Journey To Tijuana Cont.

After breakfast Chelito and I were out the door. She took today to show me around the city a bit. She showed me the market. She said in this new worlds this is one of the few things that stayed the same. As soon as we walked through it, it brought memories of my abuelita and San Mateo back.

 

“You ready mija?” she said as we left the market on our way to get my droids

 

“Estoy nerviosa” I said putting my head down a bit embarrassed.

 

Just as I said this Chelito lifted up the sleeves of her shirt. Only to show me her droids. I was so dumb that I didn’t notice she wore long sleeve shirt even when it was as hot as could be outside.

 

“No lo estes, no duelen. And it’s worth it.” She said bringing my fingers to rub them.

 

They were little square cubes installed into her skin. They were cold like nothing I expected. But they didn’t look like I saw Juan Carlos had. Hers were turned off. They didn’t have that blue flashing light indicating they were ready to be used.

 

“A couple years ago I turned them off, I wanted to get them removed but that was impossible, once you have them installed its no going back, the most you can do is turn them off” she said as we approached a blue house on the corner of the market.

 

As soon as we walked in two other young girls were walking out bandages wrapped all over their arms and back. They looked like they were in pain. I was too observed in the pain in the eyes of the girls that it took me a while to realize that Juan Carlos was in front of me. His green eyes gazing at me just like they had on the bus. It took me a while to figure it out but eventually I found out this was his “side job”. He installed droids and turned them off.

 

“Just breath.” he said as I sat down in the chair. He knew I was nervous and the fact that he kept smiling at me wasn’t making it any better.

 

He began by cleaning my arms with a blue liquid substance. The feeling of his hand moving up and down my hand send shivers through my back, and surprisingly made me feel calm and at ease. Before he continued he asked me to go in the back and change into one of the robes so he could do the ones on my back and shoulders. As I went into a little room all the way in the back I could hear Chelito talking to him. Her laugh filling the hallways with peace and tranquility. While changing I tried to imagine why she had turned off her droids and why she got them in the first place. She hadn’t really told me much.

 

“Are you ready Melina” He said interrupting my thoughts and making me smile like a young teenage girl just because he said my name.

 

I hurried down the hallway. All I wanted was to get this over with and not feel any pain. As soon as  I came back he applied the same liquid to my back and then started prepping the droids with what seemed a oversized toy gun. He took each droid out of a little box under his worktable. Just looking at him prep everything made me nervous. Then suddenly I felt Chelito’s hand rubbing and massaging my back. This made me feel a little more at ease.

 

As soon as I he set up the first droid and made sure everything was ready he carefully massaged above my wrist put the gun to it and pulled the trigger. The pain sent little waves of electricity up and down my arm. Tiny little shocks but enough for it to hurt and make me cringe and close my eyes in agony. Just as I was recovering from the pain I felt the same pain this time on my other hand sending tiny waves of pain up and down it.

 

“Lina? Are you okay? The ones on the back hurt a bit more so just hold my leg and squeeze it