Telling my story involves traveling back in time. Precisely to the time when I was barely thirteen years old.
We had just moved to Del Valle City and I wasn't happy with the idea of moving, especially because I had left behind many of my friends, especially my best friend, Uriel, whom I considered a brother.
It wasn't just a whim that we moved.
The truth is that there was a good reason for doing so, since Dad had been promoted at work.
His new position involved working at a renowned hydroelectric plant located on the outskirts of Del Valle City.
Mom was excited and proud; she was the one who most wanted a change in our lives.
The idea of being able to enjoy a renewed environment gave his countenance a rather jovial look.
It is worth noting that I am the youngest of five siblings.
However, that was no consolation at the time, as my older siblings were independent.
So, it was a bit lonely moving without my siblings, although on the other hand, I had the advantage of being the only one they indulged—specifically, with the purchase of candy and sweets, which made me gain even more weight than I already had.
As for my brothers, Raúl is the oldest. Next comes Alexis, then Noel, and finally Cristian.
Raúl was thirty-three years old at the time.
By that age, he had established himself as one of the most recognized and respected investors in the state of Zepeda. Thanks to him, the economies of several cities experienced considerable growth and subsequent stabilization.
He was married to Ana Paulina. They met at university and married while students. As a result of their relationship, they had two beautiful children, whom they named Saúl and Valentina.
My second brother, Alexis, was thirty-one years old.
As a civil engineer, Alexis was in charge of major projects in the Capital District, thanks to the contacts he made during his time as a university student.
Alexis married Raquel, whom he met by chance in a café. Unlike Raúl and Ana Paulina, they had no children, as they devoted much of their time to work.
My third brother, Noel, was twenty-seven years old.
Noel, who remained in our hometown, León Valley, was one of the best lawyers in the area and considered a prodigy, since at his age he had won thirty cases, five of which were important at the national level.
He was married to his childhood friend, Francis, with whom he had a beautiful daughter whom I always considered my favorite among my nephews; her name is Camila.
My fourth brother, Cristian, was nineteen years old.
At that time, he was still a university student at the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of the Capital District.
Dad and Mom, as well as Alexis, who looked after him, were very proud, because beyond being the best in his class, he was also recognized as number one in terms of the university's general average.
Anyway, back to the main topic, I was alone with my dad and mom in a city I didn't know, and the first few days of my stay were a nuisance for me.
I didn't have a great time because my parents prioritized visiting important places like the hospital, the pharmacies near our neighborhood, and the occasional supermarket.
What kept a small spark of excitement in my life was the idea of traveling to León Valley, this because of the promise I had made to Uriel when we said goodbye.
Before saying goodbye, I told Uriel that I would visit him once my family and I settled in Del Valle City, since the distance between cities was relatively short—just under 63 miles.
Another detail that also kept a small spark of excitement in my life was that my parents let me choose the school I wanted to attend.
So, I was capricious in choosing one of the most expensive private institutes in Del Valle City.
I thought such a whim would bother them, but they didn't think twice when they made the necessary inquiries to register me; apparently, they wanted to make up for the neglect they showed me during the move.
Something I should highlight about my personality back then is that I was the typical immature kid who loved the idea of being popular and having lots of friends.
Being the center of attention was everything to me, of course, as long as it didn't mean being a clown or a joke.
My goal was to feed my ego with as many friendships as possible.
So, after five months and persistently struggling to adapt to the city, my parents finally enrolled me at the Private Catholic School of Santísima del Valle, whose complex rivaled the best university campuses in the country.
Del Valle College, as I called it from the moment I saw its long name, boasted luxurious buildings and a sports city where different disciplines were practiced at the academic and professional levels.
The way they distributed so many buildings and spaces to create a first-class institute was truly impressive; that alone justified the tuition fee.
On the other hand, because I was enrolled late, I was made to take a series of intensive tests that allowed me to catch up with the rest of the students in my class.
That detail ruined my plans to be popular, but fortunately, the new kid status worked in my favor.
Characterized by my charisma, from my first day of class I wasted no time making friends with the smartest students, who informed me about all the subjects and assignments they had already completed; this was a strategy for getting good grades.
Then, as the days went by, I made more friends.
My good sense of humor allowed me to catch the attention of those most considered popular at school. As a result, it only took me two weeks to join the most popular social circles.
During those first few weeks, Dad took the time to drive me to and from school, asking me to give rides to various kids who were part of my growing social circle.
The rides didn't last long, because once Dad showed me the different routes that took me from the neighborhood bus stop to school, and back, he asked me to use public transportation.
Mom didn't agree with that decision, although as the days went by, she ended up accepting it.
The bus stop was three blocks from home, in a place frequented by people who traveled downtown daily.
This one would get packed with people if you didn't arrive on time.
There were even times when there were long lines to get on a bus; the public transportation service was somewhat deficient.
I admit I didn't like public transportation, but ironically, it became an important service during my student days. Not because it was cheap or dropped me off in front of the school, but because it allowed me to meet the girl who had a huge impact on my life over the years.
♦♦♦
It happened one morning when I overslept and arrived late to the bus stop, when the crowd was crowded and arguing over the order of the line.
The line was quite long, and beyond the arguments, people kept complaining about the poor quality of public transportation.
My patience was put to the test, as was my sense of responsibility, because if I didn't do something about it, I risked missing the first class, which would affect my perfect attendance record.
That's why I opted to take a taxi, so I walked away from the stop to an area where there were only three people who I assumed had also made the same decision as me.
These three people didn't take even five minutes to leave the place, so I was left alone while I waited for a taxi to arrive.
However, a melody, a few meters behind me, caught my attention.
So, completely given over to my curiosity, I turned in that direction to find a girl playing guitar in front of a small establishment with outdoor tables; some customers were smoking cigarettes and sipping their coffee.
