— Diego said they were doing well financially, but the refrigerator is quite empty.
I was in the hallway with the grocery bags —food for dinner, bought after work—. Almost two thousand pesos for one night only.
— I didn’t know the exact time of his arrival —I responded—. That’s why I didn’t make a big purchase before.
— What is that smell? —Aunt Lupita intervened—. In the bathroom it smells musty.
— We had a leak recently —I said briefly—. We’re still fixing it.
I began to put away the shopping, feeling how fatigue accumulated inside me.
Diego was watching his family, asking questions, helping to unpack his bags. I seemed not to exist.
The first three days I held on.
I would get up at half past six and prepare breakfast: eggs and omelette, toast, oatmeal, fruit.
Mariana’s children —Mathew and Camila— they made a bad face:
— This again?
— We don’t like it.
— We want pizza.
Mariana, meanwhile, was lying on the couch with her cell phone.
— Valeria, can you go to the store? The juice is gone.
No «I’m going».
No «we cooperate with each other».
It’s just «over», like I’m free domestic service.
The fourth night I realized I was standing in front of the sink, washing a frying pan and crying.
Silent. Of fatigue and humiliation.
At work it was chaos: an urgent project, impossible times. I got home around eight at night after ten hours working.
The first thing Doña Carmen said was:
— Valeria, what about dinner? We are very hungry.
I looked at her.
I looked at Diego, who was playing on the laptop.
To Mariana with the cell phone.
To Aunt Lupita watching a novel.
— I’m cooking right now —I said with a voice that didn’t seem like mine.
I locked myself in the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. My hands were shaking.
There was only one thought in my head:
I can not more.
The phone vibrated.
A message from my friend Fernanda:
«Okay, I found a last minute deal. A five-day river cruise, very cheap. It leaves the day after tomorrow. You come with me? You need urgent rest».
Five days.
Without cooking.
Without «Valeria, where is she…?» ni «Valeria, do this».w
I opened the bank app. There was my fortnight. My money.
In those days I had spent more than eight thousand pesos in Diego’s relatives. Not a single «thank you».
I responded to Fernanda:
