Sophia’s smile brightened and widened. She so enjoyed frustrating and annoying her mother. As soon as I finished, I excused myself and hurried back up to my room, first to call Fani and then to call Adan back.
“You were right about her,” I told Fani immediately. “She isn’t that frightened of us. She thinks I go to see the Davilas to give them money.”
“Do you?”
“No, never. Señor Davila is far too proud a man to take money from me, even if I had it to give him.”
“I’d advise you to stay away from the Davilas for a while, then. Don’t give Sophia any more opportunities. Now, forget about her. Tell me about your day.”
“Adan hasn’t called you yet?” I asked, and she laughed.
“I’d rather hear it from you, Delia. Was it wonderful?”
“Yes, it was,” I said. I could not say otherwise.
“You know, he never took me to lunch on his boat.”
“He is very fond of you, Fani. He speaks of you often.”
“He should. I’ve done many good things for him, including you.”
“Me?”
“Why do you think I invited you to my parents’ dinner party, just to annoy those idiot girls at school? No, I knew you and Adan would hit it off.”
Why wasn’t she concerned about her own romances and not the romances of others? I wondered again.
I told her about Tía Isabela taking me to the fund-raiser for Adan’s father.
“Good. I’ll be there as well. Now, tell me a little more, Delia.”
“More. Por qué?”
“Just give me the juicy details. Did you or did you not make love with Adan on his boat?”
“He was a gentleman,” I replied.
“I take that to mean no, which I don’t believe. If there is anyone you can confide in, Delia, it’s me. I would think you would know that by now.”
Why was she so determined to hear such news?
“It’s nothing to be ashamed about,” she continued. “Well?”
“We did not, as you say, make love on his boat, but we were romantic.”
“Romantic?” She laughed. “I know Adan Bovio. He invented seduction. Okay, my bashful one, keep your secrets.”
She sounded so confident. Had Adan told her some other story?
“I’ll see you in school,” she said.
Before I called Adan, Edward phoned also to hear about my weekend. He listened to my descriptions of everything, and then, after a moment of silence, he said, “You sound ambivalent. You know what that means?”
“I think so. Not sure?”
“Yes, as if you are both happy and sad. Maybe things are happening too fast for you, Delia. My mother sounds like a madwoman matchmaker.”
I didn’t like to gossip, but I mentioned that Tía Isabela was seeing Adan’s father.