Chapter 3

Somehow I walked up the road and got into a taxi, I didn't even go back to my section to pick up my bag, I wanted to scream and break something, but I bit my lower lip and kept quiet the whole way. The taxi was pretty fast, but the way back home seemed like forever.

How did this happen? Why didn't I see the signs? I should never have dated Fernando. When I met him, he gave me a good impression, but it turned out to be the opposite of what I thought. I thought he loved me, but it was all a farce, he only saw me as a challenge, he thought that he could change my way of being, but he was wrong and I made the same mistake in thinking that I could change him. What a fool I was. The tears wanted to come out of my eyes, but somehow I kept them inside. All I wanted at the time was to lock myself in my room.

I opened the door of my house and entered with slow steps. Without a doubt it would be very difficult to tell my mother what had happened, at first I had justified Fernando's actions believing his lies and now I felt like a fool for having done it. It turned out to be the trash everyone said it was. I should have listened to my parents and my friends, if I had, I would have avoided all that suffering.

I entered my room feeling terrible. Fernando was not worth it and I did not want his act of cowardice to affect me, but he did a lot.

The anger made me throw all the things that I had in front of the mirror, I felt that my blood was boiling. Nothing made me feel better. I threw a glass vase on the floor and the vase made a huge noise as it shattered, glass scattered everywhere, but I didn't mind in the least. I hit my left hand against the nightstand and I felt a strong pain go through my body. The blood started running all over my hand and I panicked, what had happened? It took me a moment to realize that I had been injured with a piece of glass, my day couldn't get any worse. I was always very afraid of blood so panic soon took hold of me, I couldn't see the wound well but it was definitely very big…great!. At least it didn't have the piece of glass embedded in it.

I grabbed a handkerchief and covered my wound. I wanted to forget everything that happened, but I couldn't. I curled up in my bed and covered myself with a quilt up to my neck. I didn't want to cry but tears came out of my eyes uncontrollably. It was very difficult to be positive about love after what I had just experienced.

Around noon I heard someone knock on the door and wondered who it might be. I wiped away my tears and went downstairs. I opened the door and saw it was Isaac, he was carrying my backpack over his shoulder and he looked very worried.

“Isaac, what are you doing here?” I asked surprised.

“You disappeared from nowhere and I cared a lot about you ... Were you crying?” His tone of voice was so low it sounded like a whisper.

“Not at all, there is no reason to cry,” I replied as I pondered how terrible my appearance must be.

“And why did you leave the university?”

“It's a long story, you better go inside.”

Isaac entered and the first thing he saw was the bandage on my hand.

“Kim! What happened to you?” He exclaimed in surprise.

“It was an accident. Is nothing.”

Isaac put my backpack aside to take a look at my hand.

“We have to go to the hospital,” he stated immediately.

“We are not going anywhere.”

“Your wound is very large, aren't you seeing?”

“You sound like my father.”

“Why don't you want to take care of you Kim?”

“Because I don't like hospitals.”

“That is not a valid reason.”

“I'm not going and you can't force me,” I said decidedly.

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

“So you think?”

Suddenly Isaac carried me on his shoulders, grabbed the key to the house and slammed the front door shut.

“Put me down! What's wrong with you?” I wanted to get off his shoulder and started kicking, but I couldn't do anything because he was very tall and strong.

Isaac stopped a taxi and put me on the ground just as I started to feel nauseous.

“What's the matter with you?” Saying that I pushed him. I was furious.

“Don't be ridiculous Kim, what do you think was going to happen when your parents returned from work?”

Obviously they would have taken me to the hospital. It was better this way, but I wouldn't admit it. I tried to calm down.

“At least let me pick up a tissue or something.”

Isaac offered me his handkerchief and I reluctantly grabbed it. He opened the door of the taxi for me and I had no other choice but to enter. I wiped my eyes and cheeks and tried to control my emotions. I hadn't make up that day so I shouldn't have looked like a raccoon, I probably had a cockroach face sprayed.

