03

James didn’t see the woman get in front of the car until it was too late. He even tried to brake, but it wasn’t fast enough. The woman hit her capo and fell to the ground, unconscious. 

Thanks to the rain, there weren’t many people on the street. If he got out of there now, no one would notice it was him. He could get out of there and get on with his life. That little incident wouldn’t tarnish his life.

But the girl would stay there, lying on the street, until someone else passed. She could die there. And it would be all his fault.

James was guilty of many bad things in life, but murder was not one of them. 

The rain began to tighten. He needed to decide quickly what to do. 

James took her in his arms and put her in the car. He knew it wasn’t right, he shouldn’t move a person after an accident, she could have broken something. And she was also bleeding. He shouldn’t touch someone else’s blood. But that second, that decision, he didn’t think of any of it. He picked her up and put her in the car and drove as fast as possible to the nearest hospital.

Esmeralda was slightly aware of what was happening around her. She knew she’d been hit by a car. She knew she’d fainted. She felt someone holding her up and lifting her up. 

She opened her eyes a little and saw a boy, who she thought was driving. This was strange: why would she be in a car and not in an ambulance? After that, she blacked out.

James did not notice that she had woken up and fainted again. His head was far away in thoughts. He was worried that that incident would stain his life. 

He would marry in three days and thanks to this event, he would inherit his father’s company.

He fought hard to get there! His father died and left the architectural firm to him, an inheritance which, according to a clause in his will, he could only have access to after marrying. 

It wasn’t as difficult to find a bride in such little time as he thought it would be. In three months he had already found a girlfriend, and two months after dating, he took the ring out of his pocket and proposed marriage.

Now he would get married and inherit the architecture firm. It was a perfect combo! But if your mother knew that he’d run someone over, she’d surely find a way to get him out of her will, which she’d tried before.

Then nothing could go wrong. And now everything could go down the drain thanks to that inconvenient accident.

Maybe he could just drop her off outside the hospital, but that would be suspicious. The hospital had security cameras all over the entrance, so it would be easy to tie him to the crime. 

Maybe he could say he found her on the street like that. He would come out as the hero, which would be a good thing.

They got to the hospital. He ran in to ask for help. and in a few seconds, he returned and accompanied some doctors, who took Esmeralda from the car. 

James even tried to leave, but some nurses pulled him aside to learn some information about the girl he brought.

-What is her name?

James had to think. He should have checked her pockets before he got to the hospital. 

-I don’t know, I found her lying on the street.

-Was she just lying there? Was she hit by a car or something?

-I don’t know, I just found her fallen.

-All right, we’re gonna need some information, please come with me. 

-Wait, information from me?

-Yes, we will need an emergency contact.

-But I don’t even know her and I’m late for a meeting.

-Sir, it’ll only take a minute, I promise. We need a contact in case we need to take the case to the police.

-Police? Do we need to involve the police in this?

-Sir, it’s standard procedure, please come with me. 

James thought it best not to contest, he might raise some unwanted suspicion. He filled out the forms and thought it best to wait there. If they were indeed going to call the police, it would be better if no one knocked on his door.

And it would be nice to have some free time. Not that being in the hospital could be called free time, but he could take the time to answer some emails and return some important calls. With the marriage coming and the ownership of the company, he had almost no time for anything.

It took two hours for someone to come talk to him. One of the doctors approached him while he was on a call and he needed to ask for a minute. It was rude but necessary.

-Sorry, Doctor, that was an important call.

-No problem, it’s not like I have other patients to attend to.

James smiled with irony.

-So, how is the girl?

-Well, the accident wasn’t very serious. She broke her leg and hit her head hard, which caused her to faint, but she didn’t have any serious injuries. Of course, I recommend a little rest, but she’ll be fine. We called the police to find out what happened, but if you want to go home, you can go now.

Great, the police! James was already thinking that no one would call the police, he was almost relieved. 

-Could I see her while the cops don’t come?

-Sure, have you filled out the visitor’s form?

-Yes, I did.

-Great, then come with me.

James walked the doctor down the aisles. He hated hospitals. Sick people were vulnerable to James’s vulnerability. 

They arrived. Room forty-three! The doctor knocked three times on the door and entered. The woman was lying down, her face full of bruises. 

-You have a visitor.

The doctor smiled and left, leaving James and the woman alone. An awkward silence fell between the two. 

-Hi...

-Did you run me over?

Okay, she was direct! That would be a problem.

