He is a Mafioso

And to think I did my part to build a happy marriage. We had everything until that unfortunate man appeared in our lives.

My husband has a stable job and we can afford as much luxury as we want. There's a lot of money coming in, although I'm not sure what it's for. I try not to ask stupid questions. Maybe that's why we lead a life in harmony. We never fight.

His intentions have always been good, he is incapable of disappointing me, I keep that certainty in my heart.

We met on a blind date, the first for me. It was an incredible experience, while on vacation in Mérida with my best friend.

He was born in Carúpano and his family sent him to study there. And that's how destiny brought our stories together.

We got married in less than a year, in my hometown, Caracas. I came to this city for love. Where it was difficult for me to adapt. We live with his family, not simple.

Eventually we bought a small house. In a wonderful place, facing the sea. Just walking a few meters on the sand is already in the water. A spectacular and dreamy life.

Elvis buys me everything I ask for, he doesn't save on anything. He spoils me endlessly. A sign that he loves me.

In other words, it never gave me a headache. There is no reason to be jealous or doubt him. I always saw him dedicated to work and family.

The news fills us with joy, I'm pregnant!

Our first child is on the way, something that will unite us forever. The illusion is very big. We start to live every day thinking about the baby and preparing for its arrival.

His room, clothes and some toys are waiting for him at home. I've never seen Elvis so happy. He is fully involved, without a doubt he will be a good father.

The pregnancy proceeds normally and I give birth to a healthy baby. A beautiful girl, with very white skin and red hair. He came to increase our happiness.

Mila is the name we gave to the beautiful redhead. The girl was born full of freckles and with round, rosy cheeks, very striking.

Household expenses have increased and the country's economy is not at its best. Elvis knows that his income is not enough. Situation that forces you to look for another job.

We have economies and a peaceful existence again. Mila's early years were filled with abundance. It's the happiest phase in my history. I never imagined what would happen right after. The turn our lives would take and end everything we have.

Raising Mila takes up my entire day. The constant agitation makes me sick. It's so hard to be a mother. I'm always tired and when my husband comes home he finds me sleeping. We rarely see each other, we hardly rest.

The days go by and I can't adapt to this new facet. Life became monotonous. Elvis travels a lot. We share less and less and I don't complain, I try to understand that it is a phase that will pass. However, as a woman I resent not having him by my side more and I start to think about things, my head fills with bad thoughts that I try to avoid.

I have some suspicions, it's not about women, I hope. It happens to me that certain guys who come looking for him worry me. They are those men who attend, with very strange appearance. I don't like something, I just don't know what specifically. I see them well dressed and tidy, but they have a heavy energy. They are not good people, I know.

As someone who doesn't want that, I start to get involved, trying to get him to release something, but nothing. He does not agree to talk about the subject. He changes the subject, he avoids me. I try to stay calm. As grandma says, there's no need to look for the cat's fifth leg. And I have one less little girl, so what?

My heart feels restless every time he travels, afraid he won't come back or they'll catch him, whatever. Time passes between shocks.

Mila grows up quickly and enters kindergarten when she is five years old. I like to use it in the morning and enjoy some valuable me time. I dust off my contact lenses and start reading Tarot online, that's what I'm passionate about. I have clients everywhere, even outside the country.

My husband behaves strangely and distantly every day. To the point that it makes me suspect something is going on. There's no doubt.

Today he came home leaning on the floor. He tells me that he just lost his job and has a lot of debt. Things get a little out of control and we get really nervous.

I calm down so he can talk and not get stuck. At that moment, he tells me the truth.

The money we have been living with all these years is the product of drug trafficking, that's what it does. He is a gangster, his work is illegal and dangerous. The three of us took a huge risk.

A nervous grimace frames his face and his eyes convey terror to me. My husband is scared, there must be something he hasn't told me.

I feel like the world is falling on me. That my life ends in an instant. What a great misfortune, my God.

- What are we going to do? Elvis, I can't lose you, don't leave us alone. Do something.

-Don't worry, I spoke to the boss. The problem is that I won't be able to pay what I owe you. Believe me when I tell you that before I came to give you this disappointment, I tried everything, Rebeca. There's nothing to do, I'm sorry.

