My glass technology told me it was time to look for her again. I
could see her resting on the beach. She looked sad and alone. As
I was carefully observing her, I felt that something was wrong. I
had to go to her now. She had a sinister plan to kill herself. I hoped
that I could get to her in time, and so I left in a hurry. There was no
time to prepare for the trip.
When I arrived on the beach, I started looking for her, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. I heard a noise—people were yelling,
and then I saw two men carrying her in their arms. She appeared
to have drowned.
Why did she do that? What had been happening in her life? I
prayed to God I would get to her in time as I rushed in her direction.
Even I could not bring her back to life if it was too late or
if her body was too damaged. The men had laid her on the sand. They were trying to revive her, pressing on her heart and using a
few resuscitation techniques simultaneously. I arrived as fast as
I could, and I told them that I was a doctor, so they let me revive
her.
After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and threw up water
all over me.
While opening her eyes wide, she asked me, “”Why, God?””
I said, “”Why? Because you are gorgeous and nature doesn’t like
to lose its beautiful women.”” She smiled, and at the same time, she
started to cry. I continued, “”Dear, you are lucky today because I
am a doctor. Otherwise, you would be on the other side of the veil
by now.””
Her answer was, “”But that is what I wanted to do.””
I told the people around to leave because she was okay now,
and she needed fresh air.
I turned to her and said, “”Welcome back to life!””
“”I wanted to leave. There is nothing here for me to enjoy,””
she answered.
“”It is wonderful here; there is a nice beach, great sun, gorgeous
weather—why do you not enjoy all this? I want to introduce myself
to you. My name is Aki, and I used to be a psychologist. Now, I am
in a very successful business, and I gave up on my profession and
left the medical field. I can see you are unfortunate and that you want
to die. You can trust me because I can help you. Your first words
when I revived you were, ”Why, God?” Well, I can tell you now that
God sent me and that it was not your time to go.””
She was surprised by what I had told her, and she looked at me
with her big blue eyes, asking God and me for the forgiveness of her
suicide attempt. I held her in my arms until she felt better, and
then I asked, “”What is your problem, my Dear? Why do you look
so desperate and worried?””
“”Okay, I will tell you my tragedy, but you have to promise me
that you are not going to tell anybody.””
“”Okay. What bothers you so much and is worth your life?””
“”Look, Aki, my name is Isabela, but my parents call me Ela. I
am eighteen years old, and I am pregnant. That’s the reason I want
to die.””
“”I don’t consider having a baby a reason to die so young,”” I
replied. “”What can you tell me about the child’s father?””
“”Oh, Alex is useless, and he ran away from me when he heard
that I was pregnant.””
“”Okay, what is his age?”” I asked
“”He’s the same age as me. We are colleagues, but Alex is not
ready to be a daddy.”
“You know, sweetheart, there are many ways to solve this
problem. Losing your life is not the best choice.”
“I didn’t know what to do. I am over two months late, and my
family doesn’t know.”
“Well, I understand your desperation, and I can help you to
solve this problem. Do you want to keep the child?”
“Yes, I want to keep it because I understand that getting rid of
my child is a big sin.”
“Taking two lives instead of one will be a bigger sin, don’t you
think so?”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
“It would still be considered killing yourself and the baby.”
“I am so sorry. I never expected this to be a sin.”
“Now, listen to this plan. I can help you with the baby, and, in
the meantime, I will work with you to restore your happiness.”
“Don’t tell me that you want to marry me—or that you have
somebody who would marry me—just because you are feeling
sorry for me.”
“Dear, I am sorry for you, but I do not want to get married to
a girl for this reason, and I know of no one to marry you. I have a
heart, and when I get married, I want my wife to fall in love with
me. Otherwise, that person will not meet my criteria.”
68 69
“Oh! You look so young, but you think like an old guy.”
“Okay, sweetheart, listen here. This is how we can solve your
problem with nobody knowing you are pregnant.”
“Okay, I am listening with both my eyes and ears.”
