"Hey what's wrong?" Macarena asked when Elena was as close as she could be. From the looks of the surrounding people, it was clearly evident that they had no idea what they were talking about. "What happened Elena?" Her niece pulled her away with her other arm so that they were three meters away from the nearest person.
"I found this one hitting on some marijuana in the farthest stalls. Like what kind of person comes to work and starts smoking?"
"Elena calm down," Maca told her. She turned to the woman and switched back to the common tongue. "Is it true? Were you having a joint in my business premises Alicia?" The woman nodded, her teeth showing. The odd smell from her mouth was well all too evident. It didn't need further fathom she was at the smoke for a while before Elena had interrupted her.
"Why Alicia? We've talked about doing that kind of activity here. I told you that I don't want part of it!" Maca continued. "Are you really that stupid to give up your life like that? Don't you know that this is wrong?"
The woman held onto her silence, as her brown eyes looked away from Elena and Maca. She clenched her fingers together, as she continued to hide the treat in her hands. Sweat started forming on her skin and her breathing was suddenly intense, suddenly heavier.
"Elena… what do you think we should do with her?" Maca asked.
"Um… are you sure about asking me about that?" Elena inquired. "You're the boss and maybe you should make the decisions?"
"No. I'm gonna be having you for a long time, if not forever." Maca hastily replied. "I need you to prepare for days that you might find yourself in such difficult situations like today."
"Oh." Elena moved closer to the woman. She held out her hand to her. It was after an intense staring contest that the woman decided to hand over the roll of weed to her. By the way, her hands were fidgeting, shaking, and vibrating, Elena could easily decipher that she was afraid. Or scared.
"Hey Alicia," Elena told her after she had put it in her pocket and taken the woman's hands, "I need you to know that what you're doing here is wrong and illegal. You could go to prison for this. You hear me?"
The woman never bothered to answer.
"Alicia, I need to know that you understand me." Elena continued. "Because you've been a long-time worker here, I'm going to pardon you for today. The next time I find you doing something like that I will have to fire you if I'm kind… because you need to be in prison."
"I-I- okay… I understand." The woman replied, nodding and showing her yellow teeth."
"Good. Now go home and rest. I'll see you on Monday. Go get yourself together, okay?" Elena asked her. She responded by nodding at her. With a small pat on her back, Alicia turned away and walked out of the premises.
"Elena…" Maca called her from behind.
Elena whipped around and saw a group of people looking at a TV next to the customer care desk. The movement was halted and nobody was really doing anything. All eyes were fixed on the various televisions around. On it was something Elena wished that she'd never seen.
"And now we bring you breaking news that happened earlier today in Valle de Bravo Highway. Earlier today in the late hours of the afternoon, two men heading from Mexico City to Valle de Bravo in their blue car were ambushed by a gang of robbers. Their car was found on the bank of the road and unfortunately, one of the men died from a gunshot wound. Police are still trying to…"
Elena looked at the television as the news reporter said her words and she noticed the familiar vehicle that had driven her to Valle de Bravo on Tuesday. The uncanny and worrying state that it was at. The dents in the car were visible as well as the censored blurred blood drops. Her heart skipped a beat and two more. Her breathing increased as her chest heaved up and down. Her eyes popped out, as her teeth cluttered. Her head felt heavy and light and her knees were weak. As she lost sight around her and felt the ground pull close to her she heard someone say.
"Someone hold her, she's fainting…"
*********************
Suddenly, the minutes seemed short when on the brink of death itself, the seconds even shorter… perhaps there isn't a scale to mention how short it truly is. Life at a glance seemed like a gift that could be taken back in a snap of a finger. And all the memories one has lived appear like a dream; because whether good or bad one has lived, life is still preferred over death itself.
He continued pulling onto the ligature, tighter and tighter as her efforts beneath him bore no futile fruits. She stopped fidgeting, squeaking with the little voice that could come out of her, and her eyes shut. But he still held on, till he was sure there was nothing left in her. Just a pure void body.
Ding Dong! The doorbell rang.
His heart skipped a beat. He heard the call. Twice. Thrice. Again. And again. The rain pour was over and so the doorbell chime was pretty audible from this room. His eyes popped up, as his teeth cluttered against themselves. He let go of the towel sequentially and her body now lay fully flat on the bed. He got down from the bed, his legs trembling on his own weight. As he approached the bedroom window, he rubbed his nose several times and bit his lips. He made it to his effort that he made no sound whatsoever.
Then, he heard footsteps outside the bedroom window. He headed over to peep through the closed curtains and saw someone walking through the backyard. The figure was walking fast and ultimately after about thirty seconds of supervision, he lost its sight. His heartbeat began to ease down, as he took in large chunks of breaths. He then turned to the bed once again. And he saw her lying there motionless. Her face was purple and her neck red. There was a trail of tears that slid down the side of her ears. He found himself dropping to the floor beneath. He sat there and watched her, his eyes red and his body hot.
"Ingrid I'm sorry!" He told her, rather himself. "I didn't want this to happen but you left me no choice." He snuffed. "I'm so sorry."