2024-01-27 11:04:34
Through the window, you could see the curved bay, like a crescent moon, lying next to the old town, and lined with almost rectilinear palm trees.
A belt of sand separated the waves of the sea from the tourist buildings. Looking up, houses, chalets and small mansions rose up the hill.
After the meeting that the “Friends of the Sea” had held, and after coffee, Belinda took her car and went directly to her house. She was tired; She lay down on the couch and decided to check her email.
Suddenly, he paid attention to an email sent by a stranger, whose presentation stood out for its excellent writing and attractive speech. He realized that he came from outside, although he did not know where.
Out of curiosity, he replied, without wondering how he had obtained his address. Shortly after, a man pretended that he was happy to be able to communicate with her, although he apologized, profusely, for taking up her precious time.
Belinda, still surprised, as she continued reading, believed that it was an easy “conquest,” and expressed her opinion.
Very offended, the stranger apologized for having given a wrong image of him, and responded:
I am 55 years old, I am on my way to old age, I work, but I have no family here. I am very sorry that you have formed an idea of me, so far from reality.
I will send you a photo so you can communicate with me, at least having my image.
II
To avoid a bad ending, Belinda thanked him for his words and took the opportunity to ask him where he lived.
He answered, quickly, that in Finland. Next, he asked for his WhatsApp, claiming that they could communicate more directly. However, feeling a sensitive doubt, she preferred that he give his. The man had no problem.
Belinda had had a day of intense work and decided to connect another time.
In the following days, she had to endure a series of questions sent by Leonardo that, between these and Belinda’s timid questions, seemed to give birth to a fragile, unconscious insecurity in the woman, which further fueled the man’s strength.
Despite this, Belinda began to feel more loose and accompanied, like someone who has filled a long-lived weak void.
When the “Friends of the Sea” group arrived on Friday, there was a slight silence among those present. Jorge came in and said: “You look great, Beli.” She gave him a wide smile.
After the meeting, Belinda apologized, did not go to the cafe and quickly returned home. She had decided to connect WhatsApp.
At first he couldn’t. Something was wrong. She wrote to Leonardo to check the number. He sent it to her again. Belinda noted that there was an error in the figures. For a moment, she hesitated… This time she tried it and received a response, “Is that you, Belinda?”
At the same time that he felt like a person again, Leonardo did not stop asking questions of all kinds, without damaging the apparent telephone relationship between the two.
“Hello friend, have you been working at that company for a long time? And what is the “Friends of the Sea” club about?
“Surely, you have a special friend there, who protects you. . .”
Photo: Anastasia Badun
III
The woman responded half-heartedly; because in it a kind of invasion towards her person was mixed, and the frank interest that the man showed.
Belinda got up, still half asleep, and looked in the mirror before taking a shower. She lifted her hair with both hands and then abruptly let go. She repeated the operation for one.
He went to the office with a different outfit: a collarless, dark-colored blouse and matching pants. Her blonde hair fell in a cascade.
It was a way to test herself and see if she could feel more confident in herself.
When they entered, they almost didn’t recognize her. “Beli, where did you leave your bun?” “What a change, baby!” The women were silent; Deep down, they took pity on her.
Belinda smiled. She also tested that same figure with her “Friends of the Sea.” She felt that her insecurity was increasing; that every day she was more confused. Even her memory brought to the present that she was a third daughter until the boy arrived; and the emotions of feeling forgotten or relegated and defenseless returned, of not being able to be her, only occupying a familiar place.
Jorge was a good friend; When he saw her, silence closed his mouth. Moments later, more recovered, he told her: “I see that you have changed your look, Beli, to renew is to live.” And he gave her a wide, acquiescent smile. In this way, he also involved the rest.
After her experiences, she opened the door of her house when her cell phone, still in her bag, was already alerting WhatsApps…
He let it play and went to make himself a coffee, then to the couch! Through the window, a salt-flavored sea air came in. She ignored the communications; She needed to feel like “her,” while she looked at herself in the mirror of the bar cabinet. She would then attend.
IV
I finally find you! Where were you my dear friend? I confess that I was worried about you, but something unexpected and unusual has happened. You see, I am making a monthly deposit, at a well-known car dealership, in order to exchange mine, which I already fear will not pass the next annual inspection.
The fact is that, with the increase in interest due to current inflation, they are asking me for twice as much and I don’t have that amount!
It is very uncomfortable for me to tell you this, but could you lend me one hundred and ten euros with repayment next month? Please, dear, trust me. My surprise was ruined, because I was thinking of driving the new car to the door of your house.
Belinda was astonished. Her unexpected impact prevented him from reacting. Half an hour later, she managed to breathe deeply for several minutes – as Jorge had taught her – and responded:
–I am not the national bank.
Belinda, is this how you treat a friend? Have you never asked for help? You are good and generous. How is it possible that you leave a faithful friend without help? Please, I will pay you back even with interest, if you think about that.
–Leonardo, don’t insist. It’s my first and last word. And now I need to rest.
During that afternoon and evening, he had analyzed everything that had happened. Point by point. Then, she reflected clearly on how she had interacted with the stranger. She felt like a teenager. However, she went much further. In reality, she came to confusion.
V
That night, rubbing his bare feet on the sand, as he walked in the moonlight, like someone watching a movie, he recounted how he had lived his existence. Until that other male, adverse figure arrived, who struck the blow and broke the image she saw.
In that coming and going of his life, the words that his mother once spoke emerged in his sonorous memory, “when you see your face reflected in the mirror, every morning, think about how you see yourself, and how others see you.” Belinda knew how to see, but in the mirror of her soul.
The next morning, he woke up, grabbed his cell phone and with a sure hand blocked that Leonardo.
#MIRROR #story #Martha #Rojas #ACHTUNG