The Years Pass

The years went by, and the girls were growing up fast. They were becoming little ladies, with their mother's character and kindness, though physically they resembled their father. As mentioned before, finishing senior year was incredibly difficult for Emilia, and so was completing her secretarial certification. But thank God, and with her parents' support, she made it.

Emilia had to work to support her daughters and not become a bigger burden on her sweet old father.

"My babies, I'm heading out, princesses. Have a great day at school," Emilia said to her girls, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.

"Thanks, Mommy," they said in unison. "Have a great day at work!"

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Here I'll roughly summarize everything from the moment Emilia found out about the pregnancy until now.

When Emilia found out she was pregnant, she tried to tell Abraham, but she heard everything he said about her -- the things he said to humiliate her, demanding she have some dignity and get out of his life. You already know about that, don't you? It was more than obvious he didn't want her in his life. What was the point of telling him they were expecting a baby? He most likely would have denied being the father. He probably didn't even remember she existed. He probably didn't even remember she had ever been part of his life, since everything Abraham had ever told her was a lie.

She worked until her belly wouldn't allow it anymore. Her father, a construction day laborer, didn't earn much, but for the time being they got by. The problem was the baby supplies, so she decided to put her studies on hold until the baby was born, and then she would pick them back up. That's how Emilia started working. Her parents didn't agree -- they wanted her to keep studying -- but Emilia convinced them she would finish her education. Right now, they needed the money for the baby. And the decision became even more critical when they found out there were two babies.

Besides, if she had been mature enough to have unprotected sex, she needed to be mature enough to raise her children and not leave that burden on her parents. After all, it was her decision to bring them into the world.

She started with light jobs -- bagging groceries at supermarkets, waitressing at restaurants, among others. Emilia literally worked herself to the bone during those months until she finally saved up some money for the birth, so she could have some peace of mind for a few months until her children were a little bigger.

Emilia watched her belly grow bigger every day. She couldn't believe that inside her there wasn't one life, but two -- two girls who would become her reason for living. She didn't deny that she hated Abraham with every fiber of her being, but something good had come from that miserable man, and that was her babies. Maybe many people would say it wasn't the right time to bring children into the world, but there was no point in crying over spilled milk. Tears wouldn't clothe her daughters when they were born. Tears wouldn't feed her daughters tomorrow. So, like the strong woman she was -- the strong woman her parents had raised -- she wiped those tears away and kept moving forward with her babies.

The day the girls were born was a beautiful day. Was it painful? Yes, incredibly painful. But the moment she saw their precious little faces, all the pain vanished in an instant. Emilia hoped with all her heart that God would forgive her daughters' father.

"They're the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life," Emilia said, touching her babies' tiny hands. "I promise I'll try to do right by you two. Sometimes I'll make mistakes, but I'll try to make as few as possible."

Emilia's mother watched the babies while she worked mornings. Emilia would come home to see her daughters and spend time with them, then head straight to night school. Years of sacrifice went into raising her two girls, who day by day needed more things. For example, breast milk was no longer enough, so she had to start buying formula. Their clothes got too small, so she had to buy bigger sizes. And so, year after year, the girls needed their things. They didn't have brand-name items, but they never went without.

The day Emilia finished her studies, her parents and her daughters were there. As she was called to the stage to receive her diploma for completing senior year, she looked out into the audience at her girls, at her parents watching her with pride -- because despite the obstacle of her pregnancy, she had grown stronger and finished her education. After that, she took an online secretarial course and did her internship at an office, where over time she was hired permanently. That's how Emilia had spent seven years working at that company, for a boss who had given a chance to that scared young girl -- a single mother who did her job spectacularly.

But unfortunately, Emilia learned that her boss was going to hand the company over to his nephew, since his own children had no interest in taking over -- they were established doctors. His nephew, on the other hand, was a CEO and successful businessman. The old man knew his nephew would take the company even higher than it already was. He felt old and wanted to rest, to travel with his beloved wife, so he was handing over the responsibilities to the younger man. Emilia was terrified -- she was afraid of being fired, and afraid of meeting this man who would be replacing the boss she had worked under for seven years.

She had made only one friend while studying at night school. This girl had first met Emilia when she was pregnant and working as a waitress. Later, fate brought them together again at school, and then, as if life were determined to keep them close, she found her again at that same company. Now they were great friends and, of course, the girls' godmother.

"Girl, I'm terrified. Who's the new boss going to be? Will he keep us on?" Emilia asked, visibly worried.

"Relax, girl. Everything's going to be fine. I don't think they'll fire us. We've always done good work. We just need to introduce ourselves to the new boss and ask if we'll stay in our same positions or be reassigned somewhere else. So calm down -- everything will work out."

And so, one by one, each employee was called in by the new boss and formally introduced.

To be continued...

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