-No, I’m just helping you, I found you on the street and brought you here.

-And you waited here until I woke up. Why? 

-Because I’m a good person.

Esmeralda tried to laugh, but the action made her feel pain, and she stopped.

-What’s the matter with you?

-Please, no one is so good, not without a reason. Did you run me over, yes or no?

James sighed. He needed to get around that situation somehow.

-Yes, you entered the middle of the street suddenly and there was no time to stop.

-You should be driving too fast not to be able to stop.

-No, no, no. I was driving at a proper speed, it was you who crossed without paying attention.

-I disagree. And I think the police will agree with me.

-We don’t need to involve the police in this.

-Comrade, I’ve been fired, I’ve been run over, I’ll have to spend money I don’t have on hospital bills, the only thing I can do is talk to the police. 

-But it wasn’t all my fault.

-I’ll let the police decide that.

-Yeah, but... if you talk to the police you might complicate me and I don’t think you need to. We can keep the story that I found you on the street. So no one loses.

Esmeralda wanted to laugh again, but she knew it would cause another pain. 

-I’m gonna lose it.

-You’re already in a hospital bed, there is not much for you to lose.

-Is that how you want to convince me to tell the police it wasn’t you?

-What do you want? Money?

Esmeralda wanted money, but she knew that no amount he could afford would improve his life, but it was better than nothing. 

Only if she did, she’d be willing to be bought.

-I don’t want your money.

-Come on, everybody wants money. Name your price.

-You can’t pay my price.

-Just say what you want, girl?

-What do I want? I want not to be stuck in a hospital bed with my broken fucking leg. I do want not to have lost my job. I’m sorry, sir, but life is not made of what we want.

-Mine is my own!

Esmeralda considered sending the shit. There was nothing she hated more than people who had their lives in the palms of her hands.

-Well, that’s too bad for you, because I’m not for sale.

James saw that it was pointless to offer him more money. She did not look like someone who would accept to be bought and he was afraid that if he kept insisting, he could make the situation worse. He decided to try another way.

-Okay, you don’t want money. But I know something you might want.

-I highly doubt it!

-How about a job?

Esmeralda blinked. It was a better offer than asking for money.

-What kind of job are we talking about?

James smiled, finally he had managed to get her attention.

-I don’t know, what can you do?

Esmeralda had to think. She didn’t know how to do much. James noticed her hesitation.

-Are you studying? - Esmeralda denied - Have you graduated?

-I didn’t get a chance to study, okay? I didn’t have the money to start college or anything like that. 

-So, you’re disqualified? 

-Hey, careful, buddy, you need me to like you, remember?

James sighed. He needed to be a little gentler if he wanted to get her to agree to tell his side of the story. He raised his hands as if surrendering.

-All right, I’m sorry. What I meant was that you don’t have many qualifications. What were you doing at your last job and why were you fired?

-I worked in a wedding dress shop as a seamstress. I was fired because of a cow who didn’t like my face very much.

Great, she had no qualifications that could be useful to him. He thought about putting her to work on the cleaning part, but thought she would be offended.

-All right... I can’t think of any work for you.

-What do you work with?

-I am an architect.

It was a way of shortening his true function. He didn’t want her to try to take advantage of him.

-I can work at your firm.

-You don’t have a resume necessary for that.

-I meant, I can work as your assistant.

-Your resume isn’t even good for that. Won’t it be easier if I just give you the money?

-I’ve already said, I don’t want your money. If I work for you, you won’t owe me.

-But how long will this situation extend? I can’t hire you forever.

-It’s not forever. The doctor said I’m gonna be in this cast for two months. Until then, it will be very difficult to find employment, after all, as you pointed out, I have no qualifications. You give me a job until I’m better and at the end of my contract, a good letter of qualification. And then we’re even.

It seemed like a reasonable deal. And he’d get rid of a problem with the police.

All right, we got a deal.

-Great.

-Great.

-Great.

James considered saying one last "great" but he didn’t want the mood to get any more awkward.

-So, what’s your name?

-You hit me, and you don’t know my name?

-Do you know my name?

-James.

First, James was surprised. How did she know his name? But then he remembered he was wearing a nametag. Esmeralda smiled.

-All right, you got me, what’s your name?

Someone knocked on the door and a policeman put his head inside.

-Excuse me, miss, I can come in.

Esmeralda blinked at James, a small sign that showed they had a deal.

-Yes, sir. My name is Esmeralda.