C4 Chapter 04

Eliza Campos

I wanted to understand why Pedro looked at me that way, it seemed like he was going to unveil my secrets, which made me embarrassed, I had never felt that way.

I walk a few minutes with Carla to her desk, where she picks up a piece of paper where it says the schedule she has to work.

— Eliza, I am happy to have you on our team, here is the paper where the working hours are marked, you will start tomorrow only because we urgently need someone to take care of Mr. Monteiro's schedule, I was not able to do it – She says handing me that paper and after reading it for a few minutes, I say.

— I will also love to work here. I understand that I will have a lot of work tomorrow, but this will be amazing, it has been a long time since I have had a job," I say with a laugh. I had been out of work for a long time since I got addicted to drugs.

Not only that, but I felt so close to Carla, it seemed as if I had known her for so long, a friendship of years. I don't know how to explain this feeling, but I still wouldn't have the courage to tell her about everything I have been going through.

- Really, in the last few weeks we have had a lot of work. Some national authors discovered our work here at the publishing house and decided to launch their books - she says.

- Here in Brazil, unfortunately, the national authors are not so valued, and the big publishing houses only aim to publish works of well-known and international people - Carla says.

We keep talking for a few more minutes when Mathews sends me a message wanting to know how the job interview went, so I turn toward Carla and say.

- Carla, I have to go now, the interview was amazing. It was great to meet you.

- I loved meeting you too, so see you tomorrow," Carla says smiling in my direction and waving goodbye to me with a handshake.

After saying goodbye to Carla, I went to the garage where my car was, but when I arrived at that place, I lost the beautiful smile that was on my face, I had once again found Pietro and Violeta.

As I approach my car, Pietro looks intensely in my direction and approaches me, already speaking.

- Eliza, how are you? - Pietro was probably talking to me out of convenience.

- I'm fine. Now excuse me, I have to go," I say, but as I open my car door, Pietro, who was at a safe distance from me, comes closer and closer to take hold of one of my arms.

- Calm down, redhead, why are you in such a hurry to get away from me, are you afraid you can't resist? - Pietro speaks about debauchery.

I took a deep breath before answering Pietro, he knew how to break my patience.

- Pietro, don't make me lose what little patience I still have with you - Pietro was doing all those things to provoke me.

Pietro looks in my direction more calmly.

- Wow, you look so different," he says, "Have you stopped taking drugs?

I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our conversation.

- Pietro, you are already dating someone new, leave me alone. I don't owe you any more responsibility for what happens to me," I answer as calmly as I can, "Now let go of my arm.

Pietro then lets go of my arm and I can finally get into my car, I put the cell phone in the glove compartment of the vehicle for fear of doing something stupid, and I immediately start it to get away from that man, who had done me such harm.

The blond is an ex-boyfriend of mine from school days, we were together for years until I got addicted to drugs, however, it was after I became pregnant with Olivia that my nightmare began, because of this addiction, I ended up losing my daughter when she was eight months pregnant.

As he always said, he would never relate to a person who ruined his life like that and when I revealed my pregnancy to him, I believed at that moment that he would support me when I needed him the most, the only thing he did was scoff and say that the child was not his, and that's when he broke up with me.

I drove for a few moments and parked the car for fear of doing something stupid, I needed to breathe before continuing the trip.

Without being able to expect any other reaction from me, I started to cry, I couldn't control myself anymore and was afraid of having a relapse, I decided to call my therapist Giulia, I nervously took out my cell phone from the glove compartment of my car and call her, it was several rings before she answered, probably busy with other patients.

GIULIA:

Heart, did something happen?

ELIZA:

I need to meet with you now. Are you busy?

GIULIA:

For you, I'm never busy. We can meet in the square near my house.

ELIZA:

All right, I'm heading that way right now.

After this brief dialogue, I seemed to be strangely calmer just by hearing Giulia's voice, only she, my brother, and Mathews could calm me down like this.

After hanging up the phone, I put it in my pants pocket and finally start my car again, heading to the square where I had arranged to meet Giulia.

The square was very florid and was close to a shopping mall, with white benches, the grass was well cared for and well cut. Beautiful butterflies and little birds were flying around. There were colorful, beautiful, leafy trees. The day was hot, but not that unbearable heat. The sun was sending warm sunrays, and there was a very soft breeze, a perfect day, or simply a lazy day, and I would even say a romantic day.

I breathe in that incredible fresh air and finally manage to finish calming my breathing, which was still labored from all the things I had been through in so few minutes. As I didn't know if Giulia would be long since she was a little far from the place, more precisely in her office, I decided to sit on those benches.

I watched carefully the couples in love and the beautiful children playing without having any worries about adult life. It was the beginning of the week, and I was anesthetized by the energy of those people, and since I love the art world, I couldn't forget my faithful squire, a camera that my father had given me before he decided to abandon us after separating from my mother.

Every second a scene was captured by me and there was nothing in my life that caused me so much peace as taking pictures, besides, of course, exercising my passion which is writing, photographing real people, in real moments, something that was not artificial or premeditated.

Without my noticing, Giulia came in front of my camera, taking my attention for herself. In her hands she carried two cups of coffee, which I soon took for myself, opening and drinking it after a long tired sigh.

Giulia could be my therapist, my saving angel, but she had become much more than that: a great friend that I could count on for anything. She then sits down on the bench where I was already sitting.

- Lizz, tell me what happened. - she asks as she realizes that I have calmed down.

I take a deep breath before answering.

- I went to a job interview today," I answer, "Precisely that company my mother insists I did not go to, but I couldn't listen to her.

- Why not? - Giulia asks.

- Giu, I always let my mother dictate what would happen to me, I'm tired of it - I'm tired of everyone dictating the rules I should follow, I know I haven't set a good example these last few years, but I've had enough!

When Giulia realizes that I was getting nervous, she takes my hands.

- Lizz, you have to stop beating yourself up about this. You've been clean for almost a year now," she says, "Being a drug user was a problem solely of your own making, and as much as it may have hurt the people around you, it was by force of your own will that you decided to stop.

- I know - I murmur.

Giulia noticed that I had already finished my coffee and took the opportunity to throw my cup in the trash.

- But I know that today we didn't come to talk about your mother." What I admired most in Giulia was her capacity to know when something was bothering me to the point of calling her cell phone on a weekday, this was a clear sign that something was not right.

I smile at Giulia without showing my teeth and answer.

- Yes, can you believe that during the interview I ended up meeting Pietro?

Giulia looks in my direction not believing what I am talking about, she could have been my therapist for years, but she never liked Pietro.

- I don't believe it - she asks - And what did he do?

- He asked how I was, in the beginning, I even talked to him, but then he started asking if I was still addicted to drugs, saying that now I was fine - I answer - He didn't say anything much, but, seeing that man in front of me was as if I had returned to the past - I complete now staring at my fingers crossed on my lap and I feel my eyes watering again.

Giulia, who had already let go of my hand, tries to hold them again.

- Calm down! Giulia says taking a deep breath so that I follow what she was doing.

After I calm down again, I try to continue what I was revealing to her.

- Meeting Pietro again reminded me of how I ruined our relationship because of the drugs," I say, "But I also remember what a jerk he was when I ended up losing our daughter right after she was born.

Getting this off my chest with Giulia calmed me down a bit. I just want to see it when I meet Pietro almost every day when I go to work in the same company as him.