short story

Her door opened in the middle of the night. The doorknob thumped against the wall, and the voices coming from the hall rode in screams into the room. The girl’s eyelids went so wide that her eyes looked like they were going to escape, and her mouth closed so tightly that she could feel her teeth gnash.

A lamp in the living room gave off the only light illuminating the house that night. A couple of shadows were projected against the wall that was right in front of her door. The larger figure twisted over the smaller one, flapping its hands as if it was trying to destroy it. The smaller figure seemed wanting to stretch out, trying to defend itself and shaking violently.

Her father paced back and forth, yelling words she was not allowed to say. He was taking things from all places and throwing them into a suitcase that already contained more than it could handle. Her mother was crying with rage and clenching her fists against her body while shouting other words she was forbidden to use.

They both stopped for a moment in front of the door. Her father said he wanted to say goodbye to the girl, but her mother said she would not allow it. He screamed that it was his right, she said a man like that had no right to get close to such a pure and innocent girl. Then came more shouting of adult words she didn’t understand.

The door to the street opened, and both figures turned into shadows. Then came the noise of a suitcase spilling its contents across the room, and more screams. Heavy footsteps in and out of the house. Things banging in her parents’ room. The sound of an engine. Squealing tires. A neighbor yelling. Voices turning into whispers. The street door closing. Silence.

The girl clung to her blankets. She searched for her teddy bear, but it wasn’t in its habitual place by her pillow. As she moved, the tears that had pooled in her eyes trickled down her face. She stood still for a while, feeling she should cry, but she couldn’t. She needed her bear. She started looking for it between the covers and under the bed, but it wasn’t there. Suddenly she saw it lying face down, trapped between the bed and the nightstand. She thought he must be terrified and reached out for it. Tears kept slipping from her eyes and fell on the bear’s back.

When she managed to take it, she took him to her side and got him under the sheets. She hugged him with all the strength she had and knew that he was as scared as she because he was full of tears. They comforted each other, vowed to be brave, and left the room holding hands. They walked into the living room, the door was ajar, and they could hear several voices whispering outside. Her mother was talking with the neighbors.

She decided to sit on the couch and turn on the TV. A man was talking about the most wonderful vacuum cleaner in the world, capable of getting rid of all the dirt and reaching the most difficult places. She wondered if it could wash away the tears and make everyone happy again.

Her mother entered the room and closed the door behind her. She approached her and hugged her with the same strength with which she had hugged her bear moments ago. The bear was caught in the middle of the hug. He couldn’t stop crying.

The girl asked about her father. Her mother replied that he would not return that night. Then she asked when he would return, and her mother told her that they should go to sleep. That question would be answered years later with a letter from a man apologizing for his absence and speaking with empty words about pride.

I still can’t understand the impulse that led me to speak to the woman on the corner. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know what she did for a living, it was obvious. She immediately told me the price as I went near her. I did not know what to do.

“No discounts.” She told me.

I took my wallet in front of her. I’d say it was my first mistake, but it was my third. While I was choosing the bills to pay the fare, her face quickly changed from an evident weariness to a mischievous smile.

I had never done anything like that, so I took her to the only place I knew: my house. After we entered, I offered her something to drink. She waited for me to drink first and said she wouldn’t start until I went on my second. I had already taken several drinks before noticing that she was still with the first one.

I told her my whole life and all my pains as if she were one of those dolls my grandmother liked so much and called quitapenas, which means sorrow takers. I don’t know when I fell asleep.

My house was empty when I woke up. In other circumstances, I would have felt heartbroken, but at that moment, I could only feel calm and joy because she took all my sadness with her. There was nothing left in my place that could bring me back bad memories.

Today I tried to rip my heart out. I woke up with the strange feeling that it was a little loose. I didn’t mind at first, but as the day passed by, the feeling became more and more annoying. I unconsciously began to push it a little, trying to accommodate it in its place. After a while, I began to feel that its place was no longer inside my chest.

At noon the discomfort became unbearable and I decided that the best thing to do would be to tear it off. I started by pulling a little on the arteries trying to get it to come off, but each movement was more painful than the last. I thought then that I should rip it off in one try. I approached a girl whom I found fascinating. She was one of those girls who can’t help but break men’s hearts. I tied my heart to her eyes with a silk ribbon and waited for her to walk away.

When she left, I felt a yank so intense I thought my heart had come off. But instead, I was left with a torn heart hanging from my chest supported only by a small swollen piece of flesh. The pain became excruciating to the point where the slightest breeze of air gave me stinging sensations.

I spent the last hours of the afternoon trying to ignore the pain but to no avail. The pain became more and more intense. For a moment I thought that suffering would kill me. My throat closed up and I wasn’t able to breathe. My vision began to close until everything went black. I started to feel so cold that I thought I would completely break down. Then the pain disappeared and along with it all my discomforts.

I discovered a black piece of meat lying in front of me. It was my heart that had detached at last. I haven’t felt so calm in a long time. I know I will sleep very well tonight.