Three Graces
Chapter One: Crossed Clues
Fernando wouldn’t see himself in a comparison with Paris, the mythological hero who had to choose between three goddesses, nor would he associate himself with the painting of The Three Graces, which celebrated beauty in its various forms. Yet, at the dinner we are about to witness, something similar happened to him with three women, each with her own particular charm.
On that torrid August afternoon, Lucía invited her friends María, Sofía, and Andrea — like her, in their thirties — to the dinner that, starting at nine o’clock in the evening, the neighbors wanted to hold in honor of the man who had been the lifeguard at the complex’s pool since his youth; the same complex where Lucía lived, on Barrilero Street 2.
She asked her friends to arrive at least an hour early to surprise them and so they could get to know each other. For their part, they arranged to meet even earlier, at the Méndez Álvaro department store, to buy something for their hostess and perhaps something to bring to the dinner, in case any of them had forgotten.
María, Sofía, and Andrea barely knew each other, but Lucía had mentioned Fernando to each of them, sparking their curiosity to meet him. Each had their own plans for that afternoon, and they all appreciated Lucía for putting them in touch to meet up beforehand and discuss their concerns, though they probably wouldn’t reveal some of their intentions.
María was the first to arrive, with her calm and confident demeanor, wearing an elegant summer outfit in shades of blue, representative of the successful engineer she was.
Sofía arrived shortly after, in a light, almost white dress with floral prints, and a smile on her lips that hinted at a touch of anxiety. Before meeting María, she paused to check her reflection in a glass and lightly touched up her long brown hair.
As soon as she saw her, María stepped forward to greet her:
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Sofía! Delighted!”
“The pleasure is mine, María! How are you?”
The usual kisses concealed a certain fear in Sofía and, in María, an interest that led her to break the ice by mentioning an issue in which Sofía had criticized her on social media. María’s company was the mediator of a controversial Danish investment to generate solar and wind energy in towns in Teruel:
“To be honest, Sofía, I don’t understand why you’re so radically critical of this project. Especially considering it’s about avoiding energy dependence on Russia, and I remember you enthusiastically supported us on that.”
“That’s true, María. You were very brave to get involved as a company last year. But you have to understand that I have to consider everyone’s opinions. I don’t align myself with anyone on these matters.”
The renewable energy expert showed her respect for the journalist:
“I’m sure you’ll do a thorough job, Sofía. If you want, I can send you some documentation by email. No obligation.”
“Very well, María, I really appreciate your interest; it’s rare for people to take the trouble to read…”
“Now that you mention it, how do you think Russian gas imports will end this year compared to last year? According to what you’ve written, there are many lies about it.”
“It’s disgraceful, María. They boast about sending ammunition to Ukraine and claim they won’t rely on Russian pipelines, yet they increase liquefied gas imports by ship. In the end, this year they’ll pay Russia a third more than last year. More than 2 billion euros! How many of those millions have been turned into dynamite dropped on civilians in Ukraine!”
“Wow, you seem very conscientious! Well, I congratulate you and hope we can all move in the same direction.”
“Yes, and it seems that’s why Lucía wanted to invite this girl I don’t know, Andrea. Do you know her?”
“I don’t, but from what Lucía told me, she’s an old acquaintance of Fernando’s, and yes, it seems she wants to tell us about a humanitarian project she’s involved in.”
“So in the end, I’m the only one who hasn’t met Fernando before.”
It wasn’t clear whether Sofía said that randomly, definitively, or to gauge María’s reaction. In fact, María had a slight internal jolt that brought her back to her meeting with Fernando the previous week and another even more recent one.
María had the advantage of being the first one Lucía invited to dinner. It all started one afternoon while María was having coffee at Lucía’s house, who had just introduced her to her husband, Daniel, to whom she had been married for half a year. Lucía mentioned the upcoming event:
“María, do you remember I told you about the lifeguard, actually the one who organizes that service in our community? He’s much more interesting than he seems at first glance. His name is Fernando, he’s been in the army, he’s a great athlete, and apparently, he’s an expert in drones.”
“I’m going to introduce you to him. Besides, Daniel and I don’t plan to stay until the end of dinner, so maybe you’d like to make sure he doesn’t get bored and get to know him better. What do you say?”
María wanted to take advantage of her visit to Lucía and Daniel to greet Fernando, who was there, and was surprised to find that she already knew him.
Sofía, whose striking appearance is only matched by her spontaneity, was the second to be invited by Lucía, whom she hadn’t seen in quite some time; in fact, the invitation was by phone:
“Sofi, you don’t know what you’re missing. This Saturday we’re having dinner at my community pool for a friend, Fernando. He’s a great guy, super athletic…”
“Oh! And why do I get the feeling you want to set me up with that guy?”
