A nighttime call brought my daughter’s voice to me.
Late in the evening the phone rang. I lifted the receiver and heard my daughter speaking.
Mom, its me, Pilar. Ive got a problem! My husband threw me out. Tomorrow morning Im going to stay with dad and Ill be staying at home.
Listen, Pilar, you no longer have parents or a home.
What? my daughter interrupted. What did you say?
How can there be no home? Im your only child. I have a right to this flat! Pilar shouted hysterically into the handset.
Yes, thats how it is, I replied calmly. You dont have a flat. We gave it to Lucía; shes now the owner, and your father and I want nothing to do with you. Youre not our daughter.
Dont call again! Youve lost everything! I concluded, ending the conversation decisively. After what Pilar had done, I felt justified in saying it.
Looking out the window, I suddenly recalled that our own story had also begun with a phone call.
That illfated call came early one morning. I leapt out of bed and hurried to the landline.
Hello?
On the other end a restrained sob was heard.
Yes, hello? Who is this?
María, its me, Ana.
Anita, why are you scaring me? Do you realize what time it is?
Yes, I do. María, today Im being admitted for surgery and Im terrified for my daughter. Please, you and Andrés, dont abandon Lucía; shes still very little. Dont send her to an orphanage.
My sister Ana had always been eccentric, imaginative, and unconventional. That day she crossed every line.
I twisted the receiver nervously, aware that something serious had happened, though I couldnt yet grasp it fully. Fear rose inside me.
Ana, why didnt you tell me before? Why now? Whats happening? Where are you being taken?
Ana had been ill for a few years, but I hadnt given it much attention. In the last month her pains intensified, she lost a great deal of weight, and she looked gaunt. The diagnosis was bleak.
She needed urgent surgery and couldnt bring herself to tell her sister.
I had already been helping her constantly, providing money, and acting like a mother to her. Now, once more, her problems and her young daughter were being thrust upon me.
María, the outcome of the operation isnt guaranteed; please dont abandon Lucía.
An hour later we were at the hospital. The surgery hadnt started yet, but Ana was nowhere to be seen. In a corridor, the little Lucía sat curled up like a ball. I approached and held her.
Are they going to hurt mom? the child asked, tears in her eyes.
No, mom wont feel anything; shell be asleep.
Four hours later the doctor emerged to tell us that my younger sister had died.
We took Lucía home. I entered my daughters room and warned her that Lucías mother had passed away and that the girl would now live with us in the same room. Pilar glared at me but said nothing.
Ten days later Pilar threw Lucías belongings out of her room and barred her from returning.
Talking to my daughter was tough; she stuck to her stance, insisting she would keep removing Lucías things whenever we tried to place her there. To avoid a clash, we gave our niece our own bedroom and moved to the living room.
Lucía was an orphan. We never learned who her father was from Ana. Her fate now rested entirely on us, so we never distinguished between Pilar and Lucíaboth were our daughters.
Time passed. Pilar finished university and married. Her husband was wealthy and older, which didnt bother her at all. She quickly packed her things and moved in with Ramón.
A month later she announced the wedding.
Mom, I just ask that your favorite, flattering friend, not come to the wedding. I dont want to see her.
Pilar, you cant act like that; Lucía is your sister in any case, and not inviting her would offend us.
She wont be at my wedding! Pilar declared firmly.
In that case, dad and I wont go either.
Perfect! Deal!
I broke down in tears, then composed myself and decided to go to Málaga for a rest.
What about Pilars wedding? my husband asked, surprised.
Nothing, we werent invited.
Lucía, help me find a place to rest.
Are we going on vacation? Lucía asked.
Yes, my dear, we can afford it.
Hooray! my niece shouted, twirling around the room.
The three of us stayed together. Lucía was finishing high school and was about to enter university. She excelled and became an architecture student. Her mother Ana had been a talented, wellknown painter, and Lucía followed in her artistic footsteps.
My husband suspects that a certain wellknown city figure might be Lucías father, Andrés said.
I paid no mind to his speculation; Lucía was our child.
A year later we celebrated Lucías comingofage, and on that same day my husband fell ill, turned very pale, and lost consciousness. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital.
The doctor told us the situation was serious. My husband needed a specific medication, which could be procured but wouldnt arrive for three days, and it was extremely expensive. We were desperate.
I called Pilar, knowing her husband was wealthy and might lend us the money.
Pilar answered. I explained our crisis.
Pilar, dear, Im calling because your dad is sick and urgently needs an imported drug whose price is hard to state. Id like to borrow that amount.
Pilars long silence made me uneasy. When I was about to repeat the request, she finally replied.
Okay, Mom, Ill talk to Ramón and call you back.
It took an hour before she returned the call.
Mom, the thing is Ramón decided to buy me a new car, something he promised me a while ago. Hes giving me an ultimatum: either he buys the car or we give the money to you.
Sweetheart, well pay you back, dont worry.
Dont be silly, when will you repay? A little each time? Ill never see the car, not even in a dream.
Are you listening to yourself, Pilar? Your dad could die. He needs your help.
I cant help. Get a loan if you want. The world wont end because of us.
The handset slipped from my grasp, and I felt myself faint.
Aunt María, whats happening?
The girl jumped up, supporting me so I wouldnt fall. I wept uncontrollably.
Listen, Aunt María, lets sell Moms apartment. I wont be able to live there anyway; even five minutes feels heavy. Dont refuse; the main thing is for Uncle Andrés to stay alive. Well price it below market, get the advance, and give it to the doctors.
My dear, we cant do that; after all, its your apartment. What would your mother think if I took advantage of your generosity?
Aunt María, arent you smart enough to know this isnt the time to argue about what Mom would say? Uncle Andrés is in danger; his life is at stake. Thats what matters. We must decide quickly and sensibly, Lucía said, her voice shaking.
I embraced my niece, unable to find words to thank her. I understood she was our only chance to save Andrés.
We put the apartment on the market that very day, and it sold fast at a fair price. The buyer gave a deposit, and while the paperwork was processed, we bought the needed medication.
It arrived two days later. The drug worked, and Lucía saved Andréss life. A month after, Andrés was fully recovered, and our happiness knew no bounds.
After his recovery we transferred the apartment into Lucías name at the notarys office. She was extremely grateful, and we placed the remaining funds in a deposit.
We lived together, content, when the nighttime call rang again.
It was Pilar, saying she was coming home because Ramón had kicked her out.
I answered, No.
We only have one child: Lucía, I told her before hanging up.
A few years later Elvira married Jaime, a farmer with a large country house. His business thrived, and he was planning to open a jam factory.
Our daughter invited us to move in with them, but we preferred to visit a couple of times a week. Their tidy bedroom was always ready for us. Andrés and Jaime became friends, often fishing together; Andrés helped on the farm whenever possible. Lucía designed the small jamfactory project. We all lived in harmony, a large happy family, though not always under the same roof. Pilar only resurfaced in our memories on her wedding daythe same day Andrés and I traveled to Málagas Rest House, a place we had visited many years before. Lucía organized the trips and sometimes accompanied us.
Each year on that date I reflected on how I had raised a selfish daughter who placed a luxury car above our lives, and an orphaned Lucía who, having lost her mother so young, valued us above everything and was ready to give all she had for our happiness.
