After dinner, Estrella Berrocal went upstairs first to unpack Adán Rouco’s bags.
Only then did he realize that he didn’t know what city he had gone to and what the weather was like there.
He ran to the studio to look for it.
“Adam, what cities are you going to exactly? So I can pack your clothes.”
“I’m going to London and Dublin first, but then it depends on the cities I’m going to, so pack a few things in the suitcase, you don’t have to be too careful.”
Estrella Berrocal leaned against the doorframe of his studio and let out a quiet “oh” as she watched him hard at work.
“So … you don’t know how long you’re going to be back?”
“At least a month and a half.”
Adán Rouco suddenly hung up the phone and turned to her: “I’ll be back as soon as I can”.
Estrella Berrocal said “yes”.
Adán Rouco called her over and sat her on his lap, putting his arm around her and saying, “If you get bored in the meantime, ask Dulcina Calvo to keep you company, huh?”
“Dulcina has been very busy lately, I don’t know what she’s been up to, I haven’t heard from her lately, I’ll ask her to go out to eat one day at the casserole.”
Adán Rouco’s brow furrowed when he heard talk of potaje, “Pregnant women should eat less potaje, you can call Dulcina Calvo at home and have Felipa make you homemade potaje, it will be much healthier than the ones outside.”
“I know, I’m not going to eat much, just once in a while, I haven’t even eaten stew since I got pregnant.”
Adán Rouco is satisfied, but his brow remains furrowed.
Estrella Berrocal reaches out and touches his brow, and Adán Rouco thinks for a moment and says, “I’m still a little uneasy, why don’t I ask Santino Yepes to stay?”
“And you?”
“I have other assistants.”
“The last assistant with big breasts?”.
Adán Rouco laughed: “Jealous?”.
Estrella Berrocal did not believe it: “I trust you, alone, abroad, but who knows what she is thinking, and you are so appetizing, what if she knocks on your door at night and you do not see her? Late at night, in the same room…”
“Well, the assistant resigned some time ago.”
Estrella Berrocal was a bit surprised: “Why did you fire her?”
“Do you need a reason, Mrs. Rouco didn’t like it, that’s reason enough to get rid of it.”
Estrella Berrocal felt a warmth in her heart and leaned into the crook of his neck, saying softly, “I like it when you do that, but aren’t you afraid people will call you a foolish ruler?”
“I do enjoy being a pushover ruler.”
Estrella Berrocal’s frown sharpened into a laugh, “So you’re still going abroad on business then.”
“Well, if you won’t let me go, I won’t.”
“Hey … I’m kidding.”
Adán Rouco raised his hand and stroked his long hair, “I’m kidding too.”
“You have lied to me again Adán Rouco how can I trust you in the future, you lie to me several times a day?”
Adán Rouco was in a much better mood, “By the way, the source of bone marrow for Mrs. Vasconcellos has been found and Andreo Fanta has set a time for the operation.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“If you’re not sure, I’ll send you to King City to spend some time with Ms.
Estrella Berrocal’s heart was warmed by the fact that, although Adán Rouco did not usually talk to her about family matters, he was always looking out for her and knew who she liked to be with and who she did not like to be with.
“Won’t Paulita be lonely when you go abroad for about ten days and I escape to Ciudad del Rey at this time of year? With the right medulla, Mrs. Vasconcellos should be fine and with my brother and Ciri Garzon with her, I wouldn’t worry about her operation, I’d rather stay home with Paulita.”
“Good, then don’t wander off, I heard from Andreo Fanta that Amara Montellano hasn’t been caught yet and it’s true that it’s not safe for you to go to King’s City.”
Estrella Berrocal threw her arms around his neck and rubbed it gently, “Adam, now that I have a family, and even more so you and Paulita, I feel as if my world has suddenly become richer, after my father’s death I always felt I was the loneliest person in the world, but now, because of you, I don’t feel lonely at all, thanks to You.”
The man kissed her on the forehead and said in a low voice: “Mrs. Rouco, I do not accept verbal thanks”.
Estrella Berrocal blushed to see such a serious and warm topic being addressed by Adán Rouco in one fell swoop.
“… My hands still hurt.”
Adán Rouco picked her up at once and left the studio in long strides. “I won’t be able to hug you, kiss you or touch you for a long time, and if they don’t let me touch you tonight, I’ll really die.”
“…”
Uncomfortable.
Adán Rouco was addicted to this.
But for Adán Rouco, a man who had opened up, if he could stop doing it, there must be something wrong somewhere.
…
In the middle of the night, Santino Yepes calls.
Adán Rouco cautiously got out of bed and took the phone into the bedroom to pick it up.
“How are the old folks, Bemabé Sabado and Elvio Alcántara?”.
“They’re on a sweep. They won’t be out for a while and they won’t be able to ruin our plans.”
“Then send someone to keep an eye on them.”
Adán Rouco hung up the phone and returned to the bedroom, hugging Estrella Berrocal and kissing her again.
…
The next morning, Estrella Berrocal drove Adán Rouco to the airport.
Santino Yepes and Facundo Montes had the good sense to get out of the car first and wait outside, leaving them space in the car.
Estrella Berrocal admonished them: “You’re sick to your stomach, I’ve packed medicine in your suitcase for your stomach and for a normal cold, so remember to ask Santino to get it for you if you can’t”.
“Okay.”
“And remember to call me when you get to London.”
“Okay, but with eight hours of time difference, are you sure you want me to call you? Wake you up and not get angry?”.
Estrella Berrocal muttered, “I’m not getting up, you have to call me, do you hear me?”.
His tone was a bit overbearing, but it went down extraordinarily well with Adán Rouco.
“I hear you, Mrs. Rouco.”
Adán Rouco embraced her in his arms and gave her a hug.
A farewell hug, affectionate, that had more strength than anything else.
“Mrs. Rouco, if I don’t leave, it’s really too late.”
“Mmm.”
Adán Rouco was about to get out of the car when Estrella Berrocal called him: “Is this the way you say goodbye to your wife?
Had the man forgotten something?
Adán Rouco did not react for a moment, but his lips were hot.
Estrella Berrocal wrapped her arms around his neck and tenderly brushed his thin lips.
Adán Rouco grabbed the back of her neck and gave her a deep kiss.
Each other, against their foreheads, panting slightly.
The man’s voice was a little hoarse: “Is this farewell enough?”.
“… Well, almost.”
Estrella Berrocal felt a bit pretentious, but the thought of Adán Rouco being away from her for so long made her inexplicably want to hug and kiss him.
Adán Rouco placed another soft kiss on her temple: “Take care of yourself”.
“You too.”
…
After saying goodbye to Adán Rouco, Estrella Berrocal spent a few extraordinarily boring days.
She contacted Dulcina, who had been busy with her thesis and had her feet on the ground, and Estrella Berrocal was too embarrassed to ask her to come.
Adán Rouco called her every night at 9:00 p. m., but for several days in a row, it was 9:30 p. m. at night and the call had not arrived.
Estrella Berrocal called, but there was no answer.
The old man suddenly came up from the first floor and knocked on Estrella Berrocal’s bedroom door.
“Star, are you asleep?”
“Dad? What’s wrong?”
“To which Western European country is Adam going on a business trip?”
“Yesterday it was said that the man had arrived in Italy.”
The old man said, “The news just reported that there was a terrorist shooting in Italy, and I’m a little worried because that country is usually unstable.”
Estrella Berrocal’s eyelashes fluttered and she immediately grabbed her phone and got out of bed.