California Dreamin

23

When he left, everything was different, but "different" doesn't equal "bad".
After healing, she swore to herself to never think about him.
As a matter of fact, shortly after that, everything started falling into place.

She even got her best friend back, Nancy, but this time they promised each other to not let a boy get between them ever again.

Her mother even met an handsome man. He was good and always treated her like she deserved. He was also a good figure to Nina. He knew she already had a father, so he always respected her spaces and her personality. Still, they were bonding really well and Ms. Ayala loved it.
Christopher Carter was his name. He was north american, from Los Angeles.

He always hoped that one day he was able to take them with him, but he knew the law and he was more than willing to respect it as one day he got down on one knee and proposed to Nina's mother.

While Nina and her mother were outside buying some groceries, he organized everything, decorating the living room with white flowers and little candles.

It was all so perfect and romantic, so when Nina's mother started crying before saying yes, even Nina got emotional.

She hoped to see Richard at the wedding, as the entire Ramirez family was there, but of course it didn't happen. Who knows what he was doing, if he was well and eating properly.

Even Ruben came back for Ms. Ayala who at that point became Ms. Carter, but Richard didn't.

Ruth and her brothers were very careful when it came to talking about Richard, they always nominated him when Nina wasn't around, scared of how she could possibly react.

She stopped talking about him to Ruth just a week after his departure, so the older lady thought it was her way to deal with his absence. She wasn't totally wrong.

Nina didn't want to think about him, she was tired of crying and she was so angry that she decided to forget him...Even though she never actually got over him.

She refused every guy who tried to hit on her, even if they were really nice to her, something she was really used to.

But she was more that glad to leave El Paso to go to Los Angeles with her mother and Christopher, especially when she found out she was about to have a little sibling to take care of.

Of course she and Diego were confused at first because they didn't think her mother was still able to get pregnant, especially after eighteen years.
"Seems like everything is possible then." Diego joke around.

As much as she was happy to go to Los Angeles, she truly hoped to never see Richard.
"I mean, it's such a big city, how many chances there are that we meet each other, seriously?" She would say, while Ruth helped her pack her bags up.

"It depends, do you want me to be completely honest with you?"
When the young girl nodded, the older one kept going.
"A lot. It's a big city, not endless. Sooner or later you'll meet again, it's not a big deal."
She spoke with her unsure tone. It was the first time in so many months they spoke about him so she was still trying to test the waters.

"What do you mean 'not a big deal'?!" Nina questioned her with irritation clear in her voice.
"Did you forget how he abandoned me?"

Ruth fought the urge to roll her eyes and slap her face. She knew how hurt Nina was but at the same time she always thought how forgiveness was the best solution for everything.
"You know, holding grudges won't get you anywhere, I thought I'd taught you better than this."

Nina, however, did roll her eyes shamelessly.
"You're only saying this because he's your little sweet brother." She mocked her, speaking in a fake cute way.

"As I'm not used to you two fighting all the time and you know I've never defended him."
Ruth shrugged her shoulders calmly but when the young girl stared at her with her lips pressed in a thin line and her hands on her hips, indicating her disagreement with that statement, she jokingly took a shirt and hit the girl with it.
"Don't you dare! What are you trying to insinuate, huh?" She pretended to be offended by Nina's silent accusations while trying not to laugh.

"Alright, whatever." Nina rolled her eyes once again before joining the older girl and laugh.

When they were done with the luggages, they hugged for what felt like years, not bothering to contain their tears. Of course they were going to miss each other, Nina grew up with Ruth, she was like a sister to her and there was no distance able to erase that.

But only a few months after their moving in the late 1979, someone was actually coming back to El Paso, just to find an unpleasant and unexpected surprise.