Open House: Sold

All's Fair In Love And Poetry

"I mean it, if u need anything, if he becomes too much or if u just get sick and tired of running behind 2 10-year-olds, u call me and I'll be on the first plane back!" I say to Helen, the mom of one of Victor's closest friends. 

"Don't even think about it, Peter is very excited to spend 10 days with Victor. I'm sure they won't be a problem. U go and get some much-needed rest!" she says smiling bright, and I try very hard not to cringe

"Alright then, I'm leaving. Thank u so much, I'll bring u something very nice, I promise!" I say smiling and then go back to the car

"Tell me again why we don't like her?" Carlos asks as we drive away

"She's so fake! Both her body and personality. I bet she'll gossip about us for a month. And I know I'm being petty, but I want her to think about us enjoying every second of our vacation, while she has to stay here for her beauty salon!"

"Oh, we'll get so many photos and videos, she'll eat her nails one by one!" Carlos says, matching my petty energy, and I chuckle

"I hate to have asked her for help, though, she won't shut up about it"

"If she's so fake, how do u trust her with our son?"

"Well, her son is a very nice and polite boy, so she must have done something right. Besides, Aurora promised to call Victor every night to make sure he's having fun. They even have a safe word in case of emergency"

"I'm so proud of our daughter, honestly!"

"Me too. Happy parents and healthy parenting makes kids like that. And choosing the right friends. Honestly, she could have turned out a total bitch if she had chosen to hang with the wrong group of friends"

"She's probably as intuitive as u are. It's not easy to think straight at this age"

"True that. Anyway, let's just stop worrying for our kids for now, ok? We promised to have fun and clear our minds"

"Yes, that we did! Phil has told me about some great places in Florida to visit"

"So nice of him to lend us his father's house"

"He was more than happy to accommodate us. He has it just standing there empty since his father died"

"We're staying at the guest room, though. I'm dead serious about that!" I say and he laughs

"So superstitious...Frank would be so happy for us using his bed!"

"Well, I'm sure, he was a delightful man, but if I'm gonna start having sex with u again, I'm not doing it on a dead guy's bed"

"Whatever u want, bunny. I want u to feel comfortable anyway" he says and then takes my hand and kisses it

~~~

The 10 days we spent in Florida were absolutely amazing! I don't know if it was the change of scenery or the fact that I instantly felt very calm once I realized we were on vacation, but it only took one failed attempt to kick start our sex life again. Of course I was still worried and stayed up the first few nights to make sure Carlos was ok, but then I convinced myself that we can't live like that for the rest of our lives and that we don't know how much sex we have left, so we have to cherish every moment of it. 

So, when we went back home, things were as calm and happy as they can be. Because of the limited work there is during August, Carlos decided to work from home and I started prepping for the new classes. When I would return home, we would either go out just the 2 of us or along with the kids. And just like that, September came and we had to start getting emotionally ready to get into our routines again. 

~~~ 

The weekend before the kids had to go back to school, specifically on Sunday, after we had coffee with Gloria in the morning, we went back to her house, since we had arranged to have dinner with the whole family. 

"Where's everybody?" I ask as we get in the house, since I don't hear talking

"Outside, come" Gloria says, closing the door behind her, and leads the way

When we get outside, I see everyone in very nice clothes, close to a big flowery arch, with Phil under it

"What's going on here?" I ask confused

"There you are, we are already starving!" I hear Carlos saying from behind me, so I turn to look at him, only to see him in a white shirt and khaki pants, smiling at me

"¿Que es eso, mi vida? (What's that, my life?)" 

"Well, what we went through made me think about our life so far and what the future might hold for us. I was talking with Phill one day about it and he asked me if I think that my heart attack, the fact that I survived it, actually, without leaving any other problems, made me feel like I got a second chance in life. I then corrected him, saying that my second chance in life was when you forgave me and let me back into your life. That got me thinking; what if I shielded this third chance in life like I shielded the second one? A.k.a with marrying you? The closest thing to that, is renewing our vows. Phill was more than happy to do this again for us, so I decided to do it"

"Duckie..." I say, with tears in my eyes

"So, mi vida, mi sol, ¿Me harías el honor de casarte conmigo otra vez? (So, my life, my sun, will you do me the honors of marrying me once again?)" he asks, taking my hands in his and looking me deep in the eyes

"¡Por supuesto, mi amor! (Of course, my love)" I answer and he smiles wide, before giving me a soft kiss, as everyone starts clapping

"I would marry you 100 times more, for all it's worth" I say smiling, pressing my forehead against his

"I know, baby. I would too" he replies and gives me another kiss

---

Yes. Their relationship started in a weird and a little unethical way, but you can always right a wrong. And that's what Carlos did when he owned his mistake and became a better man; A man his kids would admire and Penny would feel proud for. Sure, what he did to Matteo wasn't fair at all, but I don't think anyone can deny that he suffered enough when he lost 5 whole years, away from the love of his life and the fruit of their love. 

Thing aren't always black or white-they can't be. There's always this grey area that some people ignore, mostly on purpose, because they don't want to admit to themselves that they're not above board either. Sometimes you are what you did and sometimes you're not. You can be a good person and still do bad things. What makes you good, though, is your willingness to see your mistakes, take responsibility for your action and try to fix it. Most mistakes are made when people aren't where they're supposed to be, no matter whether the place was good in general or not; it just wasn't right for them. And the sooner you find the right place for you, the sooner you'll become the best version of yourself. Remember that the next time you judge someone for their mistakes.

And as my friend Taylor Swift says: All's fair in love and poetry...