Chapter 13
1533 Words
Mamacita returned to her house that evening with a mind heavier than her body.
The sun had already set, but her thoughts were louder than the crickets outside. She closed her gate slowly and entered her small sitting room, dropped her handbag on the chair, and sat down without turning on the television.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
But it wasn’t the silence of the house that disturbed her.
It was the silence from Anita.
Something about Anita’s reaction earlier refused to leave her mind.
“Why would he do that?”
That statement.
It kept echoing.
Not the words alone.
But the tone.
The sharpness.
The disbelief.
Why would he do that?
Mamacita leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
What did she mean by that?
Why wouldn’t Daniel propose to Ella?
Ella is beautiful. She is kind. She is vulnerable. She needs stability.
Why would Anita react like that?
She stood up and began pacing slowly.
And then another sentence replayed in her head.
“You’re lucky. Not everyone gets who they want.”
That one hit differently.
Not everyone gets who they want.
Mamacita stopped walking.
Her heart skipped.
Wait.
Is it what I’m thinking?
She sat down again, her mind racing.
Sis Anita likes Daniel.
The realization came slowly… then fully.
She replayed moments in her mind.
The way Anita always defended Daniel.
The way her eyes softened when he spoke.
The subtle excitement when he visited.
The disappointment she tried to hide when Daniel focused on Ella.
It had been there.
Mamacita just hadn’t paid attention.
And now?
Daniel proposed to Ella.
Of course Anita would react.
Of course it would hurt.
Mamacita sighed deeply.
She lay down on her bed but sleep refused to come.
She turned left.
Turned right.
Closed her eyes.
Opened them again.
Every time she was about to drift off, the same sentence echoed again:
Not everyone gets who they want.
Around midnight, she sat up.
“This is serious,” she whispered to herself.
If Anita truly has feelings for Daniel…
And Daniel is proposing to Ella…
This house is sitting on a silent volcano.
She barely slept that night.
By the time the first c**k crowed at dawn, she was already awake.
Sunlight slowly pushed through her window.
She stood up immediately.
No more thinking.
She needed answers.
She hurriedly took her bath, tied her wrapper, and left her house earlier than usual.
The air was still fresh.
Dew still clung to the grass.
The morning was peaceful.
But Mamacita’s mind was not.
When she arrived at Ella’s house, she knocked lightly and let herself in.
The house was quiet.
She smiled slightly.
Good.
Ella was still sleeping.
That meant she and Anita could talk freely.
She walked softly to Anita’s room and knocked gently.
“Sis Anita?”
A sleepy voice answered. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Anita stood there in her nightwear, eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Mamacita? So early?”
“Yes,” Mamacita said seriously. “We need to talk.”
Anita’s expression changed slightly.
She stepped aside to let her in.
They sat on the edge of the bed.
The room was calm.
But tension hung in the air.
“Sis Anita,” Mamacita began carefully, “I need you to be honest with me.”
Anita frowned slightly. “About what?”
“What do you feel about Daniel?”
Anita stiffened.
“Daniel?” she repeated.
“Yes. Daniel.”
Anita forced a small smile.
“He’s a very good man. He’s kind. Responsible. That’s all.”
Mamacita shook her head slowly.
“No, sister Anita. Don’t pretend like you don’t understand the question I asked you.”
Silence.
Anita’s lips trembled slightly.
She looked away.
Mamacita waited.
Then suddenly—
Anita burst into tears.
Real tears.
Not controlled.
Not hidden.
Mamacita quickly moved closer and held her shoulders.
“Hey… hey…”
Anita wiped her face roughly.
“Mamacita,” she said through sobs, “you are my sister’s best friend. You are also my sister. We’ve moved from family friends to being family.”
Mamacita nodded gently.
“I would not lie to you on this matter,” Anita continued, her voice breaking. “I feel something for Daniel.”
There it was.
The truth.
Out in the open.
Mamacita felt a mix of relief and sadness.
Anita continued speaking.
