It was a Wednesday afternoon, one of those leaden, heavy afternoons that sometimes descend upon the city, where the sky seems like a donkey’s belly about to burst. I was sitting in my favorite armchair, the blue velvet one I bought years ago at an auction, with a steaming cup of coffee in my hands. The aroma of cinnamon and piloncillo filled the room, giving me a false sense of peace. At 64, those moments of silence were my most precious treasure. I gazed through the window at the traffic, the red and white lights moving like distant ants, and thought how fortunate I was to be there, sheltered, calm, far from the chaos.
The ring of my cell phone shattered the atmosphere like a broken window.
I placed the mug carefully on the table and looked at the screen. The name that appeared was my only son. His name was Preston Gallagher. A smile appeared automatically, because to a mother a child never stops being that boy who once ran into her arms with scraped knees.
I answered and said softly, “Hello, Preston. What is it, son?”
His voice exploded with excitement. “Mom, you will not believe this. I have incredible news. Sit down because you might faint.”
“I am already sitting. Tell me what happened.”
“I am getting married tomorrow,” he shouted with pure enthusiasm. “I am marrying Natalia at the Grand Liberty Country Club in Manhattan. It will be the biggest event of the year.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Tomorrow? Preston, weddings take months to prepare. Why the rush?”
“We love each other. That is all that matters,” he replied impatiently. “Important partners from my law firm will attend, old college friends, people with real influence. It will be spectacular.”
I wanted to congratulate him even though something inside my chest felt wrong. Yet before I could speak he continued in a tone that suddenly felt colder.
“Oh, and there is a small detail I already handled.”
“What detail?”
“I transferred all the money from your bank accounts to mine. I left you two hundred dollars for a taxi in case you want to come to the wedding.”
The room became silent. I felt as if the air had been removed from my lungs.
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