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  - Wait a minute, have we met before? -She goes up to her and looks her in the eye.

  - What do you think? Maybe I do, maybe I don't. What's the difference?

  - Your face reminds me of someone I loved with all my heart.

  The girl goes back to the mirror. Yesi stands next to her and they both look in the mirror.

  - Maybe that memory is real. I'm Yeri Mariga, Ismat's mother.

  - Oh, my God! It can't be. -She embraces her with all the love in the world.

  They cry for a while in each other's arms. In the middle of the tender moment Pons opens the heart she has in his chain: it contains a photograph of Ismat and one of her.

  - My Ismat, my treasure. Oh, my god. -Drowned in tears, Yesi cannot say much.

  -I've tried to rebuild my life. I've held on to the dance more than ever. I keep thinking, if I had stayed with him, maybe....

  - It's the same with me, maybe if I'd come sooner.

  The lamentations were in vain. It was too late to look back: Ismat was gone.

  - How's Grandma Munga doing?

  - She must be all right.

  - How did you find me? When did you arrive?

  - There are things that I cannot answer, but I do want you to answer me something from the centre of your soul. Damn it, I want you to tell me something very important!

  —OK.

  - If you had the man responsible for Ismat's death in your hands, would you take revenge? If there was a possibility that a person would induce him to take cocaine, and that person fell into the palm of your hand, would you take revenge?

  - Without hesitation I would, a thousand times over. -She cries, this time with anger in her eyes.

  - That's what I needed to know. I'm leaving now. Thank you, Pons. He kisses her on the forehead.

  -Wait, here. -The chain is removed and placed on the woman's neck.

  -Why?

  - When you don't have the strength, look at our pictures. Think how beautiful your grandchildren would be, and do it please. I don't know what it's about, but do it. I'm leaving tonight. I'm not going back to the States for a long time. My colleagues and I will be participating in a tour of Latin America. We'll make a lot of introductions. I hope I can see you again, don't faint.

  Yesi leaves the dressing room convinced that she must go on and on.

  The next few weeks were full of contempt for Frank. She used rejection as a defence mechanism. She had to get out a little of the feeling that grew in it, it was necessary to be able to fulfil its task.

  On mysterious Thursdays when Frank went out to meet his basketball boys she would read stories for Mac. That day, while reading a tender story to the little one, she made a sudden change to reading and invented a horrible horror story. She wanted to scare the kid and she does it. He hugs her. Yeri remains inert, but she feels the little creature's heart, as if she wants to get out of her chest. Mac caresses the pendant containing the photos of Pons and Ismat.

  - I am afraid. Hold me.

  Yesi can't do it. You must resist that, fight it, but it's in vain. She ends up hugging the child with all her heart. This gets tangled up in his hair and his little heart starts to calm down again.

  ¿ Now why are you crying? Weren't you laughing?

  Karma

  CHAPTER IX

  Years Later…

  Yeri's relationship with the guru continued with charming dates, theatre, movies, beach dinners, exotic gifts and fights from Frank over his partner's escapades every first day of the month. Mysteriously, the chain that Pons gave him disappeared a long time ago, she stopped worrying over the years.

  - Where do you think you're going?

  - I'm going out, Frank, I told you. I must have a special day for myself, and that day is today. Excuse me, please.

  She dresses and looks in front of the mirror. He gets lost in those perfect curves, in that body that has him tied his hands and feet. He comes over and hugs her from behind.

  - Honey, it's not for nothing, it's just that I'm jealous. Sometimes you're late and those strange gifts, those Japanese flowers, those scented soaps, your dresses, they're really expensive. You must admit that anyone would hesitate, though the fire of our intimate passion has never been extinguished. Sometimes the silly idea goes through my stupid head that there might be someone else.

  - Do I question you on Thursdays when you go out with your boys and I don't know where they go?

  - That's why, isn't it? I promise I'll take you there. Next Thursday you'll go with me, but you must promise me you'll understand everything and not question anything. You're my complete trust and it's time for you to get to know me better.