-Don't cry, calm down, what are we talking about? Did you lose your job or is there something else you didn't tell me?

-I'm not just unemployed. If not, I will pay this debt with my life, those are the rules. What worries me is not that. You are. I won't let anything happen to them.

-What amount are we talking about?

-Sixty thousand dollars, Rebeca.

-I can't understand, how could you get into debt like that? What did you do with the money? Have you gone crazy?

-It was an error with some merchandise, it was lost and they are blaming me. I am responsible. They blinded me, they screwed me, mom.

This situation is beyond my understanding, I have never been in an environment like this. I don't know anything about gangs or mafias. I need to find a way out of everything that happens to us.

I stand up and pace back and forth, holding my waist, which is where my nerves get to me.

I wipe my tears and look into his eyes. He's running his hand over his head, not knowing what to say.

-Speak clearly, please think.

-Neither God nor anyone else saves me, in this type of work that bald man cannot be forgiven. I'm offering him the truck, but nothing, even if he accepts I'll owe him extra money.

Despair takes over us.

I fear for my life and that of my husband.

What worries me most is my innocent girl, what will happen to her if something happens to us?

There's no point fighting the current no matter what, but with Mila, don't get involved. I will defend her with my life if necessary.

I think the logical thing is for us to go to my mother's house and put some land between us. I must save the girl, my brothers are there, we will not be left unprotected. And that house is a fortress, it has permanent surveillance and no one enters unless invited. There is no safer place than this.

Although, come to think of it, maybe running away isn't the best option. Maybe that guy should know everything about us, he would put my people at risk.

Well, I'm staying late tonight. I'm going to smoke a cigarette and see what the dead tell me.

-You put the girl to sleep, I need space. I take a shower and go to my room to work. I want to stay calm and focused. Don't interrupt me, if everything goes well we will have help from beyond. Even if you have to invoke Satan himself.

-Yes mom, I'll take care of her, calm down and thank you for being so understanding, I was scared of your reaction.

-In good times and in bad, boy, I stayed quiet!

The morning found me praying. Everything was clear in the tobacco, a dark shadow was getting closer and closer to us. Although there is a way out. He didn't make it clear this time.

Anguish doesn't let me live, I see myself in the mirror and it shows. How difficult it is to hide the sadness of the soul. If it weren't for Mila, who makes me so happy, I would rather die once and for all. I'm sick, I don't even want to be with my husband anymore.

Two years have passed, amid the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen. Sometimes we forget about it for a day until a stranger appears near the door or a car with tinted paper and our mind starts imagining the worst again. We suffer a lot. Uncertainty is like cancer. It eats away at your insides until it kills one.

The economic situation is increasingly overwhelming, we are struggling with work and we lack many things. What breaks my heart is my girl. So beautiful and with nothing, we were very poor after having everything. Savings disappeared in the first few months. They didn't last long when my husband became unemployed. Pure withdrawal without adding anything to the bill. In a bad time, our lives changed this way.

Every time Elvis goes out to look, my soul is in suspense, waiting for him without sleep, afraid that he won't come back. We locked ourselves in and didn't even put our nose in the door.

I do well with tarot reading, people are addicted to knowing the future and there is so much superstition that thanks to the Virgin we never lack bread. Tight, but moving forward. Even with exchange, some trusted customers pay me.

The agitation has been strong, there is a lot of work. I charge cheap so people can consult. I've arranged and separated marriages. I healed the sick and found lost things. I revealed betrayals and, above all, I kept my family together. At prayer time, the guy, the one who threatens us, will take us out of here.

I made myself known among people who come to consultations with faith. I have my regular clientele who come to my house and others that I have captured on social media. And Mila there, always by my side, acting innocent. It's not an environment for a girl.

My little doll is already big, today she turns 12 years old and on this day something very strange happened. A very elegant guy appeared. With a silver look, good clothes, shoes and a truck that left me dazzled.

-Elvis, who is that guy who got there?

»What's wrong with you, why are you making that face?

-Mommy, this is the boss, to whom I owe the riyals. Blessed be God, He is back!

