#manuel castillo

[comicwaren]

From Captain America Vol. 11 #001, “Beginnings”

Art by Jesús Saiz and Matt Hollingsworth

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

[elmartillosinmetre]

Castillo, una vida para la música

[El investigador Pedro José Sánchez Gómez / JUAN CARLOS VÁZQUEZ]

Pedro José Sánchez Gómez publica la primera biografía del compositor sevillano Manuel Castillo, fallecido en el otoño de 2005

Toda una vida de empleado de Emasesa, jubilado en 2021 y con dos pasiones: la música y la cultura sevillana. Casado, con dos hijos, su mujer bromea con él: "En casa somos siete, nosotros cuatro, Joaquín Turina, José María Izquierdo y Manuel Castillo". Pedro José Sánchez Gómez (Sevilla, 1956) se ha significado en efecto como un investigador incansable en torno a esas figuras cruciales de la Sevilla del siglo XX. Entre sus trabajos, el último, recién aparecido, es la primera biografía dedicada a Castillo, que se ha publicado bajo el paraguas del Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, en concreto gracias al Distrito de los Remedios, el barrio de residencia del compositor en las últimas décadas de su vida.

No se trata en cualquier caso de su primer acercamiento al músico, ya que en 1999 había publicado Manuel Castillo. Su obra en la prensa escrita. 1949-1998 y en el año 2005 Manuel Castillo. Recopilación de escritos 1945-1998. "Hay un segundo volumen de escritos que ya está terminado y saldrá en breve, pero le di prioridad a la biografía, me pareció más importante, después de dos trabajos teóricos, un acercamiento a la persona, al ser humano, para evidenciar cuales habían sido las claves de su vida y de su obra. Y los pilares de este libro son desde luego esos otros tres. En el de la prensa hay recogidas más de mil referencias sobre la obra de Castillo. Y en sus escritos hay tantas referencias autobiográficas que me ha permitido usar su propia voz como hilo conductor de todo el libro. Luego he recorrido infinidad de archivos tanto en Sevilla como en Madrid o en el País Vasco, pues en el archivo Eresbil está la correspondencia con Norberto Almandoz". Más dificultades ha tenido para acercarse a la documentación personal del compositor: "En el Centro de Documentación Musical de Andalucía, en Granada, está su música, pero su legado personal lo compró el Ayuntamiento de Sevilla. El piano de su estudio está ahora en el Espacio Turina, pero el resto (sus discos, sus libros y demás) se llevó a la Hemeroteca Municipal, y allí está almacenado, pero aún no es accesible. La familia tuvo el detalle de permitirme acceder a su estudio en 2007. El archivo fotográfico lo tiene también el Ayuntamiento, pero ese al menos pude escanearlo y es el que utilizo para el libro. Me he sentido siempre muy apoyado por la familia". Aunque consiguió cierta familiaridad en el trato con el compositor, al que conoció en los conciertos de la ROSS, nunca le sugirió la posibilidad de emprender un trabajo biográfico sobre su figura: "Sí le comenté que había empezado a trabajar en el libro sobre la prensa, y le llevé un primer borrador, lo que le hizo mucha ilusión, aunque cuando se presentó él estaba ya en ese aislamiento de los últimos años de su vida, y no asistió, pero me lo agradeció mucho". 

La fecha de 1949, la primera del libro sobre la prensa, no es casual. "1949 es el año en que muere Turina, y el año en que Castillo escribe su Sonatina para piano, su primera obra importante, con lo que puede considerarse simbólicamente el año del traspaso del testigo musical entre los dos compositores sevillanos más importantes del siglo XX. De hecho Castillo quiso ampliar estudios con Turina, pero Turina muere en 1949, que es justo cuando Castillo quería dar el salto a Madrid. Más adelante él reconoció que quizá aquello habría sido un error, porque Turina representaba el nacionalismo musical, pero Castillo tenía miras más amplias, gracias en buena medida a Norberto Almandoz, que fue su profesor de composición y que tenía contactos con grandes compositores europeos. Pienso de todos modos que ambos (Turina y Castillo) personifican musicalmente, en esta ciudad tan dada a las dualidades, las dos caras de Sevilla: Turina, la luminosa, alegre, extrovertida; y Castillo la íntima, introvertida, la menos evidente… pero no por ello menos cierta y verdadera".

Los inicios del compositor resultaron en cualquier caso poco alentadores: "Los primeros profesores de solfeo que le pusieron los padres no pensaban que el niño llegase a nada. Incluso una profesora llegó a decirles que 'para Manolito' la música iba a ser siempre un ladrillo, que se dedicara a otra cosa. Pero él sentía una gran afición desde el descubrimiento del piano que tenían en casa, con el que se divertía antes de conocer las notas, y se matriculó como alumno libre en el Conservatorio en el 44. Fue en el curso 1944-45 cuando ingresa en el Colegio San Francisco de Paula y entra en contacto con Antonio Pantión que todo cambió. Él siempre dijo que sin Pantión seguramente no habría sido músico. Y la música se convirtió en el sentido de su vida, él la definió como 'una necesidad interior de la que ni podía ni quería desembarazarse'. Sentía la música como algo espontáneo, intuitivo. Para él escribir música era como respirar”.

