An uncomfortable silence settled over the group. Looks of disbelief had settled over the other three, but Guillermo especially seemed shocked by the news. Peter and Frederico looked down at their drinks without a word. Dominic tightly clutched the rag in his hand and continued polishing the same spot on the bar as he waited for one of them to speak.

It was a slow night. Only a few other patrons milled around the barroom. Apparently Mike was cooking at the discotheque across the street tonight and had enticed many of their customers away.

Dominic had rehearsed what he was going to say over and over again all day. He’d decided he’d wait until he got his father and Guillermo together and deliver the news in one fell swoop. Peter had just been an unfortunate bystander caught up in the moment.

What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was the seemingly unending silence that followed. The only sounds were the low chatter of the patrons and the clinking of their glasses.

“This is a joke, right?” Guillermo chuckled after several minutes had passed. “You just about gave me a heart attack there, Dom. Take it easy on an old man, why don’t you?”

The tension surrounding the three other men lessened a little. Slight smiles began to appear on their faces.

“It’s not a joke,” said Dominic a little more sharply than he’d intended. “I’m giving you my notice, Guillermo. I’m taking another job elsewhere. I’ll stay here for a week or two. Just long enough for you to find someone to replace me.”

Their smiles faded just as quickly as they had arrived, and Guillermo’s laughter died on his lips.

“Is this because I didn’t give you George’s job? You can have it, it’s yours. I can train George to serve drinks.” Guillermo sounded almost desperate.

“This has nothing to do with that. I just needed something that was a little higher paying, that’s all.” Dominic could feel his father’s eyes watching him intently. He avoided looking up from the counter. The feeling of guilt gnawing away at his stomach was intense.

“I’ll just give you a raise, there’s no reason for you to quit your job.” Guillermo chuckled to himself. “You’ve always had a bit of a flare for the dramatic.”

“You don’t understand, Guillermo.” Dominic finally looked him in the eye. “I’ve decided that I want to start preparing for my future. I’m getting a job that’s going to let me buy a house and still have enough left over to let me save up for the restaurant I’ve always talked about.”

Guillermo was silent.

“You had to know that I wouldn’t stay here forever,” insisted Dominic. “I’ve been talking about this restaurant for years. The President’s reward is going to go a long way toward getting that started. I want to add as much as I can and make sure I do this right the first time.”

The silence continued.

While he wasn’t being entirely honest with them, he wasn’t exactly lying to them either. At least, that’s what he told himself. Switching jobs was going to help him prepare for the future life he and Miguel had talked about.

“And there’s nothing I can say to convince you to stay?” Guillermo looked defeated.

“I’m sorry,” Dominic said. “There are plenty of guys on the island that would love to work here. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding a replacement.”

“It’s not that, Dom,” said Guillermo. “In a lot of ways you’re like a son to me. I don’t have any kids, and I’d talked to your father about having you take over the bar when I retire. I know it’s not the restaurant you’re always talking about, but it would mean a lot to me.”

Dominic glanced towards his father. Frederico’s expression was unreadable, but he nodded in affirmation.

“If you’re that desperate for more money, I’m sure we can work something out,” Guillermo continued. “We’ll have to go over the books, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

Dominic’s throat felt tight. He’d always been close to Guillermo, and he knew the barman was fond of him. He hadn’t realized just how deeply the affection ran, however. Despite all of that, this revelation changed nothing.

He’d seen the books for the bar. He already knew that they barely scraped out a profit each month. Guillermo couldn’t come close to matching the wage that Matías had promised him. Still, turning down a heartfelt offer like this simply because of money chewed at Dominic. If he only had himself to consider then things might have been different.

“Guys...” Dominic’s voice was small. “There’s something else. It’s...it’s more than just the restaurant. I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone yet, but after what you just told me I feel like I owe you an explanation. I just need you to swear that this won’t go beyond our circle here.”

“Are you in trouble?” Frederico asked, his expression immediately changing to one of concern. “If you need help you know you just have to ask.”

“Not exactly,” Dominic reassured him.

“I won’t say anything,” said Guillermo.

“My lips are sealed,” Peter said with a nod. “As long as I get a refill here, that is.” He winked at Dominic as he pushed his empty beer glass forward.

“Coming right up,” Dominic agreed.

“Fine, you’ve got my word too,” said Frederico as he plunged his hand into the peanut bowl. “This better be some huge secret though after all the fuss you’ve made.”

“Thank you guys.” Dominic nodded to each of them before handing back Peter’s freshly refilled glass.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He had just promised Miguel that he would keep all of this a secret. Now here he was, less than twenty-four hours later, about to break that promise. Dominic exhaled forcefully as he tried to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves.

“The fact of the matter is...” the words stuck in Dominic’s throat. He swallowed hard and tried to steady his trembling hands by holding onto the counter.

“The truth is,” he began again, “I am dating someone and that someone just recently found out that...they’re pregnant. For certain reasons, they’re unable to work right now. We want to move in together and prepare for the baby, but my apartment is...unsuitable and their current residence is...also unsuitable.”

“I managed to find someone willing to give me a job paying a substantially higher wage than I’m getting here. With that I can afford to buy a house and cover the upcoming expenses of a baby.”

“So wait...let me get this straight,” Peter said as he leaned across the bar, “you knocked up Miguel?”

Dominic’s jaw dropped.

“Oh honestly, Dom, it’s not like you were being subtle,” chuckled Frederico. “Your mother told me she caught you two the other day. The day that she told you that load of crap about you being related to one another. It’s not really a surprise he wound up pregnant.”

