Yesterday (Part One - Chapters 7 & 8) (Patreon)

CHAPTER 7

Eva had been confined to her room all day upset and waiting for Adrian to call her back.

She needed witnesses to her confinement so that she could torture him for a while when he got back. She had it in for him.

Her cell phone rang, it was a hidden number.

––Hello?

––Eva Samper? –– asked a female voice.

––Yes, who is it?

––Hello, my name is Claudia Garcia and I call you from the Hospital Universitario La Fe in Valencia.

Eva paled.

––Are you related to Adrian Gonzalez Castro?

––Yes, I'm his fiancée –– Eva was freaking out ––Did something happen to him?

––I can't elaborate much more at this time, but we decided it was best to call you because of his situation. Mr. Gonzalez was brought to the hospital at noon. He suffered a syncope, presumably due to a mild trauma and is quite disoriented. We've got him in the E.R. under observation since then. We found your number in his personal belongings and I'm calling you because he may have to stay in the hospital for a few days so we can do some tests.

––Didn't you say it's mild?

––The trauma, yes, but the high level of disorientation he is suffering would not allow him to function. We need to perform a series of screening tests on him, CT and X-rays are being done right now, the rest of them are scheduled for tomorrow morning..

––I'll be right there –– Eve interrupted her.

––You' ll be briefed when you arrive at the front desk. I'll notify them.

––Thank you for calling, good evening.

––Good afternoon, ma'am.

––Mom! –– Eva called out from her room –– call the driver, I'm going to Valencia!

She grabbed her purse in a hurry and went out into the hall, but her mother stopped her.

––And where are you going so late, child?

––Adrian is hospitalized in Valencia –– she yelled at her as she stumbled down the stairs –– they just called me, I have to go now.

––But what happened to him? –– Her mother asked as she was chasing her down the hall.

––I don't know, Mom... Something about a concussion... What do I know, he had a syncope and they told me that he was disoriented, that he was admitted, would you please tell the driver?

––The driver is out with your father, don't you remember?

––How do I get to Valencia now? –– She turned to her in frustration.

––I could drive you ––she proposed with a shrug.

––Mom, if you take me, we won't be there the day after tomorrow..

She was freaking out.

––Eva, honey, just calm down, it will be all right, let me get my purse and keys and I'll take you anywhere you need to go ––she said trying to soothe her.

––I need money, Mom! –– said Eva, looking hastily into her purse ––. Bring me to the cab stop and I will hopefully be there before midnight.

CHAPTER 8

I don't regard myself as a religious person. But I do remember that as a child I was fascinated by Jesus of Nazareth. So much so that, many nights, already wrapped up in bed, I would concentrate and imagine him as I frowned and clenched my eyes firmly, trying to reach him. I was raised a catholic. We were taught to pray in school, and from then on, every night I prayed to him fervently and secretly to ensure that he would listen to me.

But he wouldn't answer me, and I ended up freaking out, what if he was mad at me? Was I that bad a person?

I began to be more aware of my actions and to dedicate a little bit of each day to being better with my environment just in case. I would go out and play with my friends and sometimes I would get alone on purpose to talk to him aloud.

––See? I'm a good boy. My name is Adri, and this is what I do when I go out on the playground.

Until one morning I felt stupid saying it, and that same night I stopped praying. Eventually all that faded into a vague memory, but inside I kept suspecting that somehow there was some truth to it.

I remember my whole childhood being very curious, aware of every detail, looking for signs, testing myself. Anything that would help me to glimpse, even for a second, that which was so subtle that I sensed was hidden behind reality and which apparently the grown-ups did not grasp.

I ended up hooked on science fiction, comic books, and of course, when I was a teenager, everything that had to do with the most ghoulish esotericism.

I intimately imagined myself being able to alter people's will, reading their thoughts, moving objects with my mind, teleporting... a superhero.

But that time also passed. Failure to achieve any results got me tired. I ended up disinterested, and focused on something that really worked for me, money.

I may have wasted some time during those years of rebellion and dreams, but when I re-enlisted myself in life I realized that I had something very powerful in my favor, I knew how to devote myself with determination to anything, and I was much more able to concentrate on my goals than my other friends, who were too obsessed with girls, partying, and whatever anyone my age was supposed to be doing.

So I persuaded my parents and dedicated myself exclusively to what I was most interested in: master's degrees, courses, conferences, and anything else that would allow me to be able to listen to those who really handled the capital and knew how to generate it.

I got lucky. They lent me some money, I started with small investments, and in less than a year I had multiplied my initial investment fivefold.

I was following my gut. It was easy, I had nothing to lose and in the process I discovered that I had a certain "rhythm" for business and finance.

Got myself a nice loan and started my first trade when I was 21. I wanted to live comfortably, I enjoyed the sensation of power, and I don't know why, but I didn't feel alone either. It was a very strenuous time, and despite the tedious routine that even the most interesting work always ends up turning out to be, my business went quite well until a few months ago.

Someday, in the midst of a rather boring meeting, overheard about them again. They were not looking for funding, just safe places to establish their assets without making excessive noise. They were a legend, something that was whispered about at the annual gatherings, but not much more. Now, for the first time, they were associated with something concrete, a small laboratory in France. I felt that elusive presence again, a silky voice within me that spoke to me of things I could not see, that hinted promises of something magical that was hidden behind reality. “Nonsense", I thought at first, but honestly, I wanted to be a part of it. I had earned it for myself..

I don't consider myself religious, that's what I said, but I couldn't resist being curious and I made my call. Made a phone call, traded a few favors, and got a call back.

It all happened pretty fast. In a few weeks my idea of myself turned around and I realized that what I had been living no longer interested me. Under that new light, everything I had achieved was revealed to me as a meaningless façade, even my relationship with Eva lost its meaning, because I understood that she was actually another trophy, another stepping-stone in my career towards power. A power that now felt absurd to me, knowing what I knew. I was fond of her, yes, but I realized that I didn't really love her, because we had nothing in common but the ambition and the status we knew we would have together.

Did we ever talk about anything really important for her or for me? Anything significant?

No.

I didn't know her, and she didn't really know me.

Anyway, there were days when doubts made me feel the urgency of sharing everything with her so I wouldn't lose her; I wanted to offer her a fresh start, as two people who had just met, yet at the very last moment I would always retreat, as reason prevailed, making me realize that that approach could be fatal. I didn't mean to hurt her by telling her prematurely. I had to figure out what it was all about for myself first.

Be proactive.