En 1959 Castillo escribe Preludio, Diferencias y Toccata, a partir de El Puerto de Albéniz y con ella gana el Premio Nacional de Música. "Es un punto de inflexión en su carrera, supone un giro estilístico en su producción, curiosamente, usando como motivo generador una de las obras cumbres del pianismo nacionalista español. Este nuevo Castillo se aleja de esa influencia nacionalista de la que había bebido su primera década como compositor, y empieza a mostrar la asimilación de los estudios en Madrid y París. Su piano cambió radicalmente, aunque él nunca quiso romper con nada. Castillo fue siempre un ecléctico: él usa el serialismo por ejemplo, pero de una forma muy personal. Nunca fue dado a modas ni a corrientes. Si usó determinados recursos fue como medio de expresión: usaba aquello que le servía para expresar lo que sentía como músico. Su música no sale del entorno, sino desde su interior, desde su evolución musical y personal. Dejó escrito: 'Me gustaría ser recordado como un músico que no quiso ni romper con el pasado ni cerrar los ojos al futuro'. Y de hecho él mostró siempre su rechazo a que lo adscribieran a la Generación del 51 junto a Halffter, Bernaola, García Abril, Luis de Pablo o Barce, porque pensaba que no se parecían en nada entre sí".

[Al piano en su estudio / ARCHIVO FAMILIAR]

Hay una segunda vocación en la vida de Castillo: la religiosa. "Desde que descubrió la música, Castillo no tuvo otro norte, hasta que se le despertó la vocación religiosa, que le llegó con la misma fuerza que la musical. En 1956, siendo ya catedrático de piano, entra en el Seminario. Y siendo ya sacerdote se dirige al cardenal Bueno Monreal para decirle que iba a abandonar su carrera musical para dedicarse de lleno al sacerdocio. Y Bueno Monreal le respondió: 'Desde la música también se sirve a Dios'. Y de hecho obras fundamentales en su  carrera como su Concierto para piano nº1 o su Sonata para violín y piano las compuso en San Telmo, en el seminario." En el abandono del sacerdocio "quizás pesaron los tiempos, era la época de la transición, y las cosas empezaban a verse de otra forma. Vio que esa fuerza vocacional se había reducido y se salió. En una entrevista en Canal Sur le dijeron que salirse del sacerdocio tenía que haber sido una decisión muy dura, y él contestó: 'Duro es estar en lo que no se siente'. Con la misma fuerza y el mismo convencimiento que entró, salió."

Cuando en 1991 se funda la Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, la figura de Castillo parece cobrar nuevo valor, y gracias a la orquesta estrena dos sinfonías, su Obertura festiva y el Concierto Sacro Hispalense... "Fue un plus para su carrera musical. Él le tenía mucho cariño a la Orquesta Bética, debutó con ella y con Manuel Navarro en el Teatro Lope de Vega. Pero la Sinfónica de Sevilla era otra cosa, era un salto de calidad que a él lo entusiasmó. La 1ª sinfonía era del año 69. Y en poco más de un año, entre febrero del 93 y mayo del 94, estrena otras dos. Él confesó que sin la Sinfónica seguramente no habría vuelto a componer una sinfonía".

[Con la Sinfónica de Sevilla dirigida por Vjekoslav Sutej después del estreno de su '2ª sinfonía' en febrero de 1993 / GUILLERMO MENDO / ROSS]

Los últimos años están marcados por la depresión y el progresivo aislamiento de toda vida musical y social. "Eso empezó con su jubilación en 1995, de la que se quejó amargamente, y luego se agrava con la muerte de su hermana Isabel, que era casi una segunda madre para él, en el otoño de 1996. Ahí empezó un proceso de aislamiento y de retiro de la vida pública que fue muy dramático. Todavía en 1997 recibe el nombramiento de Hijo Predilecto de Sevilla y estrena su Concierto Sacro Hispalense, pero poco a poco se va desconectando de todo". Ni siquiera se sabe con seguridad la fecha de su muerte. "Oficialmente es el 30 de octubre de 2005. La hija de su hermana Isabel, que era la que estaba encima de él, lo llamó por teléfono justo ese día, no respondió, también al siguiente y tampoco, lo atribuyó a casualidades de que lo hubiera cogido fuera por algo, pero ya al siguiente se presentó en su casa y se lo encontró muerto. Por eso en algunos sitios figura el 1 de noviembre."

Pasados esos años finales del siglo en que pareció crecer el aprecio por su música, la figura de Castillo va oscureciéndose, aunque recientemente algunas iniciativas editoriales, discográficas y de concierto, casi siempre encabezadas por sus antiguos alumnos, lo recuerdan de cuando en cuando. "En la presentación del libro en el Alcázar, Juan Luis Pérez dijo algo con lo que estoy muy de acuerdo: mientras un compositor está vivo, en España parece que hay una obligación de ofrecer su música, pero una vez que fallece es como si esa obligación se terminara. Y eso ha pasado con Castillo. De todas formas, el mismo Juan Luis, que está de asesor en la ROSS, me ha dicho que para el curso próximo piensan volver a incluir alguna obra suya en la temporada. Reivindicar a Manuel Castillo es una obligación de los músicos y aficionados sevillanos. En 2025 se cumplen los 20 años de su muerte, y yo quiero hacer una exposición, independientemente de que en 2030 se celebre el centenario de su nacimiento. Manuel Castillo podría haber hecho carrera fuera: la Sonatina había ganado un premio en Italia, en el 56 era catedrático de piano, en el 59, Premio Nacional de Música, en el 61 era Académico de Santa Isabel de Hungría, pero decidió quedarse en Sevilla, porque quería hacer de la ciudad un foco musical en España. Mi libro sólo es un acto de justicia".

