Spain's Brightest (Patri Guijarro)

Not Important Enough

May 2021

Jessica's POV:

I sat in my office finishing up some stuff. The door opened.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I turned around to see Carmen.

"Oh fuck me." I mumbled.

"Nope! That's Patri's job!" Lola smirked.

"I hate all of you." I sighed. "Also, my birthday is tomorrow."

"Come on!" Carmen smiled. "Birthday weekend!! 25 years old!" 

"I remember when I turned 25." Lola smiled. 

"800 years ago right?" I smirked.

"Oh fuck you." She said.

"Nope. That's Patri's job remember?" I turned back to my work.

"HAHA!" Virginia laughed. "She reversed it!" 

I sighed. "Look. Thank you, but I don't care about my birthday and I'm really busy so if you don't mind." 

"Why don't you care about your birthday? You're in a good place now! Your mom is here this weekend!" Carmen sat on the table. 

I sighed and turned to them. "I never cared about my birthday. I didn't have much of a childhood. The childhood I did have, I never celebrated my birthday. I was never important enough so as I got older, I just stopped caring."

"But we celebrated last year." Carmen pouted.

"I'll acknowledge it being my birthday, doesn't mean I have to give a shit." I sighed. "May 8. Who cares?" I picked up my pen.

Patri's POV:

"Her mom is what?" 

"Her mom, stepdad and brothers are here in Madrid." Carmen smiled. 

"Why!?" 

"They planned this when Jess went to London. Coming back to Madrid, getting to connect. And it's also Jess' birthday you know."

"I do know. Why else would I be rushing to go to Madrid right now? Now I'm gonna meet her mother. That's not scary at all." 

"What do you and Jess have in common?" Lola smirked. "You both have never met Jess' stepdad." She laughed. "You're meeting the parents AND SO IS SHE!" 

"Babe." Carmen looked at her. "Stop it."

"It's funny."

"It's not."

"It's a little funny."

"Can I chime in?" Vir asked.

"No." I covered my face.

"Please? Virginia Torrecilla here to be the voice of reason." 

"Vir, the only voice you are, is the voice of being reasonably STUPID." Lola said.

"Just let me talk will you?" She shook her head. "Look, meeting the parents is scary. It always will be. Doesn't matter if it's birth parents, adoptive parents, parents she just met, stepparents. Meeting the people that brought this person into the world is scary. Especially when you love that person. But being scared? Patri that shows just how much you care." She smiled. "They are going to love you. You have nothing to worry about. Ok?"

Jessica's POV:

I stood at the airport and waited. "Jess." I looked up. "Surprise." My mom laughed.

"Hey." I hugged her. "How was the flight?" 

"It was good." She nodded. "You remember Marc." 

"I do." I smiled. "Thanks for coming."