Page 28 of A Christmas Adventure

"What are you doing? Are you going with that crazy hair?" she asks, laughing, pushing Violeta toward the bathroom.

The two look at each other in the mirror: Violeta in front and Olga standing right behind her. Their tousled hair clearly betrays that it hasn't exactly been paper they've been tearing off. They both wash up and tidy themselves, then they kiss and that's when Violeta leaves.

Olga tears off a little more paper, then puts the remains in a garbage bag, sweeps the floor and when she goes outside to throw it all away, she finds that Maite is already coming. Her heart races and she feels a pang of guilt when her neighbor smiles at her from afar. Olga feels like a traitor and really doesn't know if she's acting correctly by hiding from her what's happening with her daughter, butshe already has that agreement with Violeta and for now she's going to keep it.

"How'd it go?" Maite asks as soon as she reaches the door of her house.

"Good, although between one thing and another, I got held up longer than I thought. Plus, then I ran into an acquaintance I hadn't seen in a while and I stopped to have coffee with her."

Olga gets very stressed when she realizes that if Maite hadn't done all that, she would have arrived at her house much earlier and caught her in the middle of things with her daughter, and not tearing off paper as she should have been doing.

"Where's Violeta?" Maite asks, accepting the soda Olga has offered her.

"She went to buy food while I finished cleaning up the room. I don't think she'll be long."

Maite eyes her sideways as Olga rummages through the kitchen cabinets. She notices her nervous, too tense when she's usually a very calm woman.

"Are you okay, Olga? You seem a little uneasy."

The glass she had just picked up crashes to the floor as soon as she hears her. Olga stands paralyzed looking at the pile of broken glass scattered on the floor, unable to understand why she got so nervous at Maite's question. It's her neighbor, the one who, resolute and determined, quickly stands up to get the broom and sweep up the whole mess.

"Leave it, Maite, I'll do it," Olga reacts, taking the broom from her.

She sweeps up all the glass in silence, feeling her neighbor's gaze fixed on her. When she finishes, she throws it all in the trash, opens another soda and sits down across from her.

"Sorry for the scene, I'm a little distracted today," Olga says, trying to appear normal.

"I've already seen that, but is something wrong? You haven't argued with my daughter, have you?"

Olga opens her eyes wide when she looks at her and shakes her head.

"No, not at all, it's hard to argue with Violeta."

Olga realizes at that moment what's happening to her. She needs to talk about what's happening to her, to express to someone what she's beginning to feel for Violeta and also that concern that the situation in general is causing her, but she can't do it because her only friend in town happens to be Violeta's mother.

"So what then? I tell you everything, Olga. If something's wrong, you can tell me. I'm always going on about my problems and maybe you need to tell me things too."

"It's nothing, Maite, really. I'm just having a silly day," Olga smiles. "I got a little nostalgic, that's all."

"Nostalgic? Do you miss your ex-husband?" Maite asks, trying to get it out of her.

"No, not him, but sometimes I do miss sharing my life with someone else."

The doorbell rings at that moment and Olga jumps up like a spring to go open it for Violeta. Maite looks at her again and half a smile escapes her when she sees them by the door.

"Your mother is already here," Olga whispers as soon as Violeta approaches her.

Maite's daughter stands still for a moment, but quickly reacts and acts as if nothing is happening.

"I brought a little of everything, I didn't know what you liked," Violeta says, handing the bag to Olga.

"I already told you I like everything."

Violeta gives an evil little laugh that Olga can't help but return and the two walk to the kitchen.

"How did it go? Did you make much progress?" Maite asks as soon as the two are in front of her.

Olga, who doesn't feel comfortable lying to her neighbor, starts taking the trays out of the bag so that Violeta can answer.