  -It's okay.

  She turns around to reciprocate the hug. I couldn't deny that I felt great in those arms, that Frank was able to make all the desire explode in her just by rubbing her skin.

  Someone knocks on the door of the room: it's Mac. And he's quite a young man, he's eleven years old now. Open and enter. Smiling, he touches the bed and sits down.

  - I would make you mine right now.

  -I'm sure Dad's got his arms around you, right, Mom? Oh, and watch your whispering, Dad. Remember, my hearing is very powerful.

  - Why do you call me "mom," Mac? We've been over this, I'm not your mom, although I'll admit I'd love to have been.

  - Leave it, Yesi. He's crazy about you, look at him. All three laugh.

  - I'm sorry, Mom, I won't call you "Mom" anymore. They laugh even more.

  - His little mouse. Let me see, what are you playing at, huh?

  -Stop hugging Frank and run and tickle Mac. Yesi laughs.

  That Night, While Dining With The Beachfront Guru

  The breeze, the sea, that table with candles covered with glass, the smell of the food they prepared just a meter away from them. You could see the fire while they added wine to the lobster. Yeri toasted the guru, pleased. It felt great.

  - So, Frank is jealous of me?

  - Yes, that's what he said. From the gifts, from my outings.

  - If he knew, I wouldn't be able to touch you.

  - Why guru? Why not? I mean, I'm attractive, you've made it clear you like me, why haven't you ever tried to seduce me? And it's not like I want him to, uh! I'm just curious.

  - I couldn't, even if I wanted to. My penis was amputated many years ago. His naturalness surprises Yeri.

  -Really? Some kind of disease or something?

  -Nothing like that. It was an accident, that's all.

  -I'm sorry. She gets serious.

  -Are you sorry? You can't imagine how terrible it is to see a woman like you appear, want her, smell her, feel her, mix all that desire like a smooth in your brain, and not be able to execute that. I can assure you don't sorry. I'm really sorry about that. Every time one of our dates ended, he ended up exhausted from repressed desire, from thousands of frustrated orgasms. I've learned to deal with it, it's become an evil perverse pleasure. I enjoy it. I can live with that.

  -Whoa! Forgive me for laughing, but I remembered the movie Red Dragon, the scene in which he is naked, imitating the figure he is obsessed with. He looks like he doesn't have a penis. Did you see her?

  - Yeah, I saw her. And no matter how much you laugh, it's normal. I remind you that he who laughs last, laughs best.

  - Yes, that's right. I'm sorry if I offended you. On the other hand, I'm curious: when he disappears for so long, where does he go? It's like he's being swallowed up by the earth.

  The guru abruptly changes the conversation.

  - Tell me about the progress with Frank. We've waited too long, it's time to act.

  - Yes, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember you told me that the place where you meet the boys is impenetrable?

  - Yes, I tried to get in several times, but I didn't make it. It's hard for me to dress up like a young basketball boy.

  -Yes, I understand. He laughs at the guru's joke.

  - He'll take me this Thursday.

  -Good. I'll be away for a whi
le, I've got some things to sort out. You understand me, don't you?

  -Yes, perfectly. You must feed your demons.

  -I'm glad. I'm glad we understand each other. No one's done this well since the time my father lived.

  - His father?

  - Yes, a powerful and despicable being. He enjoyed listening to tapes of Nazi recordings. His pile of money wasn't enough to make him a normal person. He recorded them and narrated the atrocities they committed: rapes, massacres, aberrations. My father, that fucking son of a bitch, was more and more disturbed listening to that filth. He and his cronies were a pack of filthy wolves that fed on that rot. When I found out, I had to intervene.

  - Oh, yeah. What do you mean?

  -I took revenge for all the victims these bastards annihilated.

  - But they were tapes, maybe they just listened to them.

  - They are as guilty as those who committed the crimes, because they kept those tapes over the years and sent them to you one by one. The last place they got to was my father's house. I had to find directions, travel to other countries. After almost fourteen years I returned to my father's house. I told him what I had done.

