Page 46 of A Christmas Adventure

"You don't care if I leave?" Violeta spits out, hurt.

"No, honey, I do care, and you know it, but you can't make a decision like that so lightly."

"You and Olga can still see each other on weekends, Violeta. Go back to Madrid and take a few days to think carefully about what you want and what you need."

"I'll go back to Madrid, but I don't have anything to think about. Tomorrow I'll ask for my dismissal and give two weeks' notice, so in two weeks I'll be back whether you like it or not."

Violeta gets up in a bad mood and, after grabbing clean clothes, locks herself in the bathroom.

"What's going on with her job?" Maite asks Olga.

"I don't know, she hasn't told me anything," Olga responds.

Maite lets out a worried sigh and then takes Olga's hand.

"How are you doing?"

Olga shrugs her shoulders.

"Fine, I guess," Olga answers.

During breakfast, they manage to get Violeta to explain that for many months she has been feeling undervalued at work, that her boss keeps exploiting her with the promise of a raise that never comes, and that what used to be a job that motivated her now overwhelms her and doesn't give her anything.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her mother gets angry.

"Because you can't do anything about it," Violeta responds.

"And haven't you thought about changing jobs?" Olga asks her.

"Many times, but my coworker Teresa is there, and she's the only one who makes my mornings bearable. Besides, I'm not sure if that's what I really like anymore. I think I've burned out too quickly, and even the idea of starting over somewhere else doesn't motivate me."

Maite lowers her head with concern, not knowing what to advise her in such a situation of weariness.

Violeta stretches out her minutes in Alquézar until after lunch, when she finishes her coffee, gets up, and announces that she's leaving. Olga's world crumbles again, but she keeps her composure and stands up, forcing a smile. Violeta says goodbye to her mother inside her house, and Olga accompanies her to the street to share a last moment of intimacy with her.

"Well, I guess you'll call me when you get there," Olga says.

"This sucks," Violeta protests, irritated.

"I know," Olga smiles despite the circumstances, amused by Violeta's adolescent behavior, "but you'll come around here more often, won't you?"

She grabs her by the waist and gives her a kiss on the lips that's too tender. Violeta's legs weaken.

"Are you breaking up whatever we have?" she asks, distraught.

"I'm not breaking anything, Violeta. As you said, we don't even know what we have. Go back to Madrid, figure out what you want to do, and then we'll talk, you and me."

"And if I decide to stay?"

Olga feels her head spinning. She doesn't want to say anything that might influence her decisions, and at the same time, she wants to be honest with her.

"We'll talk about it, Violeta. It doesn't make sense to decide anything now."

"It does for me," Violeta pulls away. "I like you a lot, and I want to see where this takes us. Or don't you feel anything?"

"Damn, Violeta," Olga runs her hands through her hair, "of course I feel something. My chest is about to burst because of you. I don't want to be apart from you, do you understand that? Now you're leaving, and for me, it's like a piece of my soul is being torn away that I won't recover until you come back."

"That's beautiful," Violeta laughs, and Olga looks at her perplexed until she smiles too.