**SUGGESTED SONG: "Unpack Your Heart- Phillip
Phillip"
"The most important meetings were planned by the souls before the bodies had even seen each other." -Paulo Coelho
3/3 OF THE WEEKEND MARATHON
A FEW HOURS LATER:
"What?!" Camila said exasperated as Dinah looked at her with a smile. Both were waiting for their sisters to leave school.
"She told you that you looked beautiful," Dinah said smiling at her, and Camila, despite herself, ended up completely blushing.
"She's beautiful, Dinah," Camila finally admitted, crossing her arms and being honest with her friend. "I think she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life.
"I think her friend is more beautiful," Dinah said, laughing "The supermodel. You know" Camila rolled her eyes.
"I find her attractive too." Dinah smiled. "And you, since when do you see attractive women?"
"She's attractive," she laughed. "I am not telling any lies. But you prefer the bitter ones with green eyes."
Camila smiled a little remembering Lauren. The eyes she had and her body. And the way she had looked at her when she told her that she was beautiful.
"She's beautiful," Camila said, leaning against a wall and looking at her friend. "Never in my life had I seen such a beautiful woman. But I hate her infinitely."
"Well, you must hate her less because she's our boss now,"
Dinah whispered and Camila sighed.
"The only reason I accept that job is for the money." Camila felt a lump in her throat. "I am the only thing Sofi has and if I want to be her legal guardian I must do many things to finally be able to take care of her. I want to give her everything and if that's a way to get it, I will do it. It will only be a month. And then I'll probably never see that woman again. We can live well for a while if I can manage the money and get another job."
"And here I thought you liked it," Dinah said, laughing at the moment they heard the sound of school ending and the screams of the children coming out.
"I like her a lot, but only physically," she smiled. "That woman only loves herself and she is hateful, I think that no one could fall in love with her with that horrible character that she has. She is bipolar."
"I know someone who would go crazy for her, Dinah said giving her a wink and Camila looked at her curiously.
"You told me she was gay, didn't you?" Dinah nodded and Camila looked at her for a moment. "Does she have a girlfriend?"
"Maybe.." Dinah said starting to walk and Camila quickly approached her taking her arm.
"Who is it?" Camila asked without knowing why, feeling a pang in her heart at the possibility.
"What kind of question is that?"
"It's very simple, just want to know if she has a girlfriend or not."
"And why are you so curious to know?" Dinah smiled when she looks at Camila.
"I just want to know who I should pay tribute to for putting up with such a monster." Dinah looked at her without believing her and Camila crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell me?"
"You could find out for yourself," she smiled. "It's not something important. The same and she goes with her to Japan."
"Well," Camila said seriously. "If you don't tell me, I won't help you tell your mother about the trip."
"If you don't tell her, you won't go either," Dinah smiled.
"That would be $35,000 less in your bank account. Do you have a bank account?"
"You're stupid," Camila said, hitting her and walking to the door to wait for Sofi Dinah smiled as she stood next to her while Camila ignored her.
"The last couple she was with was a model, it seems her name is Shay Mitchell." Camila turned to see her. "They went out to a party and she is the only one who knows the truth. She is very pretty."
"I know who she is," Camila said, feeling a lump in her throat as her heart skipped a beat in her chest. "Did she have a relationship with her?"
"I don't think they were in a relationship," she smiled.
"Rather, it was a much freer understanding" She began to laugh and Camila looked surprised. "Do you think that Lauren Jauregui is one of those who believe in love? They probably just slept together" Several people turned to look at Dinah and Camila blushed a little.
"I think it's not the right place to discuss this." Dinah looked at her without understanding.
"Do you think these people don't know what sex is?" Camila looked surprised, she was going to answer but at that moment she heard Sofi.
"Kaki!" Sofi said strongly, running towards her and Camila took her in her arms, spinning her while they laughed. "I thought I would go on the bus."
"I wanted to surprise you" Camila smiled as she kissed her sister's cheek sweetly. "I was thinking we can go get pizza and play in the park."
"Really?" Sofí smiled excitedly and Camila nodded when she saw Dinah hugging her sister tightly. She had thought to talk to her sister about the trip that day. "But don't you have to work?" Sofi asked.
"Dinah is going to cover for me for a few hours," Camila smiled sweetly. "Do you want to go Little One?"
