My mother looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time.
—What are you talking about?
I breathed slowly.
I removed my old sweater.
Underneath it, I wore a simple blouse… but a new one.
—About what I paid for during 23 years.
Rosario shook her head.
—You said you were bankrupt.
I smiled slightly.
—That was part of the test.
My mother stepped back.
—A test?
The lawyer spoke.
—Mrs. Morales simply wanted to know how she would be treated if she returned without money.
Rosario’s face turned red.
—That’s nonsense.
—We are her family.
The woman accompanying the lawyer intervened.
—Actually…
She took out another document.
—We also represent a foundation established by Mrs. Morales in the United States.
My mother’s eyes widened.
—A foundation?
—Yes.
She checked the papers.
—With approximately twelve million dollars in assets.
The towel slipped from Rosario’s hands.
—What?
I watched their faces.
The same faces that ten minutes earlier had looked down on me.
—Bankrupt? —my mother whispered.
Slowly, I shook my head.
—No.
—I just wanted to know if they would love me even without the money.
No one spoke.
The lawyer closed the folder.
—Mrs. Morales, we also need your final decision regarding this property.
Rosario stepped forward.
—This is our house!
Suddenly my mother grabbed my hand.
—Daughter… I didn’t know…
—I thought…
Her eyes were full of tears.
