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That moment when...
That moment when…
Life is not easy, that’s the truth that no one wants to admit, but the reality is that each one of us knows that one day we are going to be part of those moments, the ones that no one wants to be part of, when we will listen to bad news, or watch the destruction of a bond between two lives. I knew that my moment would come one day, I just didn’t think that it was going to be this soon.
Last summer after a very long week of work and study I decided to take a weekend off and go to my hometown. The plan was perfect. It would be like an express visit to my family and friends, I would leave on Friday, spend a few days with them and then I’d return to my reality on Sunday to do my homework and finish my projects.
The day I got there was great, I went to a restaurant and had dinner with my parents and sister, and then I went out with my friends at night and had some good chats about everything that has been going on in the little city. We talked about everyone that was part of our high school generation, about the new couples, the couples that didn’t last forever as we swore they would, and how university was treating us. Overall, the night was reduced to a few laughs and a lot of gossip.
The next day I had a very long discussion with my mother about the importance of being a “lady”, a word that my mother translates into being beautiful, educated, and most important always, and I mean ALWAYS be ready to go out. In other words, if you want to be a “lady” you have to be well dressed, have your make up on, your hair in place and your nails done. So just to stop the discussion I decided to make an appointment at the salon to do my nails.
Everything was normal as I entered the salon, I chose the color that I wanted for my nails and started talking with Rocio, the lady that usually does my nails. We were joking and having a good chat when a sudden phone call came. As soon as I saw her smile get wiped off her face, I knew I was going to be part of one of those moments. She started crying, shaking and screaming “What are you talking about? Why did he do that? He cut his arm off?” Then she hung up and look at me. I remember that I looked her in the eyes and told her “Calm down! Everything is going to be fine.” Then she told me that the call was from her ten year-old son and that she had a family emergency. I tried to calm her down but she didn’t listen to me, after that she made another call and yelled at me “Esperanza will be here any minute!” then she ran to her car and disappeared in the driveway.
I don’t think I will be able to forget that day. After that I only remember a few things. I paid Esperanza, got to my car and went straight home. I remember walking into my house and sitting in front of my mother while she was making lunch. I remember how she turned around from the stove and looked me in the eyes, her mouth opened and her face was overcome with a worried expression, and I saw in her eyes that she knew that I had been part of one of those moments. “What happened?” she asked.