"Yes," Sofi said, hugging Camila and Dinah winked at her, wishing her luck. As Regina came to her side.
"Sofí will accompany me to my piano class," Regina said, smiling.
"I don't think it can be," Dinah said. "Sofi and Camila have a sister's date."
"A sisterly date?" Regina said surprised to see her best friend while she hugged her sister tightly. "And what is that"
"When the sisters go out to spend time together and stuff" Dinah explained and Regina stared at Camila who sweetly kissed her sister's forehead and Sofi leaned her face on her neck.
Dinah felt the strong blow to her side and her surprised look went to Regina who saw her crossing her arms.
"Hey, tadpole... why are you hitting me?" Dinah said accusingly.
"Because we're sisters and we don't have sister dates." Camila looked at Dinah and smiled enormously, raising her questioning eyebrows. "Because you don't hug me or give me kisses."
"Give you kisses?" Dinah made a disgusted face and felt
Regina blew again, listening to Sofi and Camila laugh. "Can you stop hitting me if I promise to buy you ice cream on the way home?"
Regina smiled beautifully and took Dinah's hand giving a wink to Sofi who laughed kissing Camila's cheek who took off her snapback and put it on Sofi.
A few minutes later they both said goodbye to Dinah.
Camila only had a few hours to talk to her sister and then go back to work. She put Sofi down and took her hand, taking a deep breath. How was she going to tell her little sister that she was going away for a month? Camila was afraid that she would think that she was abandoning her when the thing with her father was so recent.
It was for that reason that Dinah suggested that she tell her things ahead of time so she wouldn't be surprised when she saw her leave. They would spend five days together before Camila traveled to Japan. That was why she had decided to take her old football out of her, play with Sofi, and then eat pizza. She could do those little things for her sister. And soon, very soon she would make many more.
WHILE AT THE TOYS R "US" TIMES SQUARE TOY STORE:
Lauren took a deep breath as she continued to store toys inside the three carts she brought with her. It was Wednesday and for Lauren, on Wednesdays, she had a lot of important things to do. Among them, was her visit to the orphanage to bring toys and clothes to the children who remained in the place where years ago she had been.
Homeless children, parentless and rejected as she had been. Lauren's green eyes filled with sadness at the sight of the Barbies she was putting into a cart.
Lauren would have given her life to have a doll like that to play with before. But she had never had it until she got to the Jauregui house. Ever since Lauren had started to be recognized in the fashion world she always gave large amounts of money to orphanages, especially the one she had been to. And every Wednesday at five in the afternoon she brought them toys, clothes, and food. Her truck was full of bags of food and clothing from well-known stores. Lauren would arrive at the door of the orphanage and among her staff, they would help her lower everything and then she would leave. She had never entered it again since that time when she was six years old when she left for the Jauregui house.
She had never dared to go through those doors again because of the latent fear that arose in her when she found herself imprisoned again in the solitude of those walls. Her staff had always been good to her. But she didn't feel strong enough to go through those doors. It was like remembering a life that she no longer belonged to. She now had a last name and was recognized worldwide. She had all the success in the world and she tried to give a little of that to those children who, like her, had no one to look out for them. There were a hundred boys and girls in all, and every Wednesday one by one they received new clothes and a toy. And food for almost the whole week.
Marcela Duran, the director of the orphanage was a close friend of Lauren's. She had offered her countless times to go with them so that the children could meet her and share with her. Lauren had never done it. She had invited her to give drawing classes but she hadn't accepted either. Instead, she had given them money to build an arcade, and she had hired a tutor to teach them how to draw.
Lauren wasn't looking for recognition. No one knew that she went to that place every Wednesday. Not Ally, not Normani. No one knew that side of Lauren's life and she preferred it to stay that way. To everyone, they were a heartbroken bitch who looked only for her. She hoped they would stick with that idea forever.
To show that side of her would be to open a door to her past and she had promised herself never to go back. Never. Her eyes at that moment focused on a doll on the shelves. A doll that she was very familiar with and was one of the ones she had been looking for since she entered the toy store.
