We switched places since it was clear that I wasn't in any condition to drive. Ethan had come directly from the airport to the clinic—he had tracked my car using the security app—so we didn't have to worry about another vehicle and headed straight to our home in Jardins.
It was rush hour, the streets were crowded, and the traffic was slow, but I wasn't paying attention to anything happening around me. The feeling of desolation consumed me as I kept my head down, looking at the bag in my lap.
"I won't be able to fulfill my promise..." I whispered softly, and soon I saw tears falling onto the bag.
"You shouldn't think that way, Mariana," Ethan tried to console me. "It was supposed to be just a couple's joke, not a contract or anything like that. I love you, you love me, and we're happy together. Am I right?"
I didn't respond because, at that moment, some cars in the adjacent lane collided with each other, making the already bad traffic even worse.
"I think I'll take a shortcut..." Ethan suggested. "At least we'll get to see more of São Paulo. What do you think?"
Ethan was trying to lighten the mood, but I wasn't really in a hurry, so I just nodded in agreement. However, a few minutes later, while we were driving through completely unfamiliar streets, the car stalled, abruptly coming to a stop and refusing to start again.
"What happened?" I asked, startled.
Ethan looked at the dashboard, sighing resignedly, and I quickly understood what had happened.
"We ran out of gas," I said, voicing exactly what I had already guessed.
I had been so anxious about my doctor's appointment that I had forgotten to refuel the car.
We were on a side street, but it wasn't very busy, and there were several parked cars along the curb. Ethan pushed our car forward just a little bit to park it as well.
"How are we going to get fuel now?" I asked, feeling scared.
"I'll look for the nearest gas station," Ethan explained.
"I know where there's a gas station, sir."
We looked at the boy who had just spoken, surprised by how the little boy had interjected into our conversation, being so young. He couldn't have been more than seven years old, and yet he seemed to understand about fuel.
"Where is your mother, little one?" I asked, crouching down a bit to be closer to his height. "You shouldn't walk alone in the streets; it's very dangerous."
"I don't have a mother," he said calmly. "I live in that orphanage."
The boy was pointing to a building a few meters ahead of where we were parked, and I confirmed that it was indeed a children's shelter, as there was a large sign on the facade.
"And how do they allow you to wander the streets like this?" Ethan asked, clearly upset.
"I snuck out," the boy explained simply as if it wasn't such a serious matter. "I always manage to trick the caregivers."
We were amazed by the audacity of that child, but at the same time, I couldn't help but smile at the way he spoke, as if it were an achievement worthy of approval.
"Well, I say you'll go back to the orphanage right away," Ethan said seriously, taking hold of the boy's hand. "Let's go, Mariana."
Ethan extended his other hand to me, and together we went to the orphanage to return the boy. That day marked a profound change in our lives.
The boy's name was Antonio, he was eight years old, and was in that institution along with his two siblings, Pedro, ten years old, and Marina, only four years old, who had arrived at the institution when she was just a few months old.
It was impossible not to notice that they were siblings because all three of them looked very similar. They were all dark-skinned with black hair and eyes, and they had the same slender facial features with a small nose. They seemed well taken care of, to the point that we didn't even realize at first that Antônio was an orphan living in an institution.
The children's parents were drug users who were killed in a drug-related fight, and the children were taken to the institution. However, because they were three siblings, no one adopted them because they didn't want to separate them or adopt three children together.
While we listened to the story of the three children, Ethan and I couldn't stop looking at each other. As always, we were communicating through our gaze, without needing to say a single word.
Nevertheless, we went home without saying anything to the orphanage's caretaker. When we arrived home, I threw myself onto the couch and put my hand on my forehead, pretending to be worried.
"I guess now I'll have to fulfill my promise, won't I?" I said in a feigned tone of sorrow.
"I think so," he replied, also pretending to be concerned.
Ethan quickly joined in the play and threw himself next to me on the couch, hugging and passionately kissing me, repeatedly expressing how much he missed me.
"We were apart for less than twenty-four hours, Ethan!"
"Even so, I'm dying of longing," he repeated. "And think about it... we need to make the most of all the time we can, because soon we'll have three children running around the house, and we won't be able to have romantic moments whenever we want!"
"So dramatic..." I complained, rolling my eyes.
We burst into laughter, and a few months later, much more laughter joined ours, as we were able to truly adopt the three siblings together. That day became another memorable chapter in our story.