Episode 6

Lisa

I read the contract, Maximo seems nice but I still can't trust him, not yet. Life taught me that trust is earned; earlier, I used to think that I trusted first, and if that person acted badly, I lost that deposited trust and never regained it. If only I had thought like this before, I wouldn't be feeling this miserable today.

Before, I believed in love and dreamed of getting married and having my happily ever after. I dreamed so many things that never came true, about my prince charming and all those love stories. I discovered that it was all just a fantasy.

Now I'm in my house after the chauffeur brought me here. I asked him to drop me off at the corner so my mother wouldn't see me arrive in such an expensive car and at least I could avoid a problem.

I take my keys and open the door as quietly as possible, but not quiet enough. My mother turns on the light and slaps me so hard without warning that I almost fall to the ground. I feel my cheek burning and taste blood in my mouth. How much more can I endure of this? Why me? I never misbehaved, never went dancing or got drunk or did anything that every teenager does at a young age.

I don't speak, I can't. My lip is split and it hurts, and besides, if I say something, she will hit me again, worse this time. I walk past her, but she grabs my hair, pulls me to the ground, leans over, and hits me again, this time both cheeks, and as if that wasn't enough, she kicks my stomach. She doesn't yell at me or speak, this time she says nothing, probably because if the neighbors hear, they will call the police. They had threatened her, but no one ever followed through. The air leaves my lungs, I curl up on the floor and hug my knees, so if she comes back, she can't hurt me as much.

I stand up silently, with difficulty, and go to my room where I'm not safe either because she took the key so I can't lock myself in, and I just pray to God that she won't hit me again today.

The small mirror that I keep on my nightstand reveals my bruised face and my split lip that's starting to swell. Tomorrow I'll go to work like this, and they'll look at me with pity again.

I will accept Maximo's loveless marriage proposal, I can't go on like this, I'll die sooner or later. I can't stand to suffer anymore, I can't bear any more pain and blows, no more. He is my only salvation, and even if he mistreated me, at least I could eat. He will see me like this, I just hope these bruises disappear before the wedding.

I slept sporadically, waking up with every sudden movement due to the lingering pain in my stomach. My face only needs dark circles to turn into a work of art.

I get up and feel extremely tired and sore. I was so happy yesterday about the tip Maximo gave me, thinking about how I would use that money to make the most of it and then to finally eat well after years that I never thought my day would end so badly again.

I put on a hoodie and cover my long hair on the more bruised side so that no one notices, but it's pointless. I enter my workplace, and my colleagues and boss give me looks of infinite pity.

"Are you okay? You shouldn't have come to work if you weren't."

"I'll clean the kitchen today, if people see me like this, they'll think poorly of me."

"Alright, Lisa, but don't push yourself, do what you can."

"Thank you, and I apologize."

Cleaning is difficult when I can't move without feeling pain, but I still do my best. Hours go by, and my boss brings me lunch, which is more abundant today, probably because of my sorry state, along with a painkiller that I take immediately.