A cell phone alarm sounded and storm clouds gave way to a starry sky that Natalia looked through the sunburner of her truck as he drove back to Ciudad del Carmen.
-I hope that now you can tell me more things about you, because I don't think you want me to start finding out my affection.
She tells him as she ran her hand around his neck stroking his hair.
-Yes, of course, but the first thing you have to know after everything that has happened, is that the more you know about me and I know about you...
-Sooner we will know when we will have to leave...
She tells him interrupting him.
-I already know that, love, because you use that phrase several times throughout the story of the street woman, but you are wrong because you and I will never have to go anywhere.
-I hope so.
Martín answers her while listening to that classic in English: "Smooth operator" by Sade on the radio.
"Now you can tell me; What is your current situation?
Natalia asks him, recharging as much as she could on his arm while he was driving.
-If you refer to civil I am a widower, at work, I am unemployed and without any proposal, in the family I am the father of two 22-year-old women, but as if I had never had them because they are over 7 years ago, I do not see them, I have no parents or siblings and as my parents did not have siblings either, Well, I have no uncles, cousins, or nephews, economically, because just a little money in my wallet and Nothing in my bank account, in fact if it hadn't been for a girl I met in the park the night after I arrived, I would have been sleeping in the park, on the street, on the boardwalk or in jail, the last nights.
- So a prostitute pays for your hotel?
Natalia asks, turning away sharply and furiously, and said:
- Get off of mi car right now, and get away from me!
To which Martín responded calmly, activating the turn signals, pulling himself to stop, and taking his backpack from the back, he opened the door of the truck telling her, while removing his belt.
-She is the opposite of what you say, and you do not have to insult her, because you do not know her and she has not done anything to you.
And he got off to continue on foot along the road, and although they had already reached the first houses of the city, there were still about 3 hours to dawn and a long way to go.
Natalia looked at him without flinching, but after a minute, she lost sight of him, because the lights of the truck did not reach him and she reacted suddenly, getting off to reach him running, and hugging him in a submissive attitude as an apology for her outburst of irreverent jealousy.
A heavy freighter passed slowly, and when it stopped it opened the door and Martín said smiling.
-All good friend, there is nothing to worry about.
- All good miss? –the driver asked Natalia to make sure,
"If all right, sir, we were just talking.
And the driver of the heavy unit understood that they only had marital problems and sounding the horn resumed its march.
-Forgive me please because I know I have nothing to claim from you, but you have to know that what happened with us a while ago, I had never done with anyone. – says Natalia when he resumed the truck.
- What exactly do you mean?
- Because I had never been with another man who was not my husband! And although I have plenty of suitors, I had never dared, precisely for that reason my sister gave me your book of The woman of the street so that the religious that I am, could be taken away from me; And boy did he get it! I had never known this about unfaithful men and lovers and all those things, but now I can confess that when I saw you on the boardwalk throwing the fishermen's net, I decided to sin for the first time, thinking that you would be the only or perhaps the first of many, but I decided at last, although I can also tell you that you are so attractive and manly that you would take away the persigned to Mother Teresa of Calcutta herself.
-First let me clarify that here the lover is me and you are the unfaithful.
- Hear me that I am not a lover, here the lover will be you!
"Well, that's what I told you, heart. He tells her.
-In addition you are also unfaithful to the one paid by the hotel.
She tells him turning furious as soon as she touched the subject and Martín parked in a convenience store, to buy a couple of coffees with cinnamon in what she had the courage.
-If you already calmed down, let me tell you that she does not pay me the hotel, but rather it is like a loan that I will return to her as soon as I can, so we agreed and she accepted, I do not usually live on women, but in the situation I knew her I had no choice.
"So the very wretched took advantage of you and your situation; How much do you owe her? Tell me to make you a check! I'd rather you owe it to me than to that cynical and profiteer.
Natalia says feeling anything but serene and pulling a checkbook out of her carry-on bag.
- So if you had passed through the park that morning and found me there with my backpack, my old shoes and my suitcase, the one taken advantage of would have been you?
-I would not have taken you to a filthy cheap hotel, I would have taken you to my house in Isla Guadalupe, to make sure you were okay; You would have gone to the boardwalk , love! Every day I passed by looking for my future first sin, looking for you; Why the hell didn't I go to the park to look for you better? I'm stupid!
Natalia says already showing more desperation than anger at what Martín took advantage of, parking the truck on the boardwalk to hug and reassure her.
-Ok, let's do one thing, I pass by my suitcase to the hotel and you go for your things to your house, and we live happily ever after; What do you think?
- Should you do that for me? –incredulous question.
-Deal or not deal?
He tells her showing her his hand so that she would shake it, in order to close the deal.
"Forgive me, but I could never leave my children. –she says, excusing herself, -I would never leave my children.
Bring them now with you or bring them later or bring them whenever you want, I want you by my side with the whole package.
Natalia finally separated and fixed her hair and her blouse told her, more serene and controlled.
-I can not Martín , I think you already know that I am married to the father of my two sons of 7 years and a daughter of 15, he takes me 25 years and is sick, he is a good man and a good husband, and I can not leave him like that anything else, forgive me, but I can not do it, now go to this side, because I'm going to leave you at your hotel, and hopefully there is the wretched one who took advantage of you and tells us something, Because I'm going to drag it to the boardwalk to throw it into the sea.
-In addition!
She says making a sudden gesture to open the glove compartment, and take out a set of keys from which she set aside a couple of them.
-These are the keys to my house in Isla Guadalupe and I want you to keep them, so that when you want to go as soon as you arrive and stay there whenever you want.
She says offering them, but before they were refused, she threw them through the opening of her backpack.
-Take this check so that you pay your debt and do not owe anyone, that's why you have me.
-I really do not need it Natalia, I have no money nor am I rich, but remember that I am your favorite writer.
-And the last day of each month they send me my royalties, and two months ago I had very good sales in the Spanish market and this month I have to collect them, I assure you that it will be very good for me to pay my debt and to survive a few more days.
He tells her receiving the check, that insistently gave him, but breaking it into several pieces instantly without seeing the amount, the lady seemed not to react to what she did and started to head to the hotel, Martín guessed her intention to take her courage in another way, in another place and with another person, and addressed a personal prayer to the huge statue of the Virgin of Carmen, that in the lower part of its pedestal had the name of "Stella Maris" written, when they were passing in front of her so that at no time, Natalia would meet Dolores, because at that moment Ciudad del Carmen was going to burn, fortunately the dreaded event did not happen, and Natalia's cell phone rang since his did not have a battery and when he picked up he just said:
-I'm going mom, I'm late because I got a flat tire and the mechanic was late, but I'm coming.
And barely hanging up he hugged him.
-Forgive me little Mirror, I know I look like a beardless little girl, But I can't control this because it's completely unknown to me, let's talk, let's get to know each other and you'll see that neither of us will have to go; Will you forgive me my beautiful Soulless Mirror?
"Yes, I forgive you, but don't call me like that anymore.
It was almost 5 o'clock in the morning when she finally said goodbye: Martín felt a little hungry and looked for a place to have breakfast, because he did not want to reach the battle he would have to fight, in case she was waiting for him in the room, the girl in the green look, but no, calmly had some coffee with bread and when he did not find it, he connected his cell phone that ended his ignition protocols in what he finished bathing, and no missed call from her cell phone had, nor WhatsApp messages, which indicated that as she had indicated, She wasn't going to be able to see him that day and she couldn't call him.