Mrs. Newell left, closing the door. Suddenly, the stillness was overwhelming. It was like the quiet that often followed a devastating storm, as if nature were holding her breath. I listened hard for a moment, expecting Tía Isabela’s footsteps in the hallway, perhaps, or Señor Bovio’s, but I heard nothing. The tension had worn me out, and I finally did fall asleep. I slept for hours. When I awoke, it was dark outside. There was just a table lamp lit in my suite, but the bedroom door was now open. At first, I didn’t realize she was sitting there, but when I turned slightly to my left, her silhouette so surprised me it made me gasp.
“Good, you’re awake,” Mrs. Newell said. “I’ll get you some dinner.”
I simply stared at her. How long had she been sitting there waiting for me to awaken? What had she been doing, counting every breath I took? Had Señor Bovio insisted that she hover over me like this? Was he really worried that I might miscarry? It made me think about all she had said. Perhaps I really had been brought to some brink and had been in some danger.
She rose, turned on more lights, and left. I sat up and ran my fingers th
rough my hair. I still felt groggy and dazed, so I rose and went to the bathroom to wash my face. Ten minutes later, Teresa arrived with my dinner.
“Do you want it on the bed table?” she asked.
“No, I’ll sit where I usually sit, thank you,” I told her.
I was happy I hadn’t suffered any heartburn from my elaborate lunch. Actually, I was surprised at my appetite after all that had happened, but I was so hungry, in fact, that I was very unsatisfied. The moment Mrs. Newell appeared, I let her know it.
“The portions are too small.”
“I explained about the pressure on your abdomen and why the portions have to be smaller.”
“Yes, but I should have them more frequently, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think.” She blinked a smile. “This is a common complaint of pregnant women, and this is about when most pregnant women go bad. Later, after they give birth, they have a harder time losing the weight, and many, if not most, don’t. It ruins their lives. They start hating themselves for being so fat, and they believe their husbands aren’t attracted to them anymore. They get themselves depressed, and they eat more, not less, and get even fatter. It feeds on itself, and all of it could have been prevented with some self-control. Consider me your self-control.”
“I’ve gained only fifteen pounds. You said that I was doing well.”
“And we’re keeping it that way. However, I want you to start drinking this at night after your dinner.” She handed me a covered cup. She took off the cover when I didn’t move fast enough to do it.
“What is it?”
“Supplements I have designed for this stage of a pregnancy.”
“But I thought you said I wouldn’t need any if I followed your nutritional design.”
“Exactly. This is not something you buy in a drugstore. It’s part of my program.”
“Does Dr. Denardo know about it?”
“Of course he does. We’ve worked together with many patients.”
I shrugged and drank the tasteless liquid and put the empty cup on the tray just as Señor Bovio appeared in the doorway. He looked at Mrs. Newell, sending her silent commands. She took my tray and marched out, giving him a slight nod, which, to me, looked like permission for him to come into the bedroom. He did so and sat as if he had aged twenty years in a few hours.
“You don’t have to worry. Your aunt’s gone,” he said. “She left shortly after you went up.”
“I don’t want to see her anymore, Señor Bovio.”
“No, she won’t be back until after you’ve given birth. We’ve agreed about that.”
“I don’t want to see her after I give birth, either. In fact, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to remain in the area.”
“What?”
“Things will never improve. I wouldn’t even want to see her from a distance, and I certainly don’t ever want to see my cousin Sophia.”
“I wouldn’t make such decisions in your present state of mind, Delia. We can talk about all that later. However, there are other problems now.”
“What other problems?”
“Why did you betray me?” he asked softly. “I warned you not to do another secret meeting, and I assumed you were listening and would obey.”