[Diario de Sevilla. 28-01-2024]

Manuel Castillo. La necesidad vital de la música. Pedro José Sánchez Gómez Sevilla: Ayuntamiento (Distrito de Los Remedios), 2023. 479 páginas. Edición no venal.

[harveyguillensource]

Harvey has joined the inaugural Visionary Alliance for the National Hispanic Media Coalition! As The Hollywood Reporter describes:

Alliance members will lend their professional expertise to longstanding NHMC entertainment initiatives such as its Series Scriptwriters Program and Latinx Stream Showcase and also get involved in the nonprofit’s social justice and policy advocacy work.

“NHMC is about representation from the White House to Hollywood,” the coalition’s president and CEO Brenda Victoria Castillo tells THR. “The policies and decisions that are made in D.C. affect Hollywood. The way Hollywood decides they’re going to portray Latinos is the way we’re perceived and the way the public treats us, and it’s a vicious cycle.”

The inaugural Alliance members also include Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Wilson Cruz, Rosario Dawson, Diane Guerrero (Encanto, Doom Patrol), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Eva Longoria, Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Justina Machado, Encanto producer Yvett Merino, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Danny Pino (Mayans M.C., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Aubrey Plaza, Gina Torres, Wilmer Valderrama and Lisa Vidal (Being Mary Jane).

[adamwatchesmovies]

Encanto (2021)

Encanto is an instant favorite. You watch it once, you’re blown away, you look up its songs and listen to them on repeat. Filled with memorable characters, breathtaking visuals and complicated emotions, there’s something here for everyone.

At the heart of the isolated community of Encanto is Casita, a sentient house that grants magic gifts to the members of the Madrigal family on their 5th birthday. For two generations, the Madrigals have used their abilities to serve their neighbors, except for Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) who mysteriously received no gift. Now 15, Mirabel notices Casita acting strangely and begins investigating. All signs point towards her uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo) - who vanished ten years ago - being tied to an incoming disaster.

Writing my summary of the plot, made me realize how complicated this story is. When animated films were drawn by hand, you usually had one to three central characters and their journey was about their own physical, internal or emotional changes. Once the era of computer-generated imagery began, plots began to shift towards characters who change/explore the world around them. Encanto takes this to a new level. While Mirabel is the protagonist, every member of her extended family & her home is given enough screen time to be called an important character and the story is ultimately about so many topics it’s a wonder they’re all squeezed into the 102-minute running time - keep in mind that includes the credits.

How does “Encanto” do it? By utilizing all the tools at its disposal with peak efficiency. The film begins with a song that lays out the groundwork for everything we need to know about Encanto, Casita and the Madrigal family. The beat and lyrics are so catchy you don’t even realize it’s a deluge of exposition. From there, we’re on a fantastical journey with plenty of real-world equivalents. Maribel’s oldest sister is Isabela (Diane Guerrero) who can make flowers bloom everywhere and can seemingly do no wrong. She always looks perfect and is constantly showered with compliments. Maribel’s second older sister is Luisa (Jessica Darrow). Her superhuman strength allows her to move buildings and everyone knows they can count on her whenever there’s an emergency. Take away the fancy superpowers, look at the family dynamics and who is Maribel? The youngest sister who will never be as good as her other siblings, no matter how hard she tries. It only takes a song and a few lines of interaction for us to “see” all the years these people have had together. Encanto is ultimately a mystery. It’s about Mirabel trying to discover why her uncle disappeared all those years ago. Beneath that, it’s about our responsibilities towards each member of our family and how we want to separate ourselves from them while also remaining connected.

As Maribel investigates her uncle Bruno and his sinister ability to see the future, we learn more about the family. The knowledge we gather often comes in the form of catchy tunes - the best Disney has produced since Moana. They’re accompanied by stunning visuals, the kind that makes you pause and wonder “How did they do that?” You know they didn’t need to get actors and animals to learn any kind of choreography but it’s so well done and there is so much detail packed in every frame you forget you’re watching computer-generated graphics. This is the kind of movie you could watch over and over and always discover something new. Either in the backgrounds, the character designs, the lyrics, the dialogue or the emotions. 

If I had to find a flaw in Encanto it’s that there are a lot of big emotions here that are resolved quickly. Familial and generational trauma, sibling rivalries, resentment because of the expectations (or lack of) placed on you and more. Love sweeps them all away so fast. That’s me looking for something. I can see many people thinking the resolutions make perfect sense and feel genuine because for the large part, they are. The way the film solves the mystery at its core and deals with all of the matters of the heart is exemplary.

Everyone who sees Encanto will find something about it to call their own. This is a beautiful, memorable, emotionally complex film with great characters and top-notch writing. You should see it if only so you can be part of the conversation because once you get going about this 2021 Disney release, you won’t want to stop talking about it. (November 5, 2022)

[jgroffdaily]

A TikTok from @fortheloveofgroff - Jonathan and friends.

[fotograrte]

The Atalaya Castle (Villena) is one of the most interesting examples of medieval fortresses in the province of Alicante. The great keep is the most outstanding part of this magnificent architectural ensemble from the 14th century.

