Alejandro's mood immediately fell once the call ended. He was worried about his daughter. Esmeralda wasn't the type to break down easily, and hearing her sob over the phone had shattered his heart.
As he wrestled with his thoughts, his wife, Camila, emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of duros. Noticing the grave expression on his face, her brow furrowed. Just minutes ago, he had been excited about the call with their daughter, and now he looked despondent.
"¿Cuál es con el largo cara, mi amor? (What's with the long face, my love?)" she asked, setting the bowl down on the table near him.
"Our daughter is coming home," Alejandro replied simply, his voice heavy.
"That is good, then," she said nodding before she continued, "It's been almost a year since she went to Las Vegas, and I was beginning to think our daughter doesn't have a heart. At least she should come home, bring us some goodies from Las Vegas, and maybe stay for a day or two before going back."
Alejandro was taken aback by Camila's words. He stared at her in disbelief, speechless.
"Why are you staring at me like I said something wrong?" She asked. "If she stays here for days, what is going to happen to her job? How will she keep sending in money? You know we need it."
"¡Es decir suficiente, Camila! (That is enough, Camila)," he commanded, his voice firm. He couldn't bear to listen to the nonsensical things spilling from her mouth any longer. "She is coming back home to stay because she got fired. You need to mentally and physically prepare to welcome her back, and you shouldn't dare give her a hard time when she returns because she has already been through a lot."
Camila was taken aback by how her husband rebuffed her, but she quickly regained her composure and shrieked, "Esmeralda was fired. How unlucky can she be?"
Estelle, hearing her mother's voice, rushed out. "¿Qué es mal, mamá? (What is wrong, Mom?)" Her eyes landed on the bowl of duros, and she bent down to grab a handful.
"Your unlucky sister got fired from her job, so she's coming home to be a burden on us," Camila said coldly.
"Mamà, does that mean no more money from her?" Estelle asked with her mouth full. She, like Camila, was selfish and cold-hearted toward Esmeralda.
Before Camila could respond, Alejandro sprang to his feet and stormed inside. He couldn't take it anymore. How cruel could his wife and daughter be towards Esmeralda? For years, he had battled the unfair treatment she received at home. When Esmeralda told him about her plans to go to Las Vegas, he had immediately supported her. He believed that distance would help her escape their unjust treatment and that maybe time apart would change things for the better. It seemed he had been wrong.
That night, Alejandro tossed and turned, unable to find peace. The anguish in his heart over Esmeralda's situation mingled with his frustrations about his family's treatment of her.
The next morning, he was jolted awake by terrible news from one of his workers: their imported goods had been confiscated at the port. Alejandro felt as though his lungs couldn't take in much air. He owned a large wine shop, a business he had nurtured for years without incident. Why now? What could the port officials have found wrong with his wine to warrant such drastic action?
He threw on some clothes and, just as he stepped outside, his gaze met that of an unexpected visitor. "¿Cómo son? ¿Qué haces, Oscar? ¿Qué traes aquí? (How are you? What brings you here, Oscar?)"
Oscar, a notorious loan shark known for his cruelty and heartlessness, stood in the courtyard facing Alejandro with a plain expression. He adjusted the hat on his head and walked closer to Alejandro assisted by his staff. The staff has a sculpted skull design at the top made with gold and having a plain gold body. This was Oscar's distinctive characteristic. He never went anywhere without it.
His face darkened as he said, "Ahorra los cumplidos. (Save the pleasantries.) I'm here to collect mi dinero. (My money.)"
"Your money? But it hasn't been six months since we agreed on that. Why are you asking for it now?" Alejandro was taken aback.
He had borrowed money from the man standing right in front of him, accompanied by five of his thugs, who stood menacingly nearby. Although Alejandro appeared calm on the outside, panic swirled within him. Being on Oscar's bad side was a dangerous place to be, and Alejandro regretted following Camila's advice.
Three months ago, he had been persuaded by Camila to take a loan from Oscar when his wine shop was struggling and on the verge of closing. He had laid off almost all of his workers, retaining only three capable ones, yet he still couldn't manage the business effectively and that was when Camila convinced him. He had initially wanted just one million pesos but she had insisted that a loan of two million pesos would give them the boost they needed, arguing that one million wouldn't be enough.
Alejandro had hesitated, aware of others who had borrowed from Oscar and never managed to repay him. Most were unable to pay back their debts, often ending up in dire situations. But Camila's insistence that they were hard-working individuals convinced him otherwise. They were individuals who simply squandered their funds once they had successfully borrowed from Oscar. He believed that he was not like those people; he was diligent and capable of paying back the loan.