Nine years have passed, and two months ago, the twins Ethan and Alex were born. With their arrival, our family was complete with eight children.
A year after Soleil was born, the twin girls Lili and Camila arrived. We chose their names in honor of our mothers: Lili for Liliana, Paulina's mother, and Camila for my mother. Two years later, the twins Kira and Lucas were born. Then, two more years passed, and our little Matt was born. Finally, after four years, the twins Ethan and Alex arrived, putting the finishing touch on our large family.
In recent years, many things have changed. My sisters and brothers-in-law have retired and now dedicate their time to traveling when the kids are not in school. Sofía is already in high school, while Amanda has enrolled at the University of Oxford to study Business Administration. On the other hand, Danny made his debut in college football in his second year, although he hasn't stopped studying and continues pursuing a degree in Gastronomy. According to him, it would be the easiest thing, but he has discovered he was very wrong, as we barely see him because of how busy he is with his classes.
Alejandra finished university at Oxford and returned to do her internship at the hospital, along with Luna, who, true to her promise, worked hard and successfully transferred to Oxford.
As for Valentina, she married a wonderful woman two years ago, and this change in her life has suited her very well. However, our relationship remains distant, and when we see each other, it's usually only for work-related matters.
Luna and Alejandra have been working with my wife, making things much easier for her. Our little sunshine is now nine years old and the oldest sister of seven more children. According to her, they already exhaust her, but she still adores them with all her heart.
Lili and Camila, our little seven-year-old troublemakers, enjoy getting into mischief at every moment. Nothing compares to Kira and Lucas, who are the calmest and most absent-minded of all. They are often so absorbed in their own world that they don't realize what they are saying, and sometimes people misinterpret their words. On the other hand, Matt, our five-year-old, always seems angry, but that's just his expression. He's a mischievous and adorable child, and I think he inherited that mischievousness from me. Finally, there are our babies, Ethan and Alex, whose personalities we still don't know well.
But one thing is certain about all my children: when they get into trouble, they always try to involve me so that I am the one who receives Paulina's scolding instead. They are all cheeky and inconsiderate with me because they don't mind "throwing me under the bus" to avoid their mom's punishment.
Despite their mischief, I love them all. Although sometimes they embarrass us, like the time when the twins Kira and Lucas told the Murray twins that when they grew up, they would do the same thing their mom Paulina did to me: run them over. When the girls heard that, they broke into tears and told their teacher, who called us in to speak with the principal.
When Paulina told me we had to go to the elementary school, I assumed it was another prank by Lili and Camila. But when she said it was because of Kira and Lucas, I was shocked. They don't even know how to pull pranks at school!
That morning, while heading to the school, I could only wonder when my children had decided to make our lives so complicated. Paulina, for her part, had an expression of resignation and worry. "I hope no one gets expelled this time," she sighed.
All that was left was to face the situation with the best possible attitude and hope that the principal would understand that, with a large family like ours, anecdotes and problems are never in short supply.
"Good morning, Mrs. Scott. I appreciate you coming at my request," the principal greeted us warmly.
"Good morning, Miss," I replied politely, earning a confused look from Paulina.
"I'm flattered, Mrs. Paulina Scott," said the principal, blushing.
"No, I'm Shanti Scott," I corrected her.
"Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Shanti, but I'm also a Mrs.," she corrected me in turn.
"Really? You don't look like one, Principal," I commented with a smile, making her smile as well.
"And by the way, why did you call us?" Paulina chimed in, somewhat annoyed.
"Oh, yes," said the principal, turning her gaze away from me. "I called you because of little Kira and Lucas."
"What did they do?" Paulina asked, displeased.
"Well, during recess, Lucas and Kira were with the twins Sun and Molly, and they told them that when they grow up, they would do the same thing their mother, Paulina, did to her mother, Shanti… that is, run them over," the principal recounted.
Paulina and I exchanged a look of shock.
"Of course, we asked Kira and Lucas about this, and they repeated exactly what they told the twins. So, Mrs. Scotts, if you're having problems, you should seek help for the sake of the chi—"
"Wait, wait, Principal," Paulina interrupted. "There's no domestic violence in our home, if that's what you're trying to imply. What the twins meant is that they want to court the girls when they grow up," Paulina explained.
"Run them over?" the principal asked, incredulous.
"When I met my wife," Paulina emphasized "wife" before continuing, "that's when I accidentally ran her over. And well, that's how we met, because she ended up moving in with me. I took responsibility and took care of her," Paulina recounted.
