now, Nestor. I don´t feel very
well.”
“ Then, when? I deserve an explanation.” He
said without trying to cover his anger up. “You asked for time and
I think I´ve been more than reasonable. I’ve been waiting four
months!”
“ I know and I thank you for that. But
nothing´s going to happen if you wait a while longer.”
“ This has finished.” Nestor yelled. “I can
do anything for you but at least give me a reason. I haven´t
swallowed the excuse you gave for leaving. You were happy with me,
Judith. I could tell.”
She knew it as well and relaxed for a moment as an avalanche of
happy memories invaded her mind. She could see herself with Nestor
six months before, lying in bed under the sheets after they´d just
made love.
Judith shook her head .It was a mistake to go back over all of
that again. She had to concentrate on where she was now.
“ I can´t tell you again, Nestor.” She said
with a lump forming in her throat. “I need a little more
time.”
Nestor took a while to
answer . “I can´t go on
like this, Judith. I´m sorry. I´ve been waiting too long, going
round in circles, without any explanation from you. I´m going
crazy. You have to make your mind up. Or tell me what´s going on.
If not, this has to come to an end now.”
“ Don´t put any pressure on me, Nestor. I
only need a little more time. I´m doing it for you. Don´t force me
to choose now.”
“I can´t take anymore.” He said his voice
breaking. “Let me back into your life or you´ll lose me
forever.”
“ Very well then.”
Judith hung up and threw the telephone
against the wall, smashing it to pieces. She stayed where she was
sitting on the chair staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace
for a long time until her anger slowly subsided.
She began to feel tired , the tension leaving her body. She lay
down on the sofa and covered herself with a blanket and the world
and its problems disappeared as she began to sleep.
She woke up with a start a while
later. A strange feeling
of alarm, racing through her body. Maybe she´d had a nightmare? She
half sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was still day, so she couldn’t
have slept too long. But the fire was all but out. Only a couple of
embers still burning among the ashes. The logs had been consumed.
There was nothing left. But was that possible? She rubbed her eyes
again, thinking she should have stayed asleep, because what she was
looking at now didn´t make any sense.
Judith kneeled down next to the fireplace
and took the black envelope with the white borders out that was
partially buried under the ashes. It shouldn’t still be there
!
She opened the envelope quickly,
excitedly, and extracted a simple sheet of paper and looked at its
clear handwriting. Then read the letter carefully.
When she had finished, she dropped the
letter on the floor, went to her bedroom and changed clothes then
left the house.
* * *
The first thing Hector did was go to the bank to find out how
much he could borrow. It was a pretty disappointing sum.
It didn´t surprise him to find out how little his life was
worth. He had offered everything he had of value to ask for a loan
for the largest amount possible.
“ If you have a guarantee we could increase
the amount.” The efficient bank employee that attended him in the
bank said. “Perhaps some family member could help.”
“ No! “ Hector yelled. “I want the maximum
that I can borrow on my own, without involving anyone
else."
His house was the only thing that the bank
considered valuable. And that wasn´t worth that much either. The
sad apartment in which he lived was barely forty square meters and
was his thanks to an inheritance. That was all he´d managed to put
together in forty-three years.
He took the relevant documentation to the bank and spent a
week at home, waiting. He went out twice, once to buy some food,
and on the other occasion to go to the doctor. His psychiatrist
always asked him the same old questions.
well.”
“ Then, when? I deserve an explanation.” He
said without trying to cover his anger up. “You asked for time and
I think I´ve been more than reasonable. I’ve been waiting four
months!”
“ I know and I thank you for that. But
nothing´s going to happen if you wait a while longer.”
“ This has finished.” Nestor yelled. “I can
do anything for you but at least give me a reason. I haven´t
swallowed the excuse you gave for leaving. You were happy with me,
Judith. I could tell.”
She knew it as well and relaxed for a moment as an avalanche of
happy memories invaded her mind. She could see herself with Nestor
six months before, lying in bed under the sheets after they´d just
made love.
Judith shook her head .It was a mistake to go back over all of
that again. She had to concentrate on where she was now.
“ I can´t tell you again, Nestor.” She said
with a lump forming in her throat. “I need a little more
time.”
Nestor took a while to
answer . “I can´t go on
like this, Judith. I´m sorry. I´ve been waiting too long, going
round in circles, without any explanation from you. I´m going
crazy. You have to make your mind up. Or tell me what´s going on.
If not, this has to come to an end now.”
“ Don´t put any pressure on me, Nestor. I
only need a little more time. I´m doing it for you. Don´t force me
to choose now.”
“I can´t take anymore.” He said his voice
breaking. “Let me back into your life or you´ll lose me
forever.”
“ Very well then.”
Judith hung up and threw the telephone
against the wall, smashing it to pieces. She stayed where she was
sitting on the chair staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace
for a long time until her anger slowly subsided.
She began to feel tired , the tension leaving her body. She lay
down on the sofa and covered herself with a blanket and the world
and its problems disappeared as she began to sleep.
She woke up with a start a while
later. A strange feeling
of alarm, racing through her body. Maybe she´d had a nightmare? She
half sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was still day, so she couldn’t
have slept too long. But the fire was all but out. Only a couple of
embers still burning among the ashes. The logs had been consumed.
There was nothing left. But was that possible? She rubbed her eyes
again, thinking she should have stayed asleep, because what she was
looking at now didn´t make any sense.
Judith kneeled down next to the fireplace
and took the black envelope with the white borders out that was
partially buried under the ashes. It shouldn’t still be there
!
She opened the envelope quickly,
excitedly, and extracted a simple sheet of paper and looked at its
clear handwriting. Then read the letter carefully.
When she had finished, she dropped the
letter on the floor, went to her bedroom and changed clothes then
left the house.
* * *
The first thing Hector did was go to the bank to find out how
much he could borrow. It was a pretty disappointing sum.
It didn´t surprise him to find out how little his life was
worth. He had offered everything he had of value to ask for a loan
for the largest amount possible.
“ If you have a guarantee we could increase
the amount.” The efficient bank employee that attended him in the
bank said. “Perhaps some family member could help.”
“ No! “ Hector yelled. “I want the maximum
that I can borrow on my own, without involving anyone
else."
His house was the only thing that the bank
considered valuable. And that wasn´t worth that much either. The
sad apartment in which he lived was barely forty square meters and
was his thanks to an inheritance. That was all he´d managed to put
together in forty-three years.
He took the relevant documentation to the bank and spent a
week at home, waiting. He went out twice, once to buy some food,
and on the other occasion to go to the doctor. His psychiatrist
always asked him the same old questions.
Similar Books
