Today
It hadn't occurred to him until that morning.
On his way to the Ministry of Labour, Spain had to stop for a second to tie his shoes and did so in front of a fountain, near the Museum of Natural Sciences.
When he raised his head, he found Isabella mounted on a horse, looking at the sky, his standard in her hand. She was flanked by El Gran Capitán and Cardinal González de Mendoza. «To Isabella the Catholic, under whose glorious reign national unity and the discovery of the Americas took place. The People of Madrid. 1883»
It had been a normal, even dull morning until Spain started to consider how long it had been since the last time he had seen those three people in person. Those faces that now were dust. Even that monument itself was a historical relic: 1883 was a long time before. All the people the plaque referred to were also gone.
Thinking about them made him look around him. The Castellana, now a mess of zooming cars, buildings and asphalt, used to be nothing but a thalweg.
It was like that everywhere he looked, in every city. The past seemed so much greener...
A bit brighter too. Had he had the chance to bring some of the bosses he had had in the past, he wouldn't have hesitated. It almost seemed like everyone knew what they were doing. They were not afraid to tell him to do certain things. They taught him to earn the respect of others...
The glorious reign...National unity...The Discovery...
Around him, everything seemed as dark as the road and grey like the buildings.
He saw a beggar in traffic lights. The lampposts were filled with signs like 'responsible lady offers herself to cook and take care of children and elders'. Graffiti in his monuments insulting him or his bosses.
Everyone and himself were so angry these days, and for a reason. Nothing was going right. The coughing persisted, his pockets were empty, some nations wouldn't stop annoying him...Every time he tried to defend himself, they used the old 'genocidal' card...'Racist' too. It was so tiring...
He looked at Isabella, preserved in stone, and said to himself that she wasn't probably proud, wherever she was.
He had made so many bad decisions. He had hanged around with the wrong people so often. It was hard to play with the cards he got.
That morning, it occurred to him that things usually changed for the worst for him. Up shit creek was his usual state of being.
The others seemed to be having it much better...
It made him jealous. As much as he tried, it seemed he was never going to be as great as they were. They got it, they always knew what to do, they were admired, every bad thing they did was forgiven...
Isabella was looking at the sky...
He raised his eyes too.
It was a pretty day, actually. There were just a few little clouds in the blue sky, floating peacefully.
"Everything will be alright, Antoñito"
A smile grew on his face.
Carriedo was right. The old dog knew what he was saying.
Yes, his life was a succession of disasters, screw-ups and disappointments. So?
Keep moving forward, that was Carriedo's last advice—and it was good advice, too.
He blew a kiss to Isabella. He was about to blow another one to the sky, to good old Domingo, but remembered that he used to be too masculine for that sort of displays of affection. So a nod would do. He grabbed his briefcase and kept walking.
Since Romano was having issues at home, he would see if he could video-call him that night. England had called to say that he didn't care what his boss said: he was going to his house for the vacations and Spain feared he would drink the bars and jump off the balconies again. Ibai wanted to interview him on streaming, they could play video games on live, with people commenting and all—he saved a spot in his agenda for it. And the director of the Prado Museum had requested him to join the anniversary of the institution with a guided tour in which he could explain the stories behind the pictures. So much to do, so much to do...
Soon, he forgot the reason why he had felt so sad earlier. He walked down the street feeling merrier than before.
That day, everyone said it, the sun seemed to shine brighter than usual, warmer—not really hot, just...perfectly warm.