  - What did he say? Yeri was fascinated.

  - He laughed like crazy, and said, "That's good! Now the tapes are mine alone."

  -Really?

  - Yes, my father was the sickest of them all.

  - What did he do then?

  - I went and left the tapes on his bed. He now had a date with his sordid, rotten pillow.

  The lobster is taken and served. They start eating.

  - I must mention a film, it is necessary.

  -Surprise me.

  - Nine millimetres, with this actor....

  - Nicolas Cage.

  -Yes, that. I loved that movie.

  -Me, too. It's inspiring, his revenge is memorable.

  - As revenge should be, unforgettable. -He raises his glass.

  -For a revenge that fills our senses with satisfaction. -The guru raises his cup too.

  After this, she left in a taxi. Something dizzy comes home.

  Mac's sleeping. She comes in trying to keep quiet, but Frank waits for her in the living room, totally naked.

  -I thought you'd like us to play a game.

  She laughs, the booze is making her fly. Then walk towards him. He withdraws a little, thinks that in the midst of the dizziness that his partner evidently has, his conscience will not see what he would see. Frank moves away a little bit. He takes a cocaine mirror off the plateau and inhales it. Raises his head and wipes his nose. Then go back to her. Yesi does not belong to herself at all, but she cannot deny that she saw what she had been waiting for many years. The real Frank was starting to come out.

  - What kind of game?

  - A game, you'll like it. You just let me do what I want with you. Let me possess you completely, make you mine to all your senses. I want to get inside you, take you, be mine, depend on me.

  - Do you think you're God, Frank? She says in the midst of dizziness and unconsciousness.

  - I don't believe I'm God, I'm your God. Let me prove it to you. Let me in on you. Come on, be mine.

  He grabs her by the hair with a sudden force. He bites her and hurts her. Then he performs the sexual act in an almost animal-like way. It wasn't the Frank she knew, it was a beast.

  The Next Day

  Unfortunately, but fortunately, Mac was blind, so that he would not see the voracious bites that Frank had made on Yesi's neck, chest, arms, back, after a night of more than seven voracious encounters, as if it had never been his. It was funny, it looked like Frank had never taken her on drugs. Their transformation was inappropriate and uncomfortable. She felt pain all over her body, but she couldn't wait, she had to act as soon as possible.

  - You were great last night. He hugs him on her back while she's making breakfast.

  - Oh, yeah. I'm so satisfied! It was necessary. If he reproached me, it would become a sign that he didn't show himself as such.

  - So did you like it then?

  - A lot. I have two men with me, in one body: one of them loves cautiously, without haste; the other goes straight to the point, loves without hesitation.

  - Which one do you like better?

  - I can't choose, because I can have them both whenever I want. All I need to know is what triggers that beast you were hiding until last night. How can I wake her up again?

  - On Thursday, all your questions will be answered. Hurry up with breakfast, I'm starving.

  Beware of the bonfire you light for your enemy, lest you scorch yourself.

  Williams Shakespeare

  CHAPTER X

  Returning to Reality

  - It's awful, Yesi. Everything you're saying is incredible.

  - Yes, Officer Fatima, that's right. It's been hard on me, very hard. No one has understood because they do not know the story as it is. I know you understand me now. Partly, yes, but I was able to report it to the police and none of this would have happened.

  - True, but my thirst for revenge was stronger than anything. I'm sorry, it's late.

  - What happened to Mac? Please tell me you didn't hurt him.

  - Before I spoke any further, I told you please that I needed you to do something for me.

  The hours had passed. The judge gets to the cell. Look at Fatima and then at Yesi. The magistrate sighs and with the envelope in her hand begins to speak.

  - I shouldn't be here. We'll be in session in a little while. I just want to know if you're willing to go through with this. I have read these documents and if you authorize me to do so I will only proceed.

  - Not yet, let's wait.

