She always has a smile and never loses her tenderness, even when recounting difficult situations: “At first, it overwhelmed me a bit, but then I considered that people say it affectionately, not to bother me.” And she has always been very clear about it: “If God gives me children, great. But if not, I am very happy with my husband.”
Her story is one of love, a love that started very early on. They met in preschool, and Cloti admits she was always in love with Antonio, although university and studies in different cities in Spain and abroad separated their paths for a time.
It was her hometown, Morón de la Frontera (Seville), that brought them back together: he started an olive export business, and she opened an optical store that has been recognized as a leading business in the area for its excellence and contribution to the community.
A while later, Antonio and Cloti married, not without first discussing essential matters during their courtship that would later shape their shared future: “There are things you have to make clear while dating; for example, educating future children. Antonio told me that he wasn’t a believer, but that the Church conveys values that are very good, so he wouldn’t mind educating the children in the Catholic faith.” In this regard, Cloti led and coordinated a Christian formation and sports and cultural activities project for girls and young women in the region for a time.
This couple shares many things, even though faith is not one of them. Cloti, a supernumerary of Opus Dei, points out that her husband has always been “very respectful” of her religious practice or her interest in continuing her formation: “I go on my retreats, my spiritual getaways… and he thinks it’s great. He likes that consistency of ‘I say a thing, and then I make an effort to live it.’”
They have always shared an interest in improving their society and helping the most vulnerable. Antonio, for his part, started – as a private, non-profit initiative with a friend – the Morón Lime Museum, a cultural project that recovers and highlights the trade of the ancient lime workers of the Sierra de Esparteros, which has gained international recognition, including UNESCO's designation as an intangible cultural heritage. Among other projects, Cloti, through the Multiópticas Foundation and the local parish Caritas, launched the "Solidarity Look" initiative, which has helped provide glasses to underprivileged people in the area.
A delicate and unavoidable conversation
Their mutual respect in matters of faith and the various projects they’ve lived out together as a couple is impressive. Cloti is also moved by the way they were able to react to slow realization that they could not have children together: “After about two years of marriage, when I wasn’t getting pregnant, I decided to get some tests done, and my husband was there with me the whole time. After some natural treatments, I still couldn’t get pregnant. One of the clinic directors told me that the treatments wouldn’t work at all – because of my age – and that only in vitro fertilization would be feasible.”
Cloti hadn’t considered this option because of its moral implications, and she began to worry about how Antonio would feel in the future without children: “I thought that he had the same need as I did to be a father, because he’s such a loving person with children. Our nephews are truly passionate about Uncle Antonio.” That’s why Cloti needed to have a delicate and unavoidable conversation with her husband about their marriage.
Tearing up, Cloti recalls what Antonio told her, with naturalness and affection, about their chosen love as spouses: “I’ve gone with you to the treatments because I know that many women have the need to be mothers, but I’m very clear on this: with you, I already have a family, I don’t need children.” Those words gave her the peace she needed to fully embrace the happiness her marriage brings her.
Cloti tells us how happy she is to be married to Antonio, to have committed to that shared vocation, with a fertility that goes beyond having children: “I give thanks to God.”