Chapter 8

"Son, where is Roberto that I haven't seen him yet today?"

"He must be somewhere! Then you must have a good purpose for being here today and not just wanting to know about my life!" He spoke in an authoritative way, which made me laugh.

"You're right, but I need you to stop picking on Norely, because lately I've been getting a lot of emails complaining about your disagreements. As I see your silence is consenting to the rumors, I could see the disgrace with my own eyes, what do you intend to do now and why all this violence?"

"I have my reasons, Mom. Now I have to leave, I need to refresh my mind before I go crazy."

"Be careful, my son. Don't do anything you'll regret later, and remember: take precautions because I'm still too young to be a grandmother."

"You never change! If I'm not back by seven, don't worry, I'll call, and please, if you see Louise, ask her to rest. And don't get yourself into any trouble."

With bloody hands he left and left me with a tightness in my chest, sometimes I regret not having had a second child, so he could have held Mauricio. But I have Roberto, who besides being my son is my nephew and there is no one better than Roberto to stop Mauricio in his outburst days.

Louise was washing the dishes when I noticed her distant look, I could see discomfort on her face. However she has lived here, I don't think she feels oppressed just because of her appearance, her face shows that she is not just that, she hides many things and I can see it in her gaze. I didn't get in her way and went to visit an old friend that I haven't seen in years.

Parkinson

"From the look on her face I can see there is no good news, didn't he accept the proposal?" I ask anxiously after seeing Norely with a purple face.

Norely offered to settle the debt and was willing to pay whatever amount Mauricio asked, but it didn't happen and I was as upset as he was. We agreed that I would pay him back with interest if Mauricio accepted, but...

"What is your fucking Parkinson's problem? Look at me, that bastard almost broke my nose, and he almost broke it. I'm tired of playing fair, Parkinson, your daughter will be mine if only in the dirtiest way possible, but I'm not willing to offer you any more money for that ridiculous being."

"If you touch that filthy hand of yours to my daughter, I swear I will not answer for myself, Norely. Your son's obsession has screwed up her life, now you! Leave her alone, she hates me enough already."

James is Norely's only son, he was the cause of all the traumas Louise carries, he almost got her pregnant, and I am a very miserable guy because at the time I did nothing to ease her pain. But, one ill-fated step by me, we both would be dead now.

"My son should have put an end to that bastard while it was still time, but as always he always thought with his heart when he was doing the serious things. But, there will be marks of him on his daughter until her last day of life."

Norely's wealth made him a beloved, respected and sought after person. Confronting Norely was the same as commenting on suicides, he averted no effort for absolutely nothing. But my daughter will be avenged, I will kill him!

"If you have said what you want, you can go now, I have nothing more to say and I need to leave. I'll try my luck at the newsstands, I have to pay what I owe you before I get into debt with you too."

"Exactly! Besides, you have nothing good to offer me."

(...)

The cold water made me feel the size of the weight on my conscience. Mauricio is a man without scruples, I know that he is capable of anything when he wants something, I am not willing to risk my daughter's life trying to rescue her. I'm going to try to win in the stalls and who knows, maybe afterwards I'll go find Mauricio and who knows, maybe he and I will make an amicable agreement.

Louise

Pea soup, I hate it! And one more night I'm going to sleep without dinner, simply because I'm allergic to peas. I could hear my stomach growling with hunger, since I haven't eaten properly in days.

"Are you going to sleep again without eating anything, girl? Wait a little while, the shrews will be going to bed soon and I'll make us some bread on the griddle. I bought it, so there's no reason to say no."

"I'm fine, Maria. I don't want you to worry about me, I don't want to get you in trouble with them. I already thank you for everything you've done for me."

Maria had a good heart, although it would hurt her in the future, she didn't listen to me and kept talking:

"Oh, I don't owe anyone any explanations and Mauricio lets us use the kitchen after 10:00 pm, so I don't see any problem with that. Besides, if you don't eat, you won't have the strength for anything, is that what you want?"

From eight to ten won't be much, I can wait in peace. While the others were still eating dinner, I went to take a shower and, since I was alone, I washed my hair. I made all the beds and finally it was only half an hour before ten.

