Episode 1

Maria …

"Maria, your mother is very delicate, we need to do the operation as soon as possible or we won't be able to do anything if her condition worsens" Mariano, the cardiologist who has been in charge of my mother's illness since she was diagnosed with heart failure, tells me.

"I know, Mariano, I'm trying to raise the money as quickly as I can, but you know my salary is low, I'll try to find another job, just give me a little more time" I say anxiously, as I was worried about my mother's health.

I sit next to my mother as I do every day and take her hand, seeing her in that state broke my heart.

It all started 4 years ago, the day we were informed that my father and my brother had had an accident and had died at the moment, my mother had a heart attack and since then she began to suffer from heart failure.

Since that time, Mariano has been treating my mother for her illness, but now her condition is worsening, the treatments that Mariano does for her are no longer very effective, and the only option for her to survive is a transplant and the surgery is very expensive.

Since my mother became ill, I had to drop out of school and start working to pay for her treatments, I was only 16 years old when I dropped out of school, I couldn't finish high school or go to university, but my mother's health was more important.

I looked for jobs for a long time, no one wanted to hire me because I was underage, until I finally got a job where they hired me even though I was a minor, it was in a restaurant, working as a kitchen assistant, and since then it's the only job I've had.

Although I am now of legal age, I am in my 20s, even so, the salary they pay me in the restaurant is low, it was barely enough to pay for my mother's treatments and to eat.

But now with her operation everything has become complicated, the transplant surgery costs a lot of money and even saving all my salary for several months is not enough to pay for it, so I have no choice but to go out and look for another job.

"Maria" my mother says, waking up.

"Mom, how do you feel?" I ask her worriedly.

"It's a little hard for me to breathe, but I'm fine" she tells me, somewhat agitated.

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll get the money for your transplant soon and you'll be as good as you were before" I say anxiously.

"Maria, let me die, daughter, let me go with your father and your brother, don't stress about me anymore, you're still young, live your life normally like all the young girls your age" my mother tells me sadly, and I look at her with tears in my eyes.

"You're the only thing I have left, Mom, don't think about leaving me" I say, starting to cry, the sadness of knowing that my mother wanted to die and leave me depressed me.

I couldn't imagine a life without her, I had already lost my father and my brother, I didn't want to lose her too.

I had my aunt Eleonor, my mother's sister, but she lives in Italy, and like us, she is not doing well financially, so she can't travel to come and see us, but she always tries to help me with some money by transferring it to my account.

On the other hand, my father's family never accepted my mother into their family, and therefore my brother and I were not accepted either, so I have no family on my father's side.

After spending a couple of hours with my mom, she fell asleep again, the medications they give her make her very sleepy, so she spends most of her time asleep.

I leave the clinic and head to the restaurant. My working hours were from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., I only worked 8 hours a day, that's why my salary was low.

I was on the bus to the restaurant and I saw the palenqueras dancing in their colorful dresses, if I liked anything about Cartagena it was that here you saw the dances on every corner, it was a very cheerful place and that filled me with sadness, because they looked so happy dancing without worries, on the other hand my life is not like that of other young women, my life was divided into two parts, work and my mother.

When I arrived, I went to the kitchen, put on my apron and started working.

"Maria, come" Luli, one of my colleagues and my best friend, tells me, taking my hands and dragging me outside.

"What's wrong, Lu?" I say, confused by how she took me out.

"I have to tell you something and I couldn't say it in front of the others, that's why I brought you out here" she says, speaking softly.

"And what is it that you have to tell me that others can't hear?" I ask, even more confused.

"Mari, tell me, what are you willing to do to get the money for your mom's transplant?" she asks me seriously.

"Anything, Luli, as long as I get that money as soon as possible, I would do anything" I say desperately, hoping she will give me good news.

"Okay, I got information about a job. Right off the bat I'll tell you it's clandestine, but the pay there is much more than what you earn here working all month, it's almost two monthly salaries in one night, the thing is that you're willing to do it" she tells me in a low voice and looking to the sides to see if anyone is listening.

"What should I do? I'm scared, Lu" I say worriedly, when she said it was clandestine I regretted it.

"Friend, they're looking for girls to please the clients, there you must be submissive, and the essential thing, be blind, deaf and mute. Obey everything you are ordered to do and never complain about anything. I know it sounds horrible to you, but think about the money, Mari. One night there, it's almost 2 months of what you earn here" she tells me and my eyes widen, this girl was crazy, how could I work at that? If I've never been with a man in my life.

"Luli, I can't work at that, I don't know anything about sex, you know I've never been with a man" I say scared.

"Mari, don't worry about that, you don't have to do anything, they guide you in what you have to do and the best thing is, it's with masks, so you won't see the man's face, nor will he see yours" she tells me excitedly, and I'm killed by nerves.

But at that moment I remember Mariano's words, "We need to do the operation as soon as possible or we won't be able to do anything", I didn't want my mother to die, and I was willing to do anything to get that money as soon as possible.

"Okay, where do I have to go and when?" I ask, sighing, but more out of nerves for what I was about to do.

"It's tonight, the job is from twelve to three a.m., it coincides right with your time to leave here, I'm going to accompany you because the information was given to me by a girl I know who also works there and I agreed to introduce you if you accepted" she tells me and I'm trembling with nerves.

"Okay, I have no other choice, I need to get the money for the transplant as soon as possible, but please Luli, clarify to your friend, that I will only do this until I get the money for my mom's surgery and then I won't continue doing it" I tell Lu to clarify that from the start.

I don't know what's going to come of this, fear and nerves have me unfocused, but I think of my mother and that I want to save her, so I'll do all this for her.

After talking to Luli and agreeing to go to that place after the restaurant, we both went back inside and continued working, although my head was not in the work, I still didn't let it show.

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