Читать книгу A Touch Of Happiness - Juan Moisés De La Serna, Dr. Juan Moisés De La Serna, Paul Valent - Страница 9

I knew that I only had two days left before leaving the city, and yesterday I had done very little, only get on a bus to explore its streets and know the place.

Now I had the most difficult task, to reach the largest number of people, befo-re leaving, so that the effects on these people would expand as if it were a vi-rus, but this time it would be a positive virus, happiness.

I knew that my mission was important and that time played against me so I left the motel and went to the bus stop. After waiting for a long time sitting down, a labourer passed by who was holding a wheel rim and he said,

- You are waiting in vain, haven’t you heard about the riot ?, The the whole centre has been shot down, no vehicle is going to pass by here today, it is bet-ter you stay at home.

That seemed incredible to me, I do not know why whenever I went to a city, for one reason or another, it seemed that the circumstances were allied to ma-ke my job difficult.

I still remember when in a city there was a Tsunami simulacrum, it was a very quiet coastal city where there was little to no chance of such a situation to happen, but for the first time in the history of that city, they chose the day I was in the city to do the simulacrum.

Like that time fire broke out in the old part of the city and a good part of the main artery remained closed for circulation, as a result of the fear of the fla-mes spreading through the adjoining wooden buildings.

There has almost always been an understandable motive, but unexpected, as if someone didn’t like the work I did, or that one time a group of motor riders, as if it were a pilgrimage, collapsed the entire city .

Personally, I did not care if there were a lot of people, because it made my task easier, because it expands the effects earlier, but it’s a different thing when I cannot touch anyone because they are on a motorcycle.

Then I can not start my task, it is like a piece of domino that transfers one af-ter the other, and the more people, the more people get infected.

I just needed to touch someone who voluntarily accepted my gift, and then all is settled, because that person would transmit his or her happiness to everyone they find or was close to them less than a metre of distance. I was surprised but the fact that I could not reach people, but knowing that my fate was to walk, I decided to do so when I heard,

-Don’t act like that, the man said, dropping the tire on the floor. If you’re such in a hurry you just have to tell me, and I’ll take you.

-You would? I asked in amazement.

-Of course, that’s what people of good will are for, to help each other when they need it, wait a minute.

Right after he went down a narrow street, and after a while he came back with a pretty old car, which was falling apart. The man opened the passenger door from inside and said,

-Excuse my oldie, is just that I am repairing it little by little, but don’t worry in a few years I will be just as new.

- I hope it does not go very fast - I said to him jokingly.

- Don’t worry that it doesn’t go over forty, otherwise it starts bringing out smoke, and we will not be able to see anything, by the way, where are you going?

-I am looking for a church that is open, do you know of any?

- Oh my, all the ones I know are behind the manifestation, all … except for one. It is old and small, but it was my favourite one, I have not been in that area for a long time. I was born there nearby you know, and I was baptised in that church. I did not do the rest of the sacraments, but God is not going to find out, right? He asked jokingly.

-He is supposed to be everywhere, I replied without laughing at his joke.

-Well, yes, but do you think he is going to pay attention to a humble mechanic whose only ambition is to repair a tacky car?

-Good man, I pointed out.

-Well, I do what I can, but as I say, church does not suit me.

- You don’t have to apologise, we al have felt hurt sometimes or betrayed when plans do not come out as we expect.

-Yes, indeed, you wouldn’t understand.

-Who is it? I asked expectantly.

- What?

- Whose loss do you feel sorry for?

-I don’ know if it’s a pity, sometimes I think it’s rage or impotence, the man said, squeezing the steering wheel very hard.

-But God is not guilty of it, he only lets his creatures act, he does not choose the moment.

-That’s not enough for me, I prayed a lot, I even asked him to take me and lea-ve my love behind. He did not even give us time to get married, even though I wanted it.

- Why didn’t you?

-She fell into a coma, after a high blood pressure, she was diabetic and nobody had told us. It was a hot day, I can still remember how the air seemed to burn. We had the windows of the house wide open, I was waiting for her parents to visit, so I could ask them her hand in marriage.

She wanted to come home earlier to prepare everything because she wanted me to make a good impression on them. She went shopping, and that day the lift wasn’t working, so she had to climb the stairs.

Arriving home, she left the groceries in the kitchen, gave me a kiss and told me that she was going to relax a while, that she needed to rest.

I was preparing some canapés, and putting the groceries in the refrigerator, and when I finished, I set the table for lunch, and in the small living room where I had the TV and my in laws would sit, I put some trays with something to eat.

