Glancing around her, as if to find an idea, her telephone started to jingle.
It took a couple of rings to bring her from the depth of her considerations, and pacing to the table, she grabbed it and although she couldn’t recognize the caller from the ID, she answered. “Hello.”
“Hi Mom, it’s me, Irina,” a young female voice replied.
“My Goodness, you called perhaps at the best moment,” she commenced explaining. “But have you changed your telephone number?”
“No, I’ve lost my phone, and I’ve asked for another SIM card from my provider. I went to visit a friend of mine, so although they will send the new SIM card, it might take some time before I receive it,” she tried to explain. “You sound shaken, is everything okay?”
With a long exhale, Madlen went to sit on the sofa, where a few moments before she received the news of the death of her boyfriend. “No, nothing is right. Claudio is dead! Someone killed him last night, and a detective just left my apartment. I don’t know what to think, there’s such confusion in my thoughts, and I can’t find a way to organize or control them.”
A long pause of silence fell between them, and the distances became endless, the loneliness unbearable, and the fear crawling from the innermost part of Madlen soul chocked her breath.
“I’m so sorry to hear this! I’m speechless. I’ll get the first flight and reach you...”
“No, Irina. Please, this is not a good time. I need to focus on what to do next, and I need to find an alibi because I was the last person to see him alive yesterday evening.” All Madlen was thinking was not to have any of the people she loved involved in that story. If Irina would have come to spend some time with her, then unavoidably, she would get involved in the murder case.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, but please remember I’m here for you, and whatever you might need, you can count on me. You’re the only person I have dear to my heart, and you know that.” Irina couldn’t hide her concern; she knew that dating one of the customers of the club wouldn’t bring any good news. She was almost waiting for something similar to happen, and as Madlen informed her about the death of Claudio, she understood she was right.
However, Irina couldn’t say she was sorry about his death. She was convinced he was simply using her. She was like a luxury car, for him, something to show up to the friends. Probably it’s better it happened like this; it would have been terrible to be dumped once her beauty would have started to fade with the passing of time. Now she can rebuild her life, and hopefully, with someone who’s worth her trust and love, Irina thought as she waited for Madlen to reply.
“Yes, darling. I appreciate your efforts to help me, but in this situation, you should stay there and far from here. I can’t solve my problems if I need to worry about your safety. When everything is over, we will spend one entire month together; we will go for a holiday where nobody can find us.” That was a promise she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to honor, but it wasn’t the matter of going somewhere together, it was the need of spending some time in each other’s company. That was something she’d been missing.
A frown creased her forehead. “How are you doing, by the way?”
Irina tensed her shoulders, “I’m fine. I’m planning to move away from Auntie’s place. I got a part-time job, and I decided to rent a place and share the expenses with a friend. This also means that if you have problems in sending money, you can save them for yourself.”
“I don’t know for how long I can do so, but I believe I can still help you out until you’re not completely independent financially. The fact that I sent you away doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. Here, I could afford what back home would have been impossible.”
Her heart sank, fearing that from that day on, she had to decide who to help, her daughter or herself. Until she had a job at the club, this wasn’t an issue, and when she accepted the deal offered by Claudio, she thought her problems were finally solved. Strolling to the window, she moved the white curtains aside to glance at the streets. From the living room, she could have the view of the cars coming and going from the gates of the property.
It was a sunny day, and although it was still winter, the chances of fair days like that weren’t ruled out. In other situations, this would have been enough to bring her out of her apartment for a walk in the city or to join her friends to one of their favorite cafeterias. That day, she simply wanted to be alone and think about what to do next. The silence between them was worth more than a thousand words.
Irina sighed, “whenever you need to talk, remember I’m here. Don’t let me out of your problems only because you don’t want to create trouble for me. We’re together, do you remember? We’re still family.”
“I know, it’s just a bad day. I’ll keep you informed about the development, and if I need help, I won’t hesitate to call you.” Madlen ended the conversation with a thousand thoughts chasing each other in her mind, and opened the door to the balcony, where she went to get some well-needed fresh air.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she would have been safer at home and didn’t have any intention of leaving the apartment. The paranoia of being observed, followed, and judged possessed her
