CHAPTER 5

Pablo

It is Patricia in front of me. I just saw her a few hours ago, for a moment in an evening. And now I have her in front of me. She is more sublime than the word itself. A small drawback, she seems not to see me.

Patricia : ok !

She turns to Yolanda and starts talking to her as if I was never there.

Patricia: Okay, Yolanda! It's three in the morning. We're going home.

Yolanda: But I ...

Patricia: No buts about it... I have refused you many times to cling to strangers like this, to people you don't know from Adam and Eve.

Yolanda continued to speak but she wasn't even listening.

It was as if she was scolding her five-year-old.

She left us there and walked away. I was shocked to see that her demeanor was so out of character for the pretty young girl she is.

Her look was haughty, disdainful, like her mother's. She is really Adriana's daughter. There is no doubt about it.

Yolanda: I'm sorry, she's not usually like this...

Me: no, don't worry!

She takes my contact and leaves too.

A few minutes later, Anthony stumbles towards me.

He and Marita want to go home too.

Marita: Pablo I,....

Me: No, it's okay. I don't want to hear anything. Let's go home.

Her look was incredulous. She had never seen me like that in the few days we've known each other.

Besides, I don't know what got me into such a state. Probably the fact that Patricia's way of behaving made me come down from my little cloud.

Marita

We have just finished the evening. Anthony, Pablo and I are on our way home.

Vrapp!

That's the car door that just sounded like that.

And who is the author? Pablo, of course. I don't know what has bitten him but the good young man is red with anger.

A few minutes ago, I saw him dancing tight on the dance floor with a little rich girl. He was all happy and content.

And now he's all in a tizzy. Wow!

And as if that wasn't enough, he's driving a mile a minute.

Me: But calm down! Don't kill us anyway. Take it easy!

He doesn't even hear me. It looks like he's alone in the car.

What could have gotten him into such a state.

Poor Anthony is throwing up through the door onto the track.

Stunned and unable to do anything, I resign myself and fasten my seatbelt well, hoping that we will arrive safely at our destination. Pfff!

Patricia

Me: Yolanda... how many times have I refused to let you behave like this with strangers?

Yolanda: well, we didn't do anything. All we did was dance...and you just cut me off from a shot with such a handsome guy....Pff

Sitting in the back, the driver drives us, we have this heated discussion. Yolanda is almost pissed off at me.

I don't know what she sees in this boy she just met. Nevertheless I am not surprised by her. She has always been like that.

Yolanda is my best friend, we've known each other for a long time. Our mothers are friends. The problem with her is that she loves to fall in love with strangers. I don't agree with this life she leads. I can't help it, I like her the way she is.

Me:...Yolanda, I...

Her head tilted to the side, she looks out the car window.

I can feel her angry at me but the good thing about her is that she's not the resentful type.

Me:...who knows, maybe I got you to avoid an STD....

She bursts out laughing and I also start laughing.

My face is turned to my side of the glass. I think about this evening which was a total success. First thing in the morning, the media and newspapers will make headlines. My mother has spent a lot of money to achieve this result. I am overly proud of her. She has risen up since Dad's death and has managed this empire he created to perfection.

I am aware that she has suffered from his absence, Felix and I too. But the difference with Mom is that she is drowning in work. I am afraid that she is overworked. On the other hand, I know my mother and I know that she knows how to take care of herself. The proof is that she is always so radiant. For nothing in the world would someone give her the age she has.

The muffled sound of the car pulling up tells us that we have arrived at our destination. Yolanda and I live in the same house. We have our apartments next to each other. Our mothers bought us this house. Personally, I wanted to pay the rent deposit to my mother every month. But she wouldn't listen. I can say that I am a girl who likes to feel free and independent. Nevertheless, my mother has not treated me like a child for several years. She shows me all the necessary respect.

The driver parks the car behind the others in the house. He heads for the exit. Before leaving, he exchanges greetings with the janitor.

Yolanda stumbles and heads towards her apartment. I stand and watch her. She starts to worry me. Every time we go out, she indiscriminately overindulges in alcohol and always goes home with a stranger. It's lucky she didn't do anything with the one she was with tonight.

Me:... Yolanda...are you ok?

Yolanda:...hmm...

Her inaudible voice conveys an affirmation. The next second, the door to her apartment slammed shut.

I often worry about her. The truth is, she never had a stable childhood. Her mother changed men like panties. Her mother is a wealthy heiress who has made good investments that have paid off for her. She has always claimed that she never needed a man in her life. Besides, Yolanda is an adopted child. This means that she has never had a father figure. So I fear that she is following the same path as her mother.

So much promiscuity is harmful. We all need stability in our lives.

In turn, I close the door behind me. I take off my pumps and walk barefoot on the marbled floor. I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water and drink it in one gulp.

I sit down on the high chairs at the kitchen bar. With my hand in my hair, I massage my temple. I think of Felix, who is probably having the time of his life.

Felix, I love him. But I fear for his future. Sure, our parents have enough money, but they won't be around forever. Felix doesn't see it that way. He is twenty years old and all he thinks about is spending Mom's money. I put his carelessness down to his age, but I really hope he'll get it together soon.

I take off the expensive dress I've been wearing and head to my room. It falls on the floor. I have to take a quick shower and fall asleep. Tomorrow I have a very busy day.

Pablo

We have just arrived at the HQ, I park the car in the parking lot. I sink into the seat and put my hand on my head.

Anthony: ... Pablo! What the hell is wrong with you?

I don't answer. I'm too angry for that. Marita tries to speak but she stops.

I close my eyes and start thinking about... Patricia. I still can't believe she's been so resistant to me. This is the first time this has happened to me. My nerves are shot and I can't contain myself anymore.

It takes me a few minutes before I decide to get out of the car. The elders told us a little about Adriana and apparently she doesn't offer anything for free. Of course we had a good moment of relaxation with all the advantages that go with it but the next mission will not be long.

I take a breath and finally decide to get out of the car. I head towards my apartment. Once inside, I take off my shoes and I head, weary, directly to my bed.

Adriana

It's been a while since I left my son's party. Lying in the bathtub, I savor this bath of roses and jasmines and essential oils. With a flute of champagne in my left hand, I take a few sips.

There is also a plate of fruit in which I pick a few pieces. I get out of the bathtub and wrap myself in my personalized towel designed by a very famous designer.

I walk towards the bay window and think about this empire my late husband built. I remember that when we first started out, his parents were still alive at the time and they never wanted me. Probably because I was too young and he was too old. So they thought that I was with him for his money. That's what many people thought. But the truth is that I really loved him. He was the person I loved the most. Yes, because he has been more than a benefactor to me, he has been a protector, a father, a friend, an irreproachable husband.

I will never be grateful enough to him for what he has done with me, for having built the woman I have become.

The truth is that I owe him everything, absolutely everything.

Sitting in a lounge chair, looking out over the city's skyline with the skyscrapers and the bright lights lined up in rows, my head falls back.

I go back to my past. I think back to the broken little girl I once was, the girl who suffered martyrdom. I never imagined that I would know this life today. Without a doubt, this life is a real mystery. And when you think it's all over, that's when the most unimaginable things come to the surface.

I think back to the broken, violated, abused little girl that I was. Without me knowing, a tear ran down my cheek. Yes, today I live a life at a hundred miles an hour. But the truth is that my past continues to torpedo me, to push me into my worst corners.

I also think about the child I abandoned. It's a harsh word, but we have to call things by their names. My psychiatrist says that I am in some sort of denial. Because of the fact that my regrets haven't surfaced yet. He also brings up the theory that the child is the result of a rape that I don't accept in my life. That I am trying to move on, as if he never existed. Personally, I can't say anything. I just live from day to day and move forward as I can, getting used to my current life.

It is a part of my life that has affected me and continues to affect me. I can't ignore it.

Pablo

I just woke up sweating. My jacket is all wet, the one I had on at Adriana's son Felix's birthday party. I just realized that I haven't taken it off since I got home.

I've just done it again, this damned dream that hasn't let go of me for twenty-five years.