FAMILY

We arrived at the park and my in-laws went for a walk, Ana, Celina and Lucas were playing tag and I was playing with Christopher who is still a little grumpy and sad.

-Carlos? (someone calls me)

When I looked it was Carmila coming towards me.

-Carmila!!(I said giving her a hug and my heart was beating a thousand per hour)

-Hey!!(she said greeting Christopher who still had a red nose and hid behind me)

-He had a fight with his brother and he's kind of upset. (I said)

-I see, it was good to meet you, I can't stay longer because I came with my parents and they are waiting for me.

-Beauty, we are talking. (I said giving her a hug, saying goodbye)

As soon as she left I stayed for a while looking at her, getting more and more distant, until my cell phone vibrated in my pocket and it was a message from the sister's brothers saying they were arriving at the bus station.

-Let's go? (I said raising Christopher who soon took his ship and grabbed my hand)

We went to the children who had stopped running and were buying popcorn with my in-laws.

-Let's go, your children are coming.(I said)

-How wonderful!(Said Marta)

-Do you want popcorn too?(offered my father-in-law to Christopher)

Christopher had already stopped crying, but he still had red eyes and was a little sick, so he didn't accept the popcorn and made me pick him up.

-At home I make popcorn for him. Shall we?

My father-in-law paid for the popcorn and we went home, we got home and the boys went to their rooms, my mother-in-law went to her room and Christopher went to play video games in the living room and I went to prepare a snack for my brothers-in-law.

-You have to be tougher with him. (Said my father-in-law sitting at the table)

-I prefer to sit and talk and I don't mind him crying once and for all while he's a human being. (I said taking the plates, glasses and cutlery)

-But he is a man.

-And what does that have to do with it? Look, I know what is best for MY CHILDREN. (I said emphasizing the phrase “my children”)

My father-in-law went up to stay with my mother-in-law and I went to finish preparing the table for my brothers-in-law. happier, they always got along well with me and when my in-laws made that absurd proposal they were the first ones to support me, so with their coming I was kind of gaining reinforcement in this difficult war.

I got home and left quickly again to go to the market. Receiving visitors and keeping it as expensive as traveling, I'll tell you

I bought several things to put together an afternoon snack. My brother and my late wife will arrive today.

My brother Max was older than me, but he would only have his first child at 3 months. He preferred to enjoy life before committing to a family

Max and I weren't exactly extremely close. Java well in my life I was always compared to it. And always in a pejorative way. I was the son who had a child very early, who has a job that is not important, who has weird friends. And so it goes.

And no, he didn't actively participate in those comparisons, but he never did anything. He just nodded as if he agreed with everything my parents said

. But at least I had Melissa. She and I are 15 years apart in age, I was already in high school when she was born. And I was strangely happy. I wasn't the most popular student at my school, nor the smartest. But to my sister I was always the most amazing person in the world. Because I was so much older than her when she entered school for real I had already gone to college, but whenever I went to visit my house she would come running, hug me and show me all the homework, obviously wanting my approval.

And for my part I was always about to be the best brother for her. She has always been very intelligent and committed to social causes, it is not for nothing that she does international relations. When I graduated, it was very common for my parents to leave her at my house so they could travel. This made us even closer. We watched movies, played chess and lived in puzzles. Yes, we were happily married. We still have the habit of making puzzles and framing them on the wall as if they were paintings.

Now that she is older, she is my main confidant, even more than my friends, I tell her everything. (I don't know if that counts as gossip)

When Alex died, she dropped out of college and came to stay with me. Yes, she is still in college today. It's not my fault. She is already doing her second degree. The first one was in international relations and the one she does now is in philosophy

. Well, it goes without saying that my kids love her. She's the cool, jovial tub

Now Alex's brothers are following the same logic. One likes me, and the other I suspect can't stand me. In this case Camilo is super understanding. It's a love of a person, the kind of people you swear they see the world in pink. He is always happy and sees the positive side of life. He is positive and an easy person to get along with.

He has red curly hair, lots of freckles, and a very white smile. I met him before Alex, and I will say, he is an extremely endearing person. We always got along well, and when I was still her boyfriend we became good friends. It's always that they are more with a little group, there was always someone who had a crush on him

Captivating, handsome, friendly. Yes he is the perfect combo. As he says himself. There is no lack of high esteem in this guy. His books are also very good. Yes , he is a writer . When he's not writing he owns a house and takes care of his daughters

His wife Ester was also an amazing person. A little more restrained than Camilo, but she was just as kind, a generous soul. She's a successful doctor, heir to a family of doctors, but oddly enough, she doesn't let money go to her head. Makes a point of always being a charitable soul. If I'm not mistaken, she has been to Doctor Without Borders 2 times, helping the most needy areas of our world

