Work Text:
Chapter One
"You always will be my summer love."
㇐ One Direction, Summer Love
Discovering that I was the daughter of the great actor Rogelio De La Vega was something surprising in my life, surprisingly too much. I didn't expect my mother, Xiomara, to show up in my room on an extremely hot summer night to tell me that a) my father was alive; b) he was in San Cristóbal, the city where we lived; and c) he didn't know I existed. Well, I didn't blame him because until a few seconds ago, I believed he was dead.
All I said was "um, okay" because it didn't make sense, and I hoped it was a tasteless joke. But three days later, my father appeared with a bouquet of flowers, trying to make up for lost time. Dinner was agonizing, the conversation was awkward, and I just wanted to run to the house of my best friend, Michael Cordero ㇐ we met at the age of seven and never separated since. Alba, my abuelita, says it's a friendship for a lifetime.
After that disastrous dinner, I hoped the next encounters with him would be better, but they weren't. Each time seemed worse; it was as if we couldn't connect. Still, when he returned to Miami, we stayed in touch. We talked almost every night, and gradually our relationship improved, although the visits he made were terrible. I told Michael that it seemed easier to talk to my father over the internet than in person. It was as if we couldn't act in each other's presence.
Fortunately, over the months, things have progressed to a new level, and now we can be in the same environment without the tense atmosphere that existed before. However, it didn't mean that I wanted to spend the holidays with my father. You see, I already had plans to travel with Michael and my friends to enjoy some time together before heading to college. But my mom (always her) dropped the bombshell that Rogelio had invited us to spend a month in Miami. I didn't want to refuse, but I also didn't want to accept. However, my mom insisted so much that I couldn't say "no."
Although my desire to go to Miami was almost non-existent, everything changed when I arrived in the city. I ended up falling in love with every bit I saw until I reached the Marbella Hotel, where my mom and I would be staying, and where my father was also staying due to the filming of the soap opera "As Paixões de Santos." I arrived at the hotel ready to explore the entire city during that month and talked to Michael for hours on the phone, telling him about the trip up to that point.
The next day, I had no idea what destiny had in store for me. Walking alone on South Beach, I just wanted to cry and argue with my mom for leaving me to accompany Rogelio in the recordings. I was lost, and it was a nightmare. I didn't know how to get back to the hotel and was on the verge of freaking out. However, as my mom says, "God is a father and not a stepfather!" and then I ended up bumping into someone I had never seen in my life but was sure that this someone was strong, really strong.