Chapter 3

I sat on one of the sides of the bar, away from the counter and, above all, away from Don Luis’ gaze. I didn’t want any more problems or misunderstandings on the first day. It was still a few hours before the end of his shift.

Mireya and I left the bar together, and she stood in the doorway, looking around.

“Where’s your car?” she asked me.

“Thomas always brings drops me off at work,” I replied, making it clear that I didn’t have a car. I omitted the fact that I would never see my friend again. I didn’t want to say it out loud, and she wasn’t interested in my life.

“Don’t worry,” she smiled again, “We’ll go in my car.”

I got into her car. The trip was silent. She knew exactly where she was going. She didn’t ask, and neither did I. I was too engrossed in my thoughts. I couldn’t help thinking that, in this crappy town, I must be the only one whose life was going from bad to worse. Furthermore, I didn’t even have the chance to take a girl out to dinner. I was in her car, she was a beautiful woman, she was going to have dinner with me, and I couldn’t invite her.

I felt embarrassed again.

We arrived at a very nice restaurant. They opened the door for us as we entered. The tables, the decoration, the light... People with money went here. I didn’t know at what point this girl thought I would be able to invite her here. She must have realized my discomfort and gestured for me not even to think about it.

She approached me and whispered a very sensual “I’m paying” in my ear.

Without asking for the menu, she ordered the meal and a bottle of wine for both of us. This girl had class and money. What was she doing working for Don Luis in a sleazy bar?

“Tell me, Oscar,” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She picked up a piece of bread and nibbled on it while smiling. “What do you want to know about the job?” she continued, “And most importantly, what do you want to know about me? Why don’t you stop paying attention to everything I do or say...”

“Honestly,” I looked at her, squinting in her direction, “I don’t know what you are doing here with me. Your car is expensive, your clothes are expensive, and this place,” I pointed at everything with both hands, emphasizing that it’s also expensive, “I fail to understand.”

“Don’t worry,” she replied, looking at my lips and my eyes, and smiled mischievously, “You’ll soon get to know me, and you’ll see that even though it’s a sleazy bar, you can get a lot out of it if you know how to take advantage of the clientele.”

A waiter brought the wine, and she took a small sip and fixed her gaze on me again, but it was different. It was one of those looks that made it clear to you that she should not be underestimated. “Think well about how to play your cards. I can teach you, but it won’t be a favor; you’ll be indebted. And... I’m good at cashing in my favors.”

I looked at her in silence, not unnoticed her clear threat, even so...

“But today, let’s just enjoy the food and our company,” she said.

I kept looking at her. I couldn’t look away. This woman was strange, outgoing, and unique. Her smile was beautiful, and her face was like it was carved by angels, with blue eyes that revealed who you were with just a glance.

We talked all night: about the food, about who I was, about my life. I told her everything: how I was poor for my whole life; I talked about my daughter, about my accident.

It was nothing too meaningful, too important. I talked to her comfortably, just like that. She hardly talked about herself. She limited herself to telling me that she knew how to win the world. I didn’t ask any more questions. That’s all that mattered to me at the moment. It didn’t matter what I talked about or who I talked to. My mind was very focused on my daughter. I couldn’t stop thinking that my daughter was alone in the orphanage, and I didn’t know if she was okay.

But Mireya...

She was different, not delicate like a flower because even though something about her made me keep my guard up, I also wanted to lean in and kiss her lips. Maybe she noticed something in my eyes, or maybe my intentions somehow gave me away because the corner of her lip suddenly curved into a slow and sensual smile.

“And tell me, Oscar,” she said, never taking her eyes off me from under her long lashes as she brought her drink to her lips, “How can one man carry so much weight on his shoulders? There must be some pretty young girl in your life, I imagine.”

I shook my head, refraining from rolling my eyes.

“Not at all,” I muttered, “I guess I’ve been so focused on getting my daughter back that I haven’t been able to look sideways. Besides, a guy in my condition may not be attractive to women.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“You’d be surprised,” she said, “Besides, everything in this life has a solution, except death.”

She said that last phrase as she got up from her seat and put her drink aside. Paralyzed, I watched as she came closer to me with slow and sensual steps. Was she really approaching me? I would have doubted it if it wasn’t for the fact that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Mireya extended her slender and delicate hand in my direction, and without hesitation, I took it, getting up from my seat.

“Breathe, Oscar,” she murmured, her lips a sigh away from mine.

And yet I dared not make a move, but I could hear my pulse pounding in my veins, and just for a moment, everything else ceased to matter.

I could only see her.