+GISELA+
Stepping out of my daily routine, I run into my roommate. She knows where I work, but I'm surprised to see her waiting for me. I won't deny that I'm scared because it's the first time I've seen her, and she's insisting on talking to me at a cafeteria rather than in the apartment.
Could she be asking me to leave her apartment? God, please don't let her kick me out now! She has many opportunities to survive, especially now that she's marrying a businessman - that's what I've heard from her own mouth.
Ah, I don't even have the chance to catch a glimpse of anything. It's all work and work, and exhaustion has caught up with me. I don't know when I'll stop, but my reward might be knowing that my parents aren't suffering from hunger and that they won't be kicked out of their own home for not being able to pay taxes. Ash, it hurts to think about how much of a liar I've become, how I don't have the courage to tell them that I don't have any important job and that I don't make triple what I actually do. God, I can't even afford to treat myself to a cafeteria - I save money by bringing lunch from home.
God, I have to be honest and not complain so much. When I lived in Italy, my parents and I didn't have the opportunities we have now, and I don't think immigrating to another country was ever a bad idea.
"Shall we?" she says, pulling me out of my deep thoughts.
I nod and suggest we go to the cafeteria right in front of us. My intention is to save money on what a good coffee should cost. I can't mess up the monthly payment I always send to my parents.
She smiles and tells me that she'll treat me this time and not to worry about what I might order because what she has to say is a proposal that I won't be able to refuse.
That got me thinking. Her words stuck in my head. As we walk towards the cafeteria, I ask her if her proposal is to cancel our contract because it's clear to me that she'll soon be getting married. With a smile, she tells me not to worry, that she'd never ask me to leave, especially since her future husband will take her to live in his house, and her apartment will always be at my disposal. She'll always be the owner, and I'll be the tenant, well, until I decide otherwise.
That made me breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in a while, a huge smile spreads across my face. I'm left speechless. I want to scream and thank her for her generous offer. Even though I've been living with her for a few months now, I haven't had the chance to open up and tell her that...oh, I said I wouldn't complain about what I have!
As we enter the cafeteria, we both get comfortable, and she orders some of the best coffee and sandwiches to start with.
This makes me uncomfortable. I don't know what to say.
"Well, uh, can I ask what you have to tell me? I'm sorry for being insistent, but I'm very curious," my voice trembles.
"Gisela, we have only known each other for a short time, and it's not that we don't want to, but we both work, and it's exhausting, not to mention that my boyfriend asks me to stay at his place," she says after placing her bag on the chair next to her. "Please don't be offended by what I'm about to say, I hope you don't misunderstand me, and I'm definitely not that kind of person, but you don't need to tell me about your life, as I've noticed that you work hard to send money to your parents and that..."
"To the point" I don't know why, but I feel uncomfortable with this type of conversation, it infuriates me that she brings up this topic, especially when I haven't given her the opportunity to know anything beyond my personal life—sorry, but you make me a little nervous and uncomfortable, maybe it's obvious to see my situation."Relax, my intention is not to offend you, on the contrary, what I have to tell you is an opportunity for you, it will help you breathe a little easier," she places her hand next to mine, "I'm a person with a good heart, please trust me.""Oh my God, don't scare me," I pull my hand away from hers, my heart continues to race uncontrollably, I feel like I'm going to pass out."Calm down, I'll start now," she takes a deep breath and continues, "you know that my job is to be the secretary of the president of the technology company, and today... I'm sorry, but my boss owns that company, and more, however, he has a small problem to continue being the owner of everything, he must get married."This can't be real, I don't understand what she means. Oh well, now that I think about it, her boss has many problems that he can solve with a snap of his fingers, but I don't understand why it's such a big deal."Lucero, I don't see why you should worry about it, your boss can solve his problems, he has money, power, and intelligence, I don't see why this should be an issue.""The real problem is that he proposed to me, yes, he asked me if I would be willing to be his wife and...""Oh my God, but you're getting married soon!""Exactly, that's what I told him, and he apologized, but I had the audacity to tell him that I had a friend who would be willing to marry for money.""Lucky for your friend, and that's a good idea, since the marriage could be for a certain period of time, well, depending on the demands of the person who is forcing him to marry, I think both of you will benefit greatly, although it's fraud, and it's not recommended to go around spreading it.""Wow... You're good at being surrounded by lawyers, oh, I'm sorry, I'll continue, and it's an inheritance from my boss, unfortunately there's a clause that requires him to get married, and he might have the opportunity to marry anyone, but the truth is, he doesn't want a real marriage, and that's why he asked me. I know... I know, that means I'm lucky, but you know I love my boyfriend and future husband.""I understand," I get up from my chair and go towards her, she's too nervous and could use a hug, "you did the right thing, now your friend is lucky, don't worry about it, you won't get that money, but you will have the love of your future husband.""The problem is that my friend has not replied whether she accepts or not," I stop as I reach out for her, step back, and return to my place.