Everything was ready, and I was surprised that my wife did not come back be-cause that’s how I considered her despite that fact that our engagement was not yet official. I went to look for her in the bedroom, and I saw her sleeping peacefully, I went out and left her a little while longer, until her parents arri-ved.

I opened the door for them, and knowing that they would take some time until they came up because the lift was not working, I used the opportunity to call her, so she could prepare, but she did not respond.

-Come on darling, you have to get up, they’re going to come up at any moment I said trying to make a hurry.

But she seemed deeply asleep, I approached her and with a kiss I tried to wake her, but she did not move either, so I shook her gently, and not even at that. What worried me the most was that her breathing did not change and seemed very soft and weak.

I got scared and started to shake her harder, I called emergency, and the next thing was that the emergency doctor told me that she was in a coma.

I didn’t understand how this could have happened, I told them she was a healthy girl, that she exercised once in a while and ate very well.

-That’s not the problem, her body was not working well, and she never recei-ved treatment, said the doctor.

-But we did not know anything, at least she never told me.

-This type of case is very common, the discomfort of diseases, sometimes ca-mouflage adapting to the rhythm of life depending on own’s possibilities, and thus without any effort it seems that everything is fine.

-So, she could have been ill for a long time?

-I can’t give you total assurance, but I think so.

- And why did this happen? I insisted in asking.

- Do you know if she had breakfast this morning?

I asked her parents who had followed me, and as me, were devastated by the shock, and they told me that she didn’t eat anything that morning, nor at noon, because she said that she was so nervous that her stomach was empty.

The doctor told me even before I could ask him.

-That could be the cause.

-And the lift? Said her father.

-Which lift? Asked the doctor.

-It was not working today, we live in the eighth floor and she had to climb with the groceries.

The doctor lowered his head and said,

-I would not be surprised if what happened was the conjunction of these two or more factors.

-And now what? -I asked.

-Now it is a matter of waiting, we have given her treatment, with a little luck her body will recover.

- Will she not have sequels? Asked the father.

-We cannot know yet, it’s very soon, let us study her a little more and we will inform you of the results.

That’s how it all ended, at that moment I felt very guilty for not giving her all my attention when she came back home loaded, if I had given her a glass of water, maybe she would be alright now, or simply if I had changed our en-gagement day to another day when the lift was not broken, it would have been enough. And the food…, because she had not eaten.

We had already spoken about everything, and her parents agreed, it was just a formality, to meet and eat some pasta and nothing else, why had she not eaten anything? She did not tell me she was nervous about anything, nor did she tell me she was feeling bad when she arrived.

I gave it a lot of thought, but above all the idea of wanting to marry her any-way possible. I knew it was not the best time to talk to her parents about this subject, butt I thought that could help her recover.

I had heard of people who had come back from the coma, after listening to their favourite singer’s song, or when a dear person spoke to them, maybe, if we got married, and she listened to the words of the priest, she would react, if only to say, “Yes, I do”.

The idea seemed absurd to me, but I could not get it out of my mind. I ap-proached her father, and I told him how excited she was for our commitment and that she would have loved to get married soon.

The man started crying as soon as I mentioned her, so I preferred not to say anything. I asked a nurse, where the chapel was. And I went to sit down, it was a small room where there were some benches to pray.

So I did, and I prayed for her, and I offered my life in return and whatever else I had or could do. When I was calm and that moment the priest was coming in, I took that opportunity to tell him about the situation and what I had thought and he told me,

- Son, it’s not going to be possible, as long as she’s in that state, she does not own her will, so I cannot marry you.

-But …, what if that saves her?

-If she does not give her consent it has no validity before God -that been said he picked up something and left the place.

I was somewhat annoyed at the priest, for denying me what I most wanted, and I asked for the same thing again in my prayer, adding that he should let me marry the person I loved, but I received no response.

After a moment I got up and went to the waiting room where I had left her pa-rents, but they were not there, I was surprised and I asked a man there after them and he told me that a doctor had called them in a hurry.

I went in, but a nurse asked me,

- Where are you going?

-I don’t know, I was told that something has happened to my wife, because they hurriedly called my in-laws.

-It must be the woman who was in a coma.

-Yes, she is, when I heard that, my heart sank, because I understood that she was already out of the coma, where can I find her?

-You will have to talk to your doctor first, follow the passage straight and then the door at the left.

So I did, and before arriving I saw her parents crying, I approached and I wan-ted to ask them, but they made a gesture of not wanting me to get close, so I respected them. That reaction surprised me. I did not understand what was going on if the nurse had told me that she had recovered. Why were they beha-ving like that?

I entered the room and saw the doctor filling out a form at the foot of the bed, and a white sheet that covered my wife from her feet to her head.