4

At that moment, my heart froze, missing its beats. I would be a witness to a suicide if I did nothing. My instinct made me call out to that man and try to stop him from doing something foolish.

“Sir!” I shouted so he could hear me. “Please, don't do this!” At that same moment, I saw him turn his face toward me.

It was all dark and the rain had weakened, but it was still falling. Even so, through the darkness, from time to time I could only see the silhouette of his body, since he was wearing a hood.

“Who are you?” At that moment, I got chills all over. That man shouted so loudly, with such a sharp voice, that it sent shivers down my spine.

“I'm no one, but I know that no matter what you're going through, this is not the solution!”

“How can you be so sure?” he continued, loudly and angrily.

“I'm not!” In truth, I didn't know what to say. “But I know that what you're planning won't solve your problems either.”

“What the hell... where did you come from?”

Quickly, he climbed down from where he was and came toward me. My fear at that moment was so immense that I was the one who felt like jumping off the bridge.

He got so close to me that I could feel his breath. My racing heart would come out of my mouth if I said anything.

The man was tall, and his body was also soaked, showing that he had been there for hours. I couldn't see his face, but I felt how close he was to mine.

He stayed silent for a while. I couldn't say anything either. All that could be heard was the mist and our heavy breathing. I don't know if he was trying to process things the same way I was, or if he was planning a way to kill me.

“Never interfere in matters that don't concern you.” This time, his voice came out low and hoarse.

After saying that, he stepped away, got into the car, started it, and left. I stayed there, scared, but relieved that he hadn't done anything to his own life or to mine.

I ran a few more kilometers until I saw a sign at a crossroads. One pointed to the village, the other to the farm. Since I wanted to ask for a job, I went straight toward the farm. I walked quite a bit more until I saw the mansion in the middle of nowhere. It was already three thirty in the morning. Of course, I wouldn't knock on anyone's door at that hour, so I saw a large barn next to the huge house and decided to sleep there. In the morning, I would go ask the farmer for a job.

I entered the barn and noticed it was a place for storing hay. I took off my wet clothes and left them to dry, lay down on the hay, and soon the exhaustion hit me. The rain started pouring heavily again. That's all I remember before I fell asleep.

[...]

I woke up to the sound of footsteps coming toward me and, quickly, I put on the clothes I had left drying. Morning had begun, and the rain had stopped.

I hid among the hay when I saw a man looking at his phone. He walked back and forth and was very well dressed. He ran his hand through his hair every minute, looking worried. I tried to make as little noise as possible, but suddenly I felt a sneeze coming that I couldn't hold back. The man, who had his back turned, turned around and came toward me.

“Who are you? And what are you doing inside my property?” I was very scared and tried to speak, but I couldn't. “If you don't answer, I'll call the police!”

At that moment, I stood up. The presence of the police would be my end. They would contact my mother, and my damned stepfather would know where I was. So I started to speak.

“Please, you don't need to call the police. My name is Aurora. I'm not a thief or anything like that. I just ended up sleeping here because I came looking for a job.”

“A job?” he said nervously. “Did you think you would get a job by invading someone's property?”

“I didn't invade!” I tried to defend myself. “It's just that I arrived very early and didn't want to bother anyone.”

He stayed silent, analyzing me for a few minutes.

“Aurora,” he whispered, seeming thoughtful. “What do you know how to do, Aurora?”

“I know how to cook, clean, iron, and take care of children, but I can also do any kind of manual work. I just need to be taught, I usually learn things easily.”

“Take care of children?” he asked, curious.

“Yes, I took care of my sister from when she was a newborn until she was two years old. I know everything about children, no matter the age.”

He seemed to think for a while before speaking.

“Come with me!”

Quickly, I followed that man into the large house. He entered, and I continued following him. Suddenly, I started to hear the sound of a baby crying. The more I walked, the louder and clearer the sound became. Then he entered a room, and I saw a tiny baby lying on the bed. The poor little thing cried so much it seemed to have no strength left. The man looked at me and said:

“Make him stop crying!”

Still in disbelief, I approached the little one, picked him up, and saw that he was dirty and starving.

“He's hungry and probably needs a diaper change.”

“Follow me,” he said, turning his back.

I followed him again, now with the baby in my arms. We reached a kitchen, and there I prepared some milk and fed the baby. Soon I realized the baby needed a bath urgently.

“Where can I bathe him?” I asked with a firmer voice.