She saw that it was a little different from the one she had seen in the hands of Camila Cabello's sister. The one on the shelf had a beautiful white dress and black patent leather shoes. A small smile came to Lauren's lips and she sighed thinking about the broken doll and the worn-out dress that Sofía Cabello had. Surely Camila Cabello would throw the doll in her face but it didn't matter. She was going to fulfill what she had promised herself as she took it off the shelf. She was going to send it to her anonymously even though Camila would know immediately who it had been. It wasn't a very cheap doll to say and Lauren thought about what Camila's mother would have gone through to buy it.
"That's a good choice," a voice said as Lauren turned to see the store clerk smile at her. "It is a very beautiful doll."
"Is there another one that is the same as this one but has a
red and black dress?" The employee shook his head.
"This is the only style in which these dolls are produced. They are dolls that are normally used to decorate weddings or first communions. They are not very commercial. Now they are sold as an antique, that is why their price is expensive."
"Sure," Lauren said without wanting to ask much more and looked at her watch. It was already a little late and she had to drive to the center of Brooklyn where the orphanage was located in front of the park. The only thing she hoped is that this time she didn't have car problems.
"Can you gift wrap it and send it to an address?" Lauren stared at her. "I will pay whatever it takes and take all this. I also need help to go to the box and take it to my truck."
"Of course," he smiled. "I will send two people to help you with the carts so you can go to the register and then they will escort you to your car."
"Okay," Lauren said and took a deep breath. Surely if Ally and Normani knew where she was they would laugh at her forever. Lauren Jauregui is surrounded by toys and children.
That was undoubtedly something she did not see every day. Except for every Wednesday afternoon.
TWO HOURS LATER:
"One month?" Sofi repeated with tears in her eyes while Camila hugged her tightly. They were both sitting on the park grass with a pizza box by their side and the football in Sofi's arms. "But I don't want you to go, Kaki."
"I know, little one," Camila said with tears caressing her cheeks. "But understand why I do it. They will pay me a lot of money if I travel with them."
"But you don't like fashion and stuff" Sofia saw her. "Dinah likes them and Regina does too. But you play football with me and we run around and play different things. Models don't do that."
"I'm your sister, sofi," Camila smiled sweetly. "And all my life I will be your sister."
"But you like medicine" Sofi stared at her. "You want to be a doctor and you like to paint although since what happened with Dad you don't do it anymore."
"I lost my brushes," Camila whispered, looking down. "But when I can I'm going to buy new ones. That's why I want to do this little trip. If I travel for a month we will have money to buy some clothes and maybe a new doll for you and things you need for school."
"You're doing it because of what that bad woman told you the other day" Sofi looked into her eyes and Camila denied trying to smile.
"Do you know that she will be my boss?" she stared at her. "She is the designer for whom I will model the clothes."
"But she spoke to us so ugly Kaki," Sofi said, hugging her.
"She treated us very badly just because she had a lot of money and a big car."
"There are people who are rude despite having everything in life, Sofia," Camila began to tell her, stroking her hair. "We must remember that we must always be good to other
people, and help those who need it. Even if we don't have much to offer. And if we have a lot, give a little to others."
"She was very rude," Sofi concluded. "A bad person."
"We don't know what people have experienced and that's why we can't judge a person without really knowing them.
Not because of how they dress, where they work, what they do, or who they fall in love with. We cannot say that a person is "in a way" when we know nothing of their life. Nor can we hurt their feelings by making them feel bad."
"Like what Dad said about you?" They both looked into each other's eyes. "He used to say nasty things to you because you like girls."
"There are many people in the world who think that way, which is wrong because we are all the same" Camila gently caressed Sofi's cheek while they both sat leaning against a log and hugging each other sweetly. "What they don't know is that it doesn't matter who you fall in love with. That doesn't make you more or less than someone else. You are free to love the person who makes you happy, be it a man or a woman like you. A person who fills your heart and with whom you feel loved and respected."
"The lady from the other day judged us by what we were wearing and by my doll without knowing us and that was not right, right?" Camila agreed. "Is that why I can't say that she is bad and ugly?" she sighed. "Because I don't know her?"
Camila didn't say anything thinking about Lauren Jauregui.
The woman was bitter and arrogant and she didn't need to know her very well to know that. But it was not something that she would share with Sofi because she did not respect the point that she wanted to make her sister understand.
"We are all equal in this world, Sofi. It doesn't matter if you have a lot of money, a little money, if you are gay, or if you have a different skin color. It's just that there are people who don't understand that." She gently squeezed her nose with a finger. "We are all the same and I hope that one day the whole world understands that," she sighed.