"How do you spend your time here? Is it always the same routine? Wake up; work; sleep. Wake up; work; sleep every day?"

"No, it's not as bad here as it seems. On weekends there is a little place here that we can go after 10:00 PM. Anything you want to do here will have to be after that time, because they no longer need our service, only on auction days."

"And what to do in this place? Is there anything special that makes you talk so excited?"

"We drink until dawn. We take vacations and go to visit our family, some want to stay here too, others quit. We are not Mauricio's slaves, Louise. We work here because he pays us very well, and I imagine that you know how difficult it is for a person without an education to get a good job. Or one that simply accepts you."

"It doesn't work that simple with me, Maria. I really wish I could resign here." My eyes were fixed on the window, admiring the beautiful view.

"I can imagine! But you know what, you are the first woman who is not employed and also not sold. That makes the others jealous of you, do you know why? I don't think you are here by chance, I urge you to be strong. December is very close, another one will come to replace me at parties, just as one will come to replace all the others."

How wonderful, now I will have to live with the uncertainty that Maria might come back. To put up with Mauricio will not be easy, even more so without Maria here with me.

"Tomorrow we are going to drink in a new place, if you want to go, feel free to do so. But you have to be very careful, because Mauricio doesn't even want you to breathe outside of here, okay?"

I remember when James told everyone what had happened to me, the guilt of the accident fell all over me and everyone thought I was a depressive trying to kill myself, making my body burn with flames. After he committed the whole act with me I was sure that I was going to die right there, on that damn soccer field where there was no one else but me, him, and my loneliness; anguish and desire to die. Anyway... I hope that nothing repeats here, that nothing happens to me and that Maria doesn't leave me so soon, I would be like a lost girl in a labyrinth.

"I promise that I will be very careful. But... won't the others say anything?"

"We're not going to the same place as them. Look, ten o'clock, let's go." The others went to the dormitory and the kitchen remained empty, just like the rest of the house.

Maria prepared four loaves of bread, but I ate only one of them. She gave me an apple for dessert, which will be my breakfast tomorrow. I could hear some laughter coming from the living room, no doubt from Mauricio from the deep tone of his voice.

"How long have you worked here?"

"Many years! As I said: the salary is very good and for me, who has no education, this is a gold mine in my life. I came here after a broken love affair, after my daughter was born. But the subject is personal and painful, if you don't want to hear it, you can talk."

"If you feel comfortable talking about it, I am all ears, but if it still bothers you, you don't have to say anything. When it comes to painful subjects, I know how to get along with them."

Maria began by saying that she had suffered physical aggression from her husband ever since she had married him. It was an obligatory marriage by her parents.

"Six years after the wedding I got pregnant and once again lost the baby, this time not because of aggression, but because of lack of nourishment and care. I was making efforts that a woman should never do, even more when she is in the gestational period, but I didn't renounce anyone to help me. I felt the hot blood running down my legs, making the guilt that I felt only increase more and more... But, I didn't have the strength to fight it anymore."

"In spite of everything you loved him to the point that you didn't have the strength to run away from him?" I asked spontaneously, without judging.

"I was forced to marry him when I was still a teenager, I never loved him. The times I tried to run away he found me and I had drastic punishments that I wouldn't wish on anyone. The punishment became worse and worse and without strength I stopped trying. He continued to use me every night, as if there were no limits, no one did anything because in spite of everything I was his wife. Until one day I found out that I was pregnant again and it was a girl. I didn't want to lose her for anything, I felt empty in every way and she filled me up even though she was so small. It was then that one beautiful night, after he came home drunk and beat me, I poisoned him with a glass of water that he asked me for before going to bed. I managed to carry my pregnancy to 7 months. Eva was born premature and sick, but God is good all the time and today she is healthy and well. I owe a lot to Mauricio's parents for helping me so much, so I say that he is not a bad person. If revenge doesn't come to you, take it into your own hands. I have you as a daughter, Louise, remember that whenever you need me."

"Know that I have great affection for you too, Maria." We hugged and then went to the dorm, tomorrow is a busy day.