‘Misfortunes never come singly.’ Why did she remember her grandmother, dead for more than ten years, more than ever these days? Abuela Juana used to repeat this a lot, whenever she talked about the family’s curse, and then she’d lock herself in the bedroom every day to pray for hours. Valeria was sure her grandma went through every bead of the rosary more than once. Maybe she, too, preferred to pray in solitude so no one would come and talk to her.

On the long sunny days in the city, Valeria did not feel like leaving her bedroom when she had no reason to. She went to school, visited her friends when they invited her to hang out, and she’d laugh and have fun for a while… but then she’d be back home, feeling more lonely than ever and wishing for her misfortune to be over. For Mateo to leave her alone.

[Vale, you won’t believe this, but I just saw your boyfriend outside of the mall, being super cozy this girl, Nina.]

[The one who works in the coffee shop in front of the school.]

Maria thought she was being a kind friend informing her of Mateo’s cheating, but it wasn’t something Valeria didn’t know about (as time went by, he did not bother hiding it from her). Hatred had no limits, and this was the first time she experienced this feeling. Who cared if he cheated on her? 

Perhaps the girl she’d been once, who blindly believed in the fake version of him. However, she knew long ago he did not love her, and only resented that he wouldn’t leave her alone either.

[Okay.]

[Thanks for letting me know.]

The last time she’d tried to break up with him, not answering his calls for a whole week, he’d ambushed at the gates of school after class and taken her to his house ‘to talk’.

Sometimes, Valeria wondered why did he ever need her? Would he get bored of her?

Hope of being free abandoned her.

“Valeria, open the door.”

With lazy steps, she did as her mother said.

“Yes, mom?”
“Daniel came to visit. Aren’t you going to say hi?”

Oh, true. He arrived yesterday, much to her surprise because his grandparents had been saying more than once how he wouldn’t come this year. For some reason no one really knew, Daniel dropped out of university in the middle of the semester, when he only had a bit more than a year left before graduating. Since then, he was not in speaking terms with his parents either.

“I’m going!” She put on her sandals and rushed to the living room.

***

As both of them sighed at the same time, a smile appeared on her face.

“So it turned off that way.”

“Yup.”

They had parked their bikes in the square and sat on a wooden table drinking the tutti frutti they got from the stall.

“I think my dad is at least trying to be okay with that for now. I did disappoint him, and you don’t know my grandparents - my halmoni and haraboji - are always deadly serious with this stuff. Having a college degree used to be the door for better opportunities in their time, it’s difficult for them to see it’s not the same nowadays.”

“Uhm, isn’t it?” She wasn’t sure, but she did know that Daniel was a smart guy who would do well this time too, if only he kept his focus for long enough “I think it’s pretty impressive you’re setting up your own company.”

“Well, it’s not just me. ” He smiled a bit. “I wouldn’t be doing this without Will.”

Same thing.

“And how have you been doing?”

Praying for that hateful man to disappear. Valeria did not plan to let Daniel know of all her misery, but how she wanted to say this, to have someone who knew at least some of it.

“Great.” She said with an enthusiasm that should get her some praise for her acting skills. “I’m about to graduate too, soon I’ll be a university student. Aren’t you proud of me?”

“Of course. Which reminds me, since I won’t be around next month…” He took out a little something from his backpack. “Happy eighteenth birthday.”

It was a pretty silver necklace with a lotus pendant. 

“Isn’t this the type of things you give to a girlfriend?”

She raised an eyebrow. 

“True, and you probably have more than enough gifts from your boyfriend.” And he pointed at the bracelet on her wrist. “StilI, I know you like these pretty things.”

Her drawer was full of expensive presents from Mateo, but she’d never use them unless he asked her to. To him, Valeria was just a pretty doll to play with or to show off to his friends. The bracelet was actually a present from her mother when she’d been placed as an honor student at the end of last year.

The band on her wrist was also helping her to cover the yellow bruise she sported thanks to Mateo, and she was glad Daniel could not see it from the angle he was looking at.

The sincere affection in his eyes moved her deeply. “Besides, you are you.”

“Thank you.” He really was her best friend.

Not Camila, who always defended her cousin. Not the girls at school who’d turn their backs on her when the gossips started to spread. Just Daniel, who would bring a bit of light to her world when she felt like drowning in despair.

“Tell me, what are you planning to do after graduation?”

Nursing had been in her mind for quite some time now, and her mother wanted her to study in a local school she could keep living at home. However, Valeria saw this as an opportunity to go away… to escape from the chains of fear that confined her to one person she loathed with all her heart.

“I’ll be a nurse. I’ve been studying hard these couple of years, you know.”

Daniel flashed a smile.  “Are you going to invite me to your graduation party?”

“Will you come?”

“I missed your fifteen birthday, I won’t miss it for the world.”

But this was always going to be just a promise that would go unfulfilled.

***

Her eyes did not leave the result of the pregnancy test she was holding in her hands.

‘This can’t be happening to me.’

Abuela Juana used to say misfortunes never came singly, and in Valeria’s case, all misfortunes had been brought upon her by the same person.

What was she supposed to do with this?

Girls being mothers at her age was a very common thing, she knew, but Valeria had never expected this would happen to her. Moreover, it wasn’t the case of her making a mistake in some sort of romance stories, that act was never something she would enjoy. Every time he had touched her, she had wanted to die.

There were still three more months to go to school. Only with a visit to the hospital she could know just how far along she was, but what would she do if her belly grew bigger and people noticed?

What would she tell her mother?

Too many reasons kept coming to her mind, reasons why she couldn’t have a baby. She couldn’t have his baby. The thought of this made her nauseous and she ran to the bathroom once more.

“I’m pregnant.” Her words didn’t shock him at all.

“I’ll find a place where we can solve this problem.”

Nothing good could ever be expected from him, and yet Valeria was sickened by the way those words came out. So she should just go to a clandestine clinic to end the pregnancy? 

Everything was so easy for him, while she would lose no matter what.

“I hate you.” She slapped him before she knew what she was doing.

He grabbed her arm forcefully, and Valeria couldn’t help but wince in pain.

“Are you crazy?!”

“Yes! Yes, I’m crazy! You’ve made me like this.” He turned her into someone she hated. “You can’t just have me go to a clinic because that’s more comfortable for you. I won’t do it.”

Even if she didn’t want to have the baby, this wasn’t something he would decide for her too.

That day she ran away and, unexpectedly, she got rid of him too. Two days later, Camila was the one telling her that her cousin was going to study in Germany.

If Valeria had any faith in God left, she would have thanked him. However, seeing a dark future ahead no matter what she chose to do, there was no way she could feel thankful for going through hell.

Many times she tried to tell her mother, and every time she’d freeze and step back from her resolution. Several weeks passed by before she could talk to her.

And then her mother cried, and the look of disappointment on her face when she confessed she did not want to have the baby, Valeria would never forget.