THE ENCOUNTER
1145 Words
The evening air was cool as Mariana walked back from the grocery store, a paper bag balanced on her hip. The city’s hum was alive around her—streetlights flickering, conversations blending into the distant sound of cars. Despite the outward calm, her thoughts churned. The note Eduardo had left behind replayed in her mind like a haunting melody: “I’m sorry. I love you. Protect the kids.”
She was almost at the apartment when she felt it—an unmistakable sensation of being watched. Her pulse quickened. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just a couple walking arm in arm, a man smoking by the curb, a distant group of teenagers laughing. Still, unease prickled her skin.
Her pace quickened as she rounded the corner leading to her building. That was when she saw him. Eduardo stood under a flickering streetlamp, his shoulders hunched, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. His face was partially shadowed, but she recognized him instantly.
Mariana froze. Her instinct was to run to him, to demand answers, but something about his posture stopped her. He looked like a man carrying the weight of the world, his expression tight with tension.
“Eduardo,” she called softly, stepping closer.
He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes locking onto hers. For a brief moment, there was something in his gaze—regret, pain, longing—but it was gone in an instant, replaced by a cold detachment.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice low and urgent.
“You don’t get to tell me that,” she shot back, her anger surging to the surface. “You don’t get to disappear, show up years later, and then act like I’m the problem. What’s going on, Eduardo? Why did you leave? Why are you back?”
He sighed, glancing around as if checking for someone. “It’s not safe for you to be near me. Take the kids and leave the city.”
Mariana stepped closer, her grip tightening on the grocery bag. “No. Not until you tell me the truth. What are you so afraid of? What are you running from?”
Eduardo hesitated, his jaw clenching. “You wouldn’t understand—”
“Then make me understand!” she interrupted, her voice rising. “You left me to raise three children on my own, with no explanation, no warning. Do you have any idea what that did to us? What it did to me? And now you’re back, but you’re pretending we don’t exist? I deserve answers, Eduardo!”
He opened his mouth to respond, but his gaze suddenly shifted past her, his body tensing like a coiled spring.
“Go,” he said sharply, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“What—”
“Go!” he repeated, grabbing her arm and shoving her toward the building.
Before she could react, a black car pulled up to the curb. The door opened, and two men stepped out, their faces obscured by the dim light. They were dressed in dark clothing, their movements deliberate and menacing.
Mariana’s heart pounded. “Who are they?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Eduardo didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped in front of her, his body a shield between her and the approaching men.
One of the men spoke, his voice smooth but laced with menace. “Eduardo, we’ve been looking for you.”
“I told you, I’m out,” Eduardo replied, his tone steady but cold.
The man chuckled. “You don’t just walk away from people like us. You know that.” His gaze flicked to Mariana, his eyes narrowing. “Who’s this?”
“She’s no one,” Eduardo said quickly. “Leave her out of this.”
Mariana bristled at his words, but fear kept her silent.
The second man stepped forward, his hand resting casually on the gun holstered at his hip. “You owe us, Fernandez. And until we get what we’re owed, you don’t get to call the shots.”
Eduardo’s fists clenched at his sides. “I’ll get you what you want. Just stay away from them.”
The first man smirked. “You’ve got 48 hours.”
With that, they turned and got back into the car. The vehicle roared to life and disappeared into the night, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.
---
A Fragile Reunion
Mariana’s legs felt like jelly as she leaned against the wall of the apartment building. Her mind raced, trying to process what had just happened.
“What was that?” she demanded, her voice shaking.
Eduardo ran a hand through his hair, his composure slipping. “I told you to leave, Mariana. This is exactly why.”
“No,” she said firmly, stepping in front of him. “No more cryptic warnings. No more lies. Tell me the truth, Eduardo. Who are they? What do they want from you?”
He hesitated, his eyes scanning her face as though debating whether to trust her. Finally, he sighed.
“They’re part of an organization I got involved with after I left,” he admitted. “It started as something small—a way to make quick money. But it spiraled out of control. I tried to get out, but they don’t let people leave easily.”
Mariana’s chest tightened. “What did you do for them?”
Eduardo’s jaw tightened. “Money laundering. Smuggling. Things I’m not proud of.”
She stared at him, her mind reeling. This wasn’t the man she had married—the man who had once been her rock, her partner, her everything. But there was a flicker of the old Eduardo in his eyes, a desperation that told her he hated what he had become.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered.
“I was trying to protect you,” he said, his voice breaking. “They knew about you and the kids. If I stayed, you would’ve been targets. Leaving was the only way I could keep you safe.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “And now? Are we still in danger?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice grim. “But I’ll fix this, Mariana. I’ll make sure you and the kids are safe. I promise.”
“You don’t get to make promises anymore,” she said, her voice trembling. “Not until you prove I can trust you again.”
Eduardo nodded, his shoulders sagging. “Fair enough.”
For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future pressing down on them. Mariana didn’t know if she could forgive Eduardo, but she knew one thing for certain: she wasn’t running anymore.
- Writer
