Chapter 1
She could feel his lungs burning, she didn't remember running that fast, and she didn't know how the pedals of his bike hadn't left their place yet. But the moment she heard the phone ring and his dad say where the next job would be, she couldn't do anything but run as fast as he could to the theater.
Khyara worked with her father, and the two of them lived alone, her father's paint shop was famous in the small town where they lived, the town was so small that everyone knew each other, everything was close, nothing changed, nobody ever moved there but no one leaves either. They had the same customers for years, so they lived well, they could be comfortable.
And when you live in such a small place everything seems so monotonous, everything around you is just an endless routine, It's hard to be enchanted by something when everything has been the same since you came into the world, but she was lucky girl the thing she loved most about that place had had its glory days right in front of her eyes, of course you can't trust the vision of a child who in his little knowledge thinks that everything he walks on is the most wonderful of parks amusement
But that theater didn't just enchant her, it enchanted an entire city, and let's be honest that can be considered quite an achievement and such a fact can be trusted
Yes, let's not deny that the girl was also not interested in Shakespeare or any of his plays full of feelings, maybe she was more specifically captivated by the most famous play of the theater despite not having been done for a long time.
Waterloo, the defeat of Napoleon
A comedy with serious historical errors
She watched it for the first time when she still didn't have the strength to support herself on her legs and she remembered perfectly every detail, that old building kept the youngest memories of that city, families left at the end of the afternoon and stood in line talking and waiting to be able to enter that secret corner of joy
Sometimes even she didn't understand why she had fallen completely in love with that story maybe it was the actor who played Napoleon, it was the dentist in town, Mr. Rodriguez, he had red cheeks and a Spanish accent, which he went and saw according to his mood, a short man with more energy than I had seen, he was funny and kind, everything he did seemed to be planned carefully before being executed, it was because of him that the play was so famous in the city, that was why there were no accents left empty. How could there be anything funnier than a Napoleon with a Spanish accent?
But when she turned 10, the dentist got sick, heart problems, he couldn't do the things he used to do, let alone sweat so much on stage, wearing a heavy costume that suffocated his neck so he stopped and the theater too, the lights no longer shone as before and the painting was no longer redone.
Apparently, it wasn't just her who wasn't interested in Hamlet.
So when she heard that they wanted to redo the painting, she was sure he would come back, the best Napoleon ever.
Her father's face staring at her as a light of hope covered her face was pitiful, his voice taking a more skeptical tone than usual wasn't enough to make her disbelieve.
- Don't forget to check the colors twice, it's not a kid anymore
She knew he wasn't just talking about checking the colors, he was making her realize that she couldn't be that childish and eventually she would have to grow up.
and she knew why
Theater painting wasn't the only news of the day, he had returned
Mr. Rodriguez's son was also returning, he had studied outside the city, throughout high school, Mr. Rodriguez thought the schools here were very weak and he wanted his son to have a much better future than his, he wanted him to be more than than a dentist with heart problems who couldn't follow his dreams.
She never got to remember him, she could say that she didn't know what his face looked like, maybe he looked like her father but she couldn't say.
Despite not living there, Fernando was always the subject of conversation for the ladies who sat in front of their houses, Mr. Rodriguez insisted on telling every detail of Fernando's life in the big city, he bragged a lot and showed his grades frequently.
He made a point of talking about his son wherever he was, he wanted everyone to know how smart his boy was.
When he graduated at the end of last year, his subject didn't change, his proudest reason was coming home, for some reason, she avoided talking to him, she felt strange, she also graduated at the same time but her father never said with anyone about it, it seemed that her school life didn't measure up to his, as if Fernando could be better than her at all
And that made her so angry with him, which was completely ridiculous since they at least get along with each other, he should at least remember their existence
And then when her rational side took over her thoughts she later discovered that she was jealous, she felt jealous of a boy who didn't remember his face
She felt such absolute envy
Of his life, his achievements, the place where he lived, his school, and the way his father also loved him and didn't hide it, but she knew that she wasn't a big reason for pride, she was ordinary, she didn't do anything After high school, he just started working as his father's assistant at the store, he had never done anything important, nothing he could brag about. Nothing that her father would want to brag about.
And that made her want Fernando to disappear, disappear to another planet, another universe, where she could be better than him.
When she realized where she was, she couldn't stop in time, losing her balance, hitting the car parked in front of her with everything, letting everything in her basket fall, scattering across the street.
She had scraped her knees and the palm of her hand as she stared at the front of the theater like an idiot, who in their right mind would park their car right in front of the box office?
Perhaps the burning in her wounds had influenced her decision, but all she did was grab her backpack in one violent tug.
No, she wouldn't get mad today, as she leans her bicycle against the wall of the old building, she can hear voices inside, several voices actually, talking at the same time
Inhale through the nose, release through the mouth
Only one of the doors was open and a dim light illuminated the room, the dream house had become a low-budget haunted house, but she was never a person who needed much to be scared.