  - I just hope that child shows up, safe and sound, for his own good.

  - That I do not assure you. I must see that what I have hoped for is fulfilled.

  - Does it satisfy you?

  -No, I need it. I know that if Ismat had been your son, you would have acted the same way towards Mac. You know what I mean, don't you?

  -Something. Now get ready, we're going in.

  The judge is leaving. Fatima is waiting for Yeri to tell her what to do.

  - You will call this telephone number and say these words: "The deeds are done".

  - What if I don't?

  - Of course he will, you promised.

  The officer lowered her head, wrote down the number Yessi gave her by heart, called from her cell phone and repeated.

  - The facts are done.

  A male voice answers him:

  - It is done. -Hang up.

  - What did he say to you?

  - The man said, "It is done".

  - Man?

  - Yes, a man.

  -It can't be. -The guru remembers the man-. When I left the room, where did he go?

  -I don't know, calm down. What's going on? Tell me about it.

  - Mac, Mac is in danger. He..., that... man is dangerous. God, what did I do!

  The guards are coming for Yeri.

  - What do I do?

  - Find Munga, my mother-in-law. She must have taken that call. Mac was with her. He was instructed to bring the child when I told him that word. I was supposed to be expecting this call today. I fixed it all up all right, but the guru.... Damn! What do I do?

  - Well, it's all right, don't worry. I'll go get her.

  Yesi enters the room and meets Frank's face. His gaze disgusted her. Thinking she was in love with him! But now I was worried about Mac.

  - Order in the court.

  At that very moment Officer Fatima enters the room with the Mac boy and the guru. Handcuffed took him into the living room.

  - Son, son, are you all right? Mac's biologic mother and father embrace the young man, who with a blank stare looks for something.

  -Where's Mom?

  -Here I am, darling.

  -No, Mom. Yesi, where is he?

  -Here I am, champion.

  -Where? I want to hug you.

  The magistrate is saddened to see the boy crying. He looks
at Yeri in tears and allows her to go to the meeting with the boy. The guru remains handcuffed. Officer Fatima has custody of him.

  -My love, my precious child. They hug each other. Mac pulls something out of his pocket: it's the chain. He puts it around Yeri's neck.

  - Sorry, I hid it for a long time. You said that inside was what you loved most and I was jealous, so I hid it, I opened it, but I couldn't see what it had. Don't misplace it, Mother Yesi. I always took it with me everywhere, because having it had you with me.

  -It doesn't matter. And yes, I am your mom, and I always will be, even though from now on they'll give you the opposite. I love you, Mac, you're the most beautiful boy on earth. I love you, don't let anyone call you a weird or different kid. You're beautiful, you're beautiful.

  -It's disgusting," says the Guru mumbled.

  -Let go of my son. Let him go, goddamn it!

  -Dad, why are you talking to Mommy Yesi like that? Don't talk to her like that, she's my mommy. -Cries.

  The child is taken by the psychologist and taken elsewhere until the trial is over.

  -Where are you taking my son?

  -Away from you, to a place where you can't do the harm you do to other young people. Frank Fournier, from plaintiff to prosecutor, has just been indicted. He has committed the crime of illegal possession of cocaine. We've commandeered his house and found an interesting amount of this substance. This will put him in jail for a while. Then the other demands will come from the children's parents. You ran a lodge, a kind of club where you introduced young people to the world of drugs. There are recordings, photos and a witness, his partner. She, Yeri Mariga, mother of Ismat, remember him?

  Frank was speechless, didn't know what to say.

  -Remember, you fucking asshole? Remember when you told him in that chat room conversation that you couldn't give him any more coke, you idiot? Messages in Hangout are deleted. Stupid, motherfucker, you killed my son. I hate you, I hated you for a long time, even though I loved you with all my heart. Now I hate you, I hate you. Not even death could claim, you piece of redemption. You hurt other people's children. You were supposed to start Mac. Yeah, you would, too. Cocaine to you is a kind of god. You're sick, very sick.