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4- Sweet Eleazar

As Barbie stands in the rain at the Las Tapias residences, she walks down El Rosal street to catch a taxi. She crosses the street, and a Ford Explorer turns on its rear lights as the gate of a building opens. Barbie walks in front of the truck, in the middle of the rain, and although she feels great peace and tranquility to now be safe outside of Sugar's car, she needs to take a taxi to get home and forget about the embarrassing night.

The stranger driving the Ford Explorer watches her with perspicacity as she walks away and heads towards the Science Museum. Gamal, behind the wheel, drives towards his parking spot. It has been a day full of paperwork, and he just wants to get home and rest his eyes. He enjoys being alone, but the truth is that he has company for the night. Gamal gets out of his car with his newest and latest crush, Isabel. She smiles, pleased that he has sought her out and brought her to his apartment. Gamal usually never lifts a finger for any girl, so this chivalrous gesture is well received by Isabel. She smiles with bright eyes and takes him by the hand. Gamal looks at her through his reading glasses, leans towards her, and kisses her.

Barbie crosses the street towards the Science Museum, and the security guard, who works all night, opens the museum doors for her.

"Beautiful Barbie, you got wet," Eleazar greets her as he opens the main gate. Barbie walks towards a security booth where Eleazar stands guard all night.

"Hi, sorry for coming without warning. I had a terrible night," Barbie says.

"You don't have to apologize, beautiful Barbie. You work here, and I enjoy seeing you."

I look at Eleazar and his eyes gaze at me with sweetness, with love. He has always been very handsome, tall, quite masculine, and has the physique of an attractive man, with great muscles. He is 23 years old, and his face has the features of an adult man, but his lips, cheeks, and eyes still have those of a baby, innocent, fresh, full of life. Eleazar is like a Hollywood superstar, but poor. He has the body of a basketball player, but poor. His aspirations in life are to get paid at the end of the month to buy food and to wait for his day off at the museum to go train at the neighborhood gym and have sex with one of his admirers. Being so handsome, he always has plenty of sexual offers from girls of low social standing. Since he met me, we have connected in a special way. I enjoy talking to him, and Eleazar always seeks my company. But we both know that I could never be with a man without ambitions.

"What happened to you?" he asks as he offers me a chair. He covers me with a black blanket and puts it over my shoulders. I am completely wet, and I feel the soaked fabric of my dress against my skin.

"I had a terrible night. I don't want to talk about it," I reply.

"Don't worry, Barbie. We can talk about something else."

"There was an accident just now. A car crashed into a lamppost, and a truck flipped over to avoid the car," he explains. "Have you seen it?"

"Yes, did they call the police?" I ask suddenly, realizing that maybe I should be worried about Sugar, if he's still alive.

"The police?" Eleazar asks, amusedly. "I mean, an ambulance. I don't know why I associate the driver with the police," I explain.

"Do you want some coffee?" he offers me a cup of coffee, and I take it with a slight smile.

"Thank you," I whisper. I take a sip of coffee and think to myself, "I don't know why I don't care at all about what happens to Sugar. Maybe because he's a criminal who sells cars, defrauds buyers, probably a pedophile, a rapist, and a misogynist."

"Yes, Barbie, I called the ambulance. It's coming from the hospital with two paramedics, and I think the people at the pharmacy also reported the accident. The ambulance is already on its way," Eleazar says.

"I see," I whisper sadly, and I understand that if by some unfortunate twist of fate, I had been in that car, Eleazar would be here, probably watching the accident from afar, without even suspecting that the girl of his dreams is involved in it.

"And how are you doing?" I ask sweetly, remembering our last kiss.

It happened on a night like this, rainy and cold, while I was working late restoring a replica of a Greek statue in the art section for an exhibition that would inaugurate at the gallery.

"I'm fine, Barbie. I'm glad you came. Although I think you came because you're sad, I like knowing that you thought of me to feel better."

Our eyes meet, and a feeling of crying overwhelms me. I lower my gaze, trying to hide my tears. "If he only knew that I came here because I had no choice, because I was on the verge of running into the trees and losing my virginity in the most regrettable way."

"You know I love you, Barbie," he whispers.

"You can tell me what's bothering you, and if you don't want to, you can keep me company, and I'll try to make you feel better," he says. I listen to him in silence and smile.

Well, yes, I know Eleazar loves me and desires me deeply. He shows it every time he comes to the office to have lunch with me, or when he leaves work at night and walks to my house because he doesn't have money for a taxi and wants to give me a goodnight kiss. With Eleazar, everything flows naturally. I never have to worry that he will demand too much from me because he has a very strong wound to his self-love. He feels that being poor conditions him to not having a girl by his side who is professional, ambitious, beautiful, and goal-oriented. He has even confessed to me that trying to win me over is intimidating because he doesn't feel like he could achieve it. I know I shouldn't take advantage of that, but far from encouraging him to conquer me, that kind of resignation he shows towards me makes me feel comfortable. I know he loves me, but he doesn't feel deserving of my love, so he doesn't even try to win me over. He is only attentive and loving in the most genuine way, and in those details, I unfold and feel comfortable.

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