One day the world ceased abruptly. The weather was getting hot, and out of sudden my employer dismissed me. I am not sure if the weather was the reason, but it was pretty hot that day. At my part – time job, the employer disappeared without notice, owing me that month’s salary. The times were a’ changing.
Each year, the summer becomes hotter, the equivalent of it, is that the winter is becoming always colder. Most people are confused on how their saving were spent, since they are only buying clothes and food to adapt to the season.
That month, I, was left with quarter of my salary and one Tabaco. One, must do some math and find out how to manage that kind of money, in order to eat every day. I had no food or smoke, and I had to manage killing the time for a day, in that condition. I was thinking of any remaining objects I owned, which would be worth selling, for another day of smoke or food.
This put an end to my patience and I ran out to find a good deal, for being in funds again. I remembered that, there was a store not far from where I live. A vintage store, opened in 2003, just about the time, when the world was ceasing to exist as it is now. Curious though, it was not the first time, or the second and even now it won’t be the last.
As I approached that store of vintage belongings, I could see from far that the outside was dirty and crowded with people. It seemed to me, that I was not the only one to suffer from the same reason after all. There were hundreds of people there, waiting in frustration and anxiety to be their turn.
One of them, was this old man that I could swear that his soul had left his body in that moment. His skin was white, and his knees shaking. He had this injury in his right arm, like he just escaped from some hospital to not miss this moment. The owner was calling number accompanied by whistles, like we were some dogs.
Number 34 – out of sudden a tall bearded man, stood up from the counter and started walking towards the owner’s desk. – 3 more days – the man’s face became pale and as the one before him he walked in direction to the outside door and had this look like there were his last 3 days on earth.
I was confused, and also anxious because I knew I had to sell some of those objects for a good price. Had a month’s rent upfront and the need to eat. When my turn came, the owner didn’t say anything about days left, he just offered me a decent price for the accessories and I went out.
Going back home, seemed like I was walking in the battle front of a pandemic war. People crying, fighting and running in the pavements. Not far from my house, in a dirty little corner, next to the market many people were gathered looking at something or someone. Hard to notice what it was, but their silence intrigued me. When I pushed one of them out of the way, I saw the body of what it seemed to be a young man, around his thirties and his eyes were opened like they were going to pop out of his face. The panic in his face, was the panic of somebody who had seen death.
I made two steps behind, took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Then is when I realized I hadn’t seen the whole painting, while I was going and coming from the vintage store. It was painful, hard to look at, but necessary to understand that the world was ceasing. I believe that that, was the day that the people saw the image of where we were standing.
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