Page 52 of Game of Revenge

“Quien eres tu? Que le paso?” screamed the stranger, clearly concerned.

“Who are you?” I answered while I put the bags down on the floor.

I did not have time for a conversation. I proceeded to open the medication and went to Alejandro, almost pushing the woman out of the way.

“Quien eres?” screamed the woman, violently grabbing my arm.

“Fuck off!” I shouted, pushing her away. “He is burning up. I have to give him his medication!”

I grabbed a glass of water. I lifted Alejandro’s head off the pillow and forced him to swallow the pills.

His eyes were slightly open, and he was trying to talk, but he did not have the energy to do so.

“Don’t talk. It’s okay. I’m here. It’s going to be okay,” I whispered as I gently laid his head back down on his pillow.

I grabbed the towel, ran to the bathroom to refresh the water, and came back in to dab it on his forehead, trying to bring the temperature down. Doctor Rodriguez had also prescribed a shot. That was probably why the guy was refusing to give me the prescription at first.

With slightly trembling hands, I filled the syringe with the liquid and put it in Alejandro’s arm, as the doctor had explained.

Luckily, I had taken a first-aid training course in high school and learned the basics of administering a shot from Martha. She had a severe nut allergy, and I had wanted to be prepared should she ever need my help. Once again, I was so thankful for Martha and all she contributed to my life.

Alejandro was very slowly calming down. I was still wiping his face, caressing his hair, his hand, trying to reassure him with my voice. I had completely forgotten about the stranger in the room until I heard her clear her throat in frustration.

I got up to face her.

“Okay, I came here with Alejandro last night, you are the one I found here trespassing as I went to get him some medication, so I am the one asking questions here. Who are you?”

“I am Elena,” she responded with an attitude and an accent. “Soy su mujer! Asi que quien eres tu?”

The woman took a few steps in my direction, her gaze inspecting me from my feet to my head. She claimed to be Alejandro’s woman and wanted to know who I was. Elena was a bit taller than me; she was petite with curves in the right places. Her pitch-black hair went down the length of her back, and her brown eyes were shooting sparks at me.

Then what was Karina? It wasn’t my place to correct her. Nor was it my place to feel the green poison of jealousy coursing through me as she stared.

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” was all I had the strength to say.

“Amelia, Amelia.”

Alejandro was calling for me. I quickly turned around and went to him. I took his hand, refreshed his compress, and caressed his face. I almost bent to kiss him when I remembered Elena was there, looking like she would jump at me at any moment if I kept touching Alejandro.

“My name is Amelia,” I responded, turning toward Elena. “Alejandro and I got into a situation, and he got hurt. He saw a doctor last night, and I am trying to bring his fever down.”

I didn’t like her, but I put myself in her position. I understood that she was worried.

“How did you get in here?”

“I live next door, in the house Alejandro bought for me,” she said, every word emphasized by her beautiful, thick accent. “And I have a key. I check up on this house for him when he is not here.”

She was more proficient in English than I thought at first. I was not going to speak Spanish with her. No reason to make her life easier.

“I see,” I said coldly.

There wasn’t much I could say when Elena jiggled her key set in my face to emphasize her point. She walked by me and went to Alejandro. She started caressing his head, and tears came out of her eyes.

I had to clench my hands into fists, burying my nails in my palm, to resist the urge to grab this intruder by the hair and push her out of the house. She seemed honestly concerned about Alejandro, and I could sympathize with that, but she was touching what was mine. I shook my head, trying to get rid of that idea, but I couldn’t shake it. I knew he wasn’t mine, but my heart had a mind of its own.

“You have to let him rest,” I finally interrupted, lips tight, trying to end the torture I was feeling at seeing another woman close to him.

Elena got up reluctantly and walked to the window.