The two sat by the lake for a while longer. "What are you thinking about" asked Alvaro Mia,
"About the fact that I wish that we would sit here with our children one day. You play soccer with Manuel and I collect flowers with Mariana and make a wreath. We take care because Mariana can't swim yet. Manuel is like you , he loves water "
"And when we come home, we turn on the grill and after dinner we read something to the children until they fall asleep. Then we sit down on the terrace with a wine"
"Have Ramiro and Mercedes read something to you?" asked Mia.
"At the beginning, Mom sometimes read something or told uns a story. Later they were often very busy, and that was a bit lost. But they always put us to bed."
"I can remember Isabel often singing something to me. Then I should always tell her about my day. My mom used to read. Were you jealous when Lupe was born?"
"No, I was still quite small. I couldn't do anything with her. She drank, slept and cried. She was interesting for me when she could crawl. I always hid a toy for her and she looked for it . When she found it, she got a biscuit "
Mia had to laugh "When I look at body from Lupes, she didn't often find the things, she couldn't have eaten many cookies". Alvaro laughed. "Oh yes, she always found everything. Even Christmas and birthday presents."
"Did you fight a lot earlier?"
"We developed differently. As a girl, my mother always dressed her in a stylish way, and she had to stay clean. When we were alone with Ramiro, it was different. As a boy, however, I was allowed to play soccer and climb trees. There weren't many Opportunities to argue. "
"I've always wanted siblings." said Mia.
"I've always wished for a brother. I could have played with him. You had a brother in Gaspar, didn't you?"
"Yes, but he didn't live with us. Isabel was good friends with his mother. Then his mother had to work a lot and Gaspar was with us a lot."
Alvaro nodded. "Did you go to school together at the same school?"
"No, but his school wasn't far from mine."
"Why is Isabel's son living in Spain?"
"He is a lot older than me. He lived with his father for a long time. He liked it better in Spain. His father had a company there in which he also works."
"I would never want our children to have to decide where they want to be. I would wish that we could always be there for the children together. We share the tasks and responsibility. We are there for each other. Our children should go to participate in our dreams. "
" A family." said Mia and looked across the water. "Isabel always made me feel like we were family. She was always there and put everything else on the back burner."
"Ramiro did that too. He somehow managed to get the responsibility for the school and Lupe and me under one roof. He spent as much time with us as possible. I don't mean to say that Mom didn't . But she was different. She paid more attention to what it looked like on the outside. I can't describe it. She was already there for us, but in a different way. "
"But you don't come after your mom at all. And somehow not after Javier either."
"Maybe the fact that Ramiro always treated me like his flesh and blood and raised us very lovingly rubbed off on me," Alvaro said with a laugh.
Mia took him in her arms again. "I'm looking forward to experiencing all of this with you."
"Do you think you can take it with me" asked Alvaro and put his head on Mia's shoulder.
"No," said Mia. When Alvaro wanted to break away from the hug, she said, "I don't think it, I know it"
Both had to laugh. They were interrupted by Alvaro's cell phone beeping. Juanma had written.
They packed up their things and went to the car. At the exit of the park, Alvaro held Mia again. "It was a great day with you. I enjoyed every minute. Somehow the park has something special" Mia nodded. "Thanks for coming here. It was really great and, as always, the time passed very quickly. I hope the next week will go by as quickly."
"We'll talk on skype in the evening, I've already arranged that with Juanma. Then we'll ask Clara and Roberto too. They'll definitely be happy."
Mia nodded. "I think Clara will miss Roberto terribly too."
They had meanwhile gone back to the car. When Alvaro drove off, she put her hand on his leg. He took her hand and kissed it, then put it back on his leg. "I love you, Mia. And that won't change either."
"I love you too," said Mia.
