Amanda was eager to show Father Facundo the new drawings she had made for the illustrated Bible they were working on. She walked down the hallway, her dress trailing over the red carpet leading to the altar, but the temple seemed empty. She headed towards the confessional, but the priest was not there either.
She was about to leave when she heard laughter coming from the other side of a slightly open door a few steps away. Moving stealthily, she stopped at the threshold. She couldn't see the people inside the room, but she recognized Father Facundo's voice. She almost had to press her ear to the wooden panel to understand what the priest was saying."Julia, my dear, your presence here makes me the happiest man in the world. You can't imagine how much I've missed you," the priest confessed to the woman with him."The days seemed endless since they sent you to this town. You hardly ever visited me anymore. Maybe I'll settle here. Nothing is keeping me in Luján," the woman replied."If you had written to me that you were coming, I would have prepared something to welcome you," said the priest."I thought it was better to surprise you. Besides, it was a sudden decision. Loneliness was overwhelming, and I felt the need to embrace you again," added Julia."Then come and give me another hug," he said, and the sound of chairs moving could be heard.Amanda couldn't believe what was happening and felt her heart tighten. The priest had always seemed like an honorable man, but now he was throwing himself into the arms of a woman. With her lips pressed tightly in anger and disappointment, Amanda knocked three times on the door frame. She would pretend not to have heard their confessions, but she was filled with an urgent need to disrupt this meeting at all costs. She held her breath, waiting for a response."Who is it?" asked the priest."Amanda," she replied in a voice that didn't feel like her own.There were footsteps, and a moment later, Facundo opened the door completely. He gestured for Amanda to come in and gave her a kind smile."Come in, please. I want you to meet someone very special to me," he said.Amanda couldn't believe such audacity. Did he really intend to make her a participant in his misdeeds? She might have helped Sebastián on occasion to meet a woman secretly, but she wasn't willing to be so permissive with Father Facundo, whom she supposed to be a man devoted to God. She was hurt and wouldn't forgive him. She would tell everyone so they could be stoned in the public square. She had always imagined that if the priest ever left the clergy, it would be to be with her."Julia, this is Amanda Pérez Esnaola. She is helping me create an illustrated Bible. Her talent is unparalleled," the priest said, pausing before continuing, "Amanda, this is Julia, the widow of Don José Duarte. She is my younger sister. She is visiting, but with a bit of luck, the town will charm her as it did me, and she will stay with us."Amanda felt completely foolish. She had doubted the kindest man in the world. Julia smiled at her, standing by a small worn wooden table. Her coppery curls were gathered in a hairpiece, and her light blue eyes were filled with kindness."I would love to see your work," Julia added softly."Alright, but they're just some sketches," Amanda agreed, feeling a bit embarrassed.The three of them sat at the table, and while Julia admired the drawings, Facundo served them bitter mates."They're fantastic! My husband was a painter and did commissioned portraits. Believe me, your works have nothing to envy his, Miss Amanda," Julia said."Thank you very much! I'm sorry to hear about your husband. Did he pass away a long time ago?" Amanda asked."Don't worry. It happened almost two years ago, and everyone knew it was coming. He was an older man and sick. He hoped to conceive an heir before he died. Unfortunately, he passed away a few days after the wedding. His family still blames me for not giving him a child that would justify including me in his will," the young widow recounted with a tense face.Amanda couldn't help but feel pity for the girl, who was probably about her age. She had been married to a dying old man and had become a widow very young.They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing various topics. Facundo and Julia had grown up in a humble home. Their father had been a carpenter, and their mother a laundress. The painter had paid for Facundo's studies in exchange for Julia's hand, having fallen in love with her at first sight when she was just a child. No one dared to say it, but becoming a widow so soon was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the priest's sister.Someone knocked desperately on the door, and Father Facundo got up to open it. It was Leónidas and Pablo Ferreira. The girls stood up and approached them. Something bad had happened. The servant's eyes were red, and on his dusty cheeks, the path marked by dried tears could be seen.Pablo seemed agitated and was about to say something. However, he fell silent upon seeing Julia. Facundo was about to introduce them, but Leónidas interrupted."Miss, your father..." he began to say, but his eyes filled with tears, and covering his face with his hands, he couldn't continue."He fell from his horse," Pablo finished the sentence, forcing himself to look away from Julia."Is he alright?" Amanda asked, even though she knew the answer.Pablo slowly shook his head."I'm very sorry for your loss," added the criollo with a hoarse and soft voice."Nooo!" Amanda screamed, her heart breaking, and she clung to Father Facundo, who stood beside her with a somber look.The priest wrapped his arms around her, supporting all her weight. Amanda felt her father's absence like a solar eclipse. He had always been there for her, and now, without warning, he was gone. The good memories they had shared together played through her mind, intensifying the pain of loss, coupled with the fear of knowing she would never see him again.Someone said something, but the world had lost its meaning for Amanda, and she could only ignore it. Firm hands separated her from Facundo's arms, which were keeping her from sinking into a deep abyss. The priest let go, and she felt cold. She tried to take a step, but her legs refused to support her. Someone, who wasn't Father Facundo, picked her up and carried her outside. The sunlight forced her to squint and look away from the sky. Pablo was carrying her towards a carriage, away from the church and away from Facundo."I will come tonight to speak with Doña Catalina and the family! Remember that in the worst moments, when everything seems lost, is when God is closest! Seek refuge in Him!" the priest shouted from the stone steps at the entrance.Amanda thought that if God had been close to her, He wouldn't have taken her father away. She didn't respond and simply stared at the ground from Pablo's arms. The shadow of a bird followed them until the criollo placed her inside the vehicle."Who will take care of us now?" Amanda lamented as Leónidas whipped the horses and they began to pick up speed."You are strong women. You don't need anyone to take care of you," Pablo replied, closing the curtain on his side.The sound of the church bells accompanied their journey, seemingly trying to alert the angels to escort her father's soul to heaven. Tears welled up in her emerald eyes again, and Pablo, in a vain attempt to console her, put an arm around her. The pain became unbearable, pressing on her chest and making it difficult for air to pass through her throat.