Episode 2

Isabele. I never let my guard down because I knew how evil they were, but it had been so long since that had happened that I imagined it wouldn't happen again, not like that. What hurt me the most was the humiliation and knowing that I couldn't retaliate because I had no one to take me in and help me. The only people who loved me were Bah and Tizil. Tizil was a very frail little boy who had been born prematurely, and when he was five years old, his parents were driving a tractor to a friend's house, and on the way, they passed near a ravine. His father lost control of the tractor and they fell into the hole. They died instantly because the tractor fell on top of them. It was very sad. They were very loved among the colonists, so no one wanted to take care of the boy, who only didn't die because he had been sleeping and I was taking care of him. He was very frail, so I asked my father to take care of him, and for the first time, he did something I wanted. Iolanda went crazy because she didn't want that little rat in her house. According to her, he would be a burden, but my father liked the boy's father very much, so I think he agreed to let me take care of Tizil along with Bah. Today he was nine years old, very smart, and helped me a lot, my boy.

At that moment, I came out of my trance and realized that they had quickly stopped laughing maliciously. Then I looked to the side and saw the reason. My father had just arrived and had a visitor with him, a very distinguished and well-dressed gentleman who looked very rich, and he didn't take his eyes off me. Then I felt my face burn with shame. I lowered my eyes, and as hadn't happened in many years, tears fell, from shame, sadness, and frustration. Then I saw a hand in front of me being offered to help me get up. I got up and saw him offering me a very white, very clean handkerchief. I said I didn't need it, so he said it was to wipe the blood that was running down my face. I took the handkerchief, and at that moment I heard my father calling the gentleman by the name of Francisco, and telling him not to worry about me, that it was just a little game between mother and sisters. Then I raised my eyes and managed to see the contempt with which that distinguished gentleman looked from my stepmother to my sister to my father.

At that moment, I ran away and went to the stables. I felt good there. In fact, I felt good anywhere that was far away from those two.

I took the opportunity to feed the small animals. It was Tizil's job, but since he was going to school and I was running away from the big house, I went to take care of the chickens, the pigs, and when I was almost finished, I looked and saw my Bah coming towards me, all breathless, telling me that my father was calling me and that I should go quickly because he needed to talk to me.

My heart tightened. I can't explain it, but I felt that something serious was going to happen. I arrived at the house through the kitchen, and my stepmother and my sister were there and immediately came to ask what I had done wrong because I was never called anywhere. I passed them without even looking at their faces. I was angry. The humiliation still hurt in my head, and my heart bled more than the wounds left by the twigs.

I arrived at the door of my father's office, knocked, and heard him say to come in. I entered and saw that Mr. Francisco was still there. I lowered my head and asked my father how I could help him. Then he spoke with an unusual joy.

"Daughter, you won't believe it. Mr. Francisco has just asked for your hand in marriage, isn't that wonderful?"

My world collapsed. What do you mean, get married? And to a man who could be my father? How wrong I was. When I looked into his eyes, I thought he was a good man, but now he wants to marry me? And where would my Prince Charming be, and when he arrived, I would be married to a gentleman?

I looked him straight in the eye and saw that he felt sorry for me. Maybe that was it. He felt sorry for me for seeing me broken on the floor, humiliated. Maybe he wasn't my prince but my savior, yes, my savior, the one God sent to take me out of this torment that was my life in that house.

Then I raised my head and said, if you let me take my Bah, my Tizil, and my horse, I'll marry you.

My father immediately smiled from ear to ear. After all, he would be rid of me. It would be one less problem. My heart hurt a little more. I didn't understand why my father had never helped me with anything, why he had always condoned all the evil they had done to me. There were days when I begged him to take me out of punishment or begged him to let me study, and nothing. He just looked at me, sometimes angry, sometimes apathetic, but he did nothing.

I looked at him and smiled too, thinking that finally I would be away from this gentleman who called himself my father but who all his life was just a gentleman with no action to defend his motherless daughter.