ELENA TORRES
It can be easy to think of my adoptive father as a coward.
At least, I thought the same too, especially in my teens, when I started to understand life a little better. I had not realised how much society was devoted to having men as the head of families before then, and not until I started to observe more, after I heard two women gossiping at a party.
People who gossip are interesting because they are bold—I would say brave, but there's nobility in bravery. But these women were at a party in our house when I heard them, holding cups filled with our wine as they spoke.
My adoptive father had just come to greet them, to ask if they were enjoying the party, and they both covered their mouths when he had walked away, trying to hide their girlish giggles.
“There goes the la
