Published: 2025-10-21
It was past 8:00 PM and, as every Wednesday, Juana took her evening walk. The streets of New Town were as radiant as if it were the middle of the day. In every corner, people performed live music, painted, or did street theater; art was ever-present in the East side of New Town.
But Juana, although an artist herself, was not interested in watching a live performance that night, she always began her walks with the same destination in mind: the West side of New Town.
The West side was commonly referred to as “the bad part of town”, and for people of the East side, setting foot there was considered taboo. And why wouldn’t it be? The East was cosmopolitan and inhabited by the greatest minds the country had to offer; the West, on the other hand, was where blue-collar workers lived. “A village of blacksmiths and woodworkers”, as people from the East called it. To Juana, however, it was a very dear place, since it was where her lover lived.
If merely visiting the West side was frowned upon, mixing with its people was strictly forbidden. Although no law mandated it to be that way, for the people of East New Town, it was an unwritten rule that few were bold enough to break.
The lively streets turned dark and desolate, Juana knew she had entered the West side. She had been there enough times to feel at ease, and yet, she could not avoid looking over her shoulder, not because she feared the people of the West side, but because she could not shake the feeling of being followed.
She stepped into the dark alley; it reeked of garbage and death rats, puddles of dirty water made the experience feel all the more unpleasant. A wooden plank covered a hole in one of the abandoned brick buildings. Despite looking nailed in place, it could be removed, and behind it, Ulises, her lover, awaited her.
“You’re late again.” He said.
Inside the business, it was even darker than outside. Juana stood by the improvised door as her eyes adjusted, and she could distinguish the figure of her beloved.
“My love,” she said, caressing his cheek with the outside of her palm, “forgive me for not arriving at the promised time. It’s becoming increasingly harder to leave without being seen.”
He moaned as he felt her delicate fingers running across his rustic face.
“Forgiving you implies acknowledging you did something wrong, which I do not.”
She smiled.
Time was never enough during their weekly meetings; they knew that as much as they’d like to talk for hours on end, they could better express their love with their bodies.
Even the pleasure of lovemaking had to be condensed to a few minutes, for losing oneself in the ecstasy of human embrace could bring deathly consequences.
As they lay on the dirty floor, caressing each other’s faces, Juana kept thinking about the cruel fate that had been laid upon them.
“Why did you have to be born a taxi driver?” She said.
Ulises grabbed her hand, offended by the remark.
“You are hurting me, Ulises.”
He let go and sat on the floor.
“I was not born a taxi driver, the same way you were not born a pianist. A machine determined it, and we are forced to live with that.”
“I am sorry, I did not mean it that way.”
“Yes, you did mean it that way. You think I don’t see the way you see? Your pitiful eyes? I’m nothing but a peasant for you; you seek nothing but a cheap thrill from an uncivilized barbarous, and soon you will get tired and move to the next one.”
A loud sound echoed in the abandoned building. Juana’s hand started throbbing: she had slapped Ulises.
“You’re a pig.” She said as she picked her clothes from the floor.
She rushed to the door while putting her panties on. Amid the darkness, she could see his gaze fixated on her, maybe feeling remorseful by the harshness of his words, maybe thinking her actions only proved him right.
She took a last look at him before leaving; he didn’t say anything. She removed the wooden plank that sealed the wall and was blinded by a light that seemed to shine directly on her face.
“You have built yourself a nice love nest here.” Said an unknown voice.
Juana put both hands in front of her eyes to protect of the burning light. The light went out, and Juana saw who was the person harassing her with words. Her already white face became pale. It was a police officer, he still held the now turned off flashlight in front of her face.
The officer took a retina scanner from his belt and pointed it at Juana.
“Juana Torres, 24 years old, pianist—” The officer raised his gaze and looked at Juana. She was petrified. “I’m afraid you and your male companion will have to accompany me to the station.”
He pointed his flashlight at Ulises, who sat on the floor, still naked.
“You have a minute to dress yourself, son.”
Ulises stood up and picked up his clothes.
They sat next to each other in the police station; Ulises's cheek was still red and featured the imprint of a human hand. Juana started to feel guilty.
“Let’s see who the man of mystery is.” Said the police officer while pointing the retina scanner at Ulises.
“Ulises Abreu, 28 years old, taxi driver. Good, good.”
He turned to Juana and asked, “Is he the father of your baby?”
Juana was bewildered, “I am sorry, sir, but I do not have any babies.”
“Yeah, that’s the funny part,” the officer said, “you’re pregnant.”
Juana and Ulises looked at each other.
“I am very sorry, sir, but I am not, in fact, pregnant.”
The officer pointed the retina scanner at her, looked at the output in the small screen, and turned it to her. Among other personal data, it could be read “4 weeks pregnant”.
Juana brought her hands to her mouth. Ulises pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Marriage or procreation between the East and West sides is not prohibited; I honestly could not care less. Now, you are here for trespassing. You will receive a citation and have to appear before a judge. Now, get outta here, you horny, filthy, animals.”
THE END.