When We Met

Chapter 1. First Day

Madrid in the fall is magical. The air is crisp and clean, the fall colors are vibrant in their display of reds, golds, and rust. The city is busy with people moving in and through the barrios. Cafés are bustling with people getting hot coffee, with soccer fans cheering for their favorite team and catching up on the events in the neighborhood. Madrid is a genuine mix of old and new. The ancient architecture blended smoothly into modern buildings. It gave the city a unique ambiance; inviting and amiable. The barrio of Chambri is the perfect combination of both. Old barrio shops and modern apartment buildings along with nightclubs, taverns, and restaurants. One such popular place for the younger crowd is Los Dos Reinas.

Amelia Ledesma stood in her classroom at the University of Spain, northeast of Chambri, where she lives. Fall classes were going to start tomorrow and she wanted to be completely prepared. This was her first teaching position since she graduated with her PhD in Communications from the University. She was number one in her class and was offered a position upon graduation. To say she was the youngest female professor at the University was an understatement. There had never been a young woman professor. She had to make this first-class run perfectly. Amelia by nature was a perfectionist when it came to her career. It was her top priority. She didn't have a social life as she had committed herself to her studies and now her teaching career.

Amelia came from a small family in Zaragoza. Zaragoza which lies to the northeast of Madrid and southwest of Barcelona is home to the General Military Academy, a higher training center of the Spanish Army and the Spanish Air Force base. Her father and brother were both in engineering for the military; her mother was a housewife as her husband would not allow her to work or follow her dreams of being an actress. Tomas Ledesma was military to the core of his bones. He ran his house in the same manner. There were rules and standards that the Ledesma family followed or suffered the wrath of Tomas. Amelia was expected to meet or surpass those standards. No daughter of Tomas Ledesma would ruin the reputation of Ledesma's name by singing in dive bars or dressing in scanty clothes performing in front of people. Amelia followed her father's wishes only to prevent her mother from suffering the consequences of her actions.

Amelia's older brother never fell to the wrath of their father. He was the prodigal son. No matter what trouble he got into Tomas always had an excuse for his son's behavior. Amelia is two years younger than her brother. She was born in the military hospital in Madrid on October 12, 1987. She was full of life the moment she drew her first breath. As she grew up, she was a bit rambunctious and a risk-taker. She began singing at an early age which her father tolerated until she got older and talked about a career as a singer.

Amelia was under the constant watchful eye of her father and he demanded that she get a good education and become a teacher. Amelia had grown up into a beautiful woman, kind, level headed, down to earth with a touch of a rebel in her. Although her family life could be very tremulous at times with her father, she adored her mother. There came a moment when Amelia started to attend college that she confessed to her mother that she was not interested in boys but she did like girls. Her mother begged her not to act on those feelings as she feared what Tomas would do if he found out. Amelia was reluctant as she did not want to hide and to be someone she wasn't but agreed not to tell him. Her mother did not judge her and accepted her.

Amelia, as she stood in her classroom, thought back over the years it took her to get her doctorate degree and all the things she gave up to accomplish that goal. She recalled when she was ten, she had gathered her schoolmates in the backyard and put on a show for them. She had taken a crate and placed a board across it to make a stage. She had set up her stereo CD player. She pushed the play button, the music swirled and she began to sing, she had a beautiful voice. Her friends were captivated by her as she sang and danced to that song. Her mother had come out and watched her from the doorstep. She did not hear her husband when he came home. He heard the music and stormed through the house to find Amelia singing. He pushed his wife out of the way as she called out Amelia's name but it was too late. He picked up the CD player and tossed it across the yard, breaking into pieces. He grabbed Amelia by the arms, began to shake her and told her she was never allowed to sing, that it was an unworthy profession. The children scatter like feathers in the wind. Amelia held back the tears because it would just make things worse for her. He dragged her into the house and sent her to her room to stay until he allowed her out. He proceeded to walk back into the kitchen and hit his wife for not watching her and stopping her from singing in front of all those kids. Amelia dared not to leave her room because she knew what could happen to her mother. She laid on her bed and wept until she fell asleep. She vowed that one day she would get away from him and live her life as she chose.

She shook her mind clear of the horrible day. She was on her way to living the life she wanted. Her only caution was to make sure that her mother did not pay for the life Amelia chose. She was determined to live open and free. Fight for her dreams. But for now, things were going well and she would stay on that path. There were a few times she would venture out and go down to the Los Dos Reinas and sing. She had to be careful not to let her father catch wind of her occasional appearances in the club. But when she stood on that stage, it gave her such a sense of joy and fulfillment. It was like she was able to finally express herself as to who she really was.

Now, in the classroom, she would have to find that sense of joy that the stage gave her. She looked around and everything seemed to be in place. She was going to have twelve graduate students in this class. They were working on their Master's degree in Communications. She would also be the thesis advisor to three of the students while the other three communications professors would have the other nine divided between them. She would be focusing this class on oral communications, which included radio, video, and television. She was satisfied that everything was perfect, she headed back to her apartment in Chambri and tomorrow would be a very exciting day.

The next morning Amelia got ready. She put on her favorite yellow dress, changed her hairstyle five times before she settled and letting her beautiful hair frame her face. Her hair had natural curls and waves all over and without putting any effort always looked perfect. Her makeup was simple but highlighted her gorgeous caramel brown eyes. She stood back looking in the mirror to make sure she looked professional yet not stoic. Once she was happy, she left for University. It was a short Metro ride to the campus, as she stepped off into the cool fall air she took a deep breath, the first day of a new beginning and Amelia Ledesma was ready to take on the world.

She walked into the classroom to find some of the students already seated. She smiled at them and arranged the materials on the desk for them. She glanced at the clock and heard more students come in and take a seat. She had a few more minutes before class would begin. She watched as the students entered the classroom, they all looked relaxed however she could sense their determination to succeed. The clock struck nine am, she took a quick headcount and class was one short. She introduced herself.

"Good morning everyone. Welcome to the Communication Masters Program. I am Dr. Amelia Ledesma. Over the next eighteen months, we will be spending a lot of time together. My goal is to make sure you succeed and earn your degree. You will be expected to give your best and strive for excellence. As I hand out the syllabus, my office hours are noted on the front page. Make sure you give yourself the opportunity to come and speak with me about any issues or advice you have or need." As Amelia began to hand out the syllabus and other materials, the door swung open and an out of breath college student ran in. She had blond hair that was a wind-blown mess and she appeared as if she just ran a marathon. Amelia stopped dead in her tracks and watched as the girl walked to her seat.

"I'm so sorry professor!! My alarm didn't go off, I missed the metro, my neighbor's dog snatched my bookbag that I had to chase down to retrieve. But I'm here. So sorry." She plopped down in the only available chair directly in front of Amelia. Amelia just stared at her. Finally, she broke eye contact.

"I am glad you finally made it. You are?" Amelia raised her eyebrow.

"Luisa Gomez. But you can call me Luisita." She answered rolling her pen in her hand.

"Very well Luisita, you may call me Dr. Ledesma." Amelia directed as she handed Luisita the class materials. Amelia continued to explain to the class what was expected and went over the syllabus. She told them that the class was divided into groups of three among the Communication professors for the thesis advisors. Amelia read the list of names that were her thesis students; Sergio Garcia, Alejandro Sanchez and Luisa Gomez. Amelia looked up at the disheveled blond sitting in front of her. She thought this will be interesting.