“First, after this vacation, you go home and say goodbye to your
parents. Tell them you want to attend a school in another city, or
maybe you are moving in with your boyfriend, or you found a job
in another city. Tell your parents whatever you think is right. After
you are done, I will wait for you in a nearby hotel, the closest one
to your home. I will tell you the hotel’s name and the room number
so that you can find me easily.”
“Okay, so where exactly are we going afterward? I do not know
you, and I don’t know if this is the best choice for me.”
“I promise to help you with the baby. Understand that you
cannot give birth in a city where everyone knows you. What will
you say to your family and friends, and how can you hide your
pregnancy from them? Think again, sweetheart. You have to
change the city first.”
“Okay, you convinced me. What could be worse than what I
just attempted?”
“You have this opportunity to change what is wrong in your life.
Do you accept?”
“Okay, Aki. You are an angel, and I will come one day next week
to your hotel, and I will take off with you into the big world. I will
let you know the day and the time. Do you think it is a coincidence
that you appeared in my life? I prayed so much to God to help
me. Indeed, I appreciate that you were here to save me. You raised
me from dead. I realized I was lifeless. How did you wake me up
from death?”
“It’s a doctor’s job.”
“I never heard of a doctor who could bring people back to life
an hour after their deaths. I believe that God sent you, so I guess
you are my guardian angel. Also, I saw you while I was dead, and
you communicated with me. You instructed me to return to my
body because it was not my time to leave yet.”
“You may consider me your guardian angel from your dream,
but the truth is that this occurrence is just a coincidence. It happened
to be on the beach when I heard screams and the cries of
women for help. Because I am a doctor, I arrived to offer a helping
hand as quickly as I could. I think you can consider today your
lucky day, eh?”
“I suppose you are right, and I love you for what you are doing
for me.”
“Thank you. I am willing to jump in and help such a young
woman at any time. I am just playing with you, of course. I would
jump in for every person who requires help because that is what
doctors do.”
ˠ
When we returned from vacation, I waited for Ela to show up in
my hotel the next day, in the afternoon. As promised, Ela appeared
at my hotel, and, within hours, we left for Barcelona, where my
home was. On the way back to my city, she felt awful, but after she
vomited, she slept. The trip was long, and in her condition, it was
better for her to relax and sleep.
When we reached my house, I helped her into one of the guestrooms,
and I said, “You need to relax for a few hours, and I will
order the dinner to be served later tonight. Is eight o’clock okay
with you?”
She agreed and then disappeared into her room.
At eight, she appeared for dinner, smiling, and she looked refreshed and relaxed. Ela resembled an angel, pure and innocent.
While I stared at her, admiring her white dress with red polka
dots, I decided to keep a calm attitude to make her feel more comfortable.
I was feeling aroused from the liquor I’d drank before she
entered the room.
I had to encourage her to fall in love with me again. Over
supper, I asked many questions to understand what had
happened in her life, and I explained my intentions to her. Looking
at her with admiration, I said, “Ela darling, you look like a bright
star in the night sky. With your natural charm, you make me feel
dizzy, but don’t fear me because I am harmless. I want to listen to the
story about you and your baby’s father.”
“Oh, Aki, I do not wish to remember this sad story, which could
have ended tragically. I was lucky you were there on the beach
in that tragic moment.”
“I want to make a plan to help you, and I need as much detail
as possible.”
“Yes, I know, but it is hard for me to remember and recount my
life with him. Please, it’s painful.” Looking at me, she decided to
confess, and she continued, “I will go over it and describe it to you.
I have no other alternative. Right?”
“You need help, so go ahead, please. I won’t share your story
with anybody.”
“We met in school; we were colleagues. His name is Alex. He
followed me for a long time, and after a while, I allowed him to
escort me home. It felt great because somebody loved me, and he
was courting me. My colleagues and friends had boyfriends, and I
was the only one who didn’t have a boyfriend. He had watched me
since I was fifteen, but I hadn’t paid him too much attention. In
my imagination, I had created my dream boyfriend already.” She
paused for a minute, stared at me, and continued. “He is supposed
to be older than me because I love a sophisticated and romantic
guy. Aged seventeen, I noticed that other boys didn’t see me, so
I agreed to be Alex’s girlfriend. We went out together many times,
to the cinema and the parks, and attended a few parties at our
colleagues’ houses.