“No, not at all, although I’m sure you’d love to meet him. Besides, with how restless you are, I’m sure if I give you the details of where he works and so on, you’ll even come up with an idea for an interview. What do you think?”
Sofía was, like the others, on vacation, but as Lucía gave her details about the career and current work of someone who, apparently, was nothing more than a young man with years of experience in the world of first aid, her interest grew.
“And you say he knows Russian and frequently travels for defense matters he can’t talk about?”
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“It seems they’ve even sent him to Waterloo to negotiate with Puigdemont. But, hey, those are just rumors, don’t even think about bringing it up, I mean, not even in conversation, much less in your column!”
“Don’t worry, it wouldn’t even cross my mind; besides, I’m on vacation,” Sofía concluded, her eyes wide with obvious interest.
Finally, there is Andrea, who is a Secondary School teacher of Geography and History. Lucía knows her secret because over the past year, she has seen Andrea organize, with the help of the parish where Lucía herself was a parishioner before getting married, up to four humanitarian aid trips to Ukraine.
Lucía knows that Andrea is acquainted with Fernando. She is delighted to hear about those adventures and to give Andrea the opportunity at the dinner to gather support for organizing a new “mission,” which is the term she uses for those trips.
“Andrea, do you remember Fernando? We’re organizing a dinner for him this Saturday by the pool. If you come, not only will you get to see him, but you can also tell us about your plans and raise some support from my neighbors. What do you think?”
“Yes, of course, I remember Fernando… It will definitely be a surprise to see him in that setting. And of course, I’ll share everything with you and your neighbors. Should I bring a swimsuit? Who else is coming?”
“So far, María, the engineer, will be there, and I’ve also invited Sofía, the journalist. Are you in?”
“Absolutely, I’ll be there, and I’d love to see María again and meet Sofía, who must be very interesting, judging by the passion she writes with and how knowledgeable she seems in social and international matters.”
As Andrea remembers Fernando, she feels a spark of excitement mixed with the fear that always accompanies her when it comes to opening her heart. She thinks this might be an opportunity to really get to know him and see if there’s something that justifies the emotions she feels when she remembers him.
What else has Lucía told her friends about Fernando? That he is athletic and strong. She has seen him win awards and love sports almost as if it were a person since he was very young. It’s not that he never breaks the rules, but he always takes them into account: when he eats too much, he also exercises more and doesn’t complicate his life.
Despite his attractiveness and cordiality towards those who had known him since his teenage years, and despite his solidarity with his colleagues, when it came to opening up to others, Fernando was extremely cautious: he preferred solitude to disappointment. Or so it seemed.
He claimed to be indifferent to political disputes. He said he never voted, and it wasn’t out of disdain or disappointment, but because as a soldier he had learned that for him there was only one party: his country and his comrades for whom he was responsible. He wasn’t very talkative and sometimes described himself as autistic, so what others usually saw was his external appearance and strength: either to trust him, in the case of his colleagues; to admire or fear him, in the case of others.
Fernando rarely speaks about his work, and even less about the women in his life. It seems that beneath his physical hardness lies a character that rebels against injustices, and that the two ex-girlfriends he had pressured him so much that he had to end the relationships after enduring many difficulties. He, who demands so much from himself, reaches a breaking point when he notices that someone who should trust him does not.
Lucía’s three friends are also single, although they have all had partners before. If we were to ask Sofía who among the three will attract Fernando’s attention the most, she would say it’s herself. She is pragmatic and knows how to enjoy herself and make others have a good time, giving her an advantage when it comes to livening up an evening. She also senses that her self-confidence and physical attractiveness will help her connect with someone as sporty and active as Fernando is said to be.
María’s career has been a reflection of her determination, ambition, discipline, and ability to overcome obstacles. She studied Industrial Engineering at a prestigious university. She worked at a multinational car manufacturer, where she rose through the ranks thanks to her ability to identify and solve complex problems.
María stands out for her ability to see the good in every situation: that skill known as resilience. She moved to the renewable energy sector, becoming the operations director of a solar and wind energy company. In her pursuit of doing better, she left to pursue an MBA to learn more about sustainability, social responsibility, and how to communicate what she had learned.
Upon returning, she founded a consultancy specializing in sustainability, advising companies and institutions. Her current project in Teruel is the most ambitious both quantitatively — handling millions — and qualitatively: it involves coordinating, reconciling, and convincing various parties, including ambitious politicians, result-driven investors, distrustful villagers, and journalists capable of turning friendship into discord.