The man led me to a room where there was a bathroom with a large sink and a heated faucet. He gave me a bag that contained two diapers and a piece of clothing. I filled the sink with warm water and took a towel from the drawer. I went back to the room, took off his clothes and diaper. Poor thing! It looked like he hadn't been changed for more than a day. I saw that he was a newborn boy, since the umbilical cord hadn't fallen off yet. I carefully took him to the bathroom and did everything under that man's watchful eyes. I gave the baby a nice bath and noticed how relaxed he became. Soon after I dressed him, he fell asleep. I placed him on the bed and stood in front of the man. He stared at me with an unreadable look, as if trying to read my mind.

“How old are you?” he asked directly.

“Eighteen, sir.” It wasn't completely a lie, since I only had two months left to turn eighteen.

“You said you're looking for a job, well...” He thought before continuing. “I need someone to take care of this child. Would you be interested?”

“Of course!” I answered quickly.

“But it's not that simple. The job is full-time, which means there are no days off. If you need to go out or handle something personal, you're free to do so at any time, as long as you take him with you. You'll also have to live here, with food and all household expenses covered.”

“I accept!” I answered quickly.

I know the part about not having days off is heavy, but I don't have any other option right now. Besides, with no expenses at all, I can save money and, in a year, I could leave for another place. Not to mention I don't even have anywhere to go.

“So quickly? I haven't even told you how much I would pay or the requirements. How desperate are you to get a job?” he asked, curious.

“Well...” I stammered a little. “I really need it, that's all!”

“What was your name again?”

“Aurora.”

“Where are you from, Aurora?”

“From the capital.” I lied again. I couldn't say where I was from. Maybe later I would tell the truth. I needed to gain his trust first.

He observed me, as if he could read my soul.

“Aurora, eighteen years old and from the capital,” he muttered to himself. “If you really want it, the job is yours. I'll pay you 4,500 reais, plus night shift allowance. You start now and will sleep in this room with the child.” He began giving orders. “You will be monitored at all times until you prove you are trustworthy. I want you to make a list of everything the boy needs. He only has what's in that bag. In one hour, we'll go to the capital to buy everything you list. Don't hold back, list everything necessary. Since we're already going to the capital, take the opportunity to stop by your house and get your belongings.”

“Yes, sir.”

After giving the orders, he left the room. And that's when it hit me. I was already employed. I would be doing something I liked, earning a good salary, and I would have a place to live and eat for free.

“Too good to be true,” I thought.

I was alone in that huge room. Well, not exactly alone, because that tiny little human was sleeping like an angel on that enormous bed.

After thinking about everything for a few minutes, I started analyzing the place where I was. It was a huge and luxurious room, with a super king-size bed where the baby looked like an ant on top of it. There were two armchairs, a coffee table, and a large wardrobe. The bathroom was spacious and had a bathtub. I checked the baby's bag. There was only one diaper left inside and a small blanket, nothing else. That situation was very strange. There was a newborn practically abandoned in a luxurious house, where a man lived who didn't seem to have any connection to the child. There were no signs that anyone else lived there. Worse, there were no signs of the baby's mother.

My mind started creating many theories, but I set them aside for now and began making a list on my phone of everything the baby needed. Since the man said everything the baby had was in the bag, it meant he had nothing. I wrote down everything a baby needs, as if I were putting together a full layette, from clothes and diapers to a crib and toys.

After an hour, the man returned to the room.

“Is everything ready?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Then let's go!”

“Sir, are we taking him?” I asked, referring to the baby.

“Of course. Did you forget I told you that you start working today? From now on, wherever you go, you'll have to take him with you.”

He turned his back and left. I picked up the baby and followed him. We arrived at a dark garage where there were two cars. One was covered with a black tarp.

The man got into the car and waited for me. I noticed there was no baby seat.

“The baby needs to be in a car seat,” I said, worried.

“Did you forget that I explained that everything he had was in that bag? I hope you added that to the list as well. Get in the back and hold him.”

I immediately did as he said.

The man started the car, and we headed toward the capital.

I looked at the road. It didn't even seem like the same one I had walked the night before. Then we passed the bridge, and I remembered what had happened there. I thought about that man and how he might be at that moment. Suddenly, I realized I was being watched. The man driving was looking at me through the rearview mirror.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, curious.

“Yes,” I answered quickly. I wouldn't tell him what had happened there yesterday.

I started observing the baby. He was such a beautiful boy, with dark, straight hair.

“What's his name, sir?” I asked.

“I haven't thought about that yet. I'm going to register him now.”

That caught me by surprise. What did he mean? He was going to register him, so he was the father? But how did he not know what name to give his own son? And more, where was the baby's mother? There were so many questions, but I felt it wasn't the right moment to ask them, so I asked just one more.

“And what's your name, sir?” I remembered he hadn't said his name.

How could I work for someone whose name I didn't even know?

“My name is Oliver!”