Little Footsteps

A dark past:

When Paula heard her uncle call her «murderer» doubt invaded her mind. Had she really been a murderer? No, that was not possible, but then she had a terrible memory. Paula was scared, full of panic, and then ran to take refuge in her room without saying anything else to the Parkers.

She needed to be alone, although she could still hear them arguing in the distance, but she no longer paid attention because she was immersed in the depths of her soul.

She tried to remember and remembered.

Her mind traveled at full speed through her memories. All the mist that kept them hidden dissipated, and in this way the memories were exposed leaving Paula at the mercy of terror.

The first thing Paula remembered was the day Erika arrived home, months before the tragedy. She came to meet Paula's baby who was a year old, almost two. Erika said she had not gone to meet him before because she had supposedly lost the address of the house. She looked radiant and happy. She was thinner and had cut her hair.

"Excuse me for not coming before, Paula. Moving day was a complete disaster, I don't know if you remember. I was so tired! And to top it off I lost one of my bags on the train, I completely forgot it. Can you believe it? And I was furious with you for not helping me, but now I can understand it: you were pregnant and Franco had a lot of work. I also remember that you two were angry with each other. Surely in that suitcase was the paper with the written address."

Erika seemed determined to give explanations but Paula knew she was lying. When Erika moved out of the previous apartment, she did so because of a discussion she and Paula had, something that Erika didn't seem to remember, anyway Paula let her speak until she finally shut up.

"Okay, Eri. How did you get it?"

"I got it when I went to Franco's work last week, but I couldn't come before. You know my job has me very busy," said the woman, lying again. In the living room she saw the baby sitting in his high chair.

"Oh! How beautiful and big he is!"

Erika ran to hug the baby while Paula mentally wondered why Franco (his fiancé, because they would soon get married) had not told her before Erika had gone to work. The woman also wondered why Erika had not gone to work «to ask about her address». But soon all these doubts were dispelled and the two friends returned to regain confidence.

Paula knew that Erika had a new boyfriend named Gastón shortly after she left Franco and Paula's apartment, but both had cut their relationship two months ago. She told her friend that Gastón didn't understand her and that the relationship had also become violent, so she decided to cut her off. As Erika lived in his apartment and she had no more friends in that city, for that reason she had decided to return to Paula and Franco.

"Do you have a job now?" Paula asked worriedly, imagining that her friend came to her apartment to stay again.

"Yes, I answer the phone in a fast food restaurant. Not bad, there I get paid less than in my previous job, but at least I don't have to work at night... It's not far from here," she said with a smile that Paula thought she was forced. She hoped her friend wasn't lying.

Paula thought that her friend was only interested in her when she needed her help, surely she needed money, but Erika was like that, she always left a job and took a different one and the same happened with her relationships with men.

But Paula was wrong because Erika wasn't going to live with her and Franco because her job gave her enough money to rent a place to live with a roommate, but she did need money and it wasn't too long before she asked for help. Erika thought maybe Paula needed help with the baby.