“It’s already late…”

  Like almost every day, I got in my car and left work. It can be a little stressful sometimes, but I chose this job because I enjoy listening to and helping people. I don't feel indispensable, but I do feel like a good help.

  “I hope Lucia had a good day…”

  However, my main concern wasn't any of my many patients or anything like that. What always worries me is the person who's been living with me for five months now.

  Her situation is… complicated. She smiles a lot more than before, but I still feel like something's wrong… Well, "wrong" might not be a good word to refer to a person.

  “Why is she so complicated…?””

  After a thirty-minute trip, I arrived home. When I opened the door, I saw Lucía on the couch talking to her phone.

  “Yeah! I have those colors too… Yeah, I will paint your nails.”

  “...”

  I decided not to say anything until she finished. One of my reasons was that I didn't want to interrupt her, but the main one was that, by staying silent, I could observe the reactions she had with the friend she made on the first day of class.

  “(She’s happy.)”

  Her free hand was moving up and down, like she was having fun. And her smile was big and genuine… That was pretty good...

  “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

  I was brought out of my thoughts when she hung up. It was like a sign to me, so I closed the door, as if I'd just arrived.

  “I’m back.”

  “Hello Aunt Elisa.”

  “The classes were good today?”

  “Yeah. Aisha helped me with something I didn’t understand.”

  “I see, she must be intelligent.”

  “She’s just good at paying attention.”

  “That explains why she’s your friend.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  After that, we talked a little about how our days went. She seemed happy talking about her time with Aisha, so I let her talk until she got tired.

  “I’m going to bed…”

  “I will go out.”

  “But you just came back.”

  “I need to buy something.”

  “All right. Night night…”

  When she went to her room, I grabbed a coat I always keep in the hall and headed out. I could’ve used the car to get where I wanted, but it was close, so it wasn't necessary. And considering where I wanted to go, it would be dangerous.

  “I follow the path she uses to get to school, and then I continue this way…”

  A rule I put to Lucia was that she must tell the exact place where she’s gonna be if she’s not back home early. Thanks to that I know the place where her friend lives.

  “A bar, I wonder if it's a good one.”

  Yeah, one of my main reasons to go there was that I wanted to know if the drinks they had were good, even when I’m not precisely a drinker. But I also wanted to know if that was a healthy place for Lucia, or even for her friend.

  “Here it is.”

  The sign at the entrance said it was open, so I opened the door and went in.

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  “Excuse me.”

  “Welcome miss.”

  Behind the bar stood a man who looked older than me. His smile was the one I expected from an old friend, even though it was the first time I'd seen him.

  I barely took a step inside and could already tell this place was going to be good. Still, besides him, the place was empty, so the bar probably opened just a few minutes ago.

  “Can I sit?”

  “Of course.”

  After the confirmation, I approached to the multiple seats and used the one in the middle.

  “What do you have?”

  “Just tell me what you want, and if I’m not able to do it, I will let you know.”

  “All right. I’d like a Screwdriver, a soft one if it’s possible.”

  “As you wish.”

  The man looked between his bottles until he found vodka and oranges. The vodka he took was one with only 30% alcohol, and the oranges seemed new.

  “I like those oranges.”

  “I always try to get the best ones.”

  “I guess it’s true that bartenders are the most professional people.”

  “Haha, that’s just a stereotype, but I like it.”

  All of his responses were what I was waiting for after hearing the descriptions Lucia gave me. He was kind, attentive, and his voice was comforting. Still, I wanted to know more, so I tried to say something that could make him react.

  “I found out about this place some days ago thanks to my niece. She’s called Lucia.”

  His moves slowed down a little when I said that, but he instantly returned to his normal pace, and then responded.

  “She’s a highschool girl?”

  “Yes. She lives with me now, so you could say I'm like her legal guardian... Well, I didn't sign anything, so technically I'm not a legal nothing.”

  “I see.”

  When he put my drink on the counterbar, I saw his smile, and somehow, it was even more gentle than before.

  “You don’t have to pay for this one.”

