01-02/06 Chapter 554: This Is The End
The day was supposed to go one way, but it ended up going another after you woke up completely sick with a cold.
I kept thinking about it over and over. How was it possible that yesterday you were perfectly fine? You went to the birthday party, didn’t sneeze once, ran around all day, and then woke up this morning feeling so sick. And it wasn’t just a mild cold. From the moment I saw you, I knew this was going to be a strong one. And so, here we go again.
I messaged your dad and asked him to forget about swimming lessons that day, postpone your overnight stay until the following day, and even put our beach plans for Wednesday evening on hold. You were clearly too sick.
As always, Grandma was a huge help. She stayed with you while I rushed to São Paulo to take care of the things I still needed to do, including preparing and shipping orders for my customers. I came back as quickly as I could, but by then you were feeling even worse.
You were so clingy, so fragile. Coughing, sneezing, and becoming increasingly frustrated with your nose. More than anything, you were upset by the congestion. You have always hated having a stuffy, runny nose. It makes you anxious, uncomfortable, and completely unwilling to accept that there’s nothing we can do to make it disappear immediately.
The night was so difficult. You woke up crying every ten minutes. Just when I thought you had finally fallen asleep, you would wake up again, miserable and uncomfortable, struggling with your breathing and your nose. But even after such a rough night, despite looking absolutely exhausted and showing all the signs of a nasty cold, you still managed to eat a spinach omelet and some liver. And that made me surprisingly happy because both foods are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and iron. When your child is ill, every bite feels like a small victory, and that night, seeing you eat so well felt like one.
The next day was much better.
I had already started giving you medication the day before. Three different medicines, actually. Two of them were cough syrups. The first one did absolutely nothing, but the one I had brought from the United States—a Vicks syrup—worked perfectly. It finally eased your coughing enough for you to get some real rest during the night.
When you woke up, it was obvious you were feeling better, although you still had quite a bit of congestion and a chesty cough.
I really didn’t want you to miss ballet. Not only is it expensive, but it only happens once a week and lasts just forty minutes. On top of that, you have your recital at the end of the year, and I assumed they had probably already started rehearsing.
Still, I didn’t think you were well enough to go.
And honestly, I worried that if I sent you while your immune system was already struggling, you might pick up another cold on top of the one you already had and end up feeling much worse.
So Grandma stayed with you again.
This time for even longer because I still had a mountain of things to do. It was also the day of the monthly raffle I organize for the people who donate to my group, where I give away imported products, so I knew I’d be tied up for quite a while.
And I was.
By the time I got back, it was already after six in the evening.
But you were noticeably better.
And then I got a wonderful surprise.
That day, they came to assemble your bed and the wardrobes that had been delivered to Grandpa’s office—the room that used to belong to Tayna. It turned out so beautifully. That room is now yours and Rafinha’s, although technically it’s still shared with Grandpa’s office, which makes me laugh every time I think about it.
Your bed stayed the same, but now you both have a beautiful wardrobe to share. Grandma decorated everything with stuffed animals, framed photos, and little touches that made the room feel warm and welcoming.
It looked absolutely adorable.
The plan for that night was for you to sleep in your own bed again, in that room, by yourself. I didn’t want to lose all the progress we had made teaching you to sleep independently. Especially after those two awful nights that had been so difficult for both of us.
And surprisingly, you seemed completely willing to do it. You accepted the idea without much resistance and looked like you were genuinely going to fall asleep on your own.
But then Grandpa—who had enjoyed a few more drinks than he probably should have—couldn’t handle it.
He ended up going to sleep beside you.
I told him that this would be a one-night exception and that next time you would have to do it on your own. Otherwise, when we move into the new apartment, the person who will end up paying the price for those habits will be me.
And I already know exactly how that story ends.