These customers were all about the girl, whose beautiful guitar sound helped me realize what a prodigious girl she was.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to take a look," I thought.
So I walked over and sat near the smoking area while I checked out the menu. A friendly waiter waited on me, so I was forced to order a lemon soda.
The music the girl was playing sounded familiar to me, although I couldn't quite make out the song until a sweet voice started singing; it was Víveme by Laura Pausini .
Her singing was beautiful and blended perfectly with the sound of the guitar, so I was mesmerized as I watched her.
However, when I reached the famous chorus of Víveme , whose vocal range I considered unattainable for her due to the subtlety of her singing, I couldn't help but be startled by the impression her strength and intonation made on me.
A current ran through my body, making my skin prickle.
The girl was on key at no point and for me, those were the most beautiful moments I experienced that morning.
In fact, I couldn't help but clap with euphoria and shout " Bravo ! ", although I stopped immediately when everyone looked at me strangely.
Anyway, I would have loved to stay there all morning and have the pleasure of continuing to listen to her, but I had to go to school.
So I took out my wallet and removed a sizable bill. Then, after paying for my soda inside the establishment, which was a coffe shop, I left and headed over to where the girl was.
She looked at me without saying a word, and since I didn't want to bother her, I simply handed her the bill, which she responded to with a smile and a bow; I swear I admired her from that moment on.
From then on, since I arrived at school, fortunately on time, I spent the whole morning thinking about that girl that I couldn't get out of my mind.
I thought his voice had cast a spell on me that my classmates called falling in love, but that wasn't it.
I just couldn't believe that someone with such talent would sing for pennies.
I hadn't thought about it until I focused on the other details that characterized that girl, like her ragged clothes and her worn guitar.
It turns out she was homeless.
Someone who barely survived on the few alms that good people gave him in exchange for showing his talent.
It was hard to accept that I was living in that situation.
It was one of those events that makes you question life and its meaning, reality and its harshness.
"The new guy fell in love," they began to whisper, as if facing a life dilemma for the first time implied love.
But what would they know? They were just as immature as me, or even more so.
That's why I didn't pay attention to those words.
Unfortunately, rumors spread just as fast as gossip, or even faster, and I found out during my morning break while I was eating a chocolate cake and thinking about "the girl with the guitar," as I nicknamed her from that day on.
At first, due to my immaturity, I felt compelled to protect and help "the girl with the guitar." I even thought of several plans to help her.
However, my thoughts were interrupted by someone who, with notable suspicion, sat next to me.
"So you fell in love," a beautiful girl said disdainfully.
"Do I know you?" I asked, confused.
"Now yes, and I'm sure you're just another one of the bunch... You send me anonymous love letters and you also fall in love with another girl", she responded indignantly.
"Huh?" was all I could manage.
"Yeah, play dumb. That's why I hate guys like you," she replied with persistent indignation.
"Look, first of all, let me tell you that you're wrong. Second, I don't write love letters. I find them corny and ridiculous. Third, I'm not in love with anyone. Fourth, and finally, stop believing that the world revolves around you. Even though you're pretty, you're quite off-putting with your arrogance", I said.
She frowned and stood up.
"You idiot! How dare you?" she demanded.
"I'm just exercising my right to freedom of expression, and thank you for letting me get to know your personality," I replied in a mocking voice.
His jaw tightened as he heard my words.
I thought he was going to insult me or hit me, but he just turned around and walked away.
From then on, I had a quiet day at school, although with the persistent image of "the girl with the guitar" in my thoughts.
♦♦♦
On the way home, when I got off the bus and glanced toward the coffee shop, I noticed "the girl with the guitar" happily eating from a disposable container.
I was comforted to see her so happy enjoying a well-deserved meal, although I was even happier when a man came out of the coffee shop and handed her another disposable container.
I assumed he had a relative to take food to.
Suddenly, a sudden feeling of distress made a lump form in my throat, especially when I approached her and noticed that she was so happy while she was eating.
"Someone who gets so excited about food must have a completely different appreciation for food than I do," I thought.
So, I felt inside my pocket to take out my wallet and take out all my money.
I admit that it was the only time I prided myself on being stingy, as I rarely spent the money my parents gave me daily for school, which is why I used to accumulate it week after week.
"Thank you," murmured "the girl with the guitar" as she stopped eating to accept my money, although she didn't hide her surprise at seeing so many bills.
"You're welcome," I said excitedly.
"Are you a millionaire?" he asked.
"The millionaires…"
I interrupted myself to think of an elaborate response, but nothing interesting came to mind.
" I don't think millionaires walk around the city with confidence. I mean, at least they'd walk around with bodyguards or in a luxury vehicle," I replied with a hint of embarrassment.
She gave a cute smile and returned her attention to her food.
"Well, thank you, that's very kind of you," he said, after taking a bite of his pie, which appeared to be chicken.
"It's nothing. I don't know if you could appreciate it this morning, but I really admire your talent," I replied.
She gave a mocking smile, as if she found my reaction that morning amusing.
"Are you making fun of me?" I asked with mock indignation.
"No, on the contrary, I appreciate that you admire my talent and that you are also kind," she replied, although she also suppressed the urge to laugh.
"It's a pleasure. I hope I can continue supporting you," I said. "Well, I have to go now, so I'll see you another day... Take care."
"Yes, you too, and again, thank you. I appreciate you giving me this money".
I just nodded and said goodbye to her with a gratifying feeling in my chest and that positive energy that makes you feel incredibly good, to the point of humming one of my favorite songs and walking with a lively gait.
I knew then that I wanted to feel that way every day, and not just to help "the girl with the guitar," but to help as many people as possible; I'll admit it, I was still immature and capricious.