Sofa

by me

I remember when sister Gertrude came to us with the story about viejo Roberto's other family. I only recall her distressed face when she asked me: "what is going to happen with Melissa, manito?" She told us about José, he went to Maracay for school and he met his own brother there. This would be their first encounter. "They had the same name, the same surname, it was a crazy thing. They even attended the same lecture.”

“Manito, Melissa can't go through a divorce.” —And we are talking about the 90's, when practically everyone in Caracas was going through a divorce and all caraqueñas (and caraqueños) were laying on Chirinos' sofa. Nevertheless, sister Gertrude was a conservative and pragmatic woman. "She had to go over this matter with her daughter Melissa without hesitation or guilt." she said. "She is the wife, the other one is the mistress, or… just the other", clucked sister Gertrude. 

Time went by and everything was left in the past. Viejo Roberto's son became best friends with his brother. None of them were considered bastards, everything was peaceful and bright, until Melissa started dating her nephew in law and started to rest her head twice a week on Dr. Chirinos' divan. You know what they say, if you have bad thoughts about family the only thing that is left for you to do is to think on Dr. Chirinos, the psychiatrist, and sitting in his caraqueño's sofa.