-Virgin of the Valley! Take the girl, if she asks for you I'll tell her you're not here. Enter the room and don't leave.

I shook out my clothes and started fixing the front. When he entered he asked me, politely, if it was Elvis' house. I've never seen him before, but apparently he saw it with me.

- From who?

-I'm Hernán , nice to meet you, you're Rebeca, right?

-Yes, where do you know me from?

-Her husband always mentions her.

- My?

-Yes, he was my employee.

-He never told me his boss's name, he went to work and I didn't ask him anything.

-You can see that she is a good woman, can you tell her that I came, that I need her to come out to talk?

-No, because he's not there. If you leave me your phone number, I will be happy to give you your message.

-I understand, just tell him that Hernán wants to talk to him. He already knows the rest.

-Don't worry, go with God.

Before leaving, he took a package out of the truck and handed it to me saying:

-I brought this gift for your daughter, who has a birthday today. If I'm not wrong.

My jaw dropped and my eyes filled with tears. This made panic take over me. And I know that was his true intention.

The man leaves and I run to tell him what he told me. I open the bedroom door and grab him scared. As I go to give her the message, the girl leaves the room, thank God the truck had already started.

It was like a warning and I immediately got the message. My dead do not abandon me. I can't let him see the girl. It's my treasure, everything I have. And she is very beautiful, I'm afraid of hurting her.

Elvis stops behind me and hugs us. I'm shaking with fear, a subliminal message, no doubt.

-Mija, I'll talk to him. Besides, it's been a long time and he hasn't done anything to me. He may have forgiven me, who knows if he came looking for me to work with him again.

"Let's be optimistic. What do you say, will I try?

-What you want is crazy. Will you surrender? Don't make that mistake. We're counting on you, I'm not even from here. We only have you, my love. And don't even think about getting into this business again. Don't play with fire, the devil is on the loose. He sees that bringing a gift to Mila is a sign that nothing is forgotten.

-I'm going to show my face, Rebeca. Hiding is worse. He didn't grab me because he didn't want to. This guy disappears on me with a snap of his fingers. If that's what you want. Let's trust.

Mila has already developed and is becoming a real lady. Tall and slender, like one of those models that appear in magazines. And with long hair that reaches her waist, she already attracts the attention of the boys around here.

With great anger, the time came to give him that bad birth as a gift. A spectacular youth makeup case. Mila was jumping with joy. I didn't know how to tell the truth, he hugged us, thanking us for such a beautiful birthday detail. While his father and I looked at each other without knowing what would become of us.

One more weekend alone, Elvis went fishing. Today he is looking for something for lunch. At home we are already sold out.

We are excited, we don't know what he will come with and that gives us a special feeling. One challenge is to prepare the outlines and try to guess what protein we will have on the table that day. We play with our imagination and this serves as entertainment.

My daughter gives me a lot of love, she is always so attentive and sweet. I look at her with that emptiness in my chest. Knowing that she's here for a while, until that bastard takes her away. I hope my eyes never see it, I pray you, sir.

I am increasingly sure that things happen for a reason, nothing is a coincidence. Since they detected this disease, which I don't even want to name, Hernán has spaced out his visits. At least he still has something human about him. There's nothing that makes me more stressed than that guy in my house. See the girl, because even though she hides it, I know she sees her as a man.

He likes the girl, he doesn't respect my cheeks.

Mila is getting more and more beautiful. Her curves are accentuated and she has the shape of a woman, she is no longer a girl, despite her young age. Here in San Juan de Las Galdonas there are many brave birds. Hernán is not the only danger to her. Everyone who sees her attracts attention, she looks like the little mermaid.

The strange thing is that she hasn't had a boyfriend yet. I raised her well, but it's something that's going to happen whether I like it or not. That's how nature is, I can't help it.

The bad thing is that some people here already have a car. Even more dangerous, more to invent.

Skinny Júlio goes from one side to the other. A little bastard who is already driving his father's car, killing the girls. The mothers leave them alone there. I take care of my daughter's well-being.

Last month, a boy disappeared. The family is looking for him, they have moved heaven and earth. And since there are so many mafias, they recruit and then don't show up. They fall during a delivery or are killed by the police and even their colleagues.

