eye.
"Please be careful," he had asked him.
His cell phone rang.
"Steve Hi"
"I messed up Bran" Steve's voice was a mixture of confusion and consternation.
"What happened"
"Arnold felt sick tonight he is hospitalized by Andrea"
"What?" Brandon asked.
"No, don't worry now he is out of danger. They put a by pass on him, intensive care is just a routine"
"I have to go there later then"
"And how do they don't let children in"
"No, Kelly is coming back, I'm at the airport, no problem," Brandon replied quite frustrated.
By now his friends considered him a kind of desperate Housewife.
"In short, what would be the mess you made?"
"I messed up with Clare"
"Why doesn't this surprise me?"
"Because you know me"
"In fact, where are you now?"
"I believe in the hospital at Andrea's."
Brandon turned around with a look at Grace and Sammy. The time to frame him and with a thud Sammy had fallen face to face from one of his somersaults. Directly on the dotted marble of arrivals.
The baby had a bleeding mouth.
Brandon hung up without thinking about it.
He helped Sammy get up. He recovered Grace and they went to the bathroom. He tried to wash away his blood that came out copiously and kept reassuring him, that it was nothing. Meanwhile, the lip swelled and Grace also showed signs of impatience.
"Please Sammy stay still or I can't see what you've done to yourself"
Sammy was agitating and stained his shirt with blood.
"You hurt me"
"Hell Sammy stop"Brandon had yelled at him enough to make him stop with tears hanging in his eyes.
"You're not my father," Sammy told him in a terrible way.
"You're right, I'm not, but whether you like it or not you have to listen to me now."
He finished cleaning him and in the end there was a small cut under the lower lip. He asked for ice at the first aid point ..
The nurse took a look at him. It was nothing serious. The lip would have been swollen for a few days but now Sammy refused to talk to him.
They went back. The doors opened and they saw Kelly coming out accompanied by her colleague Mcgragor. A handsome professor who stretched his hand on Kel's back to accompany her on a beautiful walk.
Brandon became nervous at sight and Kelly noticed.
The bad mood added to the bad mood.
Kelly immediately saw Sammy's swollen lip which threw himself into his mother's arms despairing more for being badly scolded by Brandon than for his sore lip.
"It was an accident, Kel"
"But where were you looking" Kelly was unwell. Tired of the trip, she didn't know what had happened
"I was on the phone with Steve"
"Ah great. And where was Grace hanging at check in?" Said sarcastic Kelly.
"He also yelled at me," Samuel pressed.
Kel gave him a malevolent look.
"Congratulations," she said sarcastically.
Again that suffocating tone. That hint of sarcasm, that not knowing what to say.
"I just told him to stand still"
Brandon reached out his arm to touch Sammy but that one hid behind his mother.
As if Brandon were the public danger to them.
This hurt Brandon enormously.
"It was just an accident."
Kel looked at him with reproachful eyes.
"It doesn't seem to me that nothing has been done."
"As you like Kelly. And amazing how you turn everything against me, I get my ass like that to try to support you in this thing and look at the result."
Bran nervously took Grace from the stroller and walked towards the exit pushing with frustration, his life, those moments.
"The car is there."
Kel followed him holding Sammy by the hand.
She was sorry for the tone she had used with Brandon. Lately they couldn't have a normal conversation, that wasn't before a fight. A misunderstanding. Screaming at each other. They were transforming. Distorting.
It seemed that that transformation of hers was moving her away from him, that she was destroying them. She had to acknowledge to Brandon that he had done an extraordinary job, which few would do, but her new she liked, made her feel safe and secure.
When they got home Kel pulled out the box with one of the transformers Brandon had pointed out to her.
"I know you've been good," she said to Sammy, handing it to him.
"Just what I wanted, thank you mom!"
Kelly smiled at him then looked at Brandon with embarrassed eyes. She had taken a merit that she did not have, that he had indicated.
When the children had both fallen asleep Kel came down to Brandon, sitting in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry I reacted that way at the airport," she said to him.
Brandon gave her a meager look.
"I guess ."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want to fight with you again Kel"
"We're not fighting"
"Really? Lately it seems like it's the only thing we know how to do," Brandon replied, "or you go out for work or we fight."
Kel looked hurt.
"Tell me something, why did you give him a box of transformers? Didn't you get the lego?"
"You told me he wanted that"
"That's it, Kelly . Sammy is the one " you're not my father", we could at least give it to him together instead of being you the good fairy and I'm the one who makes him break his face against the marble."
"When did he tell you this?" Kelly asked surprised.
"Today. After getting hurt."
"Agree," Kelly said, "my guilt towards the children wanted to overdo it. I'm sorry"
"This one already heard too."
"What's wrong with you?" Kel asked him.
"I'm going back to work next week, I have urgent things to do, we need to get someone to help us."
Kel visibly got angry "these weren't the pacts"
"Yes, the pacts have changed. We can do both. As millions of people in the world do. I just don't understand you Kel. What else do you want from me. What do I need to do to make you happy. I've barely seen you for two months. When you come or sleep, or work."
"It's my job."
"and that's mine... " Brandon said her "look, I'm going back to work, I'm going to arrange intewiews to get someone to help us."
"I don't want anyone in this house. I don't want strangers." Kelly shouted.
Brandon had a sarcastic smile.
"I knew it was a mistake"
"What?" Kel asked.
"Coming back From Washington"
Brandon uttered that words but immediately regretted it. It was also painful for him, dictated by anger, by misunderstanding. She didn't even know exactly how she came out. He was angry. He was tired. Maybe it was going to hurt her like she had hurt him. Kel stood motionless. She got those silent tears of those who don't twist their faces but let everything flow out like a linear pain and Bran would have liked to take her with if he apologized. But he also accused of loneliness. The lack. The lack of care.
he got up and overtook her without looking at her, leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Kel asked him as he watched him pick up the car keys.
"I need some fresh air, I don't have to ask you permission for this bullshit too. Don't worry when I get back you'll have plenty of time to make my life an hell," he replied, closing the door behind him.
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