It was the Almohads who built Villena Castle in the then Islamic Bilyana, around the 12th century. The inner wall of the fortress and the two lower floors of the Torre del Homenaje (Homage Tower) date from this period. Of this sturdy tower, the two Almohad vaults, with interlaced arches, of the aforementioned floors stand out, which, together with that of the nearby Castle of Biar, are the only examples of this type in the whole of the Peninsula. Not much later, in 1240, the Christian King James I of Aragon conquered Villena Castle, and it came under the control of the Manuel family, forming the Lordship of Villena. The author of Count Lucanor, Don Juan Manuel, who married the Infanta Constanza of Aragon, lived here. Later, in the 15th century, the Castillo de la Atalaya came under the control of the Pacheco family, Marquises of Villena. They built the two upper floors of the keep and the outer wall, with its twelve towers. However, the Catholic Monarchs took the Castle of Villena from the Pacheco family in 1476, incorporating it into the Crown, along with the lands of the Marquisate. The legend of the Five Bells tells how the Isabelistas surprised and defeated the Juanistas.

[thosesadsuburbanghosts]

Encanto (2021)

"Maybe your gift is being in denial."

[omgitsacuban]

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo, who was a plantation owner in Cuba, freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War. Cuban Social vol VI No 3 (marzo 1921)

[12endigital]

Fundación Manuel Peláez Castillo, la palabra dada

Con la celebración del 20 aniversario de la Fundación Manuel Peláez Castillo se cumple la palabra dada por mi marido Manolo: mantener la actividad de esta entidad a lo largo de dos décadas antes de ponerle fin a este sueño de construcción y defensa de los derechos de aquellas personas que más lo necesitan. En estos 20 años, y a través de más de 1.200 proyectos y convenios, hemos puesto nuestro…

[edgargonzalez]

FoodScapes [Pabellon de españa Bienal de Venecia 2023]

El Pabellón de España en la 18ª Exposición Internacional de Arquitectura – La Biennale di Venezia presenta FOODSCAPES, una exposición comisariada por Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa y Manuel Ocaña. El proyecto explora cuestiones globales relacionadas con la forma en que producimos, distribuimos y consumimos alimentos. La exposición incluye un proyecto audiovisual de cinco películas, un archivo de…

[dodypaz]

Freedom House lanza campaña que busca la libertad de presos políticos, entre ellos Maykel Obsorbo y Otero Alcántara

“La iniciativa de Freedom House busca resaltar y combatir la represión autoritaria, en parte al enfatizar su costo humano” La ONG Freedom House ha lanzado una iniciativa que ha denominado “Liberadlos a todos” con la que busca documentar y estudiar los casos de activistas presos como Maykel Osorbo y Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, y abogar por la excarcelación de estos. En medio de un declive de años…

[belascoainyneptuno]

Presentación de “Yo tengo un sueño” en Watchung Booksellers

Mi anhelo de declamar el texto en español respondía a varios motivos, pero este es quizá el más importante: a seis décadas de haber sido pronunciado, “Yo tengo un sueño” mantiene una relevancia abrumadora.

En Watchung Booksellers El lunes pasado —en honor al día de Martin Luther King, Jr. — leí mi traducción de “Yo tengo un sueño”, ese hermoso y emblemático discurso del líder de los derechos civiles. Mi idea original para este encuentro era reunirme con miembros del club de lectura que coordino en la librería, pero al mencionarlo a la coordinadora de eventos de Watchung Booksellers, de ella…

[elmartillosinmetre]

Mi crítica del concierto de Alejandro Casal y Javier Núñez esta noche en el Espacio Turina.

[elbiotipo]

En realidad dejemos de romantizar la edad media por el amor de Dios. Me tienen podrido con los caballeros y castillos reaccionarios y aristócratas. Saben a quién tendríamos que romantizar? A los que lucharon por la igualdad del ser humano. A Manuel Belgrano. ESE sí que era un caballero.

[joeinct]

Figuras en el Castillo, Photo by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, 1920

[cloveroctobers]

BONUS CHAPTER: FREE FALL — Dante Torres x OC x Manny Castillo

A/N: The Dante centered episodes always inspire something lol. And considering that they didn’t just let this Gloria storyline go (like I hoped) it was only right that I dip back into my killing me series. Let’s see how what went down in the mid-season finale comes into play for these two or three huh? THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED YET! 😬 p.s. can’t tell you how many songs I went through that fit best for this one!

Warnings: feels. heartache/angst. Feels & language! + me possibly butchering some Spanish so please feel free to gently correct me if this is wrong 🤎

* GIF BELONGS TO: @nicolethered

<- catch up on the previous chapter here.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶

“You know I’m attracted to you, right?” He says to her, warm hand lightly squeezing at her shoulder.

They’re sitting face to face, lounging on her couch back in Chicago. He’s got that stupid grin on his face as she shields her’s at this new (was it?) revelation Manny decided to air out. He’s got his temple resting against his balled up fingers, elbow pressing along the top of the couch while he stares in adoration at the woman across from him.

Seraphina peeks through her fingers, “And what exactly do you want me to do with this information, Manuel?”

“Oh, now it’s the whole government name drop, okay I see you.” Manny chuckles before running his fingers back down her arm again to rest against the hand she has against her balled up knee, “…you can do whatever you want with it.”

Did he mean the name calling or…?

“I probably will.” Seraphina teases.

