CHAPTER 7

Marita

It's been an hour since the boys went out. They are on a mission and I was bored out of my mind. I don't even know why I'm not participating with them. I was wandering through the department's corridors when I saw a dim light coming from Pablo's room in the distance. What a strange thing to see! He's supposed to be on a mission and what's his open room doing? The first thing I think is that it is certainly a group of old people who are messing up his apartment. Because he's overly handsome and all the alumni are falling for him, so they've certainly taken it the wrong way. On tiptoe, I move in a calculated silence, on tiptoe towards his apartment. I gently push the door which does not make any noise, fortunately for me. And what do I see there? A beautiful thin blonde crouching down. She is holding something in her hand that she is scrutinizing with a shrewd look. I am taken by a jealousy that I cannot explain myself. It was as if I were his girlfriend and that I had caught him in the act of infidelity. I quickly get over it because the truth is that I am not his girlfriend and he is not even interested in me.

The time to put my feelings in order, I am more and more intrigued by this beautiful young woman. And there the obvious strikes me: it is Adriana. At first I thought I was wrong but no, it's really her. I don't really know how to behave because besides being my boss, she intimidates me excessively. She intimidates everyone else and no one dares to look her in the eye.

I don't know how the sound came out of my mouth. I had no control over anything.

Me: Madam?

She turns around quickly and looks me straight in the eyes. I'm like a doggie being ordered around by its master without uttering a word.

She stands up and crosses her hands over her chest.

Adriana: Yes, what are you doing here?

I start to stammer.

Me:...uh, I...actually...I

Adriana: I asked a simple question though. Miss Marita, what are you doing here?

Adriana: This is crazy! I just realized that I wasn't actually able to ask her a question.

So I remained silent.

Adriana: If you didn't know...

She walks towards me and looks me straight in the eyes. She's so dominating! I knew she was sure of herself but not to this extent actually. I am more than confronted with the reality here.

She is very close to me now. She still has her hands crossed over her chest and is leaning against the doorway while I have my eyes down like the idiot I am.

Adriana:...this is my home. You are all from the first to the last my employees.

Me: Yes, of course, Madam....je...

Adriana (cutting me off):... And what are you trying to do here? Were you calling me out?

Me: ...no, I...

Adriana: I'll take this as a simple clumsiness on your part and we'll send this incident to the dustbin very quickly.

She is silent and stares straight into my eyes, as if she wanted to probe my whole being.

Adriana: Cassie....

My heart does a good, no actually, it shatters into a thousand pieces.

I stammer and the words get stuck in my throat.

I am suddenly thrown back into my childhood. I see again the abused little girl I was. My eyes are filled with tears. I try to hold them back as best I can, but they inevitably slide down my cheek.

Adriana: ... I don't want to hear what just happened anywhere. You have a reputation for gossiping but I know this time you'll keep it to yourself.

I nod mechanically.

Adriana: All right!

She turns back to look up and down, up and down. She makes an inaudible noise and goes out of the room without forgetting to close it with the key she has in her hands.

I remain on the step of the door, always with the lowered head. I don't see her leave but I hear the muffled sound of her pumps on the marbled floor.

The next thing I know, I've collapsed onto the package, crying harder.

She had just plunged me back into my past, a past I thought had closed forever.

They don't do things by halves, they researched everything about us, even the information we didn't report.

My real name is Cassie. I changed my identity to Marita.

Me (hoarse voice):...but what have I gotten myself into?

Adriana

I am back in my office. I lie down in my sofa bed and tie my hair with a rubber band.

What the hell was she thinking? She thought she was a police officer or something. So much so that she called me out?

Since this was the first time it happened, I was taken aback. I didn't know how to react at the time, but I quickly recovered.

My late husband must be very proud of me. I still remember how he used to tell me to always be in control in such situations. And most importantly, to turn that situation against my opponent. And that's what I managed to do. What did she think? Did she really think we were going to hire them without delving into their lives and their worst nightmares? Well, no, my special team knew what to do. I got into their deepest memories. I made a place for myself in their bad dreams.

I looked for anything incriminating in case one of them wanted to do it to me the wrong way.

