Chapter 22: Chapter 22

“I'm sorry I yelled at you upstairs,” he began and I shook my head to let him know that I don’t want to talk about this topic.

The boy's happy breath made me smile, “you did a good job.” He put a piece in his mouth, put the second piece into the sauce, and dipped it in an exaggerated manner. My desire was dying. I asked him to eat it. I saw him put everything in his mouth, and my smile became bigger. “What the hell is this?” When he spat, he screamed, took a glass of lemonade and took a large sip, “this tastes like acid, damn it!” He shouts again and then coughed.

“What did you do, Marili?” When he saw that his friend wasn't breathing, Kahin asked.

“Carla, get the water,” I ordered my friend nervously. “Breathe, stupid.” I yelled at him, but he couldn't do it. Despair and nerves trapped me. Kahin screamed wildly. The idiot turned purple. I didn't know why. I punched him and let him take a breath. “You are a weak person.” I yelled at him when I saw him regain his complexion, “shit.” I walked away from him, laughing nervously.

“Can you give it to me?” He asked Carla, after drinking the water, he choked and asked, leaving my inner tension in my heart and looking at him scornfully. “The sauce went from vinegar to fried butter, and with the spicy flavor, I really don't remember if you put rat poison, lemon squash...”

“Sorry, I put salt and sugar.”

The guy stood up and stood in front of me. He was as tall and muscular as Kahin. I was angry from his height. “You're out of your mind.” He muttered.

“Leave her alone, Loan,” Kahin said.

“When did you start protecting these bitches?” The man looked at me angrily.

Kahin was at least in front of me, “be careful. Don't make me angry.” He warned.

"For God's sake, Hamann, she almost killed me," he cried. "Besides, how long will my poverty last, and how long will you stay with that bitch." He resigned.

Kahin took a step closer to his friend, “if you say that to her again, I'll beat you up.” Kahin's fists were clenched, and the blood vessels in his arms were surging.

“Come on, come on,” I heard my friend say, and soon I saw her holding the man’s hand, “I'll make you something to eat and relax,” she pulled him out as if there was nothing wrong. The bastard let himself be guided away.

Kahin turned and looked at me, “you can't do it all the time, honey, not everyone can take it.”

He's right, that person may have hurt me, but I don't want to sprain my arm. “Then tell your friends who I am, because I can make them understand who I am in any way.” I left him to get out of the place, but I felt him holding my arm.

“You want us to leave today? Our friends can come with us,” he said.

I have a smile on my lips. Although I don't like that fool to go with us, I really want to go to the place I like very much. “Well... What are we waiting for?” I tried to go out, but he didn't allow me. When I looked at him, he held me in his arms, picked me up like a doll, and kissed me on the lips. “Don't think that you won't pay for setting me up again.”

He lets me go, “can we stop this? I'm a little tired,” he said.

“Miss the fun of hunchback life? Of course not. You have to understand that there is always someone better than you in life, even in your own game.” I winked at him, left the room and left him there to growl. I can't be confused by his behavior. Last time he was like this, I trusted him. I'm here now and his because he bought me.

All four of us are ready. We are already in the car. This is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Panama, especially the Anton Valley, which is a place full of history and curiosity. I love that place.

“Where did you find this woman?” Loan asked, looking at Kashin in the car. I turned and looked at him without hiding. I was in the co driver's seat, and he and my friend were in the backseat.

“Do you think she's perfect?” Kahin smiled.

“Perfect? She's a damned witch.”

I winked at him with a smile, “I'm a witch. I can give you a laxative beer without your attention. It's too evil. I can look you in the eyes when you drink it. It's too cynical. Even if I know the reason why you are uncomfortable, I'd like to take you to the hospital.”

You look rude. You're weak.” He said.

I shrugged, “too weak, a stranger took your hand, ordered you to follow her, and you in the quarrel, like a stray dog obey her.”

“Marili!” My friend protested.

“What is it? Isn't that true? c'mon... I see him looking at your ass when you pulled him away,” I look at her. “It's dangerous to be with an asshole like him,” I turned to my front.

“Honey, stop it,” Kahin said, stroking my leg.

“Really, you worry me,” Loan said and I looked at him in the rearview mirror. Who is he talking about?

Kahin cleared his throat, “shut up, goddamn glue," he warned. "I don't want to hear you say that I told you it was dangerous and I dumped you in the middle of nowhere, so don't laugh at me. She has answers to everything and you know what will happen in the worst." I look at Kahin, why is he always so aggressive?

“Are you…?”

The sound of the brakes shocked everyone, “shut up, don't talk nonsense, or I'll beat you!” As he turned around, I screamed, my friend and I crossed our eyes in horror, while the stupid idiot laughed at Kahn's threat.

“Well... ok I'll shut up, but don't think the kids won't know.”

I'm really confused and afraid of how these two people treat each other. I look at them, “you're not alone in the fucking car, so I'm going to ask you two to behave. Especially you,” I glared at the idiot who went with my friend.

"Stop being so obnoxious and shut the fuck up."

I look at Kahin now, "Stop being so aggressive and don't stop like that again, we could have crashed because of that stupidity, if you with your damn age don't behave seriously, you can leave the control of the car to me, but I'm not willing to let it happen. Something about your idiocies is that you are underdeveloped." I yell at them angrily, I don't like games like that on the road.

"Sweet, let's go easy ..."

"Stop, Kahin." I interrupt him. "Are you aware that we are on a highway?"  He says nothing and drove off.

"Fuck, what character." I hear the other whispering.

"Everyone that you lack." I blurt out angrily at him, my breathing so heavy, I try to relax and get past that scare and all that confusion that I have been angered by the conversation of those two.

I saw my friend fiddling with the stereo and shortly after I hear "Men of Action" by Mulán, I smile when I hear it and without worry, I started to sing it along, now it's my turn to have fun.

When we get to Coclé, we stop for a drink, Kahin drives like crazy and we arrive faster than expected.

"What do you say if we go to my villa and early tomorrow we visit the places you want and at night, we stay in Playa Blanca?" Kahin asks.

"Of course, of course he has a fucking house here too." I said, irritated, no matter how much I try to liven up, my broken heart keeps reminding me that Ian has truly hurt me and even though I did the same to him, it still hurt. I just don't understand why I can't get past that.

"Are you very skinny?" Carla asks, looking at me, she knows me and only with that look does she know what's wrong with me. I nod and she looked at Kahin. "She doesn't like to travel a lot, that puts her in a bad mood."  She lies and he snorts.

"Okay, let's go to the villa, the four of us can have a barbecue on the beach." I said and without waiting for anyone, I got out of the car. When I got out, he followed me.

"What's wrong, Dulce?" He asked in a loving voice, his hypocrisy overcomes me.

"If you don't mind, don't ask. Besides, I don't think an insensitive and unemotional person like you can understand it." I looked away and heard when my friend got out of the car with the other fool, the tears want to come out of my eyes, but I don't allow it. Always being strong is exhausting and at a certain point painful.