Julia and Sara are her daughters. Sara is only 5 months old and Julia is the age of my children. I think it's great when they come, but someone for the kids to play with is always nice. Being a housewife he ends up being a bit overprotective not only with his girls, but with my kids as well. I think it's funny how he borrows my kids when he comes over. Needless to say how much he helped me when Alex died

I appreciate him very much because of that, especially because Alex is his sister and the grief should have been even greater for him, and even then he always helped me and Sara generous and kind

Now Bernard . This guy hated me, I was sure of it. In fact I think he hates everyone. I've never seen this man smile. In fact, I've never seen anyone from your close family. His daughter was the most reproductive child I've ever known, and his wife never seemed to have any exceptions other than her plain face. If I had to describe that family in one way, it would be beige

what I see on Instagram (ok, I'm a gossip. Judge me that their daughter, Fernanda, who is now 16 years old, has entered a rebellious phase. She shaves half of his head, dyed his hair, because piercing, got a tattoo, which I think is fake

Well, I don't even need to say that I think this Christmas is going to catch fire. Well I'll be sitting in the cabin, because I refuse to do part of the show. Good that if the others get into a fierce fight I can divert the attention of my in-laws from me. Maybe these veins forget me a little, and stop trying to take my children away from me.

I came back home a while later than expected. The traffic stopped. As soon as I arrived I saw a car that was not mine, but it was well

known

. mate.(he gave me a hug and took part of the purchases)

I said hi to his daughters and his wife. Their gifts, which were always the most numerous, were already under the tree. Julia and my children were already playing around the house. His wife kept my in-laws company. When I hugged her and whispered in my ear.

-- run to the kitchen, save your skin, I'm already lost. (yes she was referring to my in-laws. As you can see, they weren't the dearest people in the world)

Camila and I set the table. He did things much faster and more conveniently than I did. He was a great housekeeper. And it cooked very well. Maybe I'll make him a cook this Christmas

. Well, when we stopped in the kitchen quickly to open some wine before calling everyone to the table, I saw that he was looking pretty awful, he didn't even look like the athletic guy I know he is. Not even me being sedentary was tired. Mainly because he does it normally

-- are you sedentary my friend? (I asked smiling)

-- before it was. (he replied looking at his glass)

Seeing that he seemed to have gotten a little down. This thing was nothing like one coming from you. So I insisted on taking the same stance.

- Hey, what's going on?

- cancer.

-- what ? Are you serious? How long ago? (I asked anxiously)

-- remember Julia's 10th birthday?

- Yes!

- well, do you remember that I left the party early? (I agreed remembering the party)

- they said you had drunk too much, and thought it was better to leave early

- Well, I didn't even drink at this party. I got really sick without having had anything to drink. Bernard annoyed me, saying that I gave pt at my daughter's party, while taking me to the hospital, so; it wasn't drinking

- I don't even know what to say. Do you want to sit down? (I asked pulling up a stool)

-- no hahaha, it's just that the chemistry tires me a little. And my lung doesn't cooperate either. (he spoke a little more excitedly)

-- is it in the lung? (I asked)

-- Yes. (he said with a drooping face)

-- will you need a transplant?

-- maybe

-- who already knows ?

-- you, Esther and my doctor.

-- didn't tell anyone else.?

-- my parents and mother brother have already lost Alex. I don't want them to worry. My daughter is too young for this

- it will be alright

- I hope so. I don't want to leave my family alone

-- it was that afternoon coffee, it's never ready. (my father-in-law shouted)

-- you can go to the table now, I'll just get the hot milk, father. (Camilo answered for me. Already much more excited. It seemed that the atmosphere in the kitchen could be cut so dense)

We left the kitchen and put the milk on the table and called the others.

-- Put a smile on your face, my dear. You look ugly with that sad frown. (Marta patted Camilo's chin lightly, as if telling him to get up)

Camilo quickly opened a smile on his face. As always, I think it's the first time I've seen that maybe your smiles hide a great sadness. I felt like screaming. DO NOT DO THIS TO HIM. HE IS SICK . BUT I didn't. He had trusted me. Nothing would come back that he didn't want

Important information. In case you haven't noticed, my in-laws are extremely stuck in the past. He thinks it essential that men do "man's things" if they were to still live in the medieval era. So they don't think Camilo should be someone to praise himself. So it's like him being mistreated by his parents and his brother. My wife defended him tooth and nail but unfortunately she is no longer here

. That's when I made a decision. If he needed it, I would be there to help him. He helped me a lot when my wife, his sister, died. Alex would cross the Atlantic for nothing to take care of Camilo, so I'm going to help him.