3

Yesenia

I carefully retouch my makeup before leaving the bathroom and go to meet Axel, I will not lie and say that I am shocked by your request, your looks in my direction has always been intense, but I also thought that a man of all his stature would never call a woman who is not of his social standing for a drink.

Let’s be honest, a man like him clearly wants to fuck me and leave undercover, clearly I’m an easy prey and he thinks he’s gonna fall for his conversation, I’ll probably fall for it a little bit, because come on, the man is beautiful, but I also have dignity. My mother always taught me very well and I will never let myself be a simple discard.

I sit in front of him, at that moment I find myself more placid and not like a pepper, which was slapped because of the water.

His eyes seem to memorize every trace of my face before definitely looking into my eyes, he just earned a point by not letting his eyes follow into the rest of my body.

"I’m not one to play games, I’ve been watching you for days, Yesenia" I take a long breath, why did Axel just go too far, is this where he will ask to leave the bar with him?

"I realize" I look to the side and am shot by Marjorie, who is restless at her feet "Where are you wanting to take this matter?"

"You want dinner?" Okay, so he’s a bit of a gentleman.

"I’m sorry to disappoint you, Axel, but I have to go home, go to college early."

"What do you study?"

"I’m in my senior year to become a nurse."

He seems surprised by my confession, does it not transpire that I am an amazing person and who likes to help others? Argh!

"This is very interesting, I will not disturb your studies, but I hope this does not mean that you will decline my invitation for the weekend" Wow, he is not giving up so soon!

"No, this does not mean that I will decline the invitation, we can exchange our contacts and set a date near where I will be off and you will not have any commitment."

"It may be" he shows nothing in his face, yet his lips are slightly tight and that means he expected another answer, men like him always want everything at his disposal.

Axel picks up his cell phone, unlocks it and extends it to me, I quickly put my mobile number and get up ready to go away to take off these shoes that are killing my feet, take a hot shower and tuck me into my bed.

"I can take you home if you want" he offers and I promptly deny, get up and return his cell phone, he types quickly and my cell phone sounds the notification ringtone "Then save my number"

Oh yes, for sure I will.

I wave a simple goodbye and he nods, a smile sprouting in the corner of his lips.

That smile creeps my whole body.

But not in a good way.

[...]

I practically drag myself the next morning to Southward Angel Municipal Hospital, the hardest part of working at the bar, is that I arrive very late and consequently have to wake up early every day to arrive on time.

What makes me fight every day more, is that there is little to complete graduation, four more months and this routine will be over, I can quit my job at the bar and apply for nurse positions.

I pass my badge on the reader and go straight to the sector that I will intern for the next few days, I always liked the complexity of ICU patients, urgency and emergency, I would probably specialize in both areas.

I enter the bathroom and switch to the private uniform of the sector, a pajamas of light blue tone, hang the badge on my neck and go in search of Liz, the nurse responsible for the sector.

Together we spent visits to the bedside of each patient, discussing how the patient spent the night and the main changes.

While Liz prescribes care for each patient, I write down all vital signs according to the monitor and adjust the vasoactive drugs and diets.

Despite loving the complexity of an ICU, I also know that many will never go home, for the comfort of being with family and at home, in these moments I remember my mother, who chose to die at home and not in the hospital, those last moments were very important to me and I was sure that it would also influence the nurse that I will become in the future.

[...]

Axel

"Cosmo, did you do what I asked?" Drummed my fingers on the table, anxious.

"Yes, I have a pair of eyes on the girl. She left her house and went straight to the hospital, left one in the afternoon and came home."

"Which people did she have contact with?" I seek to know more specifically if she had contact with a man.

Cosmo knows me well enough to understand what I mean, has been with me for many years, since my father’s death.

May the devil have it.

"The eyes inside the hospital informed me that she had contact only with the nurse and co-workers, everything went smoothly."

When I read your report, I was expecting something more, maybe a woman who’d like to go out and live her life.

What I found was the opposite.

Her mother died recently from cancer and Yesenia continued her studies.

From home to work and from work to home.

She is a simple woman, does not draw attention to herself, works and studies hard to become someone in this hell of life.

I don’t know why she gets my attention so much.

You’re a stunning woman, but I’ve had beautiful women by my side and in my bed.

Is it your eyes? Or the fact that you seem to know what my game is?

The point is I want her very much, I don’t remember ever feeling such lust for a woman as I do for her.

If Cosmo had said that she had a boyfriend or some man hanging around her, he could already consider himself a dead man, because nothing in this life hinders me to get what I want.

I hope Yesenia Davis is prepared to become mine in every possible way.

"Keep updating me Cosmo, now let’s get back to work."