Manny nods, a grin still on his face. One thing she learned about her new found friend, he always felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. There must have been a reason he entered the bar that one night and why the friendship continued. Seraphina’s old friend Seán (who was off living his best life again, on a cruise with his fiancé—which Seraphina still did not care for) already gave his stamp of approval, although she never asked for it…she still listened on his insight.

Manny checked in, “I know our date…well we’re calling it a hangout to not make it as overwhelming for you but we both know it was a date…went well right?”

She nods.

“I’ve got the most patience in the world you know? I just want to keep reminding you that, I’m open to seeing wherever this goes…whenever you’re ready.”

She’s been freaking out ever since the official date, which was back in August. It felt like Seraphina was supposed to feel guilty by doing this, originally she was supposed to be back in Chicago in September but extended her time out in Rhode Island (and Philly) until late October. That time was very transformative for her, to the point that she could breathe normally instead of taking constant deep breaths. If it was one thing she learned, her parents seemed to be in a better headspace in Kansas City after all these years but…was she ready to give everything up and start over with something that might only last a chapter?

Would this thrill only be temporary?

These were things she started to think about.

Surely vacations are different than spending time somewhere permanently but Seraphina couldn’t erase the excitement at the thought of where she could be. The more she stared into Manny’s dark blue hues with specs of green that surrounded his pupil, she thought there could be endless possibilities instead of remaining stuck.

“I appreciate that.” She finds herself saying, a soft smile playing on her full lips.

It seems as if Manny leaned in closer as he questioned, “Yeah?”

“Yes…I just want to make sure I’m in the right mental and emotional state before I can decide to give you my all.” Seraphina admits, pulling her bottom lip under her top one.

Manny sensed what she was getting at. He heard about what she went through before she ventured off to the New England area and before she reached out, telling Manny that she was out in his neck of the woods on a girl’s weekend trip with her cousin—who ended up wanting to just sleep in the hotel after the first day of sight seeing.

Being a mom was taking Behati out so Seraphina was sympathetic. Which gave her more time to see how Manny was living and seeing him in his element (and his business casual attire wasn’t bad to witness either!) in Philadelphia’s school district. After that he decided to shoot his shot and see if she was down to get dinner with him and hit up the otherworld museum which was trippy but a fun place that brought out their inner child. Seraphina didn’t hesitate to say yes, yet when it got to sitting across from Manny in a intimate setting, she had to tell him that this was a hangout so her heart didn’t burst out of her chest due to nerves.

“We can do that, whatever makes you feel comfortable. I don’t know though, this tension is making me feel like it might be something more, ya know? And if it makes you feel any better, I had to change two shirts before picking you up, I was and still am, so damn sweaty.”

That made her laugh as they both shook out the nerves. Being in his arms felt right that night as they embraced before she went back up to the hotel room to her cousin who was up waiting for all the details. In Behati’s imaginary scoreboard she told Seraphina that Manny was winning but she initially wasn’t trying to compare him to Dante. In fact the longer Seraphina stayed out on the east coast, she found that she wasn’t thinking too much about Chicago. It was all about living in the moment.

Being free.

So Seraphina and Manny met up at the cafe for a quick breakfast before she and Behati headed to the train station to go back to Behati’s home and family in Rhode Island.

…Not without sharing a unexpected kiss which Behati peeped with her shades tilted downwards, along with her mouth open, spying on them from her outside spot at one of the tables.

Seraphina would be lying if she said she hasn’t been thinking about the kiss since she got back. How she preferred Manny with a thicker beard that pricked her skin so nicely, and how his touch held her upright just the way she needed. That didn’t stop the two from talking being five hours and some change away, although closer than Chicago, it felt right to keep things going.

Comfortably casual with a “hint,” of interest.

“Because of Dante?” Manny inquires, eyes trying to catch Seraphina’s.

The bun wearing woman takes a deep breath, “I just don’t want to lead you on and put you through shit if I can’t let go of what can’t be.”

Manny slowly nods at that before a smile splits over his lips again, “Well I love that you’re self-aware and also trying to look after my heart already, Phina-Mena.”

Seraphina playfully rolls her eyes at the nickname but finds herself peeking back at Manny. Actually ready to take on whatever words he needed to say. Manny knew most of the complicated relationship between Seraphina and Dante, although he originally said it wasn’t any of his business, he still listened to what Seraphina felt comfortable enough to share.

It was heavy but most first love’s are.

“And I’m okay with not having all of you right now. Just even a piece of you already tells me you’ll be worth it.” Manny tells her, making her stomach do flips this time, “I also think you don’t give yourself enough credit. I can tell that you have the most giving heart and I think it’s time that you let someone appreciate it and take care of it…properly. Preferably me.” Manny admits, his hand traveling from the woman’s hand and up the side of her neck, before settling his fingertips against her jaw, then his eyes flickered to her lips, “No pressure though.”

Seraphina scoffs, “Now what am I supposed to say after that?! You’re a smooth one Manny, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m a people person, it’s part of what makes me so loveable.” Manny jokes, his nose brushing against Seraphina’s who lightly breathes him in.

Although her stomach should sign up for gymnastics, his scent is soothing her just fine. It’s the same as when they first embraced, fresh like ginger, a dash of salt, lightly herbal with a spec of something warm—probably amberwood. Whatever he had on, it suited Manny well.

