5. (I’LL CROSS HIS PATH AGAIN)

                  THE NEXT DAY

“Martina! Martina!” Caterina yelled from her room with her phone in her hand. She ran down to Martina’s room and opened the door carelessly.

“What the f**k Caterina!” Martina yelled after hearing a loud voice from her sleep which made her jump up in fright.

“Oh my… I’m sorry… I thought you would have been out of bed.” Caterina said in a whisper, narrowing her eyes in regret.

“You thought, and now you see you thought wrong.” Martina said laying on the bed again and pulling the duvet over her.

“It’s 9am already!! Get out of bed.” Caterina said pulling the duvet away from Martina’s body and Martina clenched her fist in anger.

“You ruined my sleep just to tell me it’s 9am?! Caterina I don’t have a job! I don’t need to be up by 9.” Martina stated angrily.

“You don’t have a job? If that is the case, what is all there about? Isn’t this your new job?” Caterina said moving her phone to Martina’s face. Martina opened her almost closed eyes and saw it was the video from last night she was showing her.

“Now I know why you are so annoying this morning.” Martina sighed sitting up and staring at Caterina.

“Tell me… how did you feel when you stood up against him? You must have felt like a superhero.” She uttered happily.

“It was nothing like that Caterina, I was scared, very scared but I had to act like I wasn’t. I almost collapsed in front of him.” She told and Caterina shook her head.

“No way! It looks like you were super brave, like you didn’t care what was going to happen afterwards.” Caterina muttered.

“Nah, it was all an act.” Martina stated yawning loudly.

“And who is this? The man that got you out of the bar? He must be a really nice person.” She said and Martina scoffed.

“Why is that?” She asked.

“He made them know that he knows you, you don’t know what that means? He endangered himself for you. Roberto could decide to go after him instead.” Caterina told and Martina exhaled.

“He shouldn’t have intervened, I think I had it under control.” Martina mumbled.

“You can’t say that, if you stayed in that bar another minute, Roberto could have killed you. He saved your ass, what is his name?” Caterina asked again.

“Rocco, he said his name is Rocco. We met at the bar, he helped me get inside because I didn’t have a card of my own.” Martina narrated.

“That is so nice of him… he is sweet, and pretty handsome too.” Caterina responded watching the video closely again.

“Okay, let me say this now. When I got back home yesterday, I met you sleeping. I wanted to share what happened at the bar so badly with you, so I respected the fact that you were asleep and I didn’t disturb you. Can you please do the same for me? Try not to ruin my sleep?” Martina said and Caterina pressed her lips tightly against each other. She was trying so hard not to laugh.

“What’s funny?” Martina asked and Caterina swallowed the laughter immediately.

“Nothing… I’m not laughing.” She said looking pretty serious and Martina nodded.

“Good, I hope you understood what I said. You like ruining my sleep and you know I hate it.” Martina rumbled.

“I’m sorry okay? It won’t happen again. I promise.” Caterina said sadly and Martina sighed.

“Fine. So… no school today? Why aren’t you prepared?” She asked.

“I don’t want to go, I’d love to stay back home today.” Caterina responded and Martina arched her brows.

“What? Why would you wake up one morning and decide not to go to school, you aren’t sick Caterina. Go and prepare for school right now… is that how you act when I’m not around?” Martina asked unbelievably.

“No, of course not. I just…” She stated and paused after seeing Martina shoot her a deadly look.

“Fine… I’d start preparing. I wanted to spend more time with you since it’s being a long time.” She said pouting her mouth and standing up.

“C’mon Caterina, we could always catch up during the weekends. You shouldn’t joke with your studies, I never did that.” Martina advised.

“Okay, I’d go and prepare now. Are you going out?” She asked and she nodded.

“I’m going to see Alberto soon, but you’d leave first.” She said and Caterina smiled getting up from the bed.

“It’s so funny how you and Alberto didn’t end up together. You two were so in love then.” Caterina uttered as she walked out of the room.

Martina wanted to respond but she kept quiet. She rubbed her face with her hand and squeezed her eyes a little so she could relax the muscles there.

She walked up to her closet and picked a box out of the boxes she had kept there. The box was decorated by flowers, it was her favorite.

She opened it and stared at it for minutes. She picked up the bracelet in it and smiled as she stared at it. Alberto gifted her the bracelet years ago.

She wore it in her hands and it still fitted perfectly.

She pulled out an envelope from the box and opened it. She kept their pictures there, and he began to look at them again.

She smiled at some and even laughed at some, especially the one she took after plastering his face with marshmallows.

“Sometimes you have to let go of the best.” She thought as her eyes heated. She put the picture and bracelet back into the box and covered it.

She placed it in the closet and shut the closet. She sighed and walked back to her bed.

She picked up her phone and immediately her phone began to ring.

“Did he know I was going to pick up the phone?” She thought with a smile on her face as she saw Alberto calling.

“Are you watching me?” She asked and he giggled from the other side of the phone.

“Why would I want to do that?” He asked and she chuckled.

“Good morning .” She greeted sitting on the bed again.