"So that there aren't bad people who have big houses and big cars and treat others badly," Sofi said. "We don't have a big house or money, but we are good people" Camila hugged Sofi, nodding.
"You'll see that soon we're going to have a beautiful little house where we're going to plant all the plants and flowers that Mom liked. You will go to a good school and we will have everything we dream of when I am a doctor. That's why I want to travel, Sofi. I want to give you everything you want and that we don't have problems with money."
"Milika and Gordon are good people, they love us and take care of us now. Mrs. Milika gave me a giant breakfast today.," Sofi said.
"And it's true they take care of us and love us," Camila said.
"But we can't live with them all our lives, Sofi. We need our own space. A place to live our own life. That we can call our
home."
"A big house like the one that Mom told us she wanted to have" Camila nodded, hugging Sofi. "With a dog."
"What would you like our house to have?" Camila asked, kissing her cheek.
"A huge pool, and a garden with a court like this to play with you and our dog," Sofia smiled. "And garden like mom wanted to plant tomatoes and things that are put in the orchards."
Camila laughed sweetly imagining a big house for Sofia. As she listened to her describe it excitedly. She would do anything to fulfill her mother's dream and raise her sister. She was going to show her father that she was not useless and a coward like him who had run away from her responsibilities.
Sofí at that moment stopped and heard a " Wow" come out of her mouth.
"What's happening?" Camila asked softly as she saw a truck that seemed very familiar to her pull up in front of the orphanage across the street.
"It's a very nice truck," Sofi said. "What place is that?"
"It's an orphanage" Camila replied, watching how several people came out to receive the person who arrived and went to the back of the truck in which there were hundreds and hundreds of bags. "A place where they take children who do not have a father or mother and who are alone."
"Like us?" Sofi said softly and Camila gently cupped her face.
"We are not alone," Camila said firmly. "We have each other. I will never leave you Sofi. I promise you."
"There are so many things," Sofi said softly, and at that moment she and Camila saw a woman in a black coat and dark glasses approaching the back. Camila stared at the woman, trying to recognize her from a distance. "Look how many toys, kaki!" Sofia yelled excitedly while she accidentally threw the ball that she had in her hands and she heard her yell when she saw how she rolled into the
street.
"The ball," Sofi said, pointing to the ball that had slipped from her hands, trying to see the bags they were taking out of the car.
"I'll go get it," Camila said softly, getting up. "Stay here Sofi."
Camila looked at both sides of the street to cross to bring the ball that was rolling down the street. It wasn't a very busy street so she ran without paying much attention to the cars and watching the truck full of toys, clothes, and food very close to her. Someone must have a very good heart to spend that amount of money. There were hundreds of bags and the woman in the black coat ordered where to put things. She was so attentive to what was happening in the orphanage that nothing distracted her until she heard her sister's scream.
"Kaki!" she heard Sofia's scream across the street and saw her sister horrified by her jumping and running next to her.
What Camila didn't know is that someone who was near the truck upon hearing that certain nickname turned her gaze and her eyes filled with horror upon seeing the scene, and without thinking, she ran quickly. "Kaki, the car!"
Camila reacted only to see the car that was very close to her and she closed her eyes waiting for the impact but the only thing she felt were arms that took her and pulled her to the side of the street. Camila felt the hard blow on the sidewalk and then heard a groan from someone next to her who had also fallen with her. While Sofia arrived with tears next to
her.
"Camila," someone said and Camila turned her face to find the person who owned that voice. "Camila, are you okay?"
Camila turned her face, finding herself face to face with green eyes that she recognized immediately. They were the green eyes of Lauren Jauregui.
"Lauren..." Camila said softly and their eyes met while Sofía threw herself on Camila, hugging her tightly. Her eyes closed for a moment when she felt a pang of pain on one of her legs very slightly from her but she opened again to find Lauren looking worried and at that moment she knew.
Lauren Jauregui had saved her. And she also knew that the owner of the truck that she had been watching was her when she saw the people from the orphanage run to help them and her black coat. Camila's eyes got lost in that green sea and she felt her heart race as she watched that woman who had filled her thoughts so much in recent days. That woman she had thought she would never see again and who was now her boss. This woman had just saved her life in perhaps more than one way.