It didn't take us long to get to the ER, I wanted to escape but couldn't because I was under Isaac's strict surveillance, I gave my details to the nurse behind the counter and then Isaac and I proceeded to sit in the room. Standby.

Isaac stretched out his legs and put his left arm on the back of my seat. I just stood with my arms crossed and avoided his gaze.

“Are you still angry?”

“I was very late to impart patience and you know it perfectly,” I replied disgusted.

Isaac smiled.

“Sorry if I made you mad, but we had to come yes or yes,” he whispered.

“You didn't need to carry me on your shoulder.”

“Would you have come otherwise?”

Never.

“Maybe,” I lied.

  Isaac grabbed my left hand and started stroking my wrist.

  “How did you cut yourself?”

I took a deep breath and tried to contain all the emotions I carried inside. Isaac was always right when he told me that Fernando didn't suit me, but I never wanted to hear it. How could I be so stupid?

“Fernando turned out to be everything you said.” I paused and stared at him, my statement didn't seem to surprise him in the least. Was he waiting all this time for me to realize it? “He said horrible things to me...” I wasn't able to finish the sentence.

“That wretch” there was a lot of contempt in his words “the next time I see him he will not escape alive.”

“It doesn't matter Isaac, leave it like that...”

“How can you say that?” He interrupted me full of anger, “Are you planning to continue with him after everything he did to you?”

“Of course not, he and I are nothing anymore. I'm not that stupid.”

Isaac closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.

“I am very glad to hear that, I have wanted you to break up with him for a long time.”

“I wish I could say that I left him, but Fernando was faster than me.”

Isaac frowned and looked skeptical.

“You are kidding, right?”

“I'm not in the mood to joke, I assure you. I had planned to quit, I was determined to do it, but I think he knew what I was going to do and he preferred to go ahead.”

“How can he be so dumb? I assure you that it will not take him a week to regret it.”

“Don't even think of him approaching me again.”

“Don't tell me you cut yourself for that,” Isaac questioned me with a serious expression.

“Of course not! How can you think that? I cut myself on glass; that was it.”

“So it was an accident?”

I looked at Isaac impatiently.

“Do you think I can cut my veins?”

“I don't know, maybe I have to go to a psychologist.”

“Shut your mouth,” Saying that, I hit him on the shoulder with my good hand, but the blow hurt me more than it did him.

“You should have looked for me, I would have taken you home. You risked a lot by leaving alone.”

“Okay, let's suppose you're right.”

“It's not an assumption, it is.”

Isaac pulled out his phone and showed me the countless times he dialed me.

“I called you more times than I can remember. Why did you not answer my calls?”

“I didn't even remember my phone, I don't know where it is. I guess I left it quiet” I mused.

He opened his backpack and gave me a package full of my favorite chocolates. The astonishment invaded me, it was just what I needed.

“Thank you very much! How did you know I had a hunger attack?”

“You always have a hunger attack.”

Isaac made me laugh a lot with his witticisms and helped me stay distracted until the nurse called me.

“Kim Coleman.”

I got up and the nurse guided me to an office, the first thing I saw at the door was the name Romero. It wasn't until that moment that I remembered Ezra's words, he said he would be on duty in the emergency room. I had such a hectic day that I completely forgot about it, but at that point nothing mattered to me anymore, I just wanted the earth to open up and swallow me up. I had no choice so I opened the door and went inside.

Ezra was writing something and didn't look up instantly. His work was far from over, but despite his intense work he still looked very handsome. That could not be denied. He started going through a new file and I assumed it was mine.

“Well...” He was silent for a moment. It was clear that the name had become familiar. When he finally looked up he was very surprised to see me.

“Kim, what are you doing here?”

I forced a smile and showed him my wound.

“I cut my hand,” I replied, feigning indifference.

“Oh… I see. Have a seat please.”

I dropped into the death chair and I couldn't help but get nervous, I didn't like hospitals. Ezra began searching through his desk drawers for supplies.

“What happened to you? In the morning you looked good” he questioned me.

“I cut myself on glass, it was an accident.”

