BEATIFUL

Alicia woke up from her bed for the first time alone since she had married that man she met at school, with whom she fell deeply in love.

She had met Gabriel at school when they were in high school together. He was a very nice guy. He was the most sociable guy in the room. He was 1.80 meters tall; his hair was dark, as were his eyes. He was attractive. He got along with everyone at school; on the other hand, Alicia was the quietest and shyest girl in the room. Sometimes she wondered why they had ended up married for 10 years, when they were so different.

Alicia got out of bed; she looked at the table clock that was next to her bed. It was 7:00 in the morning; it was already getting late, so she got up and walked around the small house she had; she finally knocked on one of the rooms.

—It's time to get up, wake up, it's late.

Alicia said, and immediately opened the door to the room in front of her. As she let the light into the dark room, she could see a 7-year-old girl lying on the bed, covered from head to toe. Alicia pulled the sheets off her and sat next to her.

—Honey... It's time to get ready, you have to go to school, and we're already late.

Alicia kissed the little girl's cheek; she saw how big that girl was and remembered when she was born. She was a beautiful and loved girl. The little girl had been born in the month of April and she decided to call her April. When she was born, she had brown eyes, eyes inherited from her. She had no hair at the time of her birth. From that day to the present she had changed; she was already huge for only being 7 years old. Her hair was long brown, darker than her eyes.

—Come on, wake up, let's go.

April woke up with difficulty, also a little lazy. Alicia took her by the hand and took her straight to the bathroom.

—Ready, my love, take a shower, brush your hair; I'll leave your uniform on the bed; once you're ready, come to breakfast.

Said Alicia, who always taught her daughter to be a little independent. Abril got ready just as her mother had asked her to and, when she finished, she went to find her mother to brush her hair. Alicia brushed her gently and then served her breakfast. Alicia held her house keys, looked at her watch, which read 7:20 in the morning, realizing that they were barely on time. Abril took the backpack that was on the sofa and both left the house.

While they waited for the bus, Abril asked about her father.

—Your dad?

Alicia answered.

—Yes, my dad, I haven't seen him today, did he go to work early?

April asked: Alicia had no idea how to tell her that from now on she and her father would be separated, since after a difficult year in their relationship, he had decided that it was time to divorce and that the night before he had moved to a hotel to sleep.

—Don't worry, you'll see, my love, look, the bus is coming!

Alicia said, abruptly changing the conversation. They got on the bus, where the journey was silent; when they reached their destination, they practically ran off because it was 5 minutes before 8:00 in the morning, which was the start time of the elementary school where her little girl was in the second year. Alicia ran with April who, when they reached the entrance, gave her a small kiss on the forehead and, on the way to the entrance, April, from afar, said goodbye to her, blowing her a kiss from a distance.

Alicia took the bus again to go home. On the way she thought about Gabriel and whether she had slept well and if she had changed her mind. She really did still love him, and she didn't care what he had said. When Gabriel had told her the night before…

—"Al"... We need to talk; I feel like things between us haven't flowed for a while now; we should separate.

Gabriel said without hesitating even a bit.

—Split up? Do you not love me anymore? Or…? Is there someone else?

Alicia questioned Gabriel, who just remained silent.

—Aah, so that's it! Then why do you say our relationship isn't flowing? If you're the one who doesn't want to flow, since when?

Alicia looked at Gabriel with tears welling up in his eyes.

—Why do you want to know something that will hurt you?

He answered coldly, looking Alicia in the eyes, those brown eyes filled with tears.

—Have you been with her? I don't understand. You told me you loved me. Did I do something to you?

Alicia looked for Gabriel's answer.

—I don't want to hurt you.

—Tell me, Gabriel! Tell me! What is it? What have I done to you?

Alicia tried to control her voice, since her daughter was sleeping in her room and the last thing she wanted was for her to hear all that.

—You're not the same person I fell in love with anymore, you've changed a lot.

Alicia was surprised, since she hadn't changed in the way she treated him. Then a thought crossed her mind and, afraid of knowing the answer, she still asked.

—Is it because of my appearance? My physique? My body?

Gabriel looked at her and, after a while, answered.

— Yes.

He looked down. Indeed, Alicia was no longer the same as he had known in high school; the one from back then was thin, she had a body that many desired, although she did not realize it. Her hair was short and light brown, her eyes brown; she did not wear makeup, since she did not need it. She had thick flesh-colored lips that matched her white complexion. She was short, barely 1.55, and now she was a little chubby after having her daughter. She was left with small stretch marks on her abdomen. Her hair was now long, but she always kept it tied up, lacking visibility.

At that moment, Alicia's memory was interrupted by the bell of the bus. A person was getting off; she realized that she had gone two blocks past the place where she was supposed to get off, so she got off too. She walked those two blocks almost like a zombie.

When she got home, she opened the door and, as she closed it, she leaned against it. She broke down and cried. She cried like a little girl who had lost her sweets. All the beautiful memories of that man came back to her mind to break her heart. In the end, she felt lonely, she felt alone…