Chapter 5

Marília did not care about the warning, let alone take Vinicius’s message seriously. I couldn’t think about it all the time and afraid of everything and everyone… were many things in his mind and now having to deal with the unbearable son of the boss, was taking his sleep. She went to the living room, no program on television caught her attention or managed to distract her, stayed side by side just trying to find a way out of her problems.

He had already submitted to jobs with terrible bosses to keep up, but none of them involved daring to keep so close and a brazen harassment.

Marília

I do not know what has happened to me, I look for a way out and do not find, so many issues and now more this is fair at work. I need to stay focused and be able to endure what is happening. I can not do without this job and I have to swallow all this without complaining… she looked at messages on her social networks, but there was nothing important.

He took a hot bath to relax his body and mind, put his legs up to relieve the pain of walking so much every day in search of a new chance, would love to have the opportunity to rest much more than life allowed him.

He thought if he had a family to support him, he might not be suffering as much as he is now, cursing the circumstances of his death. Of all the pains of the past, she was the one who most punished and left her revolted with the directions that life had given to her future.

[…]

The next day, she dressed up early and prepared her breakfast and went to work normally, even without feeling much desire to do so after the last days, but the manager’s son gave his way to keep her more time at work. He was very interested in her and could not miss the chance to get closer whenever he could.

He saw her organizing some napkins and menus on the tables before the arrival of the parish, his body was beautiful, and he was on fire with that lovely young woman.

“I need you to stay late tonight, my dad wants me to check out a few things and I need your help.”

“I’m just a waitress, Diogo!” She replied promptly, hoping that he would give up this attempt to approach her.

“This does not prevent you from having the obligation to help me Marília, I will be waiting for you after the office hours and I do not accept not as an answer!”

She hated having to work overtime and, of course, that seemed like an excuse to hold her longer in that place, always left so tired and having to prolong it even more, it would be terrible. She avoided glancing at him, did not want to be confused with a social climber who would be willing to give in to flirting for privileges at work.

Likewise, she did her job and served the tables trying to keep a smile on her face even though she was exhausted, after finishing and tidying up all the unoccupied tables, reviewed the stock with the manager’s son until late hours. I hated his looks at her, and they were never innocent.

“I think for today it’s all Marilia!”

She sighed with that finally, left and packed her bag, passed by the restaurant hall where some were still, said goodbye to her colleagues in the kitchen and went home already very tired.

Marília

I never liked coming home alone when I worked late and when that happened, there was always someone there by car to offer me a safe ride, but this time there was no ride and I had no money for an Uber. The desire to fall into my bed and end this day once and for all made me rush.

I always wanted to have a better opportunity, but that restaurant was becoming the cross of my life. As if the exhausting and hard routine wasn’t enough, I still have to get rid of that kid all the time.

I walked a few corners and had a strange feeling of being followed by someone… I looked back every three steps and felt myself in a horror movie on that dark street. Furthermore, I was afraid to walk with the phone in my hands and that this would attract even more the look of a malicious person, all I could do was keep going ahead and hoping that nothing bad would happen.

“Today is not my day, in fact that was not my week!” I grumbled, almost with my mouth closed.

I hurried and quickly took the keys out of my bag full of thousands of useless things, when I managed to stick the key in the lock, a shadow covered mine and I almost infarcted in terror. It was Diogo, who arrived suddenly, leaving me very frightened. I breathed deeply and looked into his eyes.

“You can’t approach me like that in my house, are you crazy?”

He smiled, I don’t know how he could find it amusing to give me such a fright.

“Stop being silly, Marília, let me come in and keep you company.” Diogo insisted.

I tried to make that prick walk away and give up this nonsense while I tried to control myself from the dread I had seconds ago, but he was much stronger, and I was very afraid of what he could do to me, there late at night and in front of my house. If I was naughty enough to surround myself in front of everyone, I wouldn’t lack the courage to try something worse here, where we’re just the two of us.

I thought I was lost, but one way or another he’d pay me dearly if he touched me.

The most inescapable thing in this world happened, Vinicius appeared and gave a big push to Diogo who almost did not fall.

“Did you not hear the girl ask you to leave? - He had so much voracity in his eyes and speech, that Diogo even wanted to fight back, but knew he would not win this.” Go home, in fact, take it from me!

Vinicius asked his drivers to take Diogo home, he and I looked at each other for a few seconds. I saw the two men put him in the car and I thought Vinicius would ask me if I was hurt or still feared, but all he knows to see me and save me is scolding.

“I can’t save you all the time, girl! You don’t seem to hear me or do it on purpose, I think you deserved to go through it for such recklessness!” Since you were willing to scold me, I tried to give a proper answer.

“And you, as always, only know how to criticize everything I do, by chance is following me or what?” I asked and he kind of looked away, proud, and cloudy.

“But of course it’s not that, it would be complete nonsense. Why would I follow a sleazebag like you?”

“Who owes me an explanation is you, why are you here at the door of my house at this time of night, coming to hear the crickets sing?” I put my hand on my waist, Vinicius would never admit it, and I was wasting my precious time with that discussion.

That noise at the door of my house was becoming a stage and the neighbors already turned on the lights to know what was happening to me. I know it would be gossiped about for the whole week. I was dying to get in and finally rest.

Vinicius sighed and took the keys from my hand that still trembled and opened the door, I felt wronged by his sermon once again. But what I can do, it seems that life always finds a way to put this man in my way and save me, even if I don’t want to.

I went home, and he left, simple as that and without even expecting to thank for what he did for me. I think he was afraid of my questions and tried to get out pretty quickly, did well. I would ask everything that’s here hammering into my head.

“What the hell was he doing here at this hour? I don’t even want to think about the answer!”

I have to be smarter and avoid walking home alone, I hope tomorrow no one invents to ask me to work late, after this I think only really, a good night’s sleep to undo. That’s if I can erase it after all the fear and this troubled day.

[…]

Vinicius went back home after what had happened, he needed to think of a way to prevent Marília from returning home alone or something like that would happen to her again. With her hard and persevering way, it would be very difficult to get him to obey him, and just this was making him uneasy.

“Stubborn, temperamental girl. I told her to be careful, but she didn’t listen to me. I have to fix you Marilia and fast!”