The vows we never said(mxm) ✔

The dinner 2.0

The table was quiet after Marco's words.

"See daddy? Patrick is selling himself short, again!" Fabiola broke the silence.

"How long till it gets that bad?" Mr. del Castillo asked.

"I don't know that. Like I said, I'm not a doctor," Marco replied.

Mr. del Castillo looked at Patrick.

"Does it matter dad? Would a year make my decision even more terrible? Would 10 years make it better? Would 20 years justify it? I don't care about when. I'll still love him even if he can't walk tomorrow or ten years from now," Patrick argued.

"Charlie could you excuse us?" Maria Valdez said.

Charlie was about to stand up when Patrick held his arm. "You can say anything you want to say in front of him mom."

"I just...I wanted to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into," Maria Valdez said.

"No one here knows this disease better than Charlie and I. Of course I know what I am getting myself into. I know it won't be easy."

"Can I say something?" Denis said.

No one said anything.

"Mom, dad...I understand why you are worried about Patrick, but I think Patrick is old enough to make this decision. Like he said, he knows more about this disease than we do. He's not making a blind decision. Even though Patrick and Charlie only got together now, they've loved each other for a long time. Just as many of us here would stick it out with our wives or husbands, Patrick is merely doing the same thing."

According to Patrick, Denis wasn't just older. He was wiser. He's said the words that Patrick wanted to say, but hearing him say them assured Patrick there was someone in his corner.

"If that's your decision then we support you," Mr. del Castillo reluctantly said and Maria Valdez nodded in agreement.

Fabiola felt her house of cards crumbling down. She couldn't hold it up anymore. She had no aces up her sleeve. She realized she had nothing. She'd failed.

This couldn't be happening.

"What the fuck just happened?"

"Watch your words young lady!" Mr. del Castillo reprimanded.

"No! I am tired of Patrick always getting whatever he wants. He was supposed to fucking get his heart broken again or lose his license. He still fucking gets whatever he wants. From a young age he was the golden boy. You loved him more. Even the town loved him. Everybody sang his praises! It's not fair. Even when I was standing next to him no one acknowledged me. It was all about Patrick. He got all the good grades. He was good at every sport. He got all the attention. All the girls wanted him. All the boys wanted to be his friend. I made sure Charlie broke up with him so he could for once in his life lose something he really loved! I sabotaged his relationship and here you are still giving him whatever he wants. It's always about Patrick! I fucking hate him with everything that's in me. I wish you were never born."

Fabiola was enraged and there was no stopping her. She was spilling her deepest secrets, tired of bottling them inside.

"How dare you?! I knew you were sabotaging his assignments and homework, I just thought it was a bit of sibling rivalry. I never thought you'd stoop so low as to want to hurt him so deeply. He's your brother for fuck's sake!" Maria Valdez said.

"He's not my brother. He's nothing to me!"

Even though Patrick and Fabiola weren't close, he felt a little hurt by her words. He knew she wasn't a saint, he just didn't know she hated him that much. He didn't feel any ounce of guilt though. Fabiola was the one who'd tried to sabotage his life, not the other way around.

"You know, if you weren't so rude and so high-almighty, people would actually like you. You have no right to complain that no one likes you. You brought that all onto yourself. No one wants a friend who is going to be judgmental about everything and thinks herself the queen of the world. Patrick doesn't make people worship him; he is friendly and helps them out. You could try that sometime," Charlie finally said something, displaying courage he didn't know he possessed.

"I have half a mind to disown you right now! You wanted your brother to lose his license out of jealousy?!" Mr. del Castillo said. "Let's see how long you can survive on your "job" without an allowance from me."

Fabiola's eyes enlarged. "Papa no!"

"You will earn your living Fabiola. Maybe that'll teach you to be humble."

Fabiola stood up, with her eyes as hard as granite. She looked at each and every person's face as if issuing a threat before pushing away her chair and walking away.

"I can't believe I've raised a monster," Maria Valdez lamented.

"It's not your fault querida," Mr. del Castillo said. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one who spoiled her even when she bullied other kids".

"No one could have foreseen this," Denis said.

"No. I could have foreseen this. I gave her whatever she wanted. I showered her with gifts whenever she felt down. I should have seen what the real problem was and dealt with it sooner. None of this would have happened," Mr. del Castillo said.

"Dad honestly, Fabiola fooled all of us. We all knew she was cunning and not the most down-to-earth person. We should have known just how devious she could be when things didn't go her way," Denis said.

Chat centered on Fabiola's deeds for a while as everyone insisted on blaming themselves for what Fabiola did. Even though Fabiola had deliberately tried to hurt her own brother, she was still family and the del Castillo's held family above anything. They were not going to forsake her. Everyone was hurt that Fabiola had wounded one of her own, but most of all, the family sought to make Fabiola repent her ways.

That was not Patrick's concern at that moment. His only concern was moving to Sydney with Charlie and Ariel. His family had given their blessing. There was now so much to do to get ready to move.

"So when do you plan on leaving?" Denis asked after a dessert of chocolate cake was finally served.

*