Chapter 9

Flashback

“I need you here soon!” I checked the text that Gabriela had sent me ten minutes ago. I walked as fast as I could, letting all kinds of tragic scenarios play out in my mind. My cousin had never needed me with such urgency, which meant that something really serious was going on.

Once I saw the place where she told me she would be, I increased my speed and entered the small concrete and glass room, greeted by a wave of cold air with the smell of pharmaceutical medication. I glanced at the different shelves loaded with medicines and adult diapers. In the back, near the drinks area, I found the mop of orange hair waiting for me. Gabriela recognized me and waved her hand energetically for me to join her.

“What’s going on? What is the emergency?” I said with a ragged breath, my brown hair sticking to the sides of my neck and nape.

“That’s him,” she said, pointing to a gray-haired old man who was collecting at the only cash register in the pharmacy. He was