C13 Joana

At lunchtime, I made an appointment with my older sister.

On normal days, I used to have my quick meals in my own office, with my co-workers making fun of the big jar of salad I devoured, just to feel hungry two hours later and have to surrender to a pastry and soda. My days were always happy, despite the routine, because I had friends and family around who made everything easier.

However, after that visit to prison, I didn't have the courage to be locked in a room "although it was much larger than two rooms of the prison director", and I urgently needed a walk to clear my head. Not even João's invitations for me to join him and his boyfriend during lunch at the office gave me any encouragement to do so.

Jessy answered me at the first touch, and promptly offered to meet me at her favorite restaurant. She arrived first, because I was on the other side of the city and it still took me a long time after passing through the prison gates and saying goodbye to João.

I needed that moment sitting at the wheel of the car and distracted, to remember that I just needed to continue with those visits out of compassion at Pablo's request. It was not an obligation and I had no duty to him. My question was to help Jessy and her boyfriend get answers about Pablo's arrest. Nothing more than that.

I tried to calm down to ignore the fact that I found that man much more interesting than I used to find my famous and snobbish customers. It wasn't just for his incredibly beautiful physique or for his sensual tone of voice... He carried an unwavering aura. He was confident. Even in hell, the man still kept everything he should have been before he was arrested.

I didn't understand how he could do it. I noticed how the looks of those prison officers were empty and cold. But not his. His eyes were warm, captivating, bright. And I found myself lost in that look for long moments, despite finding the idea of getting involved with any of my clients absurd.

Only Jessy could console me in the right way. Giving some absurd advice or at least rubbing in my face the reasons not to dare to think about ulterior motives with Pablo. He was an inmate. A suspect arrested unjustly, but was still an inmate. The prison changed people. I had to remember that.

I kept thinking as I drove around the city. The wind coming in through the open window of my car caused golden strands of my hair to hit my face, even if they were stuck in an elastic band. I noticed that my head was slightly sore, and the corner of my eyes seemed tense under the pain. I let go of my hair and massaged my scalp, while I stood at the red light.

The silence inside the car and inside my head began to bother me to the point that I had to turn on the radio and tune in to some music that would bring me joy. The world ran at a totally different frequency out of that oppressive air of the prison. I watched everything as if in slow motion, taking control of the car and following the busy streets of the capital.

My thoughts finally calmed down when I arrived at the restaurant. It was one of the expensive places that Jessy liked to be so much after a stressful day. I remembered all the times she had called me in the middle of the afternoon to have that moment of fraternal complicity, because sometimes the world was too heavy for us to endure without a friendly shoulder, in our case, sister's shoulder.

Jessy was sitting at one of the tables near a small balcony, looking at her cell phone as she typed furiously, while her security guards remained at a table next to her. The men watched me when I approached, increasingly attentive to Jessy's well-being, especially after she was attacked a short time ago.

Jessy raised her eyes when she noticed my approach. Her dark hair, so different from mine, was loose and drained down one of her shoulders. One of her arms was resting on the table, as the other was busy with whatever she was doing on her cell phone. She was already eating, but totally forgot her plate of nachos with guacamole when she noticed my delay. Jessy hated delays.

"Oh, finally," she said, exasperated, dropping her cell phone on the table. Sitting obediently at the next table, his security guards, Bruno and Luís, (and our cousins) waved at me. "I thought you would have been taken hostage inside that horrible place.

"God forbid," I bew softly, sitting in front of her. I put my bag on the back of the chair, and gave Jessy a smile. “Good morning.”

"Good afternoon" corrected her, giving a quick smile. "How was it?”

"Well," I replied with a shrug. A waiter came up to pick up my order, and Jessy took the opportunity to order her real lunch. "I just think I'm going to have serious problems with his physical size.”

"Then I'm the naughty one," said Jessy, giggling as she looked at the cell phone screen. I was sure she was talking to Hazz at that moment.

"It's not even naughtiness, you would understand me if you also knew him.”

"Well, I have sex with his brother, so if they look alike...”

"They are not similar," I said immediately, although there were even some traits in Pablo that resembled his older brother, especially in the matter of height and eyes. But everything else seemed different to me. "I have a feeling that I'm not going to get anywhere.”

" Why do you think so? "She asked, frowning her face. "I thought you were the best person in the world to deal with the situation.”