January 2011. The temperature in Los Angeles was unusually mild for a Californian winter. Even so, the sun made a point of showing up almost every day, as if the city refused to recognize any season other than summer.
In the neighborhood where Gustavo and the Dunphys lived, the calm of the residential streets hid the whirlwind of decisions that this time of year brought to any 17- or 18-year-old. It was time to look ahead or, in the case of some, to pretend that the future could wait a little longer.
The living room of the Silva house was lit by the soft glow of a corner lamp. Gustavo was sitting on the couch, his laptop on his lap, his eyes intently on the screen where he was reading his Harvard Law School email for the tenth time.
"Congratulations! It is with great enthusiasm that we offer you a spot in the Juris Doctor program for the spring semester of 2011."
He smiled discreetly. He hadn't jumped out of his chair or shouted with joy. The kind of accomplishment he felt was silent, deep. It was the confirmation of something he had already expected, not out of arrogance, but because he had prepared for it with dedication, discipline, and an untiring thirst for knowledge.
His mother, Carla, appeared in the living room with a plate of freshly baked cheese bread.
"Gustavo, are you still reading this? You'll end up memorizing the email."
"I just… I like to make sure I didn't dream it," he said, gently closing his laptop. "It's Harvard, Mom. Harvard."
"I know, son. We knew you'd make it. We just didn't know it would be so fast."
Leandro appeared from the office with a glass of wine.
"And to think it all started with that online finance course you took without us knowing it…"
"I didn't even have a credit card at the time." I had to use Uncle Fernando's and pay in three installments," Gustavo replied, laughing.
"Now you're going to one of the best law schools in the world," Carla said proudly. "And then you still want to get your LLM? Aren't you tired of studying?"
Gustavo smiled wider this time.
"I want to be more than a lawyer. I want to truly understand the law, from every angle. My plan is to join the LAPD after I graduate. Start as a detective, maybe. And with this legal background, I can go much further."
"A Silva cop? Who would have thought..." Leandro joked. "But if that's what you want..."
"Yeah," Gustavo said with conviction. "That's what I want."
Meanwhile, in the house next door, the atmosphere was a little less focused. Claire was leaning over the kitchen island, with a pile of college pamphlets spread out.
"Haley, you need to pick something," she said for the fourth time that morning.
Haley was on the couch, her feet crossed on the coffee table, scrolling through her phone.
"Mom, I'm thinking, okay?"
"You said that last week. And the week before. It's January, Haley. Applications are already closed for half the colleges."
"Maybe I don't want to go to college right now."
"WHAT?" Claire yelled, dropping a UCLA brochure. "Everyone goes to college! Alex has already applied early. Luke, well… okay, Luke still has time, but you—
"Mom, I'm not Alex, okay? I don't know what I want to be. And I don't want to sit in a classroom for four years pretending that I do."
"So what do you want to do?"
Haley was silent. The truth was, she didn't know. She liked fashion, photography, hanging out with friends, flirting, living. But turning that into a career? It was like asking a butterfly to learn calculus.
— I don't know… — she mumbled.
Phil came into the room at that moment with a cup of coffee and a shark-print shirt.
— Hi, Haley! Have you decided whether you're going to be a fashion designer, an actress, or a president?
— None of those — she replied, sighing.
Phil sat down next to her.
— Daughter, it's okay not to know right now. But you need to keep moving. Sometimes the answer comes while you're trying other things.
— Like what?
— Like... taking a course, working in a store, going to Paris!
Claire rolled her eyes.
— Phil, please!
— I'm serious, Claire. Sometimes getting out of your routine helps.
Later that day, Gustavo and Haley met in the backyard of his house. They were sitting by the pool, with their feet dipped in the cold water.
— So you're really going to Harvard? — Haley asked, looking at him with a mixture of admiration and a hint of envy.
"Yes. I start in February. Spring camp starts a little later than the traditional semester."
"And you really want to be a cop?"
"Yes. Law gives me a foundation in understanding the system, but being a cop puts me in it. I want to make a difference, Haley. I really do."
"You're so… sure of everything. So determined."
"Not always. I've only learned to make decisions with what I have now. The rest… I'll learn along the way."
She was silent for a moment.
"You know what's funny? I have no idea what I'm doing do with my life? My mom thinks I'll end up selling clothes at the mall.
— What about you? What do you think?
— I think... maybe I need to make a few mistakes before I get it right. But no one in my family understands that. Alex is like a walking encyclopedia. And I... well, I'm Haley.
Gustavo turned to her, looking at her sincerely.
— You're more than just the popular Haley from school. You have a unique perspective on things. You see beauty where no one else does. That's worth a lot.
She smiled, blushing a little.
— You should give motivational speeches.
— Only if you're my first guest — he replied, smiling too.
The following week, the two families gathered for a farewell barbecue in the Dunphys' backyard. Cam brought a quinoa salad, Mitch complained about the heat, and Jay showed up with a beer in his hand and a question on the tip of his tongue:
"So, kid, are you going to leave the California sun to live in the Boston ice?"
"It'll be worth it, Mr. Pritchett," Gustavo said respectfully.
"Okay. Just don't turn into one of those annoying lawyers who don't let anyone tell jokes at dinner."
Gustavo laughed.
"I promise you won't."
During dinner, Haley watched Gustavo from afar. He talked to Jay and Phil as if he were already part of the family. And, in a way, he was. His mother adored Carla. Alex was embarrassed to admit it, but he liked to discuss politics with him. Luke saw him as a superhero.
But what she felt was more complex. It was pride, admiration... and maybe something more.
A few days before the trip, Haley knocked on the Silvas' door.
"Are you ready to become an FBI lawyer?" — she joked, when Gustavo answered.
— Only if it's with you as my investigation partner.
She went in and they both went to Gustavo's office. He showed her the books he had already started reading, including one in French about comparative jurisprudence.
— And here I thought memorizing all the lines from Mean Girls was impressive... — she murmured.
— In a way, it is too. Memory is a valuable skill.
— Gustavo...
— Hm?
— I... wanted to say thank you.
— Why?
— For treating me like I was more than what everyone sees. For listening. For not trying to fix me.
— You don't need fixing, Haley. You just need space. And time.
She took a deep breath.
— I'm going to miss you.
Gustavo was silent for a moment, then said:
— I'm going to miss you too. But this isn't the end. It's just the beginning of another chapter.
She hugged him. Tightly. And for a brief moment, the world went quiet.
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