Twenty-One
Mira
Mira
4 Months Later
The smell of orange blossoms and sea swept over my face as I made my way through the narrow streets of Barcelona’s Casco Viejo. I’d rented a small flat above a butcher shop not far from the café where I worked most days, brewing coffee and serving tables.
As every time I made my way home, I was thankful it was only a short walk. My ankles were always terribly swollen after a day on my feet, and my lower back ached something fierce. The shouts and hollers from the people filling the streets marking the beginning of the evening’s social events only made me yearn for my bed all the more.
Sighing with relief, I let myself into the stairway that led to my tiny apartment and climbed the steps with a hand pressed against my swollen belly. Every time I ste