“You should have just led with that,” said Guillermo, returning the glasses he’d been putting away. “Here I thought you were just pissed at me for not giving you the job you wanted. You gotta do what’s right for your family, I understand that.”

“I’m not really sure what to say.” Dominic looked at each of them in turn. He felt strangely at peace and grateful for the uncomplicated understanding of the three men before him.

“Probably something along the lines of, ‘next round’s on me?’” Frederico said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dominic shook his head slowly, unable to help the smile that had formed on his lips. “Next round’s on me.”

* * *

“So then,” Frederico began as he walked alongside Dominic after his shift that evening, “what’s this new job you’re getting?”

Miguel had texted to say he was running late and would meet Dominic at his parents’ house later. Which, unfortunately, left Dominic walking home alone with his father.

His shift had ended early tonight. The stars had yet to fully emerge across the night sky, and the nightlife was just getting started. A long line spilled out of the neon-lighted, gaudily decorated discotheque across the street from Guillermo’s. A large sign proudly proclaimed that Mike, the “Barbecue King of the United States,” was inside serving his world-class food.

The two men skirted around the line, avoiding the ravenous crowd, and headed down one of the side streets towards home.

“First, I was serious when I said you can’t tell anyone about this stuff. Miguel and I agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone about this stuff yet. I only broke down and told you guys because Guillermo was being so sentimental.” Dominic shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked.

“So don’t tell your boyfriend you broke your promise. Right. Got it.” Frederico chuckled to himself. “I’m not going to say anything and neither will either of those two drunks. So then, what’s this job? But I’m warning you, if I find out you’re dancing at Henrietta’s we’re going to have to have a serious talk.”

Dominic chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I...I got a job working with abuelo.”

“That old barnacle actually did something nice?” Frederico seemed amused. “I’m surprised he didn’t turn you away like he did every other time his family came to him for help.”

“I...” Dominic’s voice trailed off. He’d sensed a lot of regret from Matías when they’d spoken. As much as he wanted to defend the old man, however, he knew that the rift between his parents and his grandfather wasn’t his to mend. They would have to work out those differences on their own. “It surprised me too,” he admitted.

“I hope it works out for you,” said Frederico, clapping his son on the shoulder. “I really do. But I’m going to give you a little bit of advice. Don’t rush into anything. This whole thing with Miguel seems really sudden. I...I don’t want you to do something you end up regretting just because you feel like it’s the right thing to do.”

“You mean like with you and mom?” Dominic had always thought his parents’ marriage was a lot healthier than it now appeared. Either he’d just been blind or they’d been doing a really good job of keeping the truth from him.

“I do love your mother, you’ve got to understand that,” Frederico reassured him. “However, if I were to do it all over again then I probably wouldn’t have married her. But it’s not for the reasons you think.”

Frederico exhaled forcefully before continuing. “Your mother always wanted kids. Lots of them. ‘At least five’ is what she always said to me. Her mother had taught her how to sew and knit, and in the first year of our marriage she made a lot of things for the kids she wanted to have.”

He paused in the middle of the street and looked up at the sky. “When we found out I couldn’t have kids I think it broke something inside of her. I hated to see her in so much pain all the time. We talked about finding a sperm donor, but she wasn’t interested in having children with another man. Then we discussed adoption, but she was resistant to the idea.”

“Finally I asked her if she wanted to end our marriage. I told her that I wanted her to be happy and if that meant letting her go marry someone else then I was willing to let her do that.”

Dominic was surprised by the sincerity and pain in his father’s voice. This certainly wasn’t what he had expected when he’d mentioned his mother. “What did she say?”

“She was appalled by the idea,” Frederico said, looking back at his son. He began walking towards home once more. “She told me that she loved me and wanted to stay by my side as my wife. For a little while after that, she seemed better. I tried to take her places and shower her with as much love and affection as I could.”

“Then your birth mother, my sister-in-law, died. My brother brought you to us, and it was Julia who suggested we adopt you. I’d never seen so much light in her eyes. She showered you with everything she had. You were her entire world and to see her like that, with you, made me regret marrying her even more.”

“She would’ve made a wonderful mother had she been able to raise children of her own. Instead, she was trapped with me. Bound by wedding vows that she refused to break.”

Silence followed them for several more blocks. They were less than a block from the house before Frederico spoke once more.

“So I guess what I’m trying to say is, that regret can come in many forms. I love your mother and I’ve truly been happy to have her as my wife. Yet, I regret the pain that being married to me has caused her. I would go back and change that in a heartbeat if I could.”

“You didn’t know you were sterile when you married her,” Dominic pointed out. “You couldn’t have foreseen that.”

“No, you’re right. But then, I had many girlfriends before her. I’d always thought I was lucky that none of them had gotten pregnant. María and I were together for nearly two years. She only became pregnant after cheating on me. I should have made the connection.” Frederico stopped short once the house came into sight.

Julia was standing on the front porch waiting for them with a smile on her face. She waved when she saw them.

“Dad,” Dominic turned towards him. “You’ve got to know that I never regretted having you and Mom as my parents.” A lot of his parents’ relationship had begun to make sense to Dominic now. They were two people that had made one another miserable but felt obligated to each other for one reason or another. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy at the thought. “I...what Mom did to Isaac is something that I’m still struggling to figure out, but even with that I was happy growing up. Both of you made sure I felt loved. So even though you may regret marrying Mom, I’m glad you did. Otherwise who knows what would’ve happened to me.”