A talk with Carlos Santos.

So here’s another random thought for you. Using the van to go out on quick errands or travel alone felt weird. It was like wasting space or something. Like using a huge amp when you just want to tune a guitar. But this was my one and only vehicle and it was perfect for us since it let us travel as a group without having to take two or three cars. It was ever so slightly tempting to have a smaller car as well, but THAT would be a real waste. It would get no use beyond situations like these.

But yeah, that’s what I was thinking about as I drove my van to meet Mr. Carlos. The location he sent me was a family restaurant in the area close to his house. I remembered driving past it when I took Fernanda to her house.

I parked, mentally prepared myself and went in. Mr. Carlos was already waiting at a table for two with an empty cup of espresso in front of him. He saw me, smiled and raised his hand.

“Oliver, my boy, over here.” He didn’t yell, but his usual, booming voice still drew attention to him. Still, he seemed in a good mood so that was a good sign, right?

He stood up and shook my hand when I walked up to him. “Before anything else, let me say happy birthday, my boy. I hope you all had a good time.”

I smiled. “We did, sir. Thank you.”

“Now, sit down. Come on, let’s order. Today is my cheat day and I’m craving pasta.”

Mr. Carlos didn’t only seem in a good mood. He almost seemed excited.

The place had hamburgers on the menu and I hadn’t had one in a while, so I ordered that. It was when the waiter left that Mr. Carlos turned serious. Well, kind of.

“I’m really sorry to call you like this all of a sudden, Oliver. Fern seemed distracted this morning at breakfast, more than usual, I mean, so I asked if there was something wrong. She didn’t give me details, but she said you two talked and that, well, you told her you like her.”

“That’s true,” I said with a small, awkward smile while rubbing the back of my neck. “It was an awkward conversation. I’m well aware that my situation is… uniquely complicated. It wasn’t my intention to trouble her, but it seems I did. I’m sorry.”

“Please, my boy, don’t apologize! I did not ask you to meet me to demand explanations of you. In fact, I think I was hoping for this in some ways.”

I smiled wryly. “Sir, I… I’m seeing six other women already. I know I confessed to her, but with how complicated things are I don’t expect her to…”

“Son, you’re putting on the band-aid before the cut happens,” Mr. Carlos told me. “I’m not here to judge you or your situation. What happens between you is up to you all to decide, Fern included, of course. I believe you’ve been honest with her, so now it’s up to her to decide what to do.” Yeah, I was maybe a little TOO honest. “If anything, I’m hoping that knowing we talked can reassure her a little bit,” he said with a chuckle.

“Her?” I asked.

“I admit it was a shock for us to learn you were seeing multiple women, but it was plain to see that that relationship is built on trust. It’s up to my daughter to decide if that’s something she wants to be a part of or not.”

“Then… What do you mean when you say you’re here to reassure her?”

Mr. Carlos chuckled. “I’d like her to know that she at least has my approval. I believe you’re a good man, Oliver. I trust you’d do well by my girl.”

I grimaced. “With all due respect, sir… Can you really make that call? I mean, it’s true I’d try my hardest, but am I really the type of person you think I am?”

Our food arrived in the middle of that, giving a short pause to our conversation. I wasn’t feeling very hungry, but Mr. Carlos spun some spaghetti on his fork, gently blew on it and ate it. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at me straight.

“Oliver, I am a professional bodybuilder. I’ve lived a good part of my life inside a gym, meeting all sorts of people. You can learn a lot about a person inside the gym, you know? Their work ethics, their values, their goals… I’ve seen some obsess over the perfect body, I’ve seen personalities do complete 180s after achieving goals, I’ve seen countless people quit, I’ve seen hardworking people believe themselves better than others… You, however, Oliver, remind me of some of my best friends.”

He… didn’t elaborate there and I’m kind of glad he didn’t. After that talk with mom… It’s not that I’m not proud of myself, but hearing people praise me is still too weird. Still, I finally let myself relax a bit after that.

I let out a sigh and smiled. “Your approval means a lot to me, sir. Really. I promise to do well by Fernanda… should she come back with a favorable answer,” I said with a chuckle.

“Hah! You’ve been doing that even before all this, my boy. But really, I do hope things work out. She’s been a lot happier lately, and I don’t doubt you’ve had a lot to do with it.”

I shook my head. “No. Grace, Sarah and Diana have been supporting her a lot more than I have.”

“Then I want to believe she’d be in good hands.”

After that we ate in a bit of a hurry. Mr. Carlos had plenty of errands to run and lunch was the only time he could meet me.

All in all, this took some weight off my shoulders, but not all. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Carlos would react differently if he knew about the supernatural part of all this.

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