So damn well that Seraphina almost placed her lips right on his, if there wasn’t harsh knocks and repeated sound of the door bell ringing that entered the both of their ears that is. The woman feels herself pulling back abruptly, as if to shield that she was allowing herself to sink into Manny’s charm again.

“Sorry,” Seraphina apologized, “I don’t know who that can be.”

Manny caresses at his beard, a bit of disappointment flashed in his hues, as he gently waved her along, “Could be your secret admirer oh wait…”

The brown eyed woman sends him a thumbs down and sticks out her tongue to blow out a raspberry after getting to her feet, “Booo. You should stop eating so much corn.”

“Personally I’m not a fan of starches.” Manny tells with a raise of his hands in surrender as he watches her frown at him over his shoulder, “…It’s a whole thing. We can get into that later though, you got a door to answer.”

Seraphina shakes her head in disbelief, making her way around the corner to peek through her peep hole. It’s a man she doesn’t recognize, staring up at her in the view of a fisheye, curly dark hair with a mixture of grey in it and slicked back on the sides, beady dark deep set eyes, straight nose, pinched lips, and dimples that appeared as he waved at her, almost as if he knew she was analyzing him behind the door.

“Hello, Seraphina Coty?”

“Can I help you?” She says at the same time, not making a move to unlock her door.

He clears his throat, “Sorry to bother you on this crisp breezy afternoon. I’m Charlie Reid, Deputy chief at the CPD. Also a friend of Hank Voight, who I’m positive you’re familiar with. I was just wondering if you had a few minutes to spare and chat with me?”

Seraphina quirked up a brow at this, of course she had her guard up, especially when it came to the law.

It’s not like her and Hank were the best of buddies, it’s not something Dante wanted for her necessarily and although she can make her own judgments, she was held up in a room with the sergeant months ago. However if something like this was coming to her door and the fact that this stranger threw in Voight’s name, made this all a little more questionable to Seraphina.

“I would if this was scheduled, Mr. Reid. You’re kind of interfering with my personal time…especially if this is work related.”

The deputy chief cleared his throat, “I completely get that and definitely should have called to see what works best for you. Yet I figured this kind of conversation you would want to have face to face, considering this not only affects you but also your friend or involvement with officer Dante Torres.”

That gets Seraphina to sharply inhale.

What was he getting at?

Seraphina takes her time unlocking the door, leaving it open but not without looking over her shoulder to see that Manny had moved from the living room and either headed to the kitchen or half bathroom.

She crosses her arms, standing in her doorway as she focused on the man before her.

“Thank you,” Deputy Chief Reid smiles but Seraphina doesn’t match his, “I won’t take up too much of your time since I know everyone has lives to live! I just wanted to inform you that your services can be of good use to me.”

Seraphina feels her brows furrow, “Please feel free to elaborate.”

“You’re a chemist right? Employed at Compound Laboratories and one of if not the best chemist in all of Chicago…although you like to keep a low profile. I respect it.”

She picked up on the slight jab the man tossed her way.

“Right, so as a friend of Voight’s I think you’ll be a friend of mine as well. And friends stick beside each other in their time of need.”

Seraphina didn’t like where this was going.

She didn’t know this man.

She barely knew Voight.

“How am I supposed to be a friend to a stranger I don’t know?” Seraphina tightened her folded arms at the cool air that seeped in from outside, “What if our morals don’t align, Mr. Deputy Chief?”

He leans towards her, almost as if he was letting her in on a secret, “I think they will in order to keep things running as smoothly as possible.”

Seraphina’s eyes goes into slits, “What are you getting at?”

“Your involvement with Officer Dante Torres.” He blinks as if it’s obvious.

“You mentioned that already—

“And his sexual involvement with the late Gloria Perez.” He continues.

Charlie takes in the expression on the woman’s face and he can see that she was left in the dark about that one. Since she’s been back, she’s had little time with Dante and has seen his mother more than him lately. He knew she was back in town, she didn’t ask him to pick her back up which didn’t feel right but he didn’t want to push it, so she took a Uber, and they ended up hanging out the week after. She got back to work and everything felt the same but it really wasn’t.

“I have no knowledge about any of that but I’m certain it’s not true,” Seraphina stood her ground, which makes Charlie laugh.

He points at her, “See, this is why loyalty is a precious thing. You two have been through a lot together, huh? Would do anything for each other…except be together.”

Now he was crossing the line.

“I believe our time is up, Mr. Reid.” Seraphina says and he can tell he struck a nerve, “I don’t know what your goal coming here was but I don’t want any parts of it.”

“Unfortunately that’s just too bad because you immediately became part of it due to your attachment to Officer Torres.” He rasps, “I know you were also aware of his relationship with Perez. Which makes you an accessory as well, therefore you are now part of the top of my contact list.” Charlie explains to Seraphina who’s ready to slam the door in his face, “I just thought I’d ride over here and introduce myself. You’ll be hearing from me soon, so enjoy the rest of your day.”

That sounded a whole lot like blackmail if you asked Coty, who watched the man with ulterior motives slip away into Chicago’s streets.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.

“You’re what?” Dante spits out as they’re up in Seraphina’s room, she’s folding laundry and he’s seated in one of the lounge chairs that’s tucked away in her bedroom.

The brown eyed woman clenched her eyes shut, not realizing that she let this slip out. They were just chatting after Dante popped up, he didn’t give her much notice, informing her with a simple text that he was outside. Now that Seraphina knew the truth, that Gloria Perez had been gunned down, she could only imagine how Dante was taking it. Those ideas were very much confirmed, when she unlocked her door to peer into his eyes.

