Chapter 3 PAMELA

As I type a cheeky reply, I remember that I left the water for the coffee on the fire and by now it must be on the verge of drying out.

I throw the cell phone aside and run to the kitchen.

Luckily for me, the water was just bubbling.

Opening a satisfied smile I make the coffee and then go back to the living room grabbing my cell phone hoping to return to have funny conversations and that distracted me from my day of horror last night, with my virtual friend .

Housewife.com: One day you will stop calling me that , maybe when you really know me ?

I wait for him to answer but get no answer back. He has probably left the chat room.

I feel a little discouraged because I really enjoyed talking to him/her. Every time when things like this happened to me between Olavo and my mother-in-law humiliating me, my virtual friend distracted me with his stupid, debauch-laden jokes.

This makes me think that he must be an amazing person to live with! - Whoever has him on their side should certainly raise their hands to the heavens and thank God every day for making people smile.

After eating my breakfast, I put my cell phone in the apron I use for housework and as soon as I run to clean the house, I still have to sew some of Olavo's shirts. If I didn't get going soon, the day would go by in a hurry and I still wouldn't have done half the things I was supposed to do.

This makes me think that in the afternoon, before my husband arrives, I should stop by Heidi's house. He can't stand her, he says that my best friend of all my life since high school is going to get me in trouble. This is because Heidi never dates anyone seriously, much less formalizes any kind of relationship. On our wedding day she came accompanied by a guy with whom she was dating, a few days later when I went to her apartment she was already hooking up with another, leaving me horrified by so much unnecessary ''freedom'' and I was really in favor of a person being able to live their life the way they want but crossing the line to be talked about by the mouth of the people, was already too much.

Heidi always criticized me because I was well dressed - with clothes that covered my skin too much - .... this was her opinion, because Olavo helped me with the choices of what I should wear. As we came from traditional families, it was not common for us straight women to wear pieces of cloth and think that we were dressed up. This was a shame for the family and beyond that a disrespect to the husband; I grew up knowing that a woman should only show her body to her spouse and no one else but him.

My kitten Alfredo meows at me approaching the door , circling around one of my legs tangling around my ankle .

Now you show up, don't you, stud? Do you think I haven't heard you these past few days, making a success of the cats on the roof? He meows at me, certainly matching my line.

I smile, caressing his hair, picking up his ration and filling his bowl.

I stop with my hands on his waist watching him approach his pot.

Now eat it all and leave again. But the bastard is already with his mouth on the ration starting his moment of gluttony.

Alfredo is a Siamese cat, he has bright blue eyes, and his paws are half coffee brown. His hair is the color of coffee with milk. I got him from my father before I got married and of course I brought him to live with me, even though he lives more outside than inside the house. Olavo hated Alfredo and I never understood why, but I also didn't argue with him about it, not mistreating my pussy was already good enough.

At 4:00 in the afternoon, I was ready to go. Finally, after a long week, I would be out on the street. I wasn't exactly one for wandering around without any necessity. I only took my feet out of my cozy house, when I had to go to the market to do shopping and such things.

We live in New Orleans - it is a city in Louisiana on the banks of the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. It is very busy, especially at night, and I hated going out so much. In vibrant times the festive spirit of the city in a late winter carnival, which is famous for the lively parades and parties in the streets, became crazy.

Heidi lived on Royal Street so it would take me about half an hour to get there.

My cell phone beeps when I am halfway there, I would take the bus. Taking a cab would be expensive, and I was saving money to buy Olavo a birthday present two months from now.

I take the phone out of my purse and see Heidi's name on the screen.

It was a message.

I slide my finger across the screen

Heidi: Where are you, Pam? No more ????

I type another message for her, informing her that in a few minutes, I will be arriving. Actually, it will take much longer than a few minutes. But I decide not to tell her that, otherwise Heidi will be able to drive me crazy by sending me exasperated messages all the time, with the intention of knowing if I'm already around.

Between two crowded buses and a busy afternoon, I let out a sigh of relief when I stop in front of Heidi's apartment, after walking at least two blocks.

On top of these heels, I begin to regret having used them today, I could have opted for my usual companion sneakers, but as I never use these shoes I thought that using them today would fit well, for a brief visit to a dear friend. Heidi was like a sister I never had.

At the front desk, I asked her to tell me that I had already arrived, but she left a notice for the doorman so I could go up, thanked him, and entered the elevator, grimacing because I could no longer stand the unbearable pain that the heels were causing me in my heel. I haven't worn them for so long that it would be a miracle if I wasn't paying penance now.