"Now I understand! That's why they asked us how we met that time at dinner," I remembered out loud.
"And yet you still married her?" the principal asked, disturbed.
"Excuse me!" Paulina exclaimed, glaring at her.
"I'm sorry," the principal apologized. "Please, talk to the twins and explain the situation properly. That's not the right way to express themselves."
"I will speak with the twins and their mothers," added the principal.
"All right, Principal. We'll make sure to explain everything. Thank you for your time," I said before leaving with Paulina, who was visibly upset.
We reached the car, and without letting me open the door, Paulina slammed it and got in. I hurried to get inside because I knew perfectly well she was jealous.
"Love," I called as I climbed into the car.
"Do I really not look like a principal?" Paulina mocked me sarcastically.
"Love, I thought the twins had burned down the school. I tried to—"
"To flirt with her?" she interrupted me, clearly annoyed.
"To smooth things over," I replied, correcting her. "Kira and Lucas aren't mischievous or constantly getting into trouble like the twins," I reminded her. "I just wanted to help them, love," I explained.
"You can't possibly do that," she scolded me, crossing her arms.
"Love, if I didn't, the twins and Little Sunshine would have already changed schools more than twice," I blurted out without thinking.
"What?" she looked at me furiously.
"I mean…" I stammered. "It's just a hypothesis."
"You never make hypotheses, Shanti," she yelled. "Right now, you're going to tell me how many principals you've seduced so our children wouldn't get expelled," she demanded, hysterical.
"Love, please calm down," I pleaded, frightened.
"No 'calm down'! Speak right now!" she shouted at me again.
"Only Little Sunshine's principal, this one, and Alejandra's teacher," I answered like a scared puppy.
"And the twins' principal from last year! Did you flirt with her too?" she continued accusing me.
"No, not with her… she didn't fall for it," I murmured, earning myself a hit from Paulina.
"Look, Shanti, you'd better start driving before I run you over again—and this time it won't be an accident," she warned me.
I swallowed hard and immediately started the car. When we arrived at the hospital, I tried to make peace with her.
"Love," I called as I unbuckled my seatbelt, "you know I did it for the kids," I said sincerely. "Besides, it's never gone beyond a simple compliment," I assured her.
"Really?" she looked at me incredulously.
"I swear, love," I promised.
"Fine, I'll forgive you this time, just because—"
"Just because…" I interrupted her.
"Because you also had to use that method with Alejandra's dean."
"What?" I said in shock, my mouth falling open.
"I did it for the girl, love. They weren't going to expel her just for throwing that party," she reminded me.
"Paulina…" I protested.
"No 'Paulina,'" she declared. Then, moving dangerously close, she grabbed me by the neck and kissed me. "Besides, tonight you'll receive your punishment," she whispered with a wicked smile, "and you know it's going to get ugly because the kids are staying at my mother's house tonight."
My heart started pounding faster, knowing exactly what that meant. It was better not to resist.
I thought to myself, "This is going to get more than ugly," as I swallowed nervously, dreading what was coming next.
There hasn't been a single day when I haven't been happy with Paulina. I enjoy every little moment I spend with her, from the birth of our baby, feeding her, to changing diapers—which, honestly, is the nastiest thing anyone can do. I always wondered, with a bit of disgust, how someone could turn milk into that. I constantly complained to Paulina, thinking I could never get used to it.
I also remember the moments we shared as a family, like the day we went camping. We had to run from a beehive, along with Dan, Gina, and Amanda. I never ran so much in all that year as I did that day!
Another memory that made me laugh was when we took Alejandra to a nightclub for her birthday. It was a terrible idea because, in true Johanna style, she got drunk after just three shots. That night, Gina scolded me all night long.
Little Sunshine's first day of school was another very emotional moment. Paulina cried when she had to leave her alone, and I couldn't help crying too when we got to the car. It was like that with all of our children—it seemed like a ritual.
I can't forget the twins' first prank, when they got expelled from school. They scared the entire classroom with the joke that Kira had broken her hand.
Of course, not everything has been perfect. We've had fights, yes, but we've always known how to handle them. We've learned from our mistakes, and now, just by looking at each other, we know what the other is thinking. A single glance is enough to understand one another.
I would never have believed that after that accident, my life would change so much. And I firmly believe that fate has a strange way of bringing us closer to our soulmate. And why do I think that? Well… because, honestly, it's not very common for the love of your life to run you over.
The End.