47: Hotel Orquídea

They managed to park both Mercedes in the hotel's client parking — Lope himself had recommended it.
They were walking hand in hand, fingers laced together — no longer hiding it. They noticed a car like theirs, but black, parked in the space marked "Director."
"Oh — Lope's here!" Mario said.
"Your cousin is the hotel director? That's why you got a table so quickly!"
They called the lift to take them up to the restaurant.
"Mario!"
They turned. It was Lope.
"Perfect timing." He put his hand to the back of his neck, hesitating. "Chef Libertad asked me to run something by you. Would you mind if the table were for twelve? It's the only one we could put aside with an hour's notice."
They looked at each other.
"Fine by me, Lope — you're welcome to join us later if you'd like."
"What would I be doing at your dinner, cousin?"
"It's a family celebration — and you're family too."
Lope flushed and tried to play it cool.
"I'll try to pop in."
They reached the maître d's stand and gave Mario's name.
"Two couples are already at your table, sir."
Marta glanced at her wrist.
"We call them and we're the last to arrive — not bad!" She said drily.
"I think this is better, actually — they'll see us come in and we won't have to explain anything—" he kissed her on the hair "—my queen."
When they reached the table, Manuel was there with Felisa, and Julián with Liliana.
Marta's son looked thrilled and even brought his hands to his mouth. Liliana nodded like someone receiving confirmation of a hypothesis. Felisa smiled at them with quiet complicity.
Manuel stretched his face and exhaled with relief.
"What a joy to see you together!"
Taken aback was an understatement for the pair.
"Dad?"
"Son — only someone like you could have won her over. It makes perfect sense!"
Felisa elbowed him.
"You both look radiant." Julián stepped in. "The fairest boss and the champion of the worker — like something out of a Christmas romantic comedy."
Marta and Mario looked at each other.
"What films are you talking about, Julián?" Melisa appeared from behind.
Marta looked at Felisa.
"And Hugo?"
"He didn't want to come — said something about ducks and software. I didn't quite follow." His mother answered.
"So there'll be seven of us." Mario said, still standing.
Melisa sat down right in the middle of the empty seats. When she hung her bag on the back of her chair, she noticed the laced hands of the two still standing.
"You're loved back, Mario — that's brilliant!" She pressed her hands together as if in prayer and tilted them to rest her cheek against them. "I didn't expect my mum to fall for someone my age, but look at Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher."
They went to the two empty seats together.
"Demi Moore — you too?" Marta complained.
"Who else said it?" Melisa looked around the table and everyone denied it.
"My mother used to say I looked like Patrick Swayze — but with my father's eyes."
The couple settled between Melisa and Felisa. They exchanged a look of complicity and Marta took the box from her bag while Manuel pressed his hand to his mouth.
"Ghost — now I understand!"
"Oh, that film — got it!" Julián clicked.
Between jokes and quips, no one noticed what Marta had placed on the table.
At a certain point, Felisa received a call from her worried son and eventually convinced him to come.
It grew later than usual, and the other tables gradually emptied until Hugo arrived. Lorena came with him — Liliana had alerted her on her own initiative — and they sat together.
And it was then, with nine people sitting at a table for twelve and the restaurant half-empty, that Mario stood up between the main course and dessert.
"I want to thank you all, on my part—" he looked at Marta beside him, then continued "—for having accepted something as unexpected as it is gratifying. Something I still can't quite believe."
"Are you making a toast now?" Lorena asked with a touch of reluctance.
"I won't be raising glasses. At least, not yet." He answered with a smile.
Marta stood beside him. She took the box from under the wing of her plate and held it up.
"This—" she began, opening it to take out the digital test "—I think we all know what it is."
She showed it.
Everyone was glad for them, to a greater or lesser degree. Somewhat surprisingly, Felisa showed a happiness that was more pained than joyful — and her son noticed.
"Does it hurt you that Auntie is pregnant, Mum?"
"I know it's a clear positive and the probability of error is practically zero — but has anyone here stopped to think about the risk to your life in taking this step at your age?"
Marta and Mario went pale. Everyone at the table looked at Felisa, accusing her with their eyes.
It was Mario who broke the silence.
"I have no intention of letting anything bad happen to either of them." His expression was completely serious. "And if I have to be by your side every moment—" he said it directly to Marta "—then that's what I'll do."
"I already love whoever's coming — as if they were already here!" Manuel leaned back from the table.
"Even if they're the child of someone your own age, Manuel?" Felisa reminded him.
Marta bit her lip. Mario held her, trying to protect her even from the reality of passing time.
"Mum—" Hugo stepped in "—isn't it almost as risky as being a mother at sixteen?"
Her own son was arguing the other side.
"I think it's wonderful that the boss is having a miracle baby at nearly fifty—" Lorena drew attention with more than five words in a row "—but these things aren't announced until the third month of pregnancy."
Liliana leaned back, resting against her chair where Julián had his arm.
"That's true — it's still possible the embryo won't implant."
Julián pulled his arm back.
"Whose side are you on?"
"I'm happy for your mum, Juli — and it's always beautiful to bring a life into the world when the parents love each other this much. But biology doesn't lie, however much she's the boss."