Chapter 6: Fiancée

She hadn’t expected anything else when, at home, they told her they didn’t approve of what she’d decided to study.

No amount of tears could soothe her helplessness.

They controlled her activities, and she had to postpone her studies for a year.

The one who encouraged her was Margarita, since, in her workshop, she put her in charge of the sewing section, and the pay was given to her in cash, because Margarita was certain that, at home, they took every last peso listed on her pay stub.

Meanwhile, Alejandro carried on with his life, working at the city’s main clinic—a facility exclusively for military personnel (and their dependents) from the country’s three armed forces: the army, air force, and navy.

He strengthened his friendship with Germán, who seemed more like his shadow than his bodyguard.

They felt free, since, despite their professional duties, they didn’t neglect their outings and leisure activities.

Very sporadically, they were called in for raids or some extra duty—as if to remind them that, despite being professionals, they were also members of the military.

For a while, every so often, Alejandro would recall that slender, gently curving, yet extremely sensual body that had been in his arms—though nothing more had come of it. He thought of her, especially when he dressed as a soldier and climbed into the truck that took him to some assignment, the nature of which he didn’t know until he arrived at the location.

Alejandro and Germán were jogging around the soccer field, as they often did, when they saw two beautiful women exercising outdoors. Without hesitation, they approached them to strike up a conversation.

At that moment, Alejandro—who had seen them before—noticed how much they looked alike.

He thought he was always seeing the same one, but undoubtedly sometimes he saw one and other times the other.

Up close, they weren’t identical, and he could tell them apart perfectly. “Hi

, how are you?

” Germán greeted them very warmly.

“Very well,

” one of the girls replied. “I’m

Alejandro, and this is Germán.” “I’m

Mónica, and this is my sister Elisa.”

After chatting for a while, they agreed to meet up later to go out for a drink. “Could she be the ‘one’?

” “On the other hand, why do I have a ‘destined’ woman? I don’t understand any of this!

” Alejandro asked his friend, since he also knew about General Venegas’s words. “Did you feel anything special?

”-“I liked them both—they’re both really pretty.” “That’s

true.” “The

one I’m meant to be with is blonde.”

“You’re wrong.”

Germán replies. “I

saw the video.”

“Yeah, you saw a video of a blonde girl—you don’t know what color her hair is dyed right now.” “You’re

right… but 90% of women who dye their hair do it blonde.”

-“Brunettes dye their hair, too.” “Yeah

, but a lot of them do it to cover their gray hair.”

After a moment of silence—during which Germán takes the opportunity to grab two beers from the fridge and hands one to his friend—he says

, “Are you looking for her?

” “Looking for what?

” “Your predestined wife.”

-“That’s nonsense. It was something Venegas said to get him to pay attention to every fair-skinned, blonde woman with light eyes—and it’s true, he did pay attention to that type of woman… if she’s pretty.”

They both burst out laughing. “I

really like Elisa.”

Germán said suddenly. “She’s

pretty, yeah…”

“But?”

“They both look really young to me.”

“Well… that’s not a problem; just say they’re of legal age…” “Will they be?

” “We’ll see.”

That night, each in his own car, they picked them up, even though they were all going to the same place—a bar that turned into a nightclub shortly before midnight and ended up being a really nice spot.

According to the girls, Elisa was 18 and Mónica was 19.

The officers pressed on with their seduction.

Elisa refused to spend the night with Germán, and Mónica did the same with Alejandro.

That piqued our men’s interest even more.

As the days went by, Alejandro found himself treating Mónica like his girlfriend, and the same thing happened to Germán; however, he soon discovered that Elisa was about to turn 17, so before things got any more serious, he distanced himself from the teenager—he wasn’t in the mood to change diapers.

The one who had just turned 18 was Mónica, who became Alejandro’s official girlfriend.

Mirta, the girls’ mother, was delighted with her daughter’s boyfriend; she thought he was the ideal son-in-law and began meddling in the young couple’s relationship.

“Mom, I’m not sure I want to continue seeing Alejandro.” “Honey

, don’t say that—your boyfriend is the guy we’ve always dreamed of for you.” “I

don’t know…” “I’ve already

invited him over for dinner…” “Mom!

”

“Don’t let that man slip away.”

She was in love, though not head over heels.

