It was an early morning for Alejandro; he woke up at 7 a.m. with the help of his alarm. He turned it off as he groaned lightly. In the end, though, he stood up from his bed and readied himself. He changed into semi-formal clothes, found deep in his closet, dusted from the many years of nonuse. He changed and looked up to see the bullet hole in his ceiling before stepping out into a hallway that took him to a short hallway leading to the living room and kitchen. He walked down the hallway before fixing himself something to eat. Grabbing eggs from his fridge, he cracked them into a bowl before mixing them up lightly with milk. Then, on low heat, he poured them into a skillet. After all was done, he sat down on one of his dining room chairs and proceeded to eat.
By the time he finished, it was 7:40, which was when he left. He knew Vicente was in his office by this time, usually alone, which is why he woke up at this time.
Grabbing the keys off a table next to the door, Alejandro left his apartment and headed towards his car. There, he turned it on as engines roared across the empty parking lot.
Under a wisp of smoke, he left the parking lot and headed to Vicente’s office. For now, at least, he had no fear of facing him.
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With a light beep, the heart monitor illuminated the dark room as Yasmine breathed in and out. From the outside, someone stepped in and walked towards her. Hearing the commotion, she woke up to see a large figure next to her. Without batting an eye, she knew who it was. Not only did he have a thick smell of cigarettes coming off of him, but he also had a large, round body, which gave it away.
“You woke me up.”
He opened the curtains, revealing the bright sun outside. She winced as his body was illuminated by the sun. Outside, clouds crawled through the sky as people walked around in the garden located in front of her window. Children walked around with hospital gowns on while elderly patients were pushed into wheelchairs.
By all means, it was a good day, and because it was such a nice day, Everett thought of taking his daughter out to walk.
“Want to go out?”
Yasmine yawned before responding.
“No, I’m staying in here.”
Everett continued looking out before inquiring about yesterday’s meeting.
“Are you mad I made that meetin’?”
Yasmine thought about staying silent; however, thinking of the amusement she had yesterday, she responded.
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“I’d have preferred if you’d told me, but it’s fine.”
Everett had thought she would have reacted much differently to his inquiry; he thought she would have been extremely angry. But to his pleasant surprise, she was fine with it.
“You want me to set another up?”
Yasmine stayed silent for minutes, thinking of the question. In the end, she did not respond. Although she did not hate it, she would prefer it not to happen again.
Trying to understand her silence, Everett responded.
“Alright, I’ll set one up.”
Everett looked at his watch before continuing to speak to her.
“Alright, I have to leave. You’ll be discharged soon; don’t end up here again.”
With those words, he left, leaving the curtain open. With heavy movement, she stood up and looked out the window to see the beautiful garden down below.
For days since she had been here, the desire to smoke had persisted heavily. However, this was a hospital, not her home. Not only had she not brought anything, she had no way of accessing anything in her home. And asking Everett to bring a blunt was a stupid idea. So although she has had the desire for marijuana, she was forced to sober up and live through the pain of every day.
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The sun shone down onto the dew-filled park as Vicente and another man sat. It was a near-empty park because of how early it was. The only ones there were men and women dressed in athletic attire, running past them. Vicente and the man sat on a bench that oversaw a large pond filled with geese and other various animals.
The two continuously sat in silence, watching the geese move around the pond, before Vicente broke the silence.
“If you’re here to ask about Francisco, I’ll let you know I need time.”
The man smiled lightly, creating wrinkles around his mouth. Based on his nappy hair and slightly aged face, it would be fair to assume he was in his mid-forties.
“I just wanted to admire the view with you, Vicente.”
He stood up before walking towards the geese. In his right hand, he held bread crumbs, from which he dropped bread.
“You do know that it is advised not to feed them?”
Despite hearing Vicente’s warning, the man continued feeding the geese as he spoke.
“You know, it is quite easy to gain the trust of these geese. All I need is a bit of feed before they surround me. As though they have full trust in me.”
Vicente looked down at the geese before questioning the man.
“What are you getting at?”
The man continued to smile as he fed them.
“All I’m saying is that with enough time, they get so close to me. To the point where-”
At that moment, he reached down and grabbed a goose by the neck as it struggled.
“It is easy to catch them.”
Vicente understood what he meant as he advised the man.
“You control your men; I’ll control mine; do not try and teach me how to get information.”
The man’s smile faded as he let go of the geese.
“He killed my son, Vicente. My boy was only ten, yet he killed him in cold blood. And you ask me not to question your abilities. He is a dog that needs to be put down!”
Vicente realized he may have crossed the line, so he stayed silent. At the current moment, he needed him; he could not afford to offend him.
“I want his head soon, Vicente. My men can only keep calm for so long. If it were up to me, I’d demolish everything that’s attached to his name! However, I’m giving you a chance to bring him directly, for your own safety.”
With that said, the man walked away towards another group of individuals in the parking lot. While Vicente stood staring at the geese, realizing just how much stress this was going to cause him,.