One afternoon, his mother noticed him sitting quietly beside her bed.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” Amina said.
“I’m fine, Mama.”
“No, you aren’t.”
He smiled weakly.
She reached for his hand.
“Is this about Raquel?”
He looked away.
“Yes.”
Amina was silent for a moment.
“Your sisters behaved terribly.”
“I’m angry with them.”
“So am I.”
He looked at his mother, surprised.
She sighed.
“I raised my children to believe that family means protecting one another. But I never taught you that protecting your family gives you the right to humiliate someone else.”
Raúl’s eyes filled with tears.
“I should have prepared everyone before bringing her home.”
“Yes, you should have. But that does not excuse what they said.”
He lowered his head.
“I love her, Mama.”
“Then you must decide what kind of man you want to be when loving her becomes difficult.”