“Did you sleep well? How are you feeling this morning?” Alberto asked.

“Good, very good. Except for the fact that Caterina ruined my sleep again.” She muttered and he laughed.

“Would she ever stop doing that?” He asked.

“I don’t think so…” She answered giggling.

“So, are you at the office already? I’d prepare and start coming very soon.” She told.

“Yes, I got to the office about an hour ago. But you don’t have to rush. Take your time.” He told and she smiled.

“Alright boss.” She said looking at the bracelet she wore.

“Boss? Please don’t call me that. It’s weird hearing it from you.” He said and she laughed.

“See you soon.” She said and she hung up. She exhaled loudly and placed her phone on her bed.

She wore her floppy slippers and stood up, she dragged her feet as she walked to the living room.

“I need a coffee.” She thought.

She got to the living room and headed to the kitchen. She picked up the coffee bag and began to make a creamy one for herself.

“Catarina!! You care for some coffee?!” She yelled.

“Yes!! Thank you!” Caterina responded from her room. She added lots of sugar to the coffee and lots of milk too. That was how she loved hers.  

“You haven’t dressed up… aren’t you seeing Alberto anymore?” Caterina asked walking up to Martina with her backpack.

“I’d leave soon, I had to satisfy my cravings first.” She responded passing the cup of coffee to Caterina.

“Thank you.” She said taking a sip.

“It’s pretty hot, you need to be careful.” Martina warned and she nodded. Martina finished her coffee sooner, and walked to her room.

“You should be gone before I finish in the bathroom. You are running late.” Martina said before shutting her door behind her.

***

AT THE OFFICE

“It’s Martina.” She said knocking on his office door.

“Come in.” Alberto responded. She opened the door and walked into the office. She met Alberto’s wife in the office too, and she gulped and put on a smile.

“Good morning.” She greeted the both of them and his wife smiled widely.

“Good morning Martina, it’s very nice to see you again. Alberto didn’t tell me you are back in town.” She said looking at Alberto.

“I’ve been busy and when I get back home you are always asleep baby. I’m sorry.” He apologized and Martina kept the smile on her face.

“I came few days ago… Work brought me back. I’m not here to stay permanently. How have you been Lucia?” Martina asked.

“Very fine. He has always been a good husband.” She stated and Alberto smiled.

“Don’t mind her Martina. She will end up scolding me after this.” He said and they all laughed.

“I should get going now. Get back to work.” Lucia said kissing on the cheek.

“Bye.” Martina said to her and she winked at her as she walked out of the office.

“She is still very beautiful.” Martina said and Alberto smiled.

“Thank you. We should get to work, come and sit here.” He said pointing to the chair in front of him.

She stood up from the couch she sat and walked to the chair. She sat on it and looked at him.

“So… here, have this.” He said passing a pamphlet to her. She reached for the pamphlet and collected it.

Alberto’s eyes caught with the bracelet on her hand and he held her hand before she could take it back.

“Wow, you still have this.” He said staring at the bracelet.

“Yes, I don’t throw my stuffs away most times.” She said and he let go of her hand.

“I’m sorry.” He said and she shook her head.

“It’s fine. So what is inside this?” She asked opening the pamphlet.

“List of people he has killed, women he has been with, their information and all other necessary things you should know about him.” He said and she nodded.

“This good, I’ll check this when I get home.” She said and he nodded.

“Martina, you know you can stop if you don’t want to do this. We could think of other ways to get him.” He said worriedly and she smiled.

“Alberto, I’m fine with this. Trust me, I’d help you get him. He has been an asshole for so long, time to put an end to that.” She said and he smiled nodding.

“Thank you so much.” He said and she shook her head.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing what I have to do.” She told and he smiled.

“So what is your plan? Last night was incredible, you did really well. I saw you got him to look at you, you got his attention.” Alberto uttered.

“Yes I did, and I’m so happy I did. But that is just the beginning. I’ll cross his path again.” She said and Alberto placed his hands on his table.

“How do you intend doing this?” He asked and she smiled.

“Pretty simple, that same bar but this would be another case. I’m still thinking about it though, I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” She said and he furrowed his brows.

“What are you planning?” He asked.

“I’d go to the bar again, and this time I’d be in a position of help. I mean, I’d pay someone to act like he wants to rap me and then I run to one of Roberto’s men because I’ll make sure I’m pretty close to them.” She said and Alberto narrowed his gaze.

“And what if he kills the person acting like the rapist? Or even you?” He asked.

“He wouldn’t want to kill him because that would mean he is on my side, and he isn’t because I stood against him, this is something that no one has ever done in years. He wouldn’t kill someone that didn’t offend him I guess.” She explained and Alberto nodded thinking about it carefully.

“And what if he kills you?” He asked.

“I bet he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t just want to kill me like that, not after what happened last night. That would mean he is following what the people thinks he should do, and like I researched he liked doing things his own way. Moreover, that’s the main reason why I’d run to his men and not him.” She further explained with confidence and Alberto smiled widely.

“What?” She asked looking at him.

“You are still the very intelligent Martina I knew.” He said and she smiled faintly.