Chapter 14 - Sofía's Choice
Roberto canceled every meeting for the following week.
Nobody in his company believed it at first.
Several executives assumed he was ill.
Roberto did not explain.
At breakfast, he sat with Sofía.
At noon, he attended her mobility session.
In the afternoon, they made chocolate mousse together.
Most of it ended up on the counter.
Some ended up on Roberto’s shirt.
Sofía laughed harder than he had heard her laugh in months.
Then she suddenly became quiet.
“What?”
Roberto asked.
“Nothing.”
“That sounded like something.”
Sofía touched the bowl.
“Can Vanessa come back?”
Roberto chose his words carefully.
“Not unless you want to see her someday and a therapist believes it is safe.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Then she won’t.”
Sofía nodded.
A few minutes passed.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Is María leaving?”
Roberto looked toward María, who was standing at the far end of the kitchen.
“No.”
María looked down.
Sofía smiled.
“Good.”
That afternoon, Sofía met Dr. Hannah Brooks, a child psychologist experienced in trauma and visual disability.
Roberto stayed nearby but outside the room.
He hated the closed door.
He also understood that Sofía needed a space where her father’s feelings did not shape her answers.
Forty minutes later, Dr. Brooks stepped into the hallway.
“She is resilient.”
Roberto nearly laughed at the word.
Everyone seemed determined to call suffering children resilient.
“She shouldn’t have needed to be.”
Dr. Brooks nodded.
“That’s true.”
“Is she okay?”
“She is frightened.”
“She has learned to monitor adult moods.”
“She believes affection can be withdrawn when she creates inconvenience.”
Roberto looked away.
“But she also trusts you.”
He looked back.
“She does?”
“Yes.”
“She is angry with you.”
The words surprised him.
“Good.”
Dr. Brooks smiled faintly.
“That is actually healthy.”
Roberto entered the room.
Sofía sat on a soft chair.
He sat opposite her.
Dr. Brooks remained nearby.
Sofía’s hands rested in her lap.
“I’m mad at you.”
Roberto swallowed.
“You should be.”
“You said Vanessa was nice.”
“I was wrong.”
“You said she loved us.”
“I was wrong about that too.”
“You didn’t listen when I said I didn’t like when she changed things.”
Roberto remembered.
Months earlier, Sofía had complained that Vanessa moved furniture.
He had explained that adults sometimes redecorated.
He had told her to be flexible.
The memory stabbed him.
“You did tell me.”
“I should have listened better.”
Sofía frowned.
“Are you going to say sorry?”
“Yes.”
“Then say it.”
Roberto almost smiled.
“I’m sorry.”
Sofía considered that.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’m still mad.”
“That’s allowed.”
May you like
For the first time, anger did not frighten her.
And for Roberto, that felt like progress.
