It was getting late in the evening. {{user}} was walking home from his evening walk. He walks into his apartment building and starts climbing the stairs while...He doesn't hear someone crying...
Continuing to climb, he saw a very young girl who looked more like a teenager. She was sitting on the step full of tears and lighting a cigarette. There was a complete mess around her: one of her shoes was on top, the other remained on her foot, her knees were torn to blood along with her tights, a torn grocery bag lay below the steps...more precisely, with what's left of them.
It seems that he saw this girl for the first time and he just couldn't sympathize with her deep down, so he decides that he needs to do something to help...
En un tono suave le digo "oye amiga ¿Estas bien?"
She looks at him in surprise and then bursts into tears again. "No, I'm not all right," she says, her voice shaky. "I... I can't do this anymore." She gestures around her with her hand, taking in the mess on the floor, her torn knees, the cigarette hanging from her lips. Her words are barely audible over her sobs.
Le acerco su zapato y le digo mientras me siento junto a ella con un tono preocupado "¿Que sucede?"
"I... I just can't handle it all on my own," she says, sniffling. "My parents threw me out, and now I have to work this horrible job just to pay rent and buy food. And I keep messing up at work because of..." She trails off, looking down at her knees.
"And then there's my apartment... It's such a mess. I can't even clean it properly." Her lower lip quivers as she continues to cry softly. "
Suspiro y digo "nadie te enseño a vivir sola ¿Verdad?"
She looks at him, surprise registering on her face for a moment before the pain returns. "No... I just need someone to help me." Her voice cracks and she starts crying again. "I'm so stupid and useless..."
Her shoulders shake as she tries not to sob too loudly. It's clear that she hasn't been able to let herself feel this vulnerable in a long time.
Le doy palmadas en la espalda y digo "no eres estupida o inutil, yo estaba como tu cuando me mude solo"
The touch on her back feels unexpectedly comforting. She looks up at him, still sniffling a bit. "You were?" she asks hesitantly. There's hope in her voice now.
"si, todos hemos estado asi" recojo su bolsa acomodando todo y digo "si quieres te puedo enseñar un poco"
She stares at him for a moment, her eyes wide and filled with disbelief. Then, slowly, she nods. "R-really?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. "You'd do that for me?"
There's so much hope in her voice now that it almost breaks his heart all over again.
"Claro" recojo su bolsa y le digo "venga, llevame a tu apartamento"
She sniffs back the last of her tears and wipes her nose on her sleeve before standing up shakily. "Okay," she says quietly, following him up the stairs to her apartment. The weight in her steps lightens with every step she takes; for the first time in weeks, there's a glimmer of hope in her heart that maybe things might get better.
When they reach her apartment, Dolores leads him inside, closing the door behind them. It's just as much of a mess inside as it was outside; clothing is scattered across the floor, dishes are piled high in the sink, and furniture looks like it hasn't been touched in weeks.
She sits down heavily on her bed, looking at the mess around her with fresh eyes. "I don't know where to start," she whispers.
Rio suavemente y le digo "tranquila, te ayudare a ordenar todo pero primero" saco de mi mochila unas vendas y las pongo delicadamente en sus heridas
The pain in her knees is almost forgotten when he takes out the bandages. "Thank you," she whispers, looking at him with gratitude. As he gently wraps her knees, she tells him about how she tripped on the steps outside, how she didn't want to ask anyone for help because she didn't want them to see how much of a mess she was already in.
When he finishes, she sits up straighter, feeling more confident and less embarrassed. "Okay,"
"Muy bien primero" la ayudo a levantarse de la cama y la llevo frente al lavaplatos "primero, vamos a lavar todos estos platos"
She follows his lead, feeling surprisingly more at ease with him around. Together, they tackle the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. As she scrubs and rinses, he offers her advice on how to clean up better and keep things from getting so messy in the first place. The conversation flows easily between them as they work side by side.
When they finally finish with the dishes, he hands her a rag and says, "Now let's tackle your room."
"Primero tenemos que separar todo" hago espacio en 4 sitios y digo "vamos a separar la ropa limpia, la sucia, la basura y tus pertenencia s"
She nods and begins to sort through the pile of clothes. As they divide them into neat stacks on the floor, she tells him about her life before this mess: how she used to have friends and family who supported her, how she thought she was ready for independence when her parents threw her out.
"I just want to prove that I can do it," she says quietly as she sorts a pair of jeans into the pile. "Prove to them that they shouldn't have done this."
"Si, entiendo ese sentimiento, pero recuerda, aun eres jover y sin experiencia, no puedes hacerlo todo sola"
She stops for a moment, considering his words. "Maybe you're right," she says slowly. "It's just... I feel like I have nowhere else to go."
He hands her another article of clothing and she takes it, continuing to sort through the mess in her room. As they work together, an unlikely friendship begins to form between them.
Cuando terminamos todo se ve mas ordenado y limpio "muy bien ahora, dime ¿Que sabes cocinar?"
She laughs softly. "Not much," she admits. "Mostly just simple stuff like pasta and eggs." Her eyes light up as an idea occurs to her. "But I've always wanted to learn how to make real, fancy food! Maybe you could teach me?"
"Por supuesto pero primero vamos a hacer" saco una bolsa de arroz y una olla
They spend the next few hours cooking together. fifucho shows her how to make a simple stir-fry with rice and vegetables, while she eagerly listens and takes notes on everything he says. By the end of it, they've created a delicious meal that neither of them has ever made before.
As they sit down to eat at Dolores' small kitchen table, there's an unspoken understanding between them: this is something more than just cleaning her apartment or teaching her how to cook.