30. ANOTHER UPHILL BATTLE

Bas brought Olimpia to Sofia, and he’s going to build the tree house he promised her. There’s no space for it in Ciudad Enamorada, but here there’s more than enough room for that.

Sofia: Thanks for bringing Ollie.

Bas: No problem. It’s really nice here. Totally different from the city. And you look happy.

Sofia: I am. It’s so different here… calmer.

Bas: I’m really happy for you.

Bas started working. He remembered building a tree house with his dad once.

Bas: Little lamb, you’d better stay back. This is a construction site now. One sheep wanders off and now the goat shows up…

Bas: Do you like it?

Olimpia: It’s awesome, Dad! Thank you!

Bas: I put your Snuggly Buggly there too. I figured you’d want to keep him close. Alright, I’ll get going. Have fun, kiddo.

Olimpia now had a new spot where she could imagine all kinds of adventures.

Unfortunately, the next day Olimpia came home from school with bad news. She was struggling in class and was now only a D student.

Olimpia: How am I supposed to tell Mom about this, Shreeky?

Shreeky: Why worry? Good grades are overrated.

Olimpia: But Mom’s going to be really mad.

Shreeky: Then don’t tell her! What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her!

Olimpia: You’re right! You’re the best, you know? You’re my bestest friend.

Olimpia: Hi Mom, I’m gonna go ride Mo now, okay?

Sofia: Not so fast, young lady. The principal just called me. He told me many interesting things. One of them being that your grades have dropped.

Sofia: But that’s not what upset me the most. Apparently, you’ve also been skipping school quite often lately.

Olimpia: I…

Sofia: I don’t want to hear any excuses. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore, Ollie. Go home. We’ll talk later. For now, you’re grounded. From everything. Until further notice.

Olimpia walked inside slowly. Sofia stayed outside for a moment longer. She knew that tough talk with her daughter about her behaviour would have to happen eventually, but she wasn’t ready for it yet. She needed to talk it through with someone first.

Sofia: As you can see, something’s going on with her. And according to what the principal said, she doesn’t have any friends at school. She’s constantly misbehaving, interrupting class, and keeps saying it’s not her, it’s her friend Shreeky. I think this has gone too far.

Bastian was shaken after talking to Sofia. He kept asking himself where they went wrong. Or maybe he went wrong. Maybe he’d been too lenient. He let her skip school one day, and now it turned out that Ollie had been skipping almost the whole week without him noticing. How could he have missed that?

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

Bas: Oh, it’s you, hi. Ollie’s not here, she’s at the ranch with her mom for a few days.

Guadalupe: I actually just came by to talk. Without Carmen. Especially since we didn’t finish our last conversation. May I?

Bas: Sure. Maybe you could give me some advice… you’ve got a daughter that age too.

Guadalupe: Claro! Of course, if I can help.

It was comforting for Bastian to have someone to talk to about Olimpia’s troubles. Someone who wasn’t Sofia, but who understood what challenges kids could give their parents. Bastian didn’t have much experience in that area. He always thought he’d been a pretty easy kid himself. 

Guadalupe knew how to listen. She could also look at things from a different angle. And even though some of her advice came off a bit snobbish, after which she usually went straight into complaining about her own daughter, it still felt good to talk to someone, to share worries and thoughts.

Meanwhile, Laura also decided to stop by Bastian’s place. Paul and Karmine’s long-planned wedding was coming up, and both she and Bastian were supposed to be bridesmaid and best man. Laura secretly hoped the ceremony would finally change their long-standing status quo and let them take a step toward something more romantic.

But what she saw as she approached Bastian’s house was the last thing she expected. Bastian had clearly already taken a step toward something more romantic. Just not with her.

She turned around quickly and left before anyone could notice her.

Bas: What are you doing?

Guadalupe: Perdón, I just… It’s a local way of saying goodbye between friends. I didn’t mean to be pushy or anything.

Bas: I’m sorry too, I guess I overreacted. I’m just… not used to that kind of openness.

Bas: Where I come from, people don’t usually do that. I feel silly now.

Guadalupe: Qué adorable. You’re charming, you know? See you, Bas. And hey, if you ever want to, I can tell you all about the local customs. Or show you. Just let me know when. Hasta luego!

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