The next morning, Mia and Juanma prepared breakfast because they were up before everyone else. They had left the two tables and the chairs so that they didn't have to move everything back and forth.
Mia baked rolls and then went to JUanma on the terrace. It was another great day. the sun made the snow shine and the weather invited to go on the slopes. "You always prefer to be outside, can that be?" she asked softly as she stepped behind him.
He pulled her next to him and put his arm around Mia. "Yes and no. Yesterday I found it absolutely beautiful inside, but when I look at the panorama here, breathe in the cool morning air, I have the feeling that I am freer than ever . "
"Do you feel otherwise constricted?"
When Juanma said nothing, she turned him to face her. " Is everything OK?" she asked
He nodded. "Everything's fine with Zoe, that's what you mainly mean. I don't feel constricted. But I'm worried. About my grandma and how my mother will deal with it. It won't be long anymore. And she just did it halfway through the loss of papa. What if she can't? "
Mia squeezed his hand. "Look Juanma, we both lost a parent. That was difficult" Juanma nodded and said "very difficult" he whispered in between. "Yes, but somehow we got over it, and she will too. We will all be there for you and, together with you, for her too. But it's also the way things go, your grandma had a good life after all. And maybe she's ready to go. "
"But I'm not. We're not ready to let her go."
Mia took him in her arms. "Look, you said she was feeling a little better. Maybe it will stay that way for a while."
He showed her a text from his mother, in which she wrote to him that grandma was getting oxygen. "
"Does it mean she's inhubated?"
Juanma shook his head. "No, she gets oxygen to ease the breathing the same thing that Zoe had after the mall." Mia nodded. "But she can live with that for a long time, your mother wrote that too."
Juanma nodded. "You are right. I also don't know why this is following me here and now."
"Maybe because it's a text message from this morning" Mia said and nudged him.
Juanma had to laugh. "That would be a possibility. Maybe I just wanted to talk to you about it," he said.
Mia smiled. "It's been a bit since the last conversation." She took him in her arms. "But I also wanted to tell you something." He looked at her questioningly. "I love the way you deal with Zoe. You have built up so much trust in each other. I am so happy when I see the two of you together. I am happy when I look at you because you have changed so much.
Juanma took her in his arms. "It is largely thanks to you."
"No, I only showed you a beginning. You did the rest on your own."
"We agree that we are a good team" said she said then and hugged Juanma. "Anyway, I'm just happy about it"
"What are you happy about", said Alvaro, stretching in the sun.
" About the fact that you are with her and that you can bear her moods, "laughed Juanma and caught himself a pat.
"No seriously. We talked about our friendship and about Zoes and my relationship and actually everything."
"Ok, too early for so much information," said Alvaro and grinned at the two of them. "I saw that breakfast is already ready. Should I drum up the sleepyheads from next door and upstairs?"
Mia nodded. "I think we should take advantage of the nice weather."
The others were awake and came straight to breakfast. They discussed the daily routine. After breakfast, Isabel and Zoe put everything away while Roberto went shopping with Mia and Lupe. They had received a note from Isabel.
Alvaro, Juanma and Ramiro tried to wax the skis. Ramiro noticed that the edges of two pairs also had to be sanded. He wanted to ask the shop there, he had seen a sign that they were doing that too.
When everyone was back together, they got ready to go. Together they made their way to the first lift. The snow was nice, Ramiro explained to them that there had been fresh snow that night. The slopes were freshly prepared.
Once at the top, Ramiro gathered everyone together. "You do it like diving. At least always in pairs. No off-site tours, please, not even you" he looked at Alvaro and Juanma.
Together they started down. It was Sunday, it wasn't very crowded and so they could concentrate fully on the slope. Ramiro watched Clara, Mia, and Zoe descend the slope. The boys were close to them and took care of them. Ramiro had to smile. Isabel was in the middle of the slope and let the kids pass. She also watched the young people and was enthusiastic about their progress.
