No Name

Chapter 22

-Nemo.

Those frogs are really weird, they are shaking, why are the singing frogs shaking or ... wait why are the frogs singing and I find this normal ?! Oh wait they are not shaking I am. I slap away the thing that's shaking.

-Did she just slapped your hand away?" I hear someone laughing from seemingly far away.

-Alba, go away or I will be the one slapping you. Nemo, wake up, we have arrived.

They are even saying my name, crazy!

-She looks funny when she sleeps mouth open and all, like a kid.

-Alba, she is a kid. Come on nena, wake up.

-Mama ? I open my eyes and see Ale shaking me and smiling. "Oh, Ale what ? Oh we've arrived ?

-Si. Ready ?

-Yep." Absolutely not! I just woke up! Did I drool, Mama said I drool when I sleep, she also said it was cute. But she is biased, she is blinded by love, she thinks everything I do is cute. Someone please answer me, do I have crust in my eyes, do I have some drool left on my cheeks ?! Oh no. Alba is already at the door knocking. I am really not ready, I think I feel a little sick.

"-Ale ? I think ..." She turns toward me a smile on her face while behind her the door opens, revealing a woman who is probably around fifty or a bit more, her face has aged nicely, in the light you can see her face clearly, her face shows she has lived. She is marked by life, joy, pain, and just the way she lived seems written on her face with the wrinkles around her eyes, and her mouth.

"-Alexia, where is the child you have been hiding away from us ,nena ? Nemo ?

-Hola, Eli." I smile reassured, Eli, Alexia's mom, is the Eli from the beach that night in Ibiza, I didn't see her and Alba well in the dark but I saw enough of Eli to recognize her. That explains why I thought Alba looked familiar.

-Well, Nemo I am really happy to see you again, how is your Mom ? You seem pretty alive to me so she mustn't have ripped you into shreds.

I laughed and went ahead to greet Eli.

-No, she just confiscated my phone. She was mainly scared for me. It was stupid of me. It's nice to meet you again, Eli.

When I got closer to her, Eli engulfed me in a hug. I think this woman might give one of the best hugs I have ever received in my life. Alexia and Alba are really lucky, I hope they realize that.

After hugging me she sent me to follow Alba inside the house and greeted her oldest on the front of the house. Inside the house there were photos of Alexia and Alba when they were younger everywhere. There were also a lot of photos of them and their father, Jaume. When you advance in the house there are a bit more of photos that seem more modern, Alexia and Alba both have aged and their features are much more precise. They already look a bit older than I do on some of them. One of them caught my attention more than the others, it's a photo of Mamà and Alexia.

"-This Jenni Hermoso, she used to play with Ale in Barcelona. She is also...

-Alba, she knows Jenni, she played with her in PSG." Cut Alexia.

-Oh.

-She is your girlfriend." I say matter of factly. Mamà looked much younger on this. It must be a pretty old photo. " When was this taken ?" I turn around to look at Alexia who seems a stunned while Alba is desperately trying not to laugh, while Eli ... well she is looking at me intensely.

-Ale ?

-A couple of years ago, maybe four now." She automatically answers. I turn back around to look at the picture "Wait! Am I that obvious ?" She asks frantically.

-No, but I am short and pretty calm on a daily basis, so people don't notice."

-I forgot you were a ninja for a second." She deadpans.

I can't actually say to her that she hasn't let anything slip out in front of me. But Mamà keeps me updated on how it's going on between them, because she wants to reassure me. I appreciate it a lot.

Dinner went really well, the conversation flowed not thanks to me but Alba made a point of telling me to come to her for the catalan lesson since she is studying to be a teacher. I think it suits her, I think she is gonna be the kind of teacher student remember, the kind that impacts your life. The teacher which you'll remember their name your whole life. After dinner when Alexia and Alba went to clean and get everything back in the kitchen I went to move but Eli took me to the living room reminding me that I was a guest.

-Nemo." She sat down on a couch near the wall away from the kitchen. "Close the door, por favor."She looks at me, while I approach to sit in front of her on the other sofa. "You know you take a lot after your mother." I look up at her in shock thinking she can't know, when I have successfully reassured myself, she continues like she had never stopped talking. "The one who adopted you, not your biological one. I don't know her. Really I think it's quite funny that Alexia hasn't realized yet. Don't worry I won't tell her. I will call Jenni after to talk to her about taking you away from them both from time to time. How is your Abuela doing ?

-She is doing good." I answer without thinking. That woman is scary. How did she realize ? "How ... ?" How , what am I supposed to ask that ?!

-You know I saw Jenni arrive in Barcelona, and Alexia and her were together for a long time, but they were friends first. And she just like Ale was still growing, she was just a young adult at the time. I saw her mannerism evolve with her and you. Nemo Hermoso," she smiles mischievously, I know who Alexia got that smile from, clue it wasn't her father. " You have the same smile as your mom when she is confused, but it's also the way you move. You took a lot from Jenni. It's normal, I think in a couple of months you'll take some mannerism from Alexia, and maybe from Alba and I too. You are like a sponge, the people you love and look up to they shape you, in the way you want to become."

She smiles at me, and looks at the door, then she grabs a board game from the table beside the couch and points to the couch again.

"Before they arrive to play. Welcome to the family Nemo Hermoso... And future Putellas or maybe Putellas Hermoso, well you will all decide on that later."

That woman needs to stop dropping bombs like it's nothing that my heart won't be able to survive it longer.

Sorry for the wait, I won't make any excuses I just didn't have the time, I am currently trying to find a sandwich cursus in cycle mechanics and I am missing an workshop. So it might take times for the rest of the chapter but they'll be getting out at some point. Nemo is living rent free in my head so she needs to get out at some point before I turn crazy.

I am sorry for any grammatical errors, english is not my first language. If you have any suggestion write me please.