Chapter 5 05. The life I left behind

We're sitting on the couch watching movies and eating popcorn. Brindha has a pot of her own, since she can't eat salt or sugar, and no one deserves tasteless popcorn like that.

"Father?"

"Huh?" He answers, paying attention to the movie while stuffing a bunch of popcorn in his mouth.

"Do you intend to have more children?" My dad chokes on his popcorn, and I go off to get some water while my sister pats him on the back.

"For God's sake, Velitha! You should use an intro before you drop those bombs!" My sister says, still trying to make my father stop coughing.

"Okay, it was just a scare!" He says when he's recovered enough. "Amanda doesn't want kids, so I don't think so."

"Why not? You're young, wouldn't you like to have more children?"

"I have you two, and I've changed enough diapers in my life. Don't get me wrong, I loved you from the moment I saw you, and I would do it all over again, but it really sucks. I don't plan on going through that again."

"What?" I say, feeling outraged by this sudden sincerity. "You always talked about how much you loved every second and everything. Were you lying?"

"Of course not! I loved every second, but I've lived it. I wouldn't want to go through all that again. I want to experience other things now that you are adults and while I'm still young enough."

"What about Amanda? What does she think of it? Are you sure she doesn't want kids, or did she just say that to please you?"

"She was the one who brought it up. She said she was happy when she found out about you because she never thought about having children. She has a huge family and many nephews. She said she never saw herself having a child, so she never managed to take a relationship forward. The partners she got involved with sooner or later changed their minds, even after they'd already talked about it. I confess I felt relieved."

"I didn't expect that one."

"Why? Were you worried that I would love you less?"

I remain silent, and my father realizes that he has reached the point of the question and starts laughing maniacally.

"Is this serious? Is that your concern, Velitha? Every day you surprise me more. Even if I had half a dozen children, I wouldn't love you one grain of sand less."

Our day ended peacefully. The remainder of our time on Earth passed without incident, and before I knew it, it was over. When I came to, we were at the airport saying goodbye to my father and Amanda. I was happy for her to accompany him, as we would be going in opposite directions. My father was heading to Europe for a business meeting, and we were going to take a plane to Patagonia, where our boat was waiting for us. I booked the flights so that my dad went first; I didn't want him to see us leave.

"It's the last call for your flight. You better go, or they'll call your name on the microphone. I don't want to go through that embarrassment," I said, trying to take things with good humor.

"Velitha, Brindha," my father began, and I could tell he didn't know how to go on. I held back tears; I didn't want to cry before he got on the plane.

"Dad, call us as soon as the plane stops in Portugal. We'll still be in Patagonia. Next week, we will call as soon as possible. I will send an email with the time, as the time zones will be different, and we will have a video call. OK?"

My sister noticed my despair and took charge of the situation. I couldn't forget to thank her later.

"Okay, now it's serious. The plane will leave without you."

"I love you girls! I'll be waiting to hear all the stories. I want to know everything, huh?"

We said goodbye, and as soon as my father's plane took off, tears flowed uncontrollably. My sister hugged me as we walked to our departure gate. She came prepared and put a cap on my head and glasses on my face. Thanks for that; I didn't want people to stare at me. We had little luggage. The things we had on Earth would not last long in Patagonia due to the climate. I only had a few pieces of jewelry that my father insisted I take along with clothes for the journey. Everything we would need for the trip had been provided at the station.