Her slow steps gave away that she didn't have much courage left in her body and the voices just got louder, a little more and she nearly fell to the ground again.
- the girl with paints arrived - a scream was heard from the other side of the room and only then did she realize that she was there in the middle of the seats facing the stage
- paint girl? Who is the paint girl?
and then another voice next to her
-Turn on that light for God's sake
The glare in her eyes nearly blinded her, She finally got a good look at the state of the theater, which was now just a mixture of dust, cobwebs, and peeling paint, how had they let it get to this point?
the only part that was saved was the stage, which luckily had a sturdy wood and was just a little dirty
-believe this is how it turned out after being organized
A man who looked to be in his early 30s, with shoulder-length hair with a light brown color and completely dirty clothes, stopped in front of him with a tired look, just him and one other person were trying to clean it all up.
-Sandro's pleasure- he saw his hand full of dust extend towards him
-Khyara- but before she could greet him, the second man appeared in their midst.
-Look at your hand first, are you trying to kill the girl?-Roberto, how are you dear?
Roberto was his complete opposite of Sandro, with short cut black hair, and clean shave with a strange tattoo on the side of his neck, he found it almost ironic such a difference between the two, if he passed by the two on the street they would never say that they were going to the same local
Yes, I came to help select the colors but I don't think it's time to do that
her comment caused them to look around her and when they turned their attention to her they seemed to have grown more exhausted, he could have sworn he saw the dark circles under her eyes increase.
-We stayed in here so long that we hardly noticed that almost nothing had changed- her voice sounded more like a sigh than anything else
Roberto just sat down on one of the chairs and wiped his hands with a cloth that didn't look any cleaner than his hands.
-but I can come back tomorrow or any other day
his excitement went the same way as the blood running down his leg, he had forgotten the idiocy he had done the moment he arrived, he wasn't feeling pain shame does a better job than any medicine and those men tired the way they were they wouldn't notice the bruises that were on her body
Roberto- Sandro, the next time you call the store let me know, that way we don't have to look like we're clueless
He felt that a fight was on the verge of starting, Roberto's threatening look toward Sandro was enough for him to know that an argument was going to be made
Inhale through the nose, out through the mouth,
-It was great meeting you two but I already have to go
When she turned her back and walked a few steps towards the exit, the curses had already stopped.
had started, and his urge to laugh grew stronger and stronger.
How could she explain what she was hearing when they were cursing each other in a rather peculiar way, they weren't using profanity, they were using references. whatever it was it wasn't a normal fight, Apart from the tone of their voices nothing in those words sounded like an insult
by god, who were those people?
when she stepped out of the theater she couldn't hold in her laughter any longer, her stomach hurt from laughing so hard, losing her breath for the second time that day, When she was going to try to fan herself her hands were burning, when she was trying to calm down her knees hurt, everything was a complete mess
when she caught her breath and went to get her bike, it wasn't there, it wasn't lying down, there was no sign of where she could be, the car parked in front wasn't there either
she couldn't say there weren't robberies where she lived but it was so rare that everyone felt safe, even more so in that part of town, she didn't even realize that there was a possibility of her being robbed, or by someone stealing an old bicycle, she had been confused for a good while. before I realized I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk looking back and forth like a madwoman.
inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth
Was she walking home at the end of the afternoon, with her body aching, without her bike, and a huge frustration? Yes but she had promised herself that nothing that day would make her angry, nothing
The more she walked the more her backpack became heavy on her back, the sheets and case seemed to be turning into stones little by little, and the blood was already dry,
She felt lost in the desert and when she saw her house she seemed to have seen a mirage, ok maybe she was exaggerating that part but nothing was working
Nothing until now
she knew that car, she remembered it very well, and she remembered the owner of the car even more
she drew strength from beyond and ran to the front door
- Mr Rodriguez
inhale through the nose out through the mouth
There in the living room was her father, Rodriguez, and he
Fernando
holding his bike like it belongs to him
And her father, he was laughing, when was the last time she had seen her father smile? She didn't remember and her blood was getting hotter and hotter, that whole circus looked like a family reunion and of course, she wasn't participating
it took them a few minutes to notice her presence in the room, turning her face in their direction
- Daughter, what happened?
he looked down at his red knees almost humorously, as if he was blaming her for being hurt.
-I fell
Rodriguez-oh girl we noticed
and laughter filled her ears, Less one
Fernando- I think I know where Khyara fell Dad- his voice was calm, he acted as if he were much older than her and he was commenting on the bad creations that a small child
Fernando- There are other ways to welcome, you know?
His smile was fun
-But scratching my new car is not on the list of best options
had she scratched her car?
no no no
she wouldn't have done something stupid like that, would she? oh my god she would have done such a stupid thing
-Fernando gave the girl a discount, she was in a hurry
He moved away from you, walking back to the couch, speaking almost in a whisper.
-Of course, she was in a hurry- the sarcasm in his voice could be heard by even the dumbest of men
-But then Castilian, are you staying for dinner or not?
SHE WOULDN'T GET ANGRY TODAY