Alejandro felt a very strong attraction to his girlfriend, but they couldn’t be intimate, since his mother-in-law was always in the way.

That night, after they had dinner together, he tried to go out for a drink with Monica, but before he knew it, his mother-in-law had invited herself along. “I’ll take you

to the movies,

” she said on another occasion. “Great

, I’ll get the tickets,

” Mirta replied.

He didn’t want to be rude, and while he was very fond of his mother-in-law, he wanted to be alone with his girlfriend.

Sometimes he ended up going out, under some pretext, with Germán, to look for female company out and about. “Did you go out with someone else?

” Mónica asked, furious.

Alejandro, who was already tired of the situation Mirta was causing, spoke plainly.

“Don’t get mad, but we’re practically never alone—your mother is always in the way, and that’s not how I think a relationship should be.” “I

don’t know what to do.” “I’m not

forcing you to have sex, but I need some action, and I’m not going to get it with your mother in the way.”

Monica felt cornered; her mother loved him dearly as a son-in-law, but she wouldn’t let them develop as a couple.

She, too, often wanted to be alone with her boyfriend and have sex.

Finally, Monica spoke with her mother, asking her not to tag along on every outing.

“It’s just that you’re going to stand him up, and I’m trying to prevent that.” “It’s

not like that. You’re not letting us grow as a couple. We’re going to have problems to solve on our own; we’re going to have joys and sorrows, and we’re going to do it without you. We’re the couple—you go out with Dad.”

Her mother finally understood the young couple’s position, and they began seeing each other without witnesses.

They had sex in abundance, but Alejandro often felt like something was missing—adrenaline, excitement—and he couldn’t figure out the reason for his emptiness.

Sometimes, he’d end up with Germán, seeking some excitement in the wee hours of the morning.

Failure soon took hold of the couple.

The routine, Mónica’s jealousy, and the chill Alejandro felt down his spine every time she caressed him told him it was time to end the relationship.

It wasn’t just for his sake; he felt that Mónica wasn’t happy with him either.

A thousand moments flashed through his mind, and many weren’t pleasant—or even peaceful.

After talking for a few hours, they both decided, amicably, to drift apart.

Nothing was keeping them together. “I broke

up with Alejandro,

” Monica announced at home.

It was her mother who burst into tears; she seemed heartbroken.

“I’m going to talk to him

.” “No, Mom! What are you going to say to him?

” “Ask him to forgive you—I don’t know what you did to him

.” “Are you crazy? We weren’t happy together, and we decided to end things on good terms—that’s all.” “You’ve lost

a great man.”

"Mom, calm down. Nothing is set in stone. For now, both Ale and I want to be on our own.

" However, Mónica didn’t see it that way. She knew he was a hopeless womanizer, and pain often overwhelmed him—even though when they were together, he was the most devoted lover in the world. “I don’t

want to be the scent that carries his pain. If he misses me, he’ll come back. Let him enjoy whatever he wants…”

she said softly, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Alejandro walked into Germán’s house, looking serious. “What happened?

” His friend knew him very well. “I broke

up with Mónica—it’s best for both of us. The thing is, more and more often, I’m drawn to other women. I’m not cut out for marriage, and with her, we were going to end up like that—chained to a routine, to a habit.”

“I know—I’m your partner in crime.”

“We dated for a year, and I really felt suffocated. There are a lot of women who stir feelings in me that Mónica just can’t awaken.”

“Now you have to go through that famous ‘grief’ period you psychologists always talk about.” “Stop

talking nonsense—or teasing me.” “Okay

, then, let’s go out.” “Tomorrow

. Tonight… I’m sleepy

.” “Grief, grief!”

He was referring to how psychologists often say you go through a period of “grief” when a relationship ends.—You’re

unbearable,

Alejandro yelled at him, while throwing a pillow at his friend.—See

you tomorrow, Mr. Bachelor.—

See you tomorrow, my traveling buddy,

Alejandro replied, heading home.

That night he reflected on his relationship with Mónica—which no longer existed. He remembered their first kiss, and without knowing why, he ended up recalling another kiss, another mouth, another skin, and the fantasy of being with that unknown woman took hold of his mind and body, leaving him aroused as never before. “Rebeca…”

he whispered in his sleep.