CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2: AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE 

The club they had talked about countless times, but more than the club, the people they had talked about were one of the most famous in the city of New York. The wine company was always well paid thanks to one of the owners of the company.

In her mind, memories were recalled. She couldn’t help but feel the worst. She had never imagined of selling her body for 50, 000 dollars, that would save her son´s life.

Instantly, she closed her eyes like a million men were looking at her with such gross looks. Her dignity as a woman was everything to her but, at that moment, it was not about her dignity but her son.

Lashes on the ground, a wrecking ball that had destroyed her life. No more laughs, no more smiles, no more her adoptive mother’s hugs, no more days with the Zellers family, no more smiles from her uncle and aunt. Everything was just trash.

She was no longer the respected woman everyone admired, she was no longer the same woman who felt her life couldn't be better if she kept living in the same position. There was nothing else to try but that offer her best friend had talked about.

Thunders sounded from afar, the heavy rain was still falling into her like thousands of blades that stabbed her heart instantly. She had no more options. Rebecca was losing her mind.

Without a word, she walked through the hallway of the bus, sat down on one of the furthest seats. There was nothing to say. She couldn't help but recall her best memories. Those were where she saw herself being happy. The truth was she had nothing, literary, nothing, she couldn't claim anything but the clothes she was wearing.

When the bus reached her destination, Rebecca got off of the bus and walked to that promised place. It was not the best, but at least, she had something there.

Most of the people there were immigrants, just poor whose wishes were to have a stable place to sleep or, at least, to sleep free of worries. In that little place, Rebecca was renting, that place was her everything. With not so much strength in her body, Rebecca managed to push the old door until this one opened.

The small, old and tiny place was drawn in front of her. It was just enough to see her little precious angel to feel like she was entering into paradise. He was there, in front of his old wooden table, surely, doing his homework.

As soon as little Rud saw her entering, he got up from his seat with a broad smile on his face. That little baby boy of hers was not even six years old. As the well-behaved and sweet little angel Rud was, he went directly to the little space that was supposed to be

the kitchen and took a glass ready to pour some water for her mother. Watching her from afar, Rebecca's eyes filled with tears again. He was her angel, he was her miracle in life, she could not ask anything else but him.

Finally, Rud gave his mother her glass of water and then, he took a seat ready to continue with his homework.

“Thank you," said Rebecca.

“Mom is hungry, right?" Once again, the sweet boy got up from his seat and, putting away his book, he led to the kitchen.

He was such a sweet boy. Whoever looked at him would steal their hearts at the mere instant her baby girl looked at their eyes.

“I saved this for you, mommy!” the boy said, bringing over a sandwich. “I haven't eaten it, mommy. This is for you,” he insisted. “There's no food here but I made this sandwich. I hope you like it.”

Tearfully, Rebecca looked at her son. It had been days since the last moment Rebecca and her son saw the little kitchen full of food.

Once again, Rebecca managed to smile at her son. “Take a seat, we're eating this together!"

“No, I already ate. My mommy hasn't eaten!” exclaimed Rud.

“You know what? I ate too and I'm not that hungry. Why don't you help me with this sandwich?” Rebecca split the sandwich and gave her son a half of it, he smiled. Of course, Rebecca was happy but she would be even happier if she had the money the doctor had asked her previously.

Laughing and smiling, 30 minutes were gone until Rebecca gave her son a bath while she tried to relax and think about the good things she could have.

After having had fun, they went together to bed. An innocent smile was drawn on Rebecca's face when she felt how her son had fallen asleep on her arm. But regrettably, that smile of hers didn't last so long since the coughing of her son made her aware Rud was not completely healthy and just money was going to save his life.

Tears fell down from her eyes while she petted her son's back. She didn't know how long she was going to put up with that. Her responsibility as a mother was to make her son's life easier. How come she could call herself a mom? She was no one. She was

seeing her son suffer and she was not able to do anything. Her only responsibility in her son's life was to make him feel happy and proud of her life, not miserable and sick.