The bags underneath his spring rain eyes were so deep that you could probably float in them. He didn’t look okay and he didn’t originally plan to show up to Seraphina’s place. Dante couldn’t stay home with his ma because it felt suffocating—although she didn’t know everything—she sensed something was up with her son. Which resulted in calls to Seraphina who didn’t feel it was her place to mention that this was part of the bullshit that still lingered.

He went to church, begging for forgiveness and confessing his sins but nothing Dante did with his time off felt like enough. He needed to be around the one person that made him feel safe, and so he subconsciously ended up at the building that felt like home.

Seraphina didn’t bring it up, trying to be normal and give Dante the space to bring it up himself, yet Dante knew Seraphina. She wouldn’t push unless he gave an opening. However he did not expect to hear that her time away from Chicago influenced this.

“I,” Seraphina inhaled as she held a folded up sweater against her torso, “It was just a thought. Nothing is written in stone and it really just slipped out so there’s no need for you to look at me like that.”

Dante pressed his elbows into his knees, “How am I looking at you?”

“Like I’m about to break your heart right down the middle if I ever did decide to leave this city for good.” The dark haired woman blinked, a slight crease appearing in between her brows.

Dante runs a hand down his face in frustration, “I won’t lie…I wouldn’t like it. You stayed away for much too long and it doesn’t feel right here without you.”

Seraphina begins to feel the overfamiliar pluck at her beating heart again at his words, “…I told you my cousin said you were always welcome to visit if you wanted but you chose to stay here.”

“I have a life here, Nina.” Dante voice was croaky as if he hadn’t been sleeping, “And you do too.”

“And how’s that working out for us huh?” Seraphina snapped, tossing the sweater on top of her other folded clothes.

Dante raised his brows, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re not happy here either, Tay.” Seraphina tries to keep her tone leveled, “This place has brought us a lot of grief…we’re just free falling through. Don’t you think we deserve to experience what could be better elsewhere? For the first time, getting out of this city that’s supposed to feel like home, heading to the east coast…I felt like I could finally breathe. I come back and as I’m looking at you, all I see is defeat. Why is that?”

Dante looks up at the ceiling, his eyes glistening with the light pouring in from the bedroom window. He puffs out a breath, “…Maybe it’s because my best friend is choosing to leave behind her home for some guy she barely knows. Or at least considering it, I don’t know.”

Seraphina feels herself sucking in a breath and holding it. There was no way Dante was trying to flip this right now. Had he been silently watching the house while Manny was around or what? If that was the case then some things needed to be said.

“I think you’re deflecting because you don’t want me to find out why you’re really here. It’s not just some casual visit this time.” Seraphina starts, “You’re in mourning over Gloria—

Dante holds up a hand, “Don’t. Don’t say her name, please.”

“And you want me to patch it all up and be part of your healing process like time and time again.” Seraphina feels herself rambling, “Because that’s always my job right?! You come to me when life gets a little too screwed up and expect me to put the pieces back together with a big fucking band aid.”

“I’ve never asked you to do any of that—

“You don’t have to because that’s what you do when you love someone! You almost died but she took the bullet for you like I’ve been doing. And you still can’t see that you diving back into old habits was all for nothing.” Seraphina shakes her head, followed by a laugh.

Dante gets to his feet, pointing, “I think you should just be quiet. You don’t know the first thing about what Gloria and I had.”

“No?” Seraphina tilts her head at Dante’s anger but it wasn’t anything she hasn’t seen before, “I know a woman like that only loves a power trip more than anything. We’ve been around enough of that. So…was it real or part of the game?”

Dante tightened his eyes at the woman that stood across from him on the other side of the bed. “I’ve…been trying my hardest to protect you and I should have never let you in on that part of my love life. I was better off, then you wouldn’t be acting like this. Assuming.”

Seraphina scoffs, “I don’t have to assume a got damn thing. The difference is I know all parts and sides of you, that bitch just saw a glimpse and thought she had it all figured out.”

“Hey! You show some respect!” Dante points at her.

She laughs, hand going to her hip.

“You know she approached me at my job not long after I got back,” Seraphina decides to tell it all, “Gloria felt like she was free to start over—which must be nice. She said that she knew there was something more to you. That I had a hold on you that even she couldn’t touch, something real. Which was enough to tell me that she didn’t value your heart. You were just a piece in a game of chess.”

Dante shook his head in denial.

He didn’t want to believe that but nobody ever truly knows what someone is like when you’re not watching. Via that bugged conversation with Turner. Dante let his guard down multiple times and not once did he ever think Seraphina and Gloria’s paths would cross. He didn’t think Gloria would have stayed in Chicago for as long as she did, tried to forget about her while burying himself into his work like he commonly did but most importantly, he couldn’t fathom Seraphina leaving for good.

“…I understand that it bothers you that I was able to move on but you just don’t know.”

Seraphina laughs, “Anyone would be lucky to be loved by you and she wasted it. Played in your face and you want to stand there and keep acting as if I’m clueless? Don’t insult me, Tay. I deserve better than that and this.”

“With Manny? Really?” Dante presses, “You think he’s going to be the answer to everything? Just drop all that you worked so hard for, for some random guy?”

There it is.