“When we met at the mall that day, he was nice to me. So polite. So calm. We became friends. He was nice to my sister too. He stepped in when nobody else did.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks again.
“He even took responsibility for the unborn baby.”
Her voice cracked.
“I developed feelings… hoping he would like me in return.”
Mamacita swallowed.
“But he chose my sister,” Anita finished softly. “This is heartbreaking.”
The room fell silent except for Anita’s quiet sobs.
Mamacita pulled her into a gentle hug.
“I understand you, sister Anita. Please don’t cry.”
Anita’s body trembled slightly.
“It hurts,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“I didn’t plan to like him,” Anita continued. “It just happened. Every time he visited, every time he spoke… I thought maybe… maybe he was looking at me too.”
She laughed bitterly.
“But he was always looking at her.”
Mamacita didn’t interrupt.
Sometimes, people just need to empty their hearts.
Anita wiped her tears again.
“I tried ignoring it. I told myself it was nothing. But when you said he proposed to Ella… something inside me broke.”
Mamacita nodded slowly.
“I could see it.”
Anita looked up.
“So you mean I should give up?” she asked quietly.
There was vulnerability in her voice.
Real vulnerability.
Mamacita took a deep breath before answering.
“Yes.”
Anita’s face fell.
“By giving up,” Mamacita continued gently, “you aren’t helping Ella alone. You are also helping yourself.”
Anita looked confused.
“How?”
“If you hold on to a man who has clearly chosen someone else, you will only hurt yourself more,” Mamacita explained. “Every visit will pain you. Every smile will wound you. Every touch between them will feel like betrayal.”
Anita looked down.
“And if they get married?” Mamacita added softly. “Will you be able to stay in this house peacefully?”
Anita didn’t answer.
Her silence was answer enough.
“You deserve someone who chooses you first,” Mamacita said firmly. “Not someone you are competing for.”
Anita’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
“But what if he would have chosen me if Ella wasn’t pregnant?”
Mamacita paused.
“That is not how love works,” she said gently. “If his heart was meant for you, pregnancy or not wouldn’t change it.”
The truth stung.
Anita nodded slowly.
“I don’t want to be the villain,” she whispered.
“You won’t be,” Mamacita assured her. “But you must guard your heart.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes.
The early morning light began filling the room.
Birds chirped outside.
Life was moving forward.
Whether their hearts were ready or not.
Meanwhile, in another room, Ella shifted slightly in her sleep.
Her face looked troubled.
Her mind was restless even in dreams.
She remembered she was betrayed by someone she loved.
And Daniel’s voice followed.
“I want to marry you.”
Two men.
Two directions.
And she was still standing in between.
Back in Anita’s room, she finally wiped her tears completely.
“I’ll try,” she said quietly.
“That’s all I ask,” Mamacita replied.
Anita took a deep breath.
“But Mamacita… what if he doesn’t end up marrying Ella?”
Mamacita looked at her carefully.
“What do you mean?”
“What if she rejects him?” Anita asked. “Will it be wrong if I—”
“Stop,” Mamacita interrupted gently but firmly.
Anita froze.
“Don’t build your happiness on someone else’s rejection,” Mamacita said. “That foundation will never be strong.”
Anita looked away.
She knew Mamacita was right.
But letting go felt harder than holding on.
Suddenly, they heard movement in the hallway.
Both women stiffened.
Footsteps.
Ella’s door opening.
Anita quickly wiped her face again.
Mamacita stood up.
They stepped into the sitting room just as Ella walked out, stretching slightly.
“Good morning,” Ella said sleepily.
“Good morning,” they both replied almost in unison.
Ella looked at Anita’s face carefully.
“Have you been crying?”
Anita forced a smile. “No. Just allergies.”
Ella narrowed her eyes slightly but didn’t push further.
She sat down slowly, one hand resting on her belly.
Her face looked distant.
“You look tired,” Mamacita observed.
“I didn’t sleep well,” Ella admitted.
“Why?”
Ella hesitated.
Just thinking about my life.
You don't need to think my love, everything will be fine-Mamacita said.
- Writer
