“It is positive.”
The room became very quiet.
Esperanza lowered her eyes.
Although she had expected the answer, hearing it confirmed seemed to remove something from her strength. Her shoulders fell slightly.
Mother Caridad moved toward her.
“Are you unwell?”
“No.”
Esperanza’s voice trembled.
“I am only tired of being surprised by my own life.”
Mother Caridad sat beside her and took her hand.
For a moment, the mystery disappeared behind something simpler: a young woman who had carried more uncertainty than anyone should have been asked to bear alone.
“We will find the truth,” Mother Caridad said.
Esperanza looked at her.
“Will we still call it truth if it changes what we believe about one another?”
Mother Caridad tightened her hand around hers.
“Yes.”
Doctor Paloma turned away and began placing instruments into her case.
The click of each metal clasp sounded unusually loud.
Mother Caridad watched her.
