Chapter 4 What Didn't Work?

• As promised, Samantha spent all day taking care of Helena. She cleaned the china shards from the vase and the Greek eye, applied salve to the bruise on her face, and did some basic shopping at the corner store to prepare a simple but delicious lunch for them.
• She also made sure to buy some goodies like chocolates and ice cream. She found a limited edition vanilla flavored with guava syrup and wanted to bring it in to try.
• Nothing like a sweetie to sweeten a bitter heart.
• She also called her office to explain that she wasn't feeling too well, but tomorrow would be better. The secretary looked like she already knew about the Facebook affair, she was very rude and hung up on her.
• — Oh but what a rude woman! Go hang up on your grandma's face! — She was furious. From there in her room, Helena heard her friend complain, just imagining who it was that answered her.
• As was to be expected, Helena's family called to see how she was doing. Sophia made a real scandal when she found out what Luiz did to her daughter and wanted his head on a platter. Constantine was worse, he summoned the entire Greek community for a lynching.
• Samantha needed to use all the knowledge that she had acquired in the sessions with the psychologist, to contain the fury of the Petropoulos. She was even threatened by her friend's brothers, to reveal Luiz's whereabouts. She argued with them, saying that she didn't know and also if she knew, she wouldn't say. It's true that Luiz deserved a good beating, after what he did... even she wanted to hit him and that Nubia, but violence was never a solution to anything. And Helena wouldn't like to see her father and brothers arrested.
• At that time, she was a little jealous of her friend. In fact, she felt very jealous. She didn't want to feel it, but she did. Helena was unconditionally loved by her family and if necessary, they would wage an Olympic war to defend her. Well, so would she.
• She remembered when she separated from her husband. Yes, she was once married and her parents only asked if her separation would affect the construction company's business. Not just this time, but others, too, when they cared more about the company's image than their only child... and when they finally did, it was for the same reason.
• Helena's family wanted to visit her, but she didn't want to see anyone. She wanted to be alone... in fact, what she really wanted was to know what made Luiz do what she did. Which "didn't work" according to him.
• *
• It was past noon when Samantha knocked on the bedroom door. She was sitting up in bed, looking at her cell phone, her face red and swollen from crying. She was embarrassed when she saw her friend watching her:
• — Can you believe that I called your work and the imbecile who answered me, besides being very rude, hung up on me? Dude, what kind of secretary is this that your company hires? If she was an employee of my parents' construction company, they would have sent her away for just cause! — She disguised it, in an attempt to cheer her up.
• But the reality was totally different. Helen didn't even say anything. She continued with her gaze lost to the horizon. She sat on the edge of the bed and asked if she felt better. Helena took a deep breath, wiped her tears and straightened her posture, to show that despite everything, she was fine:
• — I'm great. It's just a boyfriend, I won't die because of it...
• — Is it serious what you just said? — Samantha asked not taking her answer very seriously. She knew very well that Helena couldn't lie about her feelings, especially when she was sad.
• — No... — She replied, looking down, having another crying crisis: — And I don't think I'll ever stay again...
• — It's never too much. And what do you intend to do in this period? Are you going to stand there looking at your cell phone? Do you think he's going to call you to explain what happened or to apologize? And if he does, will you go back to him, after the shame you went through because of that damn Facebook post?
• Helena looked at her with an immense desire to give an angry answer, but she didn't find the strength:
• — You must be thinking that I'm a tremendous bitch for asking you these things, right? — Samantha asked when she saw her silence.
• — No...
• — Are you sure?
• — Maybe a little. But that's what friendship is for, right, being a bitch to warn friends...
• The two laughed.
• — At least, I'm a bitch that makes you laugh.
• — No Sam, you're right. If Luiz hasn't looked for me until now, he doesn't look for me anymore. Even if he looks for me, it doesn't make sense anymore. Still, I wanted to know why he did this to me. Did I do something wrong?
• — Even if he had done that, it's no excuse for him to betray you, expose you to ridicule and worse, with that ridicule! You can even get mad at me, but the only explanation in this motorcade is that Luiz is nothing but a scoundrel. You know how long he's been cheating on you with this bitch and who can't guarantee there aren't others in between?
• Helena lowered her head and once again burst into tears. She always knew that no one is free from betrayal, least of all her, but it still hurt her soul.
• — How everything hurts...
• — I know, I've been through it.
• — How did you get over it?
• — I cried everything I had to cry. So I wiped my tears and moved on. But I confess that sometimes I catch myself thinking about him... not exactly about him, but about what happened, about what we lived through... I mean, about what I lived with him.
• Helena remembered when Samantha separated from her husband, a mega-entrepreneur in the field of fitness equipment and sporting goods. He had the largest gym franchise in the United States. She was a model at the time and it was in an advertising campaign for one of his products that they met. They dated, got married and separated, because according to him, love is over.
• With the divorce money (she was paid very well to separate from him), she decided to return to Brazil, went to Physical Education college and only got a job at the gym due to her fame as a poster girl for fitness equipment and products.
• — The fault is mine...
• — Ah Lena stop it, it's not her fault but his lack of character!
• — It's not that... of course she's mine, for loving a guy I always knew who he was. It's like my grandmother says, you can love someone, but never more than yourself. — She broke down. On Grandma Tina's advice, Samantha agreed. Now, the guilt part, she couldn't even swallow gallons of water.
• — And now what do I do? — Helena asked herself after another crying crisis.
• — Simple, right Lena, you will follow your life and preferably with your head held high.
• — I don't know if I'll have the courage to face all this... people will talk...
• — Fuck what others think or say, you are much more than a bunch of nonsense that that one said about you! And you, my friend, are Queen Helen of Troy, you are infinitely better than those two cretins, they deserve each other! And he doesn't owe anyone anything, he didn't do anything wrong, they did, so they're the ones who are ashamed here!
• — I... I think I'll need some time.
• — Of course yes. Take your time, friend. In the meantime, get ready for your trip to Paris.
• — Ah ok, the trip I would do with Luiz...
• — You would not do, you will. Not going to negotiate with the French company?
• — Yes, I will, but...
• — There is no “but” Lena, you will, you will close the contract and bring a lot of money to your company.
• — The company where I work, you mean...
• — It doesn't matter, you're going to travel and that's the end of it.
• Maybe Samantha was right. In other words, she is right. The damage was already done.