2- Gamal, the soulless Poseidon

As Barbie stands in the rain at the Las Tapias residences, she walks down El Rosal street to catch a cab. She crosses the street and a Ford Explorer van turns on its taillights as the gate of a building opens. Barbie crosses in front of the truck, in the rain, and although she feels great peace and tranquility that she is now safely out of Sugar's car, she needs to take a cab to get home and forget the sultry night.

The stranger driving the Ford Explorer looks at her shrewdly as she drives away and down towards the Science Museum. Gamal at the wheel drives to his parking spot, it has been a day full of paperwork and he just wants to get home and rest his eyes, he feels like being alone but the truth is that he has company for the night. Gamal gets out of his car with his newest and most recent crush, Isabel. She smiles at him pleased that he has sought her out and brought her to his apartment, as Gamal usually never lifts a finger for any girl, so this gesture of gallantry is well received by Isabel, she smiles with sparkling 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 to the Science Museum and the guard, who works all night, opens the doors of the Museum for her.

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

- Hi, sorry for coming unannounced, I had a tragic night.

- You don't have to apologize to me Barbie linda, you work here, besides I like to see you.

I look at Eliazar and his eyes look at me with sweetness, with love. He has always been very handsome, he is tall, quite masculine and has the build of an attractive man, with big muscles. He is 23 years old and his face has the features of a grown man, but his lips, cheeks and eyes are still those of a baby, innocent, fresh, full of life. Eleazar is like a Hollywood superstar, but poor. His aspirations in life are to get paid at the end of the month to buy food and wait for his day off at the Museum, to go work out at the gym and get laid by one of the admirers he has, because being so handsome, he always has an abundance of sexual offers. Since he met me we both connect in a special way, I like to talk 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 me while offering me a chair. He covers me with a black blanket and places it over my shoulders, I am completely wet and feel the fabric of my dress soaking wet on my skin.

- I had a terrible night. I don't want to talk about it.

- Don't worry Barbie, we can talk about something else.

- An accident just happened, a car hit a pole and a truck flipped over to avoid hitting the car - He explains - Did you see it?

- Yes, did you call the police? - I ask suddenly realizing that maybe I should worry about Sugar, if he's still alive.

- To the police? - Eleazar asks and looks at me amused.

- I mean, to an ambulance. I don't know why I associate the driver with the police. - I explain.

- Would you like some coffee? - He hands me a cup of coffee and I take it, smiling slightly.

-Thank you," I whisper. I take a sip of coffee and think. "I don't know why I don't care at all what happens to Sugar. Maybe because he's a criminal, selling cars by ripping off buyers, probably a rapist, and a misogynist" I say to myself.

- Yes Barbie Linda, I called the ambulance. It's coming from the hospital with two orderlies, and I think the people at the pharmacy also reported the accident. The ambulance is on its way.

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

- And how are you? - I ask sweetly as I remember our last kiss.

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

- I'm fine Barbie, I'm glad you came. Although I think you came because you are sad, I like to know that you thought of me to make you feel better.

My eyes met his and a tearful feeling came over me I lowered my gaze, trying to hide my tears. "If only he knew that I came here because I had no choice, because I was about to run into the trees and lose my virginity in the most pitiful way."

- Do you know that I love you Barbie? - he says in a whisper.

- You can tell me what is happening to you, and if you don't want to, you can keep me company, and I will try to make you feel better," he says. I listen to him silently and smile.

Yes, I know that Eleazar loves me and wants me deeply, he shows me every time he looks for me at the office to eat with me, or when he leaves work at night and walks to my house, because he has no money to take a cab and wants to kiss me goodnight. With Eleazar everything flows naturally, I never have to worry about him demanding too much from me, because he has a very strong wound of self-esteem. He feels that being poor conditions him not to have a girl by his side, professional, ambitious, beautiful and with goals. He has even confessed to me that trying to conquer me is something that intimidates him because he doesn't feel he could achieve it. I know I should not take advantage of it, but far from encouraging him to conquer me, it makes me feel comfortable that kind of resignation he shows to me. I know he loves me, but he doesn't feel worthy of my love, so he doesn't even try to win me over. He is just attentive and affectionate in the most genuine way and in those details I unfold and feel comfortable.

- The coffee is very tasty - I admit. And I feel the aroma of the beans rising along with the steaming coffee.

- It is the coffee at Angelo's house. The bushes are giving coffee this season.

- It's very good - I repeat, staring at him.