“Looks like we’re actually two sides of the same coin.” Seraphina hisses, “And no. I’d be moving for me because this is my life and I get to decide how it plays out, no one else.”

The tension was filling the room up with smoke and it felt like it was so thick that it was clouding up Seraphina’s bedroom, making the two friends suddenly hard to reach.

Dante felt his eyes burn, “…I’m not trying to tell you what to do…just that I can’t lose you too, Nina! What part of that don’t you get?”

“And guess what? I can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“The wishful thinking, the being your friend when there was a time that I believed we could be much more once you pulled your head out of your ass but you’ve told me enough times that we couldn’t be that. Part of me convinced myself that maybe it’s just not the time. Then I had to hear you come up with this delusion that you wanted someone else. Someone who wasn’t good for you.”

“I loved her!” Dante yelled before resting a shaky hand against his five o’clock shadow followed by a clearing of his throat after Seraphina widened her eyes, “It wasn’t fake for me, it’s was real and all those things she said to Turner was just her putting a wall up. A wall that I had the chance to see behind. I’m sorry okay? I’ll always be sorry that I’m not enough for you, even beyond friendship, that I can’t give you more. But if you leave…he’ll never be me.”

Those words felt like the two were slowly being tipped back, like a glass being knocked over from a table in slow motion. Every word was dividing the old friends apart and as much as it simmered, some things were true. It was a tale as old as time like they liked to say. Dante truly felt like he loved Gloria, he got attached and the nature of how it came about was wrong he saw it now with how it was affecting the whole team especially but he couldn’t be sorry for how he felt. Just like his dear Nina, she was always firm in wanting to be together. They had so much history together, years worth and history couldn’t be rewritten but it could be the beacon.

Seraphina tosses her head back, trying to hold back her own tears. Her hands are digging into her hips as she takes in Dante’s words. She knows that. Knows that Manny is nothing like Dante and like she said, she never wanted to compare the two just like she hoped Dante didn’t ever compare her to Gloria. They were all their own people but humans are flawed beings.

Nothing can be perfect but loving can be tragic…when it didn’t have to be.

“He doesn’t need to be.” The woman finds herself saying through quivered lips, “He’s actually the first person that I’ve been talking to where I don’t try to look for you in. And I think that says a lot. You know what else says a lot? Us being so codependent on each other. Me feeling needed by you in ways of comfort and you wanting me because I’ll always be around. Time was never on our side but maybe time is finally telling us to let go and fall back.”

Dante felt himself holding his breath, “No. No, don’t you dare say that to me! Not now.”

“If not now, when? When you’re done grieving? Well that just seems like that’ll be everlasting around here.” Seraphina states, “And I’m not sorry Gloria’s dead…I guess I’ll have to take that up with god at some point…but I’m sorry that you became part of her story. Even if it was only a small part in her eyes. Gloria fucked you up just like I knew she would.”

“So what is this?” Dante feels his blood boiling, “A ‘I told you so,’ moment? I thought you said you’d never be like that. Not with me.”

Her hand goes to her forehead, pushing her hair back from her face as she goes to sit on the edge of her bed, “It’s not that. I think I just realized that I had enough and it hurts…real bad but this will probably be doing us a favor.”

Dante felt his eyes clenching shut and his whole face began to hurt. His legs felt wobbly but he still managed to find a spot right beside Seraphina, thigh to thigh. Her head went to his shoulder and he eventually moves to wrap an arm around her, his lips going to her hair. She took shaky breaths, to control her sobs but Dante couldn’t stop his own warms tears from flooding his face.

Maybe it was all too much after all.

He always wanted her to be happy and if he wasn’t bringing her that anymore, what kind of friend would be if he didn’t wish her well? The dark of Dante wanted to be selfish and keep her far away from this Manny character but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes when she spoke about him. He noticed. Perhaps he could give her what he couldn’t and that made the acid in his belly rise and it’s been a few days since Dante could stomach anything. Dante knew the few prior weren’t good enough—maybe that Deacon guy could have been but—he had to work on some things truly on his own this time.

Dante needed to process everything, including this.

They were ultimately pushing each other apart to be better on their own. Seraphina was beginning to see that now and she’s held on for a while.

As well as Dante Torres has known Seraphina Coty, his Nina, Dante could see that the end of an era had to happen. His knew his ma wouldn’t let him hear the end of it once this came out but…he’ll learn to deal with it, like he always did.

When Seraphina falls asleep in his lap, he puts her to bed, covering her with a throw blanket, and puts away her laundry. He hesitated in her room, watching her body slowly rise and fall in her slumber with a dry teared face. There’s a lump that formed in Dante’s throat the longer he stares at her. His belly is cramping and his heart felt like it finally snapped in half.

There’s a beating in his ears that blocks out the sound of his footsteps as he sits back on the bed. His hand rests on the dip of Seraphina’s hips, his touch doesn’t wake her, even when he leans over to place his lips against her cheek.

“Thank you.” Dante pressed his forehead against her jaw for a moment, “Do what you gotta do to be free, Nina. I’ll get it someday…Dios sabe que siempre te amaré.”

He can’t tell you how much longer he sat in that room but eventually he leaves. Yet he breaks down again in the driver’s seat of his car before he pulls it together, ignoring a call from Kim, to head to the bar, his guard down as he drives by a parked car that contains the deputy chief, who continues to plot.

What exactly?

Only time will tell.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