Each time he seemed to have hope.
But none of them ever stayed.
At first, I thought they just didn’t fit in.
Going out with someone was complicated.
People could have a good time one night together and still decide that there was no future.
He told me that every time one of the girls stopped answering him.
Then I realized something weird.
All relationships ended exactly the same.
The quote It came out perfectly.
My father called me later and told me how he had gone in the restaurant, the conversation and any little details that would have made the girl laugh.
It never sounded arrogant.
It sounded relieved.
They remained to be seen again.
But the next morning, the woman had already disappeared.
No calls.
No messages.
No explanation.
The first time, my father thought he had accumulated things.
The second time, he thought he had misinterpreted his interest.
At the third, he began to blame himself.
“Maybe I’m talking too much about your mother,” he said.
“You barely mention it in the appointments“.
“Maybe I’m too old-fashioned.”
“You held the door open. That’s no crime.”
He gave me a tired smile, but my words of comfort never seemed to come to him.
My father broke his heart every time it passed.
“I don’t understand,” he whispered.
“Everybody seemed so happy.”
I hated watching him lose confidence.
Every rejection made him go further back to the man he had become after Mom’s death.
He stopped singing again.
I looked at my phone every few minutes.
He read old messages again as if the answer could be hidden between the lines.
The fourth girl vanished after telling her that she wanted me to meet her sister.
The fifth disappeared after making plans for the weekend with him.
When the sixth woman vanished, I could no longer ignore it.
Something wasn’t right.
Six women could lose interest.
That was possible. But it was not normal for the six to disappear in the same way after meeting for another appointment.
I asked my father if something weird had happened those nights.
He seemed puzzled.
“No. Why?”
“Have you fought with them?”
“Of course not.”
“Did you tell them anything that could have scared them?”
His face was strained.
“What kind of a man do you think I am?”
“I didn’t mean that.”
He turned around and began to rinse a clean cup in the sink. I knew I hurt him.
“I just want to understand,” I said.
“Me too.”
That night I called my best friend, Rachel, and I asked her a favor.
Rachel y yo nos conocíamos desde la universidad.
Era tan sincera que a veces resultaba doloroso.
Era capaz de cautivar a toda una sala, pero también podía detectar una mentira antes de que la mayoría de la gente hubiera terminado de contarla.
If my father was doing something wrong, Rachel would notice.
“He’s left with him once.”
He laughed.
“You have to be joking.”
“I mean it.”
She stopped laughing.
“Lola, it’s about your father.”
“I know.”
“And he knows me.”
“He’s only seen you a few times.”
“That doesn’t make this any less weird.”
I explained everything to him.
I told him about the six women, the dates that went well and the sudden disappearances.
Rachel kept quiet for a while.
“So you want me to look into it?”
“I want you to tell me what’s going on.”
“And what am I supposed to say exactly when he recognizes me?”
“Tell him we met through the app. He may remember your face, but he won’t remember your name.”
Rachel growled.
“It’s a horrible idea.”
“Probably.”
“I could ruin my friendship with you.”
“He won’t.”
“It could ruin your relationship with your father.”
That possibility scared me, but I kept my voice firm.
“I need to know.”
Grievingly, he agreed.
The date went even better than I expected.
Rachel called me later.
“Your father is wonderful,” he said.
“I can’t believe anyone gave him a chance.”