Here betrayal is a horror that is present all the time. What matters is the money.

Skinny Júlio has been in love with Mila for a long time. They knew each other from school, but then they didn't see each other again because the boy left school to go to work. At the same time, he seemed very changed. Appearing marks and silver.

Elvis likes the young man and as he is Mila's age he continued to visit her. One day he didn't come anymore, sometimes we ran into him. At the fish market he appeared all devastated and didn't even greet us. He must have gotten into some trouble. And after that, we didn't see him again.

He hit my daughter, they got along well. In that sense, I was lucky that she was calm and didn't wander off like other people I know. If the father who takes care of her as much or more than me doesn't die.

My clients encourage me to fully engage with the internet and create my YouTube channel to upload daily tarot reading videos. Many have already become trustworthy and through chat they tell me that they make money. I walk what I want and don't walk, at the same time. As passionate as I am about new projects, if I get into this, I will spend my time recording.

Maybe that's what I need. I'll talk about this with my daughter, she's better at technology, we would work together and that would be great.

-Honey, come, I want to ask you something important.

-Tell me, mother.

-You know how to upload videos to YouTube .

-Yes, of course, it's super simple. We just need the internet. Without this we run out of data in seconds.

- How much does this cost?

-Let's go to city hall, there's free Wi-Fi in the square. And let's sit there and find out, okay?

-Yes, I'm going to get dressed and let's go.

We walk there, he explains to me that profits depend on the people who follow you. Well, knocking on the door is not entering. I get on board and suddenly it hits, who can take it off? Something begins.

-Mom, write it down, I'll tell you the names of the other channels like that, lyrics and such.

- Come on, daughter, so we can get references. I want mine to be very different, so we have to see what others offer.

-I agree, we won't need a big investment, you have the cards and the tablecloth you use, that's why to begin with, the smoother the better without too much complexity.

-Let's see, daughter. I use my mother's letters, they are very old, they don't sell them now.

-Look, these are the ones they use.

We spent a lot of time watching the videos and had a lot of fun. We laugh a lot, because there are some that are too dramatic. I'm sure people love it.

I, who am more formal, do my reading with great discretion. There is a customer for everything, what you have to be is original and create your style.

Now, that camera and video thing gives me a bit of a buzz. It will be a matter of trying until it works.

-Daughter, find out about the internet, the price, everything. Let's see if we can afford it with what we can get these days.

Against my will, Elvis is receiving something from Hernán for the girl's education. Your books and materials are your biggest expense, school is free.

I'm not completely opposed because I can't even afford to buy him shoes. And she doesn't deserve it, she's too good. Just seeing his face when he chooses his things is a pleasure.

Economic deprivation affects the spirit and fills it with misery, we must recognize this. He feels miserable, a beggar.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to see her on her fifteenth birthday. The disease left me exhausted and with no hope of getting better, this disease has a first and last name.

-Hello, good afternoon, dear.

- How do you love.

-Are you talking to yourself?

"Ha, ha, that's what I'm having fun with, darling.

-I want to ask you something.

-Tell me.

-No, I'll tell you until you promise not to bother.

-You love to stress me out, you just talked for a long time.

- Hernán asked me for permission to take the girl to the fifteen people who invited him. As he has no children, he wants Mila to attend the celebration and have fun.

»The princess of the house is approaching and from what she said she will help us at her party. Plus, a lot of girls her age go. You have the right to meet people and go out.

-You look like you were just born, how could this happen to you?

-Mommy, Daddy, what are you talking about?

-Your father, with his nonsense, don't pay attention to him.

-No, you won't do what you always do to me. I heard it and I want to go. I never go out anywhere.

-You're a girl, you're not allowed.

-Mommy, please.

-No, daughter, I can't allow it. If he wants you to go, he should take me too.

-Okay, the three of us go and dad stays at home, okay dad?

-For me, daughter, convince your mother.

I looked at him with hatred for the first time in my life. He was blaming me for the decision that should belong to both of us. He washes his hands and puts me between a rock and a hard place.

-For the record, I'm doing this for you Mila and this is the last time you ask me for something like this.

She hugged me and my eyes watered, I agreed because I want to see her happy.