INFIDELITY: A PAINFUL ROAD TO LONELINESS: Destiny. First Part

Por Enrique Martinez

I became a father at fifteen. At my young age, I wanted to play at being an adult, and the responsibilities were coming day by day in my new chapter as a father. During my boy's first birthday, I had the opportunity, over dinner at my house, to tell my mother that I would soon marry Elizabeth. She took my hand and said, "You two are too young to take such a huge step. Life is just beginning for both of you, and you still have a very long way to go and meet many more people."

Regardless of her words that night, my decision to continue with the civil wedding remained solid, and a couple of months later I married Elizabeth, thinking at that moment that she was the woman with whom I would share the rest of my life.

Without knowing that after three years, my mother's words would resonate in my head when the most important person in my life appeared in my world.

It would really be incredible if we had a crystal ball to see our future and thus make better decisions. Believing in destiny was not important to me. I thought that life was what we were building day by day with our actions. But destiny would arrive very soon, planning step-by-step the exact moment when he would knock on the door of my heart. That sudden change in life would bring a hurricane of problems and many conflicts for Elizabeth, my family, and for that person who came to change my way of seeing life and loving in an extraordinary way.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 24 ago 2022
• ISBN: 9781662493263

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Infidelity

A Painful Road to Loneliness

Destiny. First Part

Enrique Martinez

Copyright © 2022 Enrique Martinez

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-9324-9 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-9326-3 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

On the road of life, you will always find people who will form a very close bond with you in various stages and circumstances of life. Those kinds of people are what we commonly call friends. Sometimes this six-letter word does not apply to many, and it is truly sad. They always say that: true friends are counted with the fingers of one hand. In my case, it was the opposite, and I always thank life for having had that blessing in my childhood and much of my youth: having had the greatest friends that any other human being would have wanted to have on this path that gives us life only once.

Those people who were always with me enjoyed so many very sweet moments as well as many more painful and bitter ones: they cried with me, I also cried at their side, and we laughed at everything and at any nonsense. Regardless of gender or ideology, we were always supporting each other. Some of us fought for what we longed for; others simply stayed out of their dreams. But our companionship and our union formed a strong bond that regardless of the years that pass or those that continue to pass, the memories will keep us united in the distance.

Some have gone to heaven early, but I’m sure Heavenly Father must be taking care of each of them. Every day, no matter the time, day, month, or year, I miss them so much. I hope they are not doing their thing up there and that soon they will save a little place for me to continue our friendship until eternity.

To those who are still in this world and whom I have not heard from them for all these years, I wish with all my heart that they lead a peaceful and very quiet life, that they have formed a beautiful family, while I will continue to try locate them to hear their voices again and learn about several years of gossip that we used to tell each other on a daily basis; I miss them too. To those of us who have the privilege of continuing to listen either through a small phone call, or simply reading a text message, I want to thank you for continuing to maintain that friendship that we formed in that beautiful neighborhood, where we share thousands of antics from children to adolescence, where we learned to fall in love, to work, to study, to be good people in society, and most importantly to be humble above all. This first volume is dedicated to you my dear friends.

Unfaithful: adj. 1 That does not keep fidelity. 2 Inaccurate, that does not express reality.

That was the meaning I could find about the word unfaithful in a dictionary. I was really not very convinced of what I had just found; practically those words never had any value to me.

Something so painful written in a book does not have that same effect in real life at the moment you are reading it. I did not understand it.

I closed the dictionary and thought about what really has value for me.

And I remembered for a moment my grandfather when I was completely closing the dictionary.

We have all had the opportunity or, better said, the happiness of listening to our grandparents tell us a story about some chapters of their lives.

Those ghost stories, some events from their adolescence, and many more things about their childhood or some memories of forgotten loves.

I used to sit on his bed when I was just eight or nine years old, always waiting for him to tell me one of hundreds of stories that made me travel through time when I heard every word he spoke; they were magical moments for me at that time. Of so many stories that he related to me, there was one in particular, one that as time passed I never thought I would experience firsthand.

Of course, life offers us many surprises, but who would have imagined that, at my young age, the future would be waiting for me with something very similar to what I will tell you in a few moments.

I will try to summarize this interesting story from my grandfather, so that you can understand a little what this story is about.

My grandfather’s father lived in a small town outside the city when he was a teenager. Their neighbor was a great friend of his father, and they both shared moments together: they used to go fishing, hunting, and having a very good night enjoying from time to time a few drinks.

But it seemed that things were not going well at the neighbor’s house.

There were some nights where my grandfather’s parents heard screams and insults from both of them in the backyard of their house.

My grandfather’s father always tried not to get involved in these kinds of problems. Although both were great friends, the problem between couples does not include third parties, and he knew that.

But one afternoon the neighbor would come to look for his friend to say goodbye.

How’s that you’re going to work somewhere else? asked my grandfather’s father, surprised by what was happening.