"Do you want me to ask your friend if she accepts the marriage proposal?""It's not necessary, as I am standing in front of that person waiting for them to accept marrying my boss for money. That way, she could help her parents and have whatever she wants, everything she wants," she hisses repeatedly, emphasizing the last word."Where? Tell me, where is your friend?" I start looking around frantically. "Wait...why are you talking to me? Why are you mentioning her parents? Wait, you're not saying any names, but now that you mention helping her parents, you mean... No, don't tell me that your friend is...""Yes."+ Five months later... "My love, we will soon reach our destination and I want you to do something for me. I want you to put on this blindfold and not ask why," the car comes to a stop, my eyes open wide, and a crazy smile appears on my face. I was expecting something like this, but not so soon. I had no choice but to agree, so I grabbed the cloth and obediently covered my eyes like a little girl. Ha ha ha, suddenly it made me laugh. Why is my beloved not so mysterious or someone who can pretend? I can detect his nervousness from here and his desire to surprise me. "Okay, but I warn you that sometimes things don't go as planned." Aaaah, inside, I want to scream with joy. I am a happy woman who just wants to enjoy all the wonderful things her husband is giving her. After I put on the blindfold, Adal keeps driving. I'm nervous, lots of things are going through my head, and I don't know which one of them will come true. After a few minutes, Adal tells me that we have arrived at ou
+ This must be a headache! For the first time, I saw my son cry in pain. As I was leaving work, I received a call informing me that my son had been admitted to the hospital and was being attended to by a pediatrician. I demanded to know what was going on and if Gisela was aware. My mother, crying, responded, "She's asleep. We didn't want to worry her, especially after seeing that he couldn't walk." I didn't say a word about the issue when I asked for the address; I just knew I had to be with my son. Within minutes, I arrived at the clinic, my breathing rapid and my heart racing. Seeing my little one only made me more desperate, as my mother's statement about his fever was still true. My child was suffering, and they weren't doing anything about it. All we could do was wait. Eventually, I picked up my baby and left the place. They weren't attending to him as they should have been. My mother screamed after me as I left, but I couldn't take it anymore. I told her that my son wouldn't
+ADAL+ I am disappointed. Last night was an unforgettable moment. We even promised to try again, but when I woke up, she wasn't by my side. She had left. I panicked and tried to contact her, but I couldn't find my phone anywhere. I remember locking myself in the shower for half an hour, thinking about what to do, or what was going through Gisela's mind. She had given me the opportunity I had been waiting for, and now my fear is that she will regret it. I decided to get out of the shower, get ready, and leave my room. I had to get out of those four walls before I went crazy. Part of me knew I had to find her and seize the opportunity I had been given. Just as I was about to leave the house, I ran into my mother. She told me that my phone had been taken by the person I was desperately trying to reach, and if I intended to find her, I should call my number or look for Lucero, the person who had been helping me without any commitment. My mother said, "run," and I flew. It wasn't long b
"No, I hope I didn't interrupt your sleep," my words are sincere, but his reaction is nothing - no emotion on his face, he's furious. Years may have passed, but I remember perfectly when his serious face means he's ready to kill, not to think. "I'll just have this little coffee, and then I'll leave, I have a few things to do at home." "I think we should talk first before you go," he says after sitting next to me. "Since it seems you're having trouble remembering, I want to tell you that I didn't like that you drank and let yourself get careless. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't arrived on time?" I gulp, panic takes over me, I don't know what to say, and I have no arguments to refuse. Where were the girls? I'm sure he's lying, he just wants to scare me into submission. No, he's wrong if he thinks I'll reward him. "To be honest, I don't remember anything, and if we're going to talk about what happened yesterday, it's better if Lucero and Dolores are present. They kno
+ "Wait for me, don't go alone," I hear Dolores shout behind me. She wants to dance with me, and I hope the waiter doesn't bring the margaritas right now. God, I need those margaritas! "Baby, don't leave me alone," and boom, Lucero joins us. This is good because now we're really enjoying the night. We're the three friends, not rivals that everyone expects. Never ever forget this moment. Lucero and Dolores are two important pieces for my heart and mind. "Please wait for me here, I'll be quick in the restroom, you know, so the others can get in," I leave them there. I want to dance with them, but my bladder is the most important thing right now. I walked down a narrow hallway and reached the restroom, which was so bright that a pulse of pain shot from my eyes to the back of my head. When I arrived at the stall, I fixed my hair and shouted to the sky because it's empty and all the stalls are available for me. Ha, how funny, I just need one. After a couple of minutes of relieving my
"Hey, you're not supposed to drink it like that," shouted Lucero, trying to snatch the margarita glass from me. As she made the attempt, I tilted the glass further, taking advantage of its chilliness. "You have no remedy, dude. Please bring three margaritas. She needs more than two. Oops, sorry. She's already on her second one, and it's all because she wants to act tough and drink vodka when she can't handle it." "Lucero!" I complained, finishing the last drop of margarita, and placing the glass aside to pick up the next one. "You're right. I'm not a drinker, and if you know me well, you know my throat is burning." And I went for the second margarita, I'm sorry for Dolores, but my throat is on fire. No! This can't be happening. My tongue is... "You're already lost, woman. Nobody understands what you were talking about." That's it. I'm already feeling dizzy, but it's all because I took the two margarita glasses from Lucero. I thought things would be different this time, that becaus