“Five months ago, Alex invited me to his house, and he confessed
how much he loved me. He made suggestions for our future,
and we agreed to be friends until it would be a good time to
get married. He suggested that we continue with school and get an
education, as well as a profession before we established a family.
His analysis seemed mature enough, and I agreed with his ideas
for our future. So, we raised our relationship up to another level.
We kissed, and I had sex with him for the first time. I didn’t wish
to get pregnant, and I mentioned this to him because I was not
ready to have a baby. Apparently, he was more experienced than
me in terms of sex because he had been with other girls before me.
So, he convinced me, and I let it happen. I guess I am too young,
stupid, and naive.”
“Did you fall in love with him?”
“Well, I do not think I loved him. I was thrilled because he was
the only man following me around the school. I felt satisfied when
he stated that he loved me and that he had serious intentions with
me. His wish was to get married when we were ready to start a life
together. I was delighted because he loved me, and so I never took
into consideration what I felt.”
“And what were you feeling?”
“I felt guilty, but at the same time, I was honored because I
had a handsome boyfriend. He had his way of touching my soul,
and I ended up becoming his girlfriend. The girls from my school
were staring at him, and this made me feel good about myself.”
“So, you did not love him.”
“I do not know, Aki, what it means to fall in love.”
“It is when you lose your mind, and you do not know what you
are doing. You cannot eat and sleep, and your heart beats faster
when you are around him. You also think about him all the time,
and your brain cannot think clearly.”
“Honestly, I felt none of this.”
“What happened? How did you get pregnant?”
“Aki, I do not know how it happened. Later, he told me that it
was not his child because he had protected sex with me. I had
had no one besides him. I liked none of the boys from my school,
and I had to date him to be popular among my classmates.”
“Now, here is my suggestion of how we should proceed. I will
find a comfortable house for you. I do not want you to live with me;
living alone would be the best way to preserve your reputation in
this city. When the baby is born, I will put them in my name.
Your name won’t be in any of the reports as being the mother. You
will change your name from Isabela to Gabriela. This is because I
do not want your friend to find you, in case he remembers you and
the baby. The more challenging to discover you it is, the better.
“I will arrange everything. You can relax, be calm, and enjoy
the lifestyle you want to have a nice healthy baby. If
you ever meet Alex, and he inquires about the pregnancy and the
baby, inform him that it was a false alarm. You have never been
pregnant—just a few weeks late. Also, I want you to continue your
education. Tell me what it is you want to achieve, and I will help
you to fulfill your passions. Your baby will live with me after it’s
born. For those curious about the kid’s mother, I will say that the
kid’s mom died in childbirth. I will adopt your baby, and you can
come over when you want to see your kid. Also, I suggest breastfeeding
the baby for a few months, if you do not mind. I’m an oldfashioned
guy, and I know that is very healthy for the baby.”
“Oh, my God, you are an angel sent by God. I cannot believe
it. I am so lucky. What do I have to give you for this? Will I be
your mistress?”
“Not even in your worst or graceful dreams. You will not be my
sweetheart—you will be just a mother for your baby. Now, tell me,
what do you choose for your education? Do you prefer to become
a schoolteacher, a doctor, a lawyer? It can be whatever you want
because I will take care of everything.”
“You will pay for everything, and you want nothing in return?”
“I do get something in exchange, however: an innocent infant.
Because I am rich, I wish for my child’s mom to be educated and
rich. That is my intention. What do you think?”
“I cannot believe that something like this is possible. For my
entire life, I’ve enjoyed piano and guitar, and so I would prefer to
go to a school where I could study those instruments. My voice is
beautiful, but I’ve never sung to anyone before.”