  “Huh? It’s not necessary, I work for something.”

  “It’s my way to thank the person who takes care of my daughter's best friend.”

  “Yeah but… it’s a little excessive…”

  Lucia told me that his daughter was his biggest weakness, but I didn’t know it was at this level.

  “Well…”

  “Yes?”

  He seemed happy with this topic, so I continued with it.

  “Your daughter likes Lucia?”

  “A lot. Her face didn't show it, but I can tell how much she likes her.”

  “I see.”

  Lucia told me that Aisha is complicated, so I can understand why he's happy that his daughter has someone who makes her happy.

  “Lucia is a very good influence on her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A few days ago, I went shopping with her and saw her buying paint, brushes, and a notebook. She did this even after the art project she was doing was over.”

  “It’s that impressive?”

  “Looking at her getting more hobbies… made me happy…”

  “I heard she’s complicated.”

  “I’d like to say that’s a rude way to put it, but unfortunately, it’s true.”

  “I can understand it. I’m always involved with complicated people.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I mean, I'm a psychologist, listening to difficult people in difficult situations it’s my life.”

  “At least you don’t need to clean their vomit.”

  “You would be surprised…”

  We continued talking about our jobs for a few minutes. Even when we’re spending a good time, I continued analyzing his attitude

  … I stopped like two minutes after my drink was ready.

  “And she cannot be honest for a single day! Can you believe it?!”

  “That sounds hard.”

  “Sometimes I’d like to shake her until she spit the truth!”

  “That sounds a bit too violent.”

  I don’t like to admit it, but the reason I don’t drink frequently it’s because I’m not a good drinker. I only drink during events and in some special cases. That’s because I can’t even manage soft drinks.

  “I get you had to live all that! But at least say… something!”

  “Some people feel safe when no one knows their thoughts.”

  “It’s not about feeling safe or not! She can’t even be honest when that’s the best for her!”

  I’m deeply ashamed of my behavior, but even then I feel like I’m right in some things… Even when I’m not in the best mental state.

  "Isn't it unethical to tell me all this?"

  "She's not my patient. Besides, I didn't mention any names, so I'm doing everything right!"

  "With all the details you've just given me, I can easily deduce who it is..."

  The only good thing I can say about this is that at least I'm drunk in front of a bartender...

  “I want to kill everyone in that house… Except the dog, he doesn’t deserve it…”

  “Maybe a few slaps are enough.”

  “Slaps with an iron bar…”

  “Can you even consider that a slap?”

  He was really kind for playing along with me in that state, but that definitely will make everything even more embarrassing once I recover my senses.

  “How much does the drink cost?”

  “I told you that it’s free.”

  “You have to put up with that fool, there isn't enough money in the world to pay for that.”

  “Well, give me a second.”

  He crouched for a few seconds and when he was back, he had a little bill.

  “Here.”

  “Do you have the cash register there?”

  “No, I just like to keep track of the drinks I serve. That way I always know how long I have before I need to restock.”

  “I see.”

  I saw the thing he handed to me, and it wasn’t the bill for a Screwdriver, it was just the bill for a mango juice.

  “This is not what I just drank.”

  “I gave Lusia a mango juice one time, if you wanna pay for something, it can be for that.”

  “This is way less than what I owe you...”

  “Choose between that or having a free drink.”

  “Ugh, can you stop being so nice?!”

  “No.”

  “Ugh.”

  Without any other option, I paid for the mango juice and stood up.

  It wasn't his job, but he was still worried even after I paid.

  “Do you need help to go back home?”

  “I’m okay…”

  “I can help you, just tell me where it is.”

  “...”

  It was useless convincing him to not help me, so I ended up receiving his help to go back home. I kept complaining about literally everything on the way, but I tried to not be loud.

  “Is that your home?”

  “Yeah…”

  “All right, please go to sleep.”

  “‘Kay...”

  That's how I ended my attempt to find out where Lucia's friend lives. I'm satisfied with what I got and I confirm that there was no problem with visiting that place.

  What I didn't know was that in the future I would be very grateful to him for helping me get back home.