Chapter 4
The next day, Patricia got up very early, and when she arrived at the dining room, there was already someone in the kitchen. It was Ramon, who was wearing an apron and cooking, with Lucia hugging him from behind. He did not resist, and even occasionally turned to look at her, smiling indulgently. The intimacy between them was obvious to Patricia’s eyes, who suddenly recalled the past. At that time, there were many servants in the house, but Ramon was always very busy, so busy that it was common for him not to come home for the whole night. The servants, seeing Patricia as only a child who could be easily bullied, often neglected her and secretly denied her food. When Ramon discovered the servants’ negligence, he dismissed them all and learned to cook to take care of her, taking care of her three meals a day in meticulous detail. But now, Patricia could no longer continue to love him. If Lucia was the one who could make Ramon happy, she could only wish them the best. Patricia quietly looked away, and unwittingly found herself in front of a calendar. Lucia, unbeknownst to Patricia, had stepped out and saw the calendar in front of her, suddenly asking, “What is this countdown calendar for? Why does it only have seven pages?” Hearing Lucia’s question, Ramon involuntarily glanced towards the calendar as well. Seeing that both of them were focused there, Patricia thought for a moment and came up with a random excuse. “I saw this calendar the other day when I was out with some friends and found it interesting, so I bought it.” The excuse was lame, but Ramon didn’t ask any further and changed the subject, “I’m going out with Lucia on a date today.” He said it straightforwardly, thinking that Patricia would make a fuss, but to his surprise, she simply nodded, “I hope you two have fun.” Not seeing the reaction he expected, Ramon should have felt relieved, but at that moment, looking at Patricia, he felt somehow gloomy. The atmosphere instantly became gloomier, and that was when Lucia suddenly spoke up. “You have nothing to do at home, why don’t you come with us?” Surprised by the unexpected invitation, Patricia was thoughtful, but in the end she shook her head: “I have plans, today I’m going to say goodbye to some friends, I can’t accompany them.” With only half a month before the start of university, at the meeting, all the friends were excited about the future, except Patricia, who sat apart silently. After all, she only had five more days to live; after five days, her soul would disperse, what future could she have? Then, someone noticed her silence and approached. “Pati, don’t you like Ramón? How about you consider winning him over before the holidays are over?” “Yes, Pati! They say that from man to woman is a mountain, from woman to man is just a silk curtain. They don’t have any blood ties, so don’t be shy, just go straight in!”Mentioning this, everyone became excited, starting to give Patricia advice and even urging her to consummate the relationship, but she simply shook her head at them. “No, I will never be able to, nor should I want to again.” The meeting didn’t last long, and in the end, Patricia said goodbye to each of them. “Daniela, congratulations on getting into the university you wanted, you’ll surely have a bright future.” “Esther, you have to take better care of yourself, you always forget to eat breakfast.” “Gabriela, Veronica, I will always remember you.” She hugged each one seriously, so formal that the others couldn’t help but laugh. “Pati, this farewell is too formal, it seems as if we will never see each other again. Don’t worry, even if we are not in the same university, we will not forget you.” After saying goodbye, they left one after another, and Patricia was the last to leave. Looking at their departing figures, a feeling of sadness arose in her heart. They would never see each other again. “Goodbye, my friends.” When Patricia returned home, Ramon had already returned. When she entered, she saw him sitting on the sofa, his expression gloomy. She looked around and didn’t see Lucia, and asked casually, “Where’s Lucia?” “She went on a business trip.” Hearing his answer, she thought no more about it and nodded, preparing to leave, but at that moment Ramon took out a pile of things and called out to her in a cold voice. “Wait!” “What does this mean with the funeral urns and grave clothes?”
