El último cliente (ESP/ENG)

Un día era igual que el otro, y el que vendría también sería lo mismo. Eso era lo que pensaba Virginia cada vez que sonaba la alarma para despertarse e ir al trabajo.

Su vida había cambiado tan radicalmente de un día para otro, que el empezar desde cero, parecía que realmente era comenzar desde menos 100.

Nada de lo que le resultaba satisfactorio quedaba ya en su vida, y hasta de su mente se desvanecían los recuerdos de esa época, en la que -como dicen muchos- era feliz y no lo sabía.

Ahora vivía para trabajar, pues no quedaba de otra. Había que comerse las verdes, esperando que pronto llegaran las maduras, como decía su madre. Solo que pasaban los años, y nunca llegaban...

Cada noche, mientras cenaba en la soledad de su casa, recordaba la película de Chaplin, "tiempos modenos", y se veía a si misma, atrapada en los enroques del sistema de producción, solo que a ella, eso no le parecía nada gracioso. A Chaplin, tampoco, pues era una sátira con respecto a como la industria absorbe la vida de sus trabajadores.

_{Sidney Sims - Unsplash}

Había decidido comprar una navaja, solo para darse la confianza de estar protegida cuando saliera a oscuras a tomar el colectivo.

Trabajaba en un supermercado, haciendo de todo un poco, y aunque tenía libre albedrío en muchas cosas, para Virginia, la infelicidad se llamaba "suerte", el nombre del establecimiento.

Parecía que todo iba en picada con ella. Los días, algunos largos y otros cortos, tenían el mismo matiz.

Una noche, justo en el momento de cerrar, se acercó frente a su mostrador, Augusto, un chico muy atractivo físicamente, queriendo comprar. Ella, como siempre pasaba con el último cliente, lo atendió de mala gana, pero a cambio, él le dio las gracias con una hermosa sonrisa.

No pasó mucho tiempo, para que ella notara que siempre llegaba a la misma hora, a hacer el mismo pedido. Y, aunque se había prometido no tomarse nada personal, era complicado no hacerlo con este personaje.

Optó por tener el pedido listo, de manera de no salir luego de su hora. No porque tuviera otros planes y llegaría tarde, sino que para Virginia, estar en su pequeño cuarto alquilado, era el refugio a todo su pesar.

Pero esos días no pasó por allá, así que tuvo que pagar por algo que ella ni siquiera comía y llevarlo con ella, para dárselo al primer mendigo que encontrara en el camino.

Virginia era una mujer ansiosa, al punto de tener tratamiento permanente con pastillas, todo producto de un capítulo de stress laboral pronunciado, que la llevó directo a un diván.

No era nada grave, pero tampoco podía descuidarlo. Sin embargo, en más de una oportunidad se le terminaban y pasaba hasta 48 horas sin tomarlo. En esos días, parecía que ya no los necesitaba, aunque los demás empezaban a notar en ella una actitud hostil y se lo hacían saber.

_{Anshu A - Unsplash}

La cara de Augusto, ahora se replicaba en cada uno de los clientes que pasaba de último minuto, a los que debía atender ya con una sonrisa fingida, pues realmente algo parecido al odio era lo que sentía apenas el reloj marcaba las 8:50 de la noche.

Hola! me puedes atender? escuchó una noche lluviosa. Virginia al voltear, se encuentra con Augusto, completamente empapado, sonriéndole mientras hacía su pedido. Virginia, quien precisaba salir con tiempo para retirar el pedido de sus medicinas, lo atiende y sale del trabajo, sin cumplir con el protocolo previo al cierre, pero realmente no le importó.

Al siguiente día, el llamado de atención no se hizo esperar, y Virginia asumió que fue producto de una queja del último cliente. Ese día, cuando apareció Augusto, trató de disimular más aún su desprecio hacia él. Lo atendió y procedió a hacer el odioso protocolo de cierre.

Lo que no esperaba era que al salir, él estuviera afuera esperándola. En ese momento, se ofuscó y no dio tiempo de nada. Eso de no tomárselo personal, había expirado en ese preciso instante.

