“Yes! Please and thank you!” I said excitedly as she grabbed my phone. She examined it for a moment, before looking up at me curiously and taking the picture for me.
“What’s your name?” she asked as she handed my phone back to me.
“Olivia, what’s yours?”
“Teresa,” she replied with a smile.
“Well it’s nice to meet you and thanks for taking the pictures for me!” I said.
“You’re welcome! There is more to see in the next fort so I will stay close to you if you’d like me to take more pictures,” she said with a grin.
“So how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? You look a bit young, so I’m just curious,” I said to her as we walked to the next fort.
“I am seventeen. May I ask your age?”
“Thirty four,” I replied with a smile.
“Really?” she asked in shock, “You don’t look it at all! I would have guessed twenty one at the most.”
“Thanks. I’ve got good genes I guess,” I replied with a laugh.
“Um ... I ... must say something,” she started, looking uncomfortable. “When I took your first picture, I saw small pictures at the bottom of photos on your phone. One of them was Alejandro Castillo and you lying in bed together. Do you know how old he is?”
“No, I never bothered to ask. Why?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
“Because he is my brother,” she said quietly. “And he is only twenty three.”
I felt sick to my stomach. Alejo didn’t look like he was that young. True, he did look like a young man but I would have assumed him to be much closer to my age than he was.
“Oh my God,” I said putting a hand to my mouth.
> “What have you done with my brother?” she asked looking at me accusingly.
“I have to go,” I said suddenly feeling dizzy. “I need to leave. Now.”
“Wait! What have you done with my brother!” she said again as I turned and started to run from the tour group and out of Ciudadela Park.
I don’t know why I felt so ill. Was it because he had only been taken advantage more recently than I thought? Was it because he was so much younger than me? Was it because I never thought a man his age could ever be as satisfying and addictive as him? What the hell was wrong with me? Was it because to me, Alejo was so young? Why was it bothering me so much?
I ran for about thirty minutes until I reached the train station. I had just paid for my ticket and was getting in line to board when César stopped me.
“I thought I might find you here,” he said seriously. “Did Teresa upset you?”
“I’m sorry,” I said with tear filled eyes, “If I knew he was so young, I never would have – you have to believe me!”
His face fell into a sad smile, “His age shouldn’t matter to you, Olivia. Alejandro maybe younger than you but he is a man still. And to be honest, I have never seen him so alive as when he talked to us about you.”
I started sobbing.
I couldn’t help it. I knew how damaged he was and now his brother was telling me that this is the first time he’s seen him happy in a long time. It wasn’t fair to Alejandro that I was making him wait for an answer, and it wasn’t fair that he was so young.
César put his arms around me and gave me a reassuring hug as he led me away from the platform to a bench nearby.
“Oh thank God,” I heard.
I looked up and saw Alejo standing in front of us with a look of sheer relief on his face. It immediately switched to concern as he crouched down in front of us.
“Olivia, what’s wrong?” he asked putting a hand on my knee.