It will only be a few months. I really need more money.

They gave each other a good handshake and a long hug. A few minutes later the neighbor was lost in the distance in search of the road, waiting for the bus. My grandfather’s father knew perfectly well that the harvests of that year were not going very well, but it was not necessary for his friend to leave either.

Something’s wrong, he thought.

It had already been a full month since the neighbor had left, and things continued as normal as any other day. My great-grandmother used to sit in the evenings at the entrance of the house with a nice glass of lemonade and wait for her husband. But one afternoon, when the sun was beginning to fall, my great-grandmother observed that a car was parking at the entrance of the neighbors’ house.

Their neighbor got out of the car, and with a gesture of joy she greeted my great-grandmother, raising her hand and entered her house while the car was leaving.

During dinner my great-grandmother told my great-grandfather what happened, but the comment only reached there; it really wasn’t something to worry about.

But things changed during the following nights. My great-grandmother couldn’t sleep during one of those nights and was tossing and turning trying to get it. At three in the morning, she got up in search of a glass of water.

When she was in the kitchen, she watched through the small window facing the street that someone came out of the neighbor’s house. She moved a little closer to see if what she was seeing was true, and she was not mistaken: a man came out of the front door, walking somewhat quickly and lost in the distance.

My great-grandmother took a seat in the dining room, disappointed by what had just happened. She went back to bed, trying not to wake my great-grandfather.

A couple of days passed, and my great-grandmother kept her secret very well kept. Although she looked at the neighbor almost daily, she always tried to be very nice to her and hide that nothing had happened that night.

But two weeks later, my great-grandfather came home late because of some crop problems. It seemed that a plague of small spiders was causing problems in the vegetables.

So when he was getting home, he saw a man come out of his neighbor’s house who, seeing my great-grandfather, walked a little faster without saying any words. My great-grandfather thought he was a thief and ran after him to catch him, but when he was a few meters away from reaching him, this individual got into a car that he had left parked near the town gas station.

My great-grandfather stopped when he saw that there was nothing he could do anymore and simply watched that car drive away from there.

But when my great-grandfather saw that vehicle, he raised his hands to his face and said, It can’t be! It’s the mayor’s son.

It had been almost two months since my great-grandfather’s best friend had left, and things were not going well at his house. My great-grandparents didn’t know what to do after what happened. Since that night, my great-grandfather began to calculate the days and the time when that person arrived at the house of his dear friend.

My grandfather says that it was very difficult for him to stay out of the situation because, almost daily, in the morning he greeted his neighbor with a good morning, as if nothing was happening.

But the day would come when our protagonist would return.

One afternoon, while my great-grandfather was collecting a small chili that was growing in the backyard, his great friend appeared.

How did it go? It was the first thing my great-grandfather asked.

Very good, I was able to bring in some money to survive a little with these problems, he replied.

My great-grandfather couldn’t believe what problems his friend was in.

But what problems? You didn’t have to leave. Your whole harvest is perfect.

That man sat down and took some air he said, My marriage is not going well. My wife comes from a wealthy family, and she always tells me that I am a failure and that she hates living in this dirty town.

Now I understand why you left.

I don’t want to lose her. I am very much in love with her, and I would do anything to see her happy by my side.

To my great-grandfather those words were like needles sticking in his back.

The important thing is that you are already here.

But that night during dinner my great-grandfather was not calm.

I’m going to tell him the truth.

You can’t do that, my great-grandmother told him, sitting across from him.

It is not fair what is happening. It has been almost three months since that woman is cheating on him.

My grandfather told me that that night he was having dinner with them, and he was watching his father put his hands in his hair, thinking about what they were doing to his best friend.

A couple days went by, and my great-grandfather made the decision to tell his friend the whole truth.

My great-grandfather invited him to go fishing on the next Friday that was approaching, so they would be a little far away to try to calm his reaction and prevent him from acting violently.

My great-grandfather knew perfectly well that this would bring irreversible consequences, but despite that, he knew perfectly well that it was his duty as a friend to remove the blindfold.

So that morning they both went out in search of lots of fish, while my great-grandmother was very nervous thinking about the neighbor’s reaction and praying to God that everything would be okay.

My grandfather never really found out what the two of them talked about at that lake, but he could tell when they both returned almost at nightfall. That man returned furious; you could see in his eyes, that the confession had turned him into another person. My great-grandfather had him very well supported by the right arm. He put him in the house and took him to the backyard.

Let go of me! I’ll go to the house to kill that bitch, he said.

We agreed that we would do what we talked about in the lake, my great-grandfather replied.

My great-grandfather had a plan to catch this woman and prove that he had told his friend the truth.

It was difficult to calm his friend that day, my grandfather told me.

The despair and hatred of knowing that someone else was touching his wife drove him crazy, but he began to calm down and listen to my grandfather.

