The Book of Love

1969

„Come quickly. It's going to happen any minute!"

A smile crossed Marta's face as she heard Fina's excited voice from the living room. She was standing in the kitchen with Luz and they had just been talking about getting older. In view of her approaching 50th birthday, Marta had recently been thinking more about what the future may hold. And sometimes she wondered whether she would remain attractive to Fina when her hair turned even grayer and her wrinkles deeper. Actually, it was a silly thought, because there was nothing to suggest that the attraction between them would wane. And Marta also had to admit that Fina had also found her first gray hair, and Marta not only didn't mind, but even found it sexy. Maybe it was also because Fina's beauty did not lie in her appearance, or at least not entirely, but in her courage, her openness, her laughter, her persistent flirting, her warm looks and in her big, big heart, which she - and that was still a miracle - had given to Marta alone.

„Por díos, Marta. How long? 11 years? You've been together for 11 years and you still sometimes resemble a teenager in love. Still those expressions. I'm really jealous." Luz shook her head, but a broad smile could be seen in her eyes.

Marta blushed, but said, „You'll have that again."

„Sometimes I wonder if I should try it with women."

„Cómo?" Begoña had also entered the kitchen at that moment. Despite her tiredness, she opened her eyes wide. However, her surprise was at Luz's remark.
After Jésus' „hunting accident", she and Marta had had many open conversations. They had spent several evenings together on the balcony overlooking Toledo, and to her own surprise, Begoña had felt comfortable for the first time on this finca that she had actually hated so much and had wanted to leave. But after the threats had disappeared and Marta had introduced her to the business side of the factory, her feelings had changed, and she held Marta responsible for that. She had persuaded her to stay and made her feel capable and in the right place from the very beginning. And she was probably also largely responsible for the fact that the investigation into Jesus' accident had been dropped. Even Andrés had given up his initial resistance. His hope or fear that their feelings for each other would revive was quickly dispelled when Begoña made it clear to him that she was no longer interested in any de le Reina man, but only in a good, safe life for herself and her daughter.
For a long time, she also thought that she and Marta shared a similar fate and were trapped in a marriage that could be euphemistically described as unhappy - and from which Marta was only freed after Jaime's death. But the more time they spent together, the clearer it became to her that Marta's inner motor was driven by another love that gave her the strength and courage that Begoña would always admire. And when Begoña finally confronted her about it, Marta had become nervous, but she had not denied it. The question of whether Begoña could keep this secret to herself had never really arisen. Marta was not only the most normal and warm-hearted person in the family, her loyalty and friendship had saved Begoña. She didn't care about anything else.

„Oh please, don't tell me that you of all people still have hope for a man," Begoña was now teased by Luz.
Begoña shook her head. „But with a woman? I don't know..."
Luz grinned. „Is there still something left over from your Catholic upbringing?"

Begoña's response was merely a snort. After a short while, she added: „I wouldn't even know how it would work with a woman. Not that my experiences with men would speak in favor of a repeat, but..."
She turned to Marta, who had just gotten her second coffee in the last hour and was sipping carefully at the hot drink. „Don't you miss having sex?"

It took a moment for Marta to recover from her cough. She really didn't want to have this conversation with her sister-in-law. She saw Luz grinning out of the corner of her eye and sent her a look for help. But Luz preferred to take the opportunity to make Marta squirm a little.