My daughter, Jasmin, has always been the partying type. She’d often go to parties with her friends, and come back drunk. Not very drunk, but drunk nonetheless. I tried warning her: “Jasmin, be careful”, “Jasmin, don’t drink too much”, “Jasmin if you have relationships don’t forget to protect yourself.” But besides that, there was not much I could do, as she was over eighteen and legally allowed to drink. She had lots of different lovers over that time, never sticking with just one for more than one or two months.
Then suddenly, she began acting very strange. She would not go to parties, she stopped drinking, she would avoid being close to me and even leaving her room too much.
One day, she came to me when I was doing laundry. I could smell her nervousness. But I think I was kind of expecting something like this to happen eventually. She approached me carefully and said, stuttering: “M-mom, I… I a-am p-pregnant.”
I took a deep breath and turned the laundering machine off. “Well, Jasmin, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. If you don’t want the baby you can give it away for adoption or take an airplane to Colombia and get an abortion there, but I’ll not pay for that.”
“No, he’s my son. It’s my responsibility.” I felt a bit proud of her at that moment. She was honestly never a very responsible one. Maybe the baby would finally make her look for an university or job.
“Does he have a father?”
“No, mom, he was put inside me by some perverted spirit. Of course he has a father. And also, we don’t know if the baby is a “he” or a “she”.”
“If you are going to have the baby, you will need to tell the father.”
“I have done so. He’s my boyfriend. I think you’ll like him. He’s very kind.”
“And very careless too.”
“Look mom, it was my fault too. I didn’t protect myself.”
///
I was preparing the dining table when we heard the bell ringing. My daughter quickly got up, I could see she was as nervous as when she told me she was pregnant.
“I’ll go open the door, mom!” She said, and she quickly left the dining room. Not long after, I heard the door opening, two pairs of feet walking, and then Jasmin and her boyfriend entering the dining room. He was a very elegant man, seemed to be in his early 40s, with a short, very well taken care of hair, a short, well-trimmed beard, and a bright white suit with red tire. He also wore a white fedora hat, with a red ribbon on it.
“Greetings, mrs. Ana. I’m Roberto Rosa” He said, extending his hand. I could see, even under the suit, the muscles in his arm. When I shook hands with him, he smiled gracefully. I immediately felt this man would be the perfect husband material for Jasmin.
“Please, sit with us, I’ll serve the dinner.” I said as I went to the kitchen. I took a deep breath as soon as I got out of their sight. That man was gorgeous. I knew I should not be feeling like this with my son-in-law, but he was just so enchanting. I had not felt that way for years, since my husband Jonas died.
I went back to the dining room carrying a pot of codfish, which had always been my best dish. I served them the food, but as much as I tried, I could not avoid looking at him. I sat opposite of them on the table and asked:
“So, how did you two met?”
“Mom, remember that party on Leticia’s boat on the Solimões River? I met Rob there.” My daughter told me.
“I thought that party was just for the students of your university.”
“Well, I am a student. A post-graduation student, I mean.” He smiled, looking at me. I looked at the wall to avoid looking at him directly.
“So, are you a nurse like Jasmin will be?”
“Actually, I’m a cetologist. I’m doing my post-graduation on cetology.”
“I’m sorry, but what is that?” I felt so dumb when I asked that, but he only giggled kindly.
“Don’t worry, almost everyone doesn’t know what that is. We study Cetacea. You know, dolphins, whales, porpoises. These are truly enchanting creatures.”
“It’s hard to believe he’s already in post-graduation, right?” My daughter said and laughed. They kissed, smiling.
“I thought you were his early 40s…” I said.
“Damn, I look old” He laughed. “I’m only 29, but I think this suit sometimes makes me look older.”
We spent the next several hours talking. Roberto was truly a enchanting man, almost a dream come true. Every Friday I invited him to come dine with us. At first I was trying to fool myself I was just getting to know more about my son-in-law, but I could not trick myself. I craved him.
I sometimes saw my daughter watching with strange eyes when we talked to each other. I hoped so much she would not notice how much I liked being near him. But she never said anything.
///
One day, six months into the pregnancy, I was preparing the dinner when I heard the door knocking. Jasmin was still in university, so I went to see who it was.
“Roberto? Please, come in. You arrived early.” I said, looking discreetly at his handsome features.
“I didn’t have class today, so I decided to come early.” He said, and I made way for him to pass. He sat on the sofa and started watching TV, and I went back to the kitchen and resumed my cooking.
Then I heard his footsteps entering the kitchen, he was shirtless, showing his strong, hairy muscles. “You know Jasmin will not be home soon, right?” He asked, with a mischievous smile.
I’ll be brief. We had sex, right there on the kitchen. We didn’t use protection or anything. His saliva was different from any men I had ever been, it tasted like fish.
Hours later, when Jasmin arrived, we had already cleaned all the evidences of our deed, but I was so ashamed. I avoided her eyes and tried to not even talk to her. The following days were very hard for me. I could not fathom looking my daughter in the eyes. How could I have done that?? What was I thinking? And at the same time, I felt like Roberto didn’t even care, he just kept smiling, like nothing had happened. How could he not feel even a little guilty? Maybe he had fooled me.
///
Eight months into the pregnancy, Jasmin entered the house sobbing and screaming.
“What happened?” O went towards her, worried.
“That motherfucker! I saw his phone! He cheated on me! He cheated on me with all of my friends! He blocked me on all his socials!” She cried. I knew he was not above cheating, but that surprised me. I decided I would confront him. How could he do this to Jasmin?
But things only got stranger from there. I contacted all universities in the region, not a single one of them had a student called Roberto Rosa. I contacted all of Jasmin’s friends, no one knew where Rosa lived. It is as if he was a ghost. I thought on asking my daughter to sue him, but I feared that he would tell her what we did.
But luckily I still had a clue. His nice, bright white suit. That was an Fogaccio suit. And my former father-in-law was the manager of an Fogaccio store. The only in town. I went to him, and asked if there was a client who always bought white suits. He gave me the address of Rogério Boto, the real name of Roberto Rosa.
When I got to the address, I found out it was a small, run-down shack near the Solimões River. I hid behind my car, watching. I saw Roberto, or Rogério, whatever you want to call him. He was leaving his house, then he removed his clothes, threw them on the ground, and jumped naked into the River. I ran towards the edge of the river, but I didn’t see him anywhere. The only thing I saw was a pink dolphin playing on the water some meters away.
///
Nine months into the pregnancy, I drove Jasmin to the hospital. I was waiting outside the operation room, eager to see my grandson, when one of the doctors called me into the room. He seemed terrified. When I entered, I saw my daughter. She was complaining: “Let me see my baby!” And one of the doctors was saying: “Wait! We’ll show you as soon as we check his vitals!”
The doctor who called me led me into a separate room, where he was holding the baby. But it wasn’t a human baby. That was a pink dolphin, making the classic dolphin sound.
But that’s not the worst part. The worst part was discovering I was also pregnant one week later. I can’t even say it’s from another father!