With so much work, María has not always managed to dedicate time to her family and friends. She seeks something beyond professional success but does not always find it. People, she says, are harder to understand than things. Engineering organizes things; people, on the other hand, are free, and chaos is the price one pays.
María has had friends and boyfriends, but none lasted as long as she hoped. When she’s low on resilience, she even makes grammatical errors and thinks that none of them have tolerated her. She doesn’t usually hold grudges, but she blames them for not having the desire to keep up with her pace, while admitting that perhaps she could have slowed down a bit. She still believes that there must be someone who shares her dreams and is willing to build a life together without sacrificing individual ambitions.
In contrast to María, Andrea’s background seems quite modest. From a young age, she knew how to listen and care for others, leading her to study Education, specializing in Early Childhood. Teaching young children is simply her calling. She believes that educating is helping children understand the world.
In class, Andrea says she has only one recipe: to love the children. With that, she creates a positive and motivating learning environment. She dedicates herself to her students with passion beyond school hours, organizing field trips and ensuring that each child feels valued and supported in their small successes. However, she is discouraged by parents’ lack of interest in improving their children’s education and the bureaucracy of the educational system. Perhaps this is one reason why, in the previous school year, and especially in the one that ended this summer, she organized humanitarian trips to Ukraine.
For Andrea, there is no love without commitment and sacrifice. When she met Fernando on one of these trips, he seemed to be the man with whom she could share her life, or so she felt when she remembered him. But she never had the chance to tell him, and today she wants to test herself and learn more about him.
In contrast to these somewhat idealistic views, Sofía appears as the most realistic of Lucía’s three friends. She is present on social media, has hundreds and hundreds of acquaintances. She has dedicated herself to seeking truthful information but also to advertising campaigns involving all kinds of people. She interacts with both the poor and the powerful, and knows how to fit her creative ideas among them.
The media, advertising, and social networks have hurt Sofía, who perceives the hypocrisy of many, the desire to impose oneself at the expense of others, even deceiving clients and the general public. To avoid having to put on a good face for those who pay her just because they pay, Sofía has chosen freedom and quality over quantity. That’s why, although she still manages private and public events, she also pours her research into a confidential platform where she and a few trusted friends set their own pace of work.
Though she still enjoys parties and events, Sofía knows how to take care of herself and have a good time, not by running around but by doing exactly what she wants. That is her motto. It may seem like she avoids commitment, but it’s because of her commitment to the life she seeks. More than unstable, she is restless.
While waiting outside the department store, María and Sofía watch Andrea arrive with a warm smile. She is wearing a simple yet elegant emerald green dress, longer than her friends’ and concealing a few extra pounds she has compared to them. Her eyes shine with excitement as she greets them:
“Good evening, girls! It seems we arrived just in time. I was so looking forward to seeing you and Lucía. Oh, but isn’t she here?”
“Don’t you remember we planned to buy her a gift before seeing her?” María says, less surprised than Sofía that Andrea recognized them, as she had seen her on other occasions.
“Nice to meet you!” Sofía says, then referring to what Lucía had mentioned about Andrea’s projects. “I hope you have many interesting things to tell us tonight, and that they are just as attractive to Fernando and the other guests, right?”
Andrea, not taking offense at what could seem like exaggeration or intrusion from Sofía, smiles gently.
“Yes, who knows… maybe tonight will be special.”
The three women look at each other, each with their own thoughts about what the night might bring. They each try not to speak too freely and gauge what the others are saying, trying to figure out if they are there only in response to Lucía’s kind invitation or if there is something more at stake.
At the department store, they choose a picnic set to give to Lucía and Daniel, with a nicely illustrated basket, compartments for food and drinks, napkins, and utensils. They fill it with cheeses, cold cuts, and more or less exquisite hams, adding a couple of bottles of fine wine, splitting the cost among themselves and leaving it up to the couple to decide whether to share part of the gift with them and the other dinner guests.
Lucía opens the door, and her three friends ascend to the third floor. As the elevator stops at their floor and the doors open, they move forward together, chatting about trivial topics while their minds continue to work in the background. The tone is light and friendly, but behind each word is an unanswered question: What does this night mean to each of them, and how will that affect what they are about to experience?
Just as the elevator doors close, they all share a moment of silence and then hear the sound of Lucía’s heels as she comes to open the door to her apartment, marking the start of a night that promises to be anything but ordinary. It feels as though they are presenting themselves for an exam that, so far, only the indiscreet judgment of an external observer has compared to Paris’s judgment, calling them The Three Graces.
