Juan Moisés De La Serna - A Touch Of Happiness

-Well, well, sit down, it seems that you’re right and I’m going and you are going to win the lottery -said my mother when she turned around and smiled at me.

I understood what he was referring to, my mother was softening the situation to tell him, I was very quiet during dinner, although my father did not realise until a certain moment when he said,

- Daughter, you look radiant today, did anything happen to you?

- No really dad, well to tell you the truth when I was walking in the park back from school I sat for a moment and there was a lady with her son, and I don’t know why she transmitted a lot of joy to me.

- It would be good to meet such people every day- my father remarked.

We continued having dinner, talking about banal issues, it seemed to be co-ming to an end and my mother had not told him yet, so I made a sign with my head to tell her and she answered with a nodding of her head. My father realis-ed and asked in a suspicious tone,

- Do you have something to tell me?

-Well, it’s more about mommy -I answered looking at her.

-Me? She asked, surprised by my response.

-Well, I mean it’s about me, but mom is going to tell you, I said rectifying.

-Well…. yes … she said haltingly. Let me see how to tell you.

- Go straight to the point, please, it’s late and I’m a bit tired, and although I’m happy about the lottery, I’d like to rest watching a movie before going to bed.

-Don’t worry I’m not going to take away too much of your time

I simply think that you have already won the lottery- my mother said quickly, almost without being understood.

-What do you mean ?, it has not been played yet, until nine o’clock the lot is not going to be held, replied my father, surprised.

-No, it’s another lottery- my mother said in a low voice.

-What other lottery? … don’t tell me … that you’re pregnant.

My mother was surprised by her husband’s words and quickly said,

-No, no, it’s the baby.

-The … baby … -he said with surprise.

I did not say anything, I just smiled at him. He seemed confused or rather sca-red, a little disconcerted, as he got up from the table and went around the room and after a while he came back and asked my mother,

- Does she know?

-Sure, dad, it’s me who told mom, I said with a smile.

- Ah, of course how else, he said clearly affected. But … how? … no don’t tell me.

-Quiet, you knew that sooner or later I was going to happen, she is a woman- said my mum supporting me

- Right … well … yes … but I thought it would happen in another way, that she would find a boy, get married and start a family, just as we did.

- I have someone who loves me, I said, believing that it would make him hap-py.

But nothing was heard for a moment, it was a strange situation, because we all seemed happy for one reason or another, and what I thought was going to be the cause of anger at home did not go beyond an initial fright and little more.

Now my parents were thinking about how to face the new situation, without worrying about what the neighbours or society would say .

Before talking to that woman in the park, I thought that having a child was a tragedy, that it hurt a lot and marked your life, limiting it and making you al-most a slave to your child, with no time for yourself.

But that woman had told me about all the positive aspects of being a mother, besides she looked very happy with her son.

What I now feared the most was that the father of the child would go away from my side when he found out about the news, although remembering the words of that woman at the park it had become clear to me that the man who flees does so sooner or later and does not need excuses for it.

The truth is that now I felt strangely calm, because I saw my two most dearest things to me, my parents, accepting what I thought would be a shame for them; even my father, who was more conservative in his thinking, had not recrimi-nated me at all.

While in these thoughts my father said,

-I need a family hug.

The three of us hugged each other strongly and I felt strengthened in my situa-tion, they might not like the idea or they needed more time to assimilate it, they might know what would happen to me in the future, but they accepted and supported me with that gesture , which was precisely what I wanted most.

-Well, we’d like to see your boyfriend, we have to talk man to man -said my father after a few moments of hug.

-But I don’t know if he would like to meet you, - I said hesitantly.

-Why not? -Asked my mother surprised.

-Well, he has a modern thinking and he believes that knowing parents is not until when you want to get engaged so in the meantime there is no need to.

- You have not told him yet? -my mother asked seeing my excuses.

-No, I wanted to see how you would react first, before facing my boyfriend-I said nervously.

- It’s important for him to know - said my father said in a reassuring voice.

- Okay, give me some minutes to call him- I said as I went to my room.

From there I called the boy I had been dating only a couple of years, but I thought he was the love of my life, I felt that way and I had told him many ti-mes.

-Hi, sweetie, how are you?

-I’m fine baby, tell me, what do you need?

-I just wanted to hear your voice, tell me, when are we seeing this week?

- You caught me very busy, you know, I’m with guys here in the workshop, we’re preparing a new bike to see if we can win the local races to qualify.

-That’s okay, but I’d like to tell you something.

-Well, tell me, I’m all yours.

-It has to be in person, it’s important.

-I don’t know baby, look, if you like I have a little bit of time now, but I want it to be quick, so nobody complains.

-All right let me tell my parents and I will be right there.

-I’ll be waiting for you, precious.

- See you love.

I hung up, left my room to tell my parents, they thought it was okay and they were happy for my courage, I don’t know if it was such or just the need to sha-re something so beautiful with the person I was in love with.

I got to the passage in a hurry and I met a neighbour with her small dog, this was a sad lady who we barely saw in the street, because she preferred to go out in the afternoons to take a walk with her dog, and did not keep too much con-tact with the other neighbours .

-Good afternoon, I said with a smile as I held the elevator door.

-Hello girl, where are you going in such a hurry? She replied as she entered.

-To see my boyfriend -I answered with a smile.

-Youthfulness, blessed youth age, I still remember when my husband went to work and I stayed at home preparing food waiting for him to come back home to give him a great kiss

Have you been together for many years? I asked surprised to know she had a partner.

- Almost twenty years, before he had the accident.

- An accident, I’m sorry, I said with regret.

-Yes, since then things have not being the same and then, little by little I was losing him.

I did not understand what she was meant, but I preferred not getting deep into it, knowing that it was painful, at that moment the dog began to bark and as it was a small space it resonated in the cabin.

-Be quiet, beautiful, Be quiet, the owner said to her dog.

-What’s wrong? I asked surprised.

-It is very sensitive, it quickly perceive women that are pregnant.

That disconcerted me, I had never heard anything like it. I did know that dogs that work in customs detected smells of bombs or drugs, or in the army detec-ted badly wounded people buried under the ruins of an earthquake, but never heard of something like this. I must have turned red, because the older woman told me,