The Love of An Invisible

7/26/2026 – Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[ Iuri Stevens’ Vision]

“Will you call me again?” asks the green-eyed brunette I didn’t even make a point of asking her name.

Last night was my last night here, in half an hour I will travel back home and take over the presidency of the company, my parents will have their dream retirement. It’s already seven years away, has anything changed there?

“I think your friend told you that I don’t stay with anyone more than once,” I say in a cold way while I fish my clothes spread on the floor.

Whenever one of them comes to ask me if I will call or meet them again, I remember when I was twelve years old. I thought that was the age when everyone finally kissed for the first time. There was a girl in my class, her name was Marina, she was the prettiest girl in the sixth grade, she had curly hair and blue eyes. One day she came to talk to me, she said she thought I was very cute and smart, I found it strange, but she kept talking to me and then I started thinking that maybe it was true. Early in the morning she said that she wanted to be with me, this was on a Friday – if I am not mistaken – she said that I was to meet her behind the school when classes were over. I remember how excited I was, I was going to have my first kiss. Ah… what an illusion.

When I arrived at the place, everyone from my class was there, this made me even more gloomy, my youthful mind couldn’t understand what was actually happening, it only said that I should run out of there. Those guys had already played several tricks on me, and if they saw me reaching for the books in the closet they would pull at my underwear, once they did it so hard that I needed an ointment for a rash. But there they were, all looking at me and laughing. Until she appeared, and in a completely different tone than she used to talk to me, without a shred of compassion she spoke:

** “Did you really think that someone like me would be with someone like YOU?” they all laughed and I cringed, grabbing the strap of my backpack, “Look in the mirror monster, look at those pimples on your face that look like volcanoes, that awful messy hair,” at that moment I remember her touching my hair and saying how soft it was, liar! “You stink like a pissing nerd. I would never put my mouth in your mouthpiece! I’m disgusted just thinking about it.”

And look how I am today, they try to win me over, they get me, and then they want a second round. Only now I’m the one who dismisses them.

I still remember that after that speech I tried to leave the circle, but the gang stopped me. Devid appeared and kissed Marina right there in front of me, a kiss that you could see the drool dripping off. When they stopped, they turned to me and started throwing eggs in my face, the ones holding me back moved away and joined them in throwing eggs at me and called me an ugly virgin. Thankfully, at that time my parents were not home during the day, and I always sneaked in through the back door so Mrs. Lueni would not see me. Ah… bad memories, how I wanted to get you out of my mind.

But these memories don’t hurt as much as Aya’s words.

During these seven years, Aya kept coming and going in my mind, thanks to the truths she threw in my face seven years ago, I am today a very different person from what she knew. She managed to destroy me in a way that no other person could. I didn’t want to hear from her, but I know that my parents took care of her and that today she must be able to support herself, our story hasn’t even begun but has already come to an end; I don’t want to feel anything for her anymore. Since I am only twenty-five years old, at the age of thirty I will get anyone to have children. I never want to love anyone the way I loved her again. I know that no woman but my mother loves me, and her love alone is enough for me. I don’t delude myself with the sweet words that the women I stay with speak, they know who I am and they only want the money and status they would get from having a relationship with me.

“I thought I was different…” she says, pouting.

“Why did you think that?” I ask, turning my back to her and putting on the top of my suit.

“You treated me like a princess, just calling me kitten, such an affectionate nickname…” I only called her that because I didn’t know her name.

“Don’t confuse things, I’m a man, not a boy. Now get dressed, I will leave the motel bill paid, if you want to eat before you leave just ask, I will leave it paid too.”

I finish the knot of my tie and leave the room, leaving her alone, I go downstairs and the car is already waiting for me at the hotel entrance.

I am returning home.

[ New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side – View by Aya Millenis]

“What do you say we go out drinking?” Leandro suggests, “We haven’t done that in over a year” he comments as he tidies up the papers on his desk.

It’s been more than a year since we all went out together on a program, Leandro keeps calling, but both my sister and I are busy, she because of her work, and I?

“I’ll go to the orphanage,” I reply, smiling.

“I understand, you can’t stay too long away from her.

“No” I agree with his statement, “I like her so much…. I will go with my sister today.”

“Well, then I will take the opportunity to take my cat on a walk. Oh no… She is also at the orphanage, it seems that now you exclude me from your programs. I feel lonely!” oh drama, I hold back the urge to laugh.

“Don’t be so melodramatic, that’s not your strong suit.”

“You are right, I will wait for her to come back, I guess a movie at eight is not a bad idea.”

“It is a good idea, and it does a lot of good, keeping romance in marriage is very healthy.”

“Yes, it is. So, see you tomorrow Aya.”

” Bye” I wave goodbye to him and go back to organizing the papers.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

After putting everything away, I take my bag and leave the room and walk to the company’s parking lot, time has really flown by, I have been working here for three years. Leandro is one and a half years old, but he already holds the position of director of the economic development sector, and now I am his secretary.

I have been visiting the Zion orphanage for two years now, Luana is the director there, but to everyone’s misfortune, when she joined, the orphanage started to go through many difficulties, the government turned its back and the social parties for donations were not working anymore, nobody wanted to help an orphanage that has no positive prestige, the former director embezzled money and mistreated the children. Two years ago, a baby girl was abandoned in the orphanage, she will be two years old today, I really wish I could adopt her, but I can’t because I’m is single.

I get out of the metal box and drive to the company’s parking lot, get into my silver Audi A4 and drive to my sister’s house, the drive takes about ten minutes.

“I thought I would never leave the company again” she speaks as she gets into the car and throws a huge bag on the back seat.

“And miss my little one’s birthday? Never!” I say, and as soon as she closes the car door, I start the car.

I won’t bring anything like cake or party stuff, there are many children there and it wouldn’t be fair to do it for only one, so I’ll just bring a small gift. My sister brought gifts for everyone yesterday, just to give me the excuse that today she’ll only get one.

“What did you buy?”

“A barbie doll, from that movie diamond castle.”

“I love that movie, it was one of the best.”

“I agree, I also bought the DVD and am taking it to the kids there to watch.”

“What a coincidence, I’m bringing popcorn and soda, we can already simulate a movie theater for them.”

“It’s going to be a really cool one.”

“Yes, and tomorrow we’ll go to a party, you need to find a husband soon, Luana said there were some couples with their eye on the little one,” she pauses and we both sigh, “Too bad Leandro’s friends gave up at the last minute.”

At this moment I cringe, they gave up because after a month I didn’t want to go to the next phase. For a year and a half I’ve been trying to get a husband so that I could adopt Heloysie, but with every man I meet, failure always comes within a month. I didn’t tell anyone why they gave up, and I am thankful that they didn’t either, I couldn’t even stand it when they touched my arms. I felt that those hands didn’t belong on me, I can’t explain it, I don’t have any trauma, but I don’t understand why I can’t do it, I don’t have the ideal of marrying a virgin like my parents always wanted, but I think that deep down I feel that I haven’t found the right person and that must be what is holding me back.

I remember how the conversation with the first suitor went:

** “Do you want to go to my place or yours?” Luan asks me already inside the car, we were in the restaurant talking about his visit to the child on Monday.