You will go right now to your home and tell your wife you have to leave for another month, that they need you and that you will receive excellent pay for your work.

But what am I going to do in that month? Where am I going to go? he asked inconsolably.

The emotions he felt at first were turning into pure love, and his tears were from having lost what he loved the most on the planet. That hatred of ten minutes ago, which was evident on his face, was turning into a pain in the soul.

It was very sad to see him cry like that, my grandfather told me. My great-grandmother cried a little by his side. She was devastated when she saw the pain of that man.

You will pack a small suitcase with several changes of clothes, and you will come here again, and we will make her believe that you are leaving.

I will take you to the bus station, we will go around there and return home at midnight.

But that man was not sure if he could get home and pretend that nothing was happening.

I don’t think I can control myself, he said as he wiped away the last tears.

Then my great-grandmother approached him and said, My husband loves you and respects you a lot, and that was the reason why he wanted to confess the truth. But if you believe that solving the problem is to come home and commit something crazy is the right thing for you…then go and do what you have to do. But remember, the one who will ruin life in a jail will simply be you.

That man took my great-grandmother’s hands and said, Thank you. I will go and return soon.

My great-grandmother hugged him and let him go.

That man crossed the street, and we observed when he entered his house, the despair of my great-grandparents was notorious.

My great-grandfather walked around the house massaging his hands, and my great-grandmother went to the kitchen with a rosary in her hand.

I think the minutes turned into eternal hours. A long time had passed since the neighbor had left, and the anguish was more intense, since no noises were heard in the house, and that I think was darker. My great-grandfather stuck to the main window of the house a lot, wishing that his friend was not going to commit a tragedy.

Then my great-grandfather observed that his friend left his house with a small suitcase.

Thank you, my god! he exclaimed with happiness.

He opened the door and went looking for him; the neighbor’s wife came out to see him off without imagining what would happen when she was discovered.

As my great-grandfather had planned, they both got into the van and drove in the direction of the highway.

A few minutes before midnight they both returned. The neighbor was very well hidden in the back and my great-grandfather, as if everything was normal, parked the truck. He observed that the lights of his friend’s house were off, so he quickly got out of the car, rushing into the house.

The first part was perfect! exclaimed my great-grandfather.

They had entered the second stage. This meant that they would wait for the mistress’s lover to appear soon.

Do you think he will come? asked the neighbor.

Sure he will, but not tonight.

You will have to wait for that day.

My great-grandmother made a bed for their guest, to make him feel welcome and that his nightmare would soon end.

This was the third time my grandfather had told me this story, and whenever I looked at his face, I could see that he too was affected a little by what happened to his father’s friend.

But the betrayal was about to come to light.

On the third day that our guest was in the house, despair began to seize him.

I can’t wait any longer! he would exclaim every time my great-grandfather came home from work.

Calm down, calm down, we’ll wait a couple more days.

But waiting a couple more days, I think they would not be necessary since that night would be the lucky one.

As I had written before, my great-grandfather had an estimate of the time our guest would arrive at the house. They both stayed in the living room with the light off and lying on the floor, moving the curtain a little, and looking toward the street. The time was yet to come and in the previous days there were more sleepless nights for both, but tonight it would be different.

The neighbor quickly observed that someone was approaching down the street; my great-grandfather also observed him.

I think it’s him, he said.

That man arrived at the front door, and for seconds he was looking to his right and left, in case someone could see him and thus cancel his appointment. He walked to the back of the house, and my great-grandfather and his neighbor were still watching him.

A few seconds after entering the back, the lights in the neighbor’s bedroom came on, and through the shadow caused by the light, it was possible to observe that two bodies were hugging and caressing each other.

That scene made our guest jump with courage from the floor.

Calm down, said my great-grandfather in a calm voice, we have reached the moment of punishment.

My grandfather said that he never imagined that his father would have a plan to give a very harsh punishment to a person, much less a woman.

My great-grandfather almost ran out of the room directly to the backyard. Little by little he approached some small plants where he had harvested some seeds of small round chili peppers like the button of a shirt; they were of various colors: green and red, orange and some yellow. My great-grandmother used to make hot sauce with a couple of those chilies; the sauce was so spicy that many times it made my great-grandfather cry and have a runny nose from the effect.

My great-grandfather cut as many as he could and placed them in a small molcajete (large stone mortar with three short legs used to grind condiments), and with a small mallet, he began to undo those little chilies to get as much juice as possible. After a few minutes, he already had a kind of mixture and emptied all the liquid into a small plastic bag.

Take this, he told his friend, hoping that he would take the bag. We will wait for him to leave, and you will arrive at your house as if nothing had happened.

Will I just let him go like this? Without giving him what he deserves? said the angry neighbor.

You will gain nothing by hurting him. The culprit of all this is your wife, and she is the one to whom you will teach a lesson. It is up to you if you forgive her or walk away.

And what is this?

"When you get home try to be loving: caress her,