My Life as a Housewife

For a while now I've felt like I need to get this off my chest. I need to tell someone but I know no one would understand... My ideas are all messed up and I don't know where to start...

I guess I should start with my name. My name is Mercedes (but my famly and friends called me Meche). I'm 42 years old and I live in Lima, Peru. I'm a pretty normal person, I think, or boring maybe someone would say. As far as I could, in my twenties, my life was a mess. I really liked going out to parties with friends until I turned 25 and I messed up.

I wasn't a person with many partners. I've only been with three people in my life, and one of them got me pregnant. At 25 I had to stop studying. That's how it was before, you know? I dedicated myself 100 percent to my son and my partner who I was **** to marry.

I don't think I've ever been happy... I've always felt very alone... well, until recently.

Forgive me for being so concise in my details, perhaps later I'll expand on some aspects of my life, but I'm shaking a little while I write...

A month ago my 18-year-old son told me the incredible news that he had been promoted to a more competitive category in swimming. He has been swimming since he was very young and now he's going to do it in a more professional way. We were all happy when he told us this while we were having lunch. But that wasn't the only good news. He also told us that he had met Lukas, a boy who had arrived from Germany.

"Beautiful name," I said to José, my son... Only now do I understand that the words my husband would say next would be the beginning of a radical change in my life...

"Hey, son, it would be good if you invited that boy to the house to meet him!"