“That’s what you’ve been saying.”
Alvin gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s tough advice to follow. But it is important that Miguel learn to stand on his own two feet.”
Hector leaned back in his chair. He’d admitted to Lupita his confusion over the reason he and Miguel had ended things, and she’d suggested he speak with a survivor of domestic abuse to gain some insight on what Miguel was going through.
Their conversation so far had been eye-opening. For his part, Hector loved taking care of Miguel. But apparently, that was part of the problem. Miguel wasn’t a kid anymore, upset because another kid on the playground had bullied him. And he wasn’t a damsel in distress either. So although Hector loved going to his rescue, Miguel probably had an issue with it.
He thought back to the night in the emergency room when Miguel had looked so defeated after Hector had paid his hospital bill. Maybe that look hadn’t simply been because of tiredness. Maybe he’d been bothered at not being able to handle his own business. Hector had promised his mother he’d look out for Miguel’s pride. Now, he realized he hadn’t followed through on that promise as much as he should have. If he’d been a little less of a macho man trying to solve all of Miguel’s problems for him, Miguel might not have felt the need to leave. But that left him confused as to what his role was supposed to be in their relationship.
“Am I not allowed to help him ever again?”
“Of course, you are. But choice is important. Unless Miguel is in danger, let him make the choice to ask for assistance, rather than rushing ahead and doing everything for him. He felt helpless with his abuser. And even though you wouldn’t intentionally put him in that position, you don’t want him to feel that way with you.”
“No, I don’t,” he said. “What about tonight? He called me and wanted to talk.”
“Then talk to him on the phone or in person, whichever. But talk and, more importantly listen. Don’t try to fix anything for him. Miguel needs to develop confidence in himself. Once he’s done that, you two will be able to have a relationship based on equal feelings of love and affection. Not one where either partner feels in anyway at the mercy of the other.”
Hector thought about that for a moment. His first instinct had been to get up and go take care of whatever problem Miguel had with Santos. But when he’d listened to what Miguel was saying, it was clear that he’d solved the problem on his own and was only calling him to celebrate. Hector drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He really did need to learn to calm down and let Miguel handle his own shit. “Okay,” he finally answered. “I can do that.”
“Good. Now let’s eat so you can get out of here. I know you want to go and see him.”
Hector laughed but didn’t object. The second they were done, he was going to talk to Miguel.
After his dinner ended, Hector drove to Miguel’s apartment. Miguel looked surprised to see him when he answered the door.
“Hector, what are you doing here?”
“You sounded like you had some important news to share on the phone. I wanted to hear it.”
“Oh.” He stepped back. “Come in.”
Hector walked inside. This was the first time he’d been to Miguel’s apartment since he’d helped him move in. Looking around, he saw that Miguel had made the place his own. There were faux fur pillows on his small couch, lots of throw rugs on the wood floors, and colorful artwork on the walls. “This is nice.”
“Thank you. I bought a car too.”
“I heard. Your mom told my mom and she told me. Red Ford Focus, right?”
Miguel laughed. “Those two. They gossip about everything. Did she also tell you the mileage?” he teased.
“No, but she probably would have if I’d asked. She’s determined to keep me up to date on everything about you. Twenty years as friends and now they decide to play cupid.”
They shared a warm, intimate smile before Miguel looked flustered and broke their eye contact.
“Amy and I take turns driving each other in to work since she lives two buildings over.”
Hector accepted the obvious signal to move on. “That’s good both of you can save on gas. So, what happened with Santos?”
“Oh, it was nothing,” Miguel said with a small shrug.
“You called me excited about it. It must be a little important.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were on a date.”
“It wasn’t a date.”
Miguel sniffed, snarky disdain slipping into his voice. “Clearly not a very successful one if it’s already over.”
Hector stepped close to his former lover, raising a hand to brush his thumb over the pout on Miguel’s mouth. His jealousy was cute. “I wasn’t on a date,” he said.