Eleazar, sitting in the chair in front of the surveillance desk, moves towards me. Then he touches my cheek with his thumb and strokes my chin.

- You have a tear, just like a drop of rain - He whispers.

- I might think it's a raindrop because it's raining and you were walking in the rain," he says with a smile, "but it's kind of dark because of your makeup, and it leaves a little smudge when it falls from your eyes, and your eyes look sad.

- Yes, it's a tear - I admit and smile slightly.

- You reminded me of my mom as soon as I saw your eyes. I could see them through the grate, my mom used to cry like that for my stepfather. And I used to notice it because the mascara would smear on her cheeks.

- Well, I wasn't crying for any man. I was crying for me.

- I understand.

Eleazar watches me from the swivel chair where he usually sits in front of the desk watching the security cameras.

- And have you had dinner? - I ask.

- Yes, I ate an arepa but I got hungry. - He laughs apologetically and I smile sympathetically.

- I'm hungry too, maybe you can go to the bakery for a moment and I'll stay here and keep watch. Don't worry, I'll pay.

- But they might scold me if they see that I went to the bakery.

- Don't worry, they won't say anything. And if they do, I'll talk to them - I assure him, and he feels comfortable with my comment, because the truth is that they respect me a lot at my place of work and the curator of the gallery, Paul, feels a remarkable connection with me. Because I always give my best in every work or research.

- Well Barbie, I'm going because I'm hungry and because I know it will make you feel better to eat something.

- I'm flying - He says.

- Perfect, you can bring a pizza. Or ask for a sandwich or tequeño for me. If you want empanadas, you bring them for yourself. - I take a ten dollar bill that is wrapped in the lining of my cell phone, and hand it to him.

- Wait for me here Barbie - He tells me and touches the button to open the electric surveillance gate. Five minutes later he comes back with 4 cheese pies and 2 pizzas for me.

- Umm delicious! - I say as I bite into a slice of pizza. I feel the cheese melt in my mouth.

I eat with Eleazar and ramble about the city, work and art. In general he really likes art, which is why he chose to work at the museum. Although there is also a science department, and it functions as the Museum of Art and Science, Eleazar enjoys hanging around my department as he watches me and Paul work on some new collection.

- Now we can go for a round together - I assure looking at the time, it will soon be 11 o'clock at night, and it is time to do the night security inspection in the museum.

The rain has not stopped but Eliazar offers me his jacket, and he walks beside me getting wet in the rain. We enter the museum, which is a couple of stairs up from the guardhouse next to the parking lot.

Eleazar turns on the flashlight and hands me an extra flashlight. He unlocks the museum doors with the keys and we enter.

Gamal, in his apartment in Las Tapias, observes Isabel naked sleeping next to him, now covered by a sheet and he can see her red and shiny hair falling disheveled on the pillow. He walks naked to the window and closes the glass, as the strong breeze and the rain make a light layer of rain come in. The plants in his window happily receive the rain, but the table next to the window, his books and his shoes do not.

He turns off the light in the room and leaves Isabel sleeping. He walks naked to the kitchen as Armando is now sound asleep, since he started taking his sleeping pills he never hears him making noise at night anymore. The truth is that Armando was never a really annoying companion, in fact he loved his company, but lately it was rather sad to be around him, as his beloved ex-girlfriend had been unfaithful with an Italian, and since then Armando had only one mood: unhappy. Gamal didn't care about that, after having so many experiences in love and falling in love so many times with a pretty face and a gorgeous ass, now all he wanted was peace, if fucking didn't give him peace then he would stop fucking and problem solved.

He took a glass of cold water and at that moment he looked out the window, the lights of the Museum of Science and Art, which he could glimpse from his apartment were now on in the area where the replicas of the Greek pantheon and the bust of Aphrodite, the shield of Athena and other works of special interest to those tourists or people of the city, who feel attraction for the Greek gods.

Although his favorite God is Poseidon, God of the seas. When he was a child and before he became an atheist and gave up believing he had a soul, he used to fantasize about being the man who would make a mermaid fall in love with him. And that she would leave her life in the sea just to give him her hips, her nymph song and her long hair. Yes, if Gamal had to choose a god from Greek mythology, he would be Poseidon.

Physically he is athletic, muscular and with a body quite masculine and eye-catching for the opposite sex, even for his gay friends. He also had a wild look because of his long curly hair and beard, he couldn't complain, he is a sexual magnet by nature. Being strong, furious and powerful was his charm, as women love it. Like the seas being splashed by the wild rain in the heart of the ocean.