Ezra sat across from me and put on his gloves. My heart started beating very fast and I had to give myself an internal sermon "Calm down Kim, it's not a big deal"

“I'm going to clean the wound, okay?”

I nodded and he started to do his job. At first it seemed to me that he was holding my hand very gently and at that moment I felt no pain, but when he began to disinfect my wound with alcohol I wanted to die. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. I just wanted it all to be over soon.

 “Did you cut yourself in college?” He asked.

 “I was actually at my house.”

“Well, it must have been a very ugly accident because I'll have to put points on you.”

"Curse."

“So, will I have to go back?” I asked worried. The question was unnecessary, but the situation was beginning to despair.

“If you want, I can go to your house and remove them.”

“Really? Can you do that?”

“Of course Kim, no problem. After all, you are my favorite neighbor.”

His words made me uncomfortable.

“I thank you very much doctor.”

“There is no need for such formality between us. Call me by my name.”

I didn't say anything, but calling him by his name seemed very personal to me.

“I am going to start placing the stitches. I want you to take a deep breath and not move.”

Internally I had a heart attack and a fit of hysteria, but on the outside I pretended to be the strongest person in the world. I did everything he asked me to do and it ended faster than I expected. I couldn't feel more relieved.

“Thank you so much for everything. I'm terrified of this kind of thing, but you made it easy for me.”

“Don't worry Kim, I told you that you could come to me for anything you need so don't worry.”

Ezra gave me a series of prescriptions for pain and inflammation and I was finally ready to go. I thanked Ezra for all his attentions and joined Isaac in the hall.

“Was the process as traumatic as I am imagining?” Isaac asked with an expression of concern when he saw the dots on my hand.

“Not really, I guess it was because my new neighbor took care of me and was very nice to me.”

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

“You haven't told me you have a new neighbor.”

“I just didn't want to remember that it exists”

“I guess I forgot,” I replied with a shrug.

Isaac made sure to get me safely home and then he took a taxi and went to his own house.

That night I had to explain everything that happened to my parents and they were very concerned about my injury. But it was also obvious that they were relieved that I  had turned the page with Fernando.

“He is mentally retarded, don't worry about his opinion. I just hope he doesn't get in my way because I don't know what I would be capable of,”my dad said.

I believed him 100% because he was a very overprotective father who knew no limits.

“He is a very immature man. I am very happy to know that he is no longer in your life because you deserve something better” my mother commented as she looked at me sweetly, “I am sure that one day you will find the right man for you, it is only a matter of time.”

I didn't respond to my mom and just stared at my nails. I didn't want to admit it, but I felt very hurt and a part of me had stopped believing that one day I would find the love of my life.

“If you want, I can introduce you to some people.” I'll turn my head so fast that my neck ached and my parents started laughing at my expression. Had my mom really said that?

“I'd rather decline your offer,” I replied.

The very idea made me uncomfortable.

“It's a good idea.” My dad was surprisingly supportive.

I took a second to imagine them on their relentless pursuit. They were fully capable of searching sky, sea and land for the best suitors in the world so it was best to keep them out.

“Let me search on my own for about 30 years and if I turn 51 single, I promise you that I will leave you in charge,” I joked.

My mom took a sip of her tea and when she heard me she started shaking her head.

“None of that, I want many grandchildren.”

I widened my eyes, she never ceased to amaze me.

“That's not realistic, mom.”

“You could have children and give me their custody.”

Her lawyer mentality sooner or later had to come to light.

“Brilliant, I don't see what can go wrong,” I scoffed.

Talking to my parents made me feel so much better. The phrase: I told you so never came out of their mouths, but it was a truth that I couldn't deny, they had warned me.

I left my parents alone in the living room and I did my best to clean my room, when I finished there was no trace of what had happened. I was upset with myself for hurting myself and promised myself that I would never do anything like that again.

I got ready to sleep and took my pain pills, but I didn't fall asleep as quickly as I would have liked and that made me remember over and over again all of Fernando's offensive words. It was obvious that he had never truly loved me, I should never have wasted my time with him. He didn't want to make the same mistake again for the world.