When she made sure her son was already sleeping well, she got up and walked to the kitchen. Sleepiness night was going to be that one. She was sure of that.

Suddenly,the door of the little place was pushed until it was opened. All she could see, all she could be aware of was the man who had just come in. That dusty t-shirt, those dirty jeans, that holed cap. It was him. His expressionless face affirmed what she already knew.

It was her tenant. That man who, as always, says no word. There was no intention of greeting her, there were no words from him to her, just the same nod as a way to greet Rebecca after a long day of work. No matter how much she had tried to make him open up to her, he was too stubborn.

Could he be a friend? Could he be someone she can talk to about her feelings? No one

knew because he was just a man who had arrived there one day.

For a moment, just seeing that man in front of her, the same careless man who had been a complete stranger to her, made her feel like all her problems had gone away, even the sadness she felt for her daughter had gone away too.

If only she could know more about him.

Daniel was his name, long-haired, big brown eyes, that strong feeling that his eyes gave off, red lips and in his perfect body, just darkness.

She had never tasted his paradise, she had never felt the need to seek in him but she was sure all he could offer was darkness.

“Good evening,” greeted Rebecca with a smile on her face.

The man just nodded without saying anything. To tell the truth, that silence between them was no longer uncomfortable as the first time. She was used to that.

Not to feel uncomfortable with his non-existent presence, Rebecca took out her cellphone to get distracted while he was there, but what she didn't expect, what she hadn't bet on was her tenant walking up to her at the moment he extended one of his hands on the bar she was leaning on. Then, he walked off without a word.

She couldn't help but look at him surprisingly. The man didn't say anything, he just focused on preparing his dinner. By that moment, she realized he had left a green card at the bar.

“What does this mean?” Rebecca asked the man. “I don't understand.”

“Your rent had been paid," replied the man without looking at her. “When I came, I paid three years of rent at once.”

Without any more explanations, he continued his task in the kitchen carelessly. “You can check it out on the bank app in your cell phone, the password is 6600.”

Suddenly, she felt moved by that act. She felt like there was a need to be thankful to him. With a smile on her face, she looked at him. It had been days in the hospital that she hadn’t had the time to cook for him. At least, that was something she could do for him.

“I can cook tonight. Why don’t you go and take a bath?”

The man just looked at her. Instantly, he saw her going back and forth getting together all the ingredients she needed for his dinner.

The man smiled as a few times he had done since she was living there and, without any doubt, he took off the dusty t-shirt he was wearing. Rebecca couldn’t help but look at that man when he got distracted by the clothes that were laying down on the chair, looking for a t-shirt he could wear. He was half naked and he didn’t seem to care. After having shaken her head a little, she continued cooking for him. 20 minutes later, the man was already in the little space that could come across the dinner room. The man had changed, he was not even half of the man who had come into the house in those dusty clothes. She could even say he was handsome, as handsome as any man she had seen. Even more handsome than her ex-husband and, saying that was a total confession, since for her, there couldn't be any other man like the one she was getting married to that day she thought to be the happiest woman on earth.

As she made her way to the dinner table to put the creation she had made for him, she thought of him as a migrant. He was different, the construction site where he worked was not far from there.

After a little conversation they had, and when Daniel felt pleased, he got up from his seat and after having said to her he was going out, she nodded before cleaning up the table.

With the card between her hands, she fingered it with hesitation. She couldn’t help but remember the man who had just left there almost, without a word, without an explanation. It had been too strange of him to have left that card there and not only that, but he also had told her the password to check out what he had said was not a lie.

Biting her nails, remembering over and over Daniel's words, she felt curious. He wanted her to discover something. Rebecca was sure of that.

Finally, she had made a decision. Suddenly, she took her cell phone from her pocket and without hesitation, she turned it on and input the number behind the card.