Y cuando él quiso acercarse, ella sacó su pequeña navaja del bolsillo, y la clavó justo en su corazón.

Por qué lo hiciste? preguntó Augusto con voz tenue. Me quedé esperándote, para acompañarte a tu casa y poder hablarte sin que estuvieras ocupada.

Virginia, con los ojos crispados de furia, le respondió: No quería que fuera personal, pero la molestia de atenderlo de último momento, siempre fue desesperante.

Yo solo quería acercarme a tí y conocerte, discúlpame el hecho de que me gustaras demasiado.

Y mientras a Virginia se la llevaba el patrullero que llamaron los vecinos, ella solo alcanzaba a decir: "él se lo buscó"

One day was the same as the next, and the next day would be the same. That was what Virginia thought every time the alarm went off to wake up and go to work.

Her life had changed so radically from one day to the next that starting from scratch seemed like starting from minus 100.

Nothing of what he found satisfying remained in her life, and even in her mind the memories of that time, when - as many say - he was happy and didn't know it, faded away.

Now she lived to work, because there was no other way. She had to eat the green ones, hoping that the ripe ones would soon come, as her mother used to say. But the years went by, and they never came....

Every night, while she dined in the solitude of her house, she remembered Chaplin's movie, "Modern Times", and she saw herself trapped in the castling of the production system, but she didn't think it was funny at all. Chaplin didn't either, because it was a satire on how industry sucks the life out of its workers.

_{Sidney Sims - Unsplash}

She had decided to buy a knife, just to give herself the confidence of being protected when she went out in the dark to take the bus.

She worked in a supermarket, doing a little bit of everything, and although she had free will in many things, for Virginia, unhappiness was called "luck," the name of the establishment.

It seemed like everything was going downhill with her. The days, some long and some short, had the same hue and cry.

One night, just at closing time, Augusto, a very physically attractive guy, approached her counter, wanting to buy. She, as always happened with the last customer, reluctantly served him, but in return, he thanked her with a beautiful smile.

It wasn't long before she noticed that he always arrived at the same time to place the same order. And, although she had promised herself not to take anything personal, it was hard not to with this character.

He opted to have the order ready, so as not to leave after her time. Not because she had other plans and would be late, but because for Virginia, being in her small rented room was a refuge in spite of everything.

But those days she didn't go there, so she had to pay for something she didn't even eat and take it with her, to give it to the first beggar she met on the way.

Virginia was an anxious woman, to the point of having permanent treatment with pills, all product of a chapter of pronounced work stress, which took her straight to a couch.

It was nothing serious, but she could not neglect it either. However, on more than one occasion she ran out of pills and went up to 48 hours without taking them. In those days, it seemed that she no longer needed them, although the others began to notice a hostile attitude in her and let her know it.

_{Anshu A - Unsplash}

Augusto's face, now replicated in each of the customers that passed by at the last minute, to whom he had to attend with a fake smile, because really something similar to hate was what he felt as soon as the clock struck 8:50 at night.

Hello, can you get that? she heard one rainy night. Virginia turned around to find Augusto, completely soaked, smiling at her while she placed her order. Virginia, who needed to leave in time to pick up her medicine order, takes care of him and leaves work, without complying with the protocol prior to closing, but she didn't really care.

The next day, the attention call was not long in coming, and Virginia assumed that it was the result of a complaint from the last customer. That day, when Augusto showed up, she tried to further conceal her contempt for him. She attended to him and proceeded to do the hated closing protocol.

What she did not expect was that when she left, he would be outside waiting for her. At that moment, she became obfuscated and didn't give time for anything. That thing about not taking it personally had expired at that precise moment.

And when he wanted to get closer, she took out her small knife from her pocket and stuck it right in his heart.

Why did you do it? asked Augusto in a faint voice. I stayed waiting for you, to accompany you home so I could talk to you without you being busy.

Virginia, her eyes twitching with fury, answered: I didn't want it to be personal, but the hassle of attending to you at the last minute was always desperate.

I just wanted to get close to you and get to know you, I apologize for the fact that I liked you too much.

And while Virginia was being taken away by the patrol car called by the neighbors, she could only say: "he deserved it".