Luisa stepped into the tiny sink and started to clean up. She grabbed the sponge and started washing the dirty dishes and glasses, ignoring the man, silently watching her.
She guessed she could start tidying up the place since she was not tired or busy today.
"You know you can just come home with me. Your mother is worried sick about you. I can tell, but she is just being as stubborn as you." Evan stepped out of the tiny space and sat on the chair that was too small for his size.
She turned around to look at her uncle, seeing the concern in his eyes. Sometimes she felt guilty because he had been nothing but good to her, always providing help even before she knew she needed one.
Nevertheless, she still managed to disappoint him by continuing to mess up. She could not count the times he tried to bail her out of every trouble she got into when she was young. But apparently, until now.
"I am sorry, Uncle Evan, but I just can't go home yet." She could not even look at him anymore, not wanting him to see the disappointment in her eyes, not at him but herself. For failing, time and time again.
She was not stupid, but studying seemed to be the last thing she wished to do. She was not lazy either. It was just that there were things she wanted to do more than others.
But one of the things she was proud of was her determination to do the things she loved and excel in them. But unfortunately, it did not involve books or mundane things like cooking and cleaning her apartment.
"Yes, you can." Evan insisted as he moved around her tiny apartment, picking up things she unceremoniously had thrown or dropped on the floor.
"Thanks, Uncle Evan, but I need to do this. I am about to turn twenty-two. And yet I still depend on you guys to provide for my needs. I need to grow up." Luisa smiled at him, more determined to prove that she could manage to live on her own.
She moved across the living area, ready to prepare for the day. She would walk all day to find a job if she had to. She would try not to be picky and grab whatever was good enough.
"You know your mother did not leave you under my care so that you can waste it away." Evan finally spoke again as she was about to enter her room, making her stop.
"First, my Mom did not ask you to babysit me. I am old enough to take care of myself." She stepped closer to her uncle, straightening up, determined to show him that this was not just a phase of rebellion. It was more than that.
She was not here to prove anything to them but more to herself. That she could achieve something if she tried hard enough.
"Second, I am not your daughter, so stop acting like you are my Dad." She was not mad, just stating a fact. "I am not your responsibility."
This man, who did not share any ounce of blood with her, helped her mother raise her. Yet, despite his busy schedule, he was here, acting as her father as he always did all her life.
"But you know I care about you as if you are my daughter. My sons loved you like you are their big sister." Evan countered as if that should count. And it did, but it was beside the point.
"And I love all of you. Still, it does not change the simple fact that you are not my father." She wished she did not have to do that, but she could not stop the longing in her heart to know him.
"Is this about him again? Are you rebelling against your mother because she would not tell you who he is?" Evan looked at her questioningly, but his voice remained calm as if he understood her reason, unlike her mother, who adamantly refused to tell her anything.
"If you know the answer, why can you not just say it." Luisa frustratedly ran her hands through her hair.
Why was it so hard for them to tell her the identity of her father? Her mother said that she should forget all about him.
How could she? When she felt that half of her heart was missing. She loved her mother, but her desire to know the truth about him kept nagging at her. It would not stop until she knew his name.
"Because your Mom is the only one who can tell you the truth. It is not my place to say it. But trust your mother that it was for your good." Her uncle walked closer to her, staring at her. "And this has not been easy for her as well."
"Is he a criminal, a murderer, a psychopath? So, I can understand why I am better off without him." She felt his warm arms wrapped around her shoulders. "Or he just did not want me." Then, she felt his arms tighten around her.
She could tell that he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Like always, he could defend her from her mother for the wrong reasons. But he would never go against her mother when it came to this.
"If you want to stay here in this city, let me at least buy you a place in a safer neighborhood." His eyes once again roamed around her small apartment.
She could tell he was changing the subject, but she appreciated his effort. But she did not need his help with her living condition. She liked this place, and she trusted the people that lived in this building.
"Come on, let me walk you out. I am sure your investors are already waiting for you." She was not letting him sweet-talk her into agreeing to anything. She was not one of his business deals.
"Fine!" Evan raised his hands in surrender as he allowed her to push him toward the door. "But before I leave. I heard that you are back on the tracks again."
Well, whoever was spying for him. He was getting good intel. So far, he had tracked most of her activities.
"Are you going to tell Mom?" That was her only concern.
Although Evan had indulged her whims, her mother was totally against it. She kept saying that it was not safe and it was not for girls.
"Nope. But promise me you will always be careful." As usual, he had never stopped her from pursuing what she loved to do, even if it was the dumbest or most dangerous thing most of her age would never do.
Finally, she managed to convince her uncle to give her time. If she failed, she promised that she would go home immediately. She returned to tidying up the place when she noticed the card on the table.
She had not forgotten all about him. But she intentionally did not tell her uncle about him. She was glad that his investigator seemed to miss a spot.
Anyway, if her mother and uncle would not say anything about the identity of her father, maybe he would.
"What do you know about him?" She tapped the card again on her fingers. But could she trust him?