Читать книгу Ananke - Gilda Salinas - Страница 6

A little bit over six a.m., Mel leaves her house with enough time to get to the bus stop. The early breeze reddens her cheeks. Seconds after she walks out, her mother calls her: “You forgot your fruit for lunch.” She steps out into the cold and made a reach to hand her the plastic container.

Mel is in a hurry, but the warmth inside the house seems so seductive, maybe I could skip work today, what’s the worse that could happen? She stands right beside the door and the aromas she knows all too well cuddle just a bit more in her spirit. The baby begins to cry and walks toward her to hold on to her legs, his little face looks up at her. It is really hard to resist, but luckily her mother distracts him with the feeding bottle. Mel leaves in a hurry. Skipping work is a luxury she can’t afford.

From a gray van with tinted windows, someone follows her right as she climbs on the bus and for the rest of the way. They reach the destination thirty minutes later, and a man gets out of the van. He sees a group of men making jokes despite the cold weather, and Mel stands out: small, nice shape, with long curls, and dimples on her cheeks.

The man gets in her way, and she tries to evade him as she recognizes him.

“Wait, Mel, I wanna know about my boy.”

“Like you even care, you didn’t show up to his first birthday, and I gotta go.”

“I know, but I’m different now. I can’t stop thinking about you, mamacita, mi flaca linda, I’m sorry. Please come back. Don’t you love me anymore?”

“Yeah, I think I like my parent’s house a lot better. I have to work.” She tries to go around him, but he holds her with ferocity. “Cut it out, Marcelino, or I’ll call security.”

“Come on, Mel, gimme a chance. Hey, I even bought some clothes for my baby boy.”

“Well it’s about time. You can leave them with my mother.”

“Come on, don’t be stubborn. Let me give them to you this Saturday. How about we meet at eleven? Our usual place. We can talk a bit.”

Marcelino squeezes her arm seductively. She says yes just to get rid of him. She is not even sure of what she heard, and she runs toward the assembly plant, but she can still hear her husband singing loudly:

“And I can’t stop loving you, baby / You know you’re my lady / I cannot be, I cannot sleep, / If you’re not here with me.”

The buzzer in the plant drowns out all the noise, and her routine begins.

Her workplace is aseptic and quiet. A long assembly line extends before her as she grabs every component the operators need to adjust in the motherboard. A lamp hanging above them illuminates the work area, and a supervisor observes everyone’s times and movements from a window. Mel, like other girls, listens to a radio she carries in her white robe.

The music doesn’t mix with her thoughts, and her hands are completely disconnected from her, as they continue working with precision. Despite her efforts, her husband’s presence makes her restless. Sometimes she still finds him attractive, and in the night, when memories come back, she wants him just as much as the first time they kissed.

Maybe her mother-in-law was right, alcohol changes people. “Can’t you see he’s drunk? And you won’t stop giving him hell, Mélida.”

What if he actually wants to change? How could he not love his son? They are identical.

One package of parts does not correspond with motherboard b734. She puts it away, and let’s her supervisor know about it. She makes a note on her schedule, and puts the package in the devolution bag at the back. She takes another package and makes sure the numbers match. The words in one of the love songs creep into her ear: “I’m just a sleepless dreamer, / a wandering soul / one that pays for his mistakes.”

‘Well, what’s the worse thing that could happen if I meet him?’