Anyway, that's the way we've always done it here. Everyone who's ever been here has been forced into it. And it's just fabulous. As far as I can remember, none of them could be the basis for any destruction of the Monte Carlo mafia.

Marita, or rather Cassie I would say. I didn't want to accept her working for me right away, but the thorough research I did on her childhood and her past pushed me to do so. Our pasts are almost the same.

She has always known abuse, like me.

Marita never knew her parents. She always lived her childhood in a brothel. It sounds far-fetched, but the world has very cruel sides. And Marita has known them. She has suffered the most unimaginable, incongruous vices. She suffered more than I did.

It hurt me to plunge her, in spite of myself, into this past that she tries so hard to bury in a hole. But I had no other choice. I couldn't lose face. So there, impossible.

Hands in my hair, I scratch my head when someone knocks on my door.

Me: yes, come in!

It's Patricia, my darling daughter.

She enters all smiling, with a mocking air.

Patricia : your condescending air will always make me laugh.

Me:... Teasing lady, you come back again to make fun of your mother.

She sits down on the couch facing me.

Patricia: No, but seriously mom.

Me: You have to establish respect or people will step on your toes.

Patricia: I know that speech. You've always told us that.

We start to laugh.

Me: Aren't you going to class today?

Patricia: No, today is a day off.

Me: Oh, right! Have you heard from Felix?

Patricia: If you, his mother, don't have any news about him, I'm not the one who would have any.

Me: I will call the hotel to see.

I carry out and I ask according to my son. The persons in charge for the hotel inform me that he remained to sleep in his room with girls of joy. Patricia emits a surprised face. I hang up.

Patricia (with an outraged look):... Aren't you going to say anything?

Me: What do you want me to say? My son is fine, that's the main thing.

She gets up and starts walking back and forth in front of me.

Patricia: Mom! Felix leads a bad life, you can't just watch without saying anything because he's fine.

Me: He goes for regular check-ups. His vaccinations are regular so there's nothing to worry about.

Patricia:.. that's not the point, Mom. He's living a bad life. I know you love us and want what's best for your children but this is not the way to make him feel good.

Me: I have suffered in my life and I don't want my children to go through the same thing.

Patricia: I know, but you're not doing him any good. You are hurting him.

I sigh because I don't really understand her point of view. It's funny, I'm the mother but she seems more mature than I am.

Me: We've had this topic of discussion a few times you and I....what am I suggesting?

She stands up and looks at me

Patricia: Yes, Mom?

Me: I suggest we go to lunch.

The look she gives me makes me burst out laughing.

Patricia: Mom! We're talking about a sensitive subject here and all you can say is that we should go eat.

Me: Hey, young lady, until there is proof to the contrary, I am your mother. What's with all these admonitions? Let's go! We go to the restaurant.

She keeps quiet and finally nods.

Patricia: Okay, Mom. But we're going to my house first. Yolanda wasn't feeling well this morning. She took some pills and fell asleep.

Me: Okay, that works. Besides the restaurant is on the same road.

So I take my purse. Patricia takes her car keys and drives us home.

Yolanda is like a second daughter to me. Her mother, Catarina and I are best friends. So our daughters were always in each other's lives. No wonder they became best friends, too. That's why when they wanted to live together, we didn't see any problem with it.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the girls' house.

I decide to stay in my daughter's car outside while she goes to check on Yolanda.

Patricia gets out of the car and heads into the house.

The janitor, Filipe and I have a heart-to-heart talk. He tells me about the projects he told me about in the meantime and how he was able to do them with the money I gave him. He keeps thanking me as usual.

It makes me feel good to be able to help studious people who are just waiting for that.

I quickly cut this discussion by taking news of his wife who was pregnant in the meantime. He informs me that she is almost full term and that she will give birth soon. I am delighted for him because he is a kind-hearted man. We can trust him. He has been working for me for over twenty years and I have never had anything to reproach him for. All this has led to the fact that I entrust him with my daughter's life, if you can say it that way. Filipe is a loyal man. And loyalty is a quality that I value very much.

Suddenly, without us expecting it, a shrill cry breaks the air.

-MOMNNNNNNNNNNNN!

It is Patricia who has just called me with a voice tinged with fright.

What the hell is going on?