Perhaps the question that tormented him was, was that healthy or dangerous? When he got home, he found Dolores waiting in the living room with a serious expression. “Mr. Carlos, I need to talk to you urgently,” she said. “What happened, Mrs. Dolores? I found this in Carmen’s room.” She showed him a crumpled piece of paper.
It was research on private schools in Mexico City. Carlos took the paper and saw that it really was a list of expensive schools in the city. And that proves she’s up to something. Why would a housekeeper research expensive schools, Mr. Carlos? Is she planning to take advantage of your generosity? Or perhaps she’s thinking about improving the education of the siblings she supports? Or maybe she’s planning to suggest that Valentina transfer to one of those schools? That way she could position herself as the family’s educational advisor. Dolores’s paranoia was starting to bother Carlos, but he couldn’t deny that the situation was strange. He decided to confront Carmen directly. On Monday, he arrived home at lunchtime and found Carmen and Valentina making sandwiches in the kitchen. “Dad!” Valentina shouted. “Aunt Carmelita is teaching me how to make a cheese sandwich just like the one Mom used to make.”
Aunt Carmelita said that when you’re sad, you can plant a seed and take care of it every day. Then, when the plant grows, you remember that you can do something good even when you’re sad. Do you want to plant something? I want to plant a red rose for Mom. Alejandro felt his eyes welling up with tears.
For the first time in months, Valentina was sharing with him the lessons she had learned from Carmen, but naturally, without forcing it. They spent the whole afternoon planting rose bushes in the garden. Valentina explained each step as if she were the teacher, repeating the words she had clearly learned from Carmen.
Daddy, Aunt Carmelita said that the soil needs water, but not too much, because otherwise the little plant will get sick. Aunt Carmelita knows a lot about plants. Aunt Carmelita knows everything. She said that her grandmother, who went to heaven, just like Mom, taught her these things. Alejandro began to understand that Carmen wasn’t just taking care of Valentina, but sharing with her a way of coping with loss that she herself had learned.
That night, after Valentina fell asleep, he lay watching the small rose bushes planted in the garden. For a moment, he felt a peace he hadn’t experienced in months. The next morning, he received a call from Valentina’s psychologist, Dora Patricia Gutiérrez. “Mr. Carlos, I’d like to make an unscheduled visit today to observe Valentina in her home environment.”
“It’s part of the protocol for evaluating her progress.” “Of course, Doctor. What time?” “Around 3:00 p.m., if that’s not a problem.” Carlos informed Dolores about the visit and asked her to ensure everything proceeded as usual. He decided not to mention it to Carmen, wanting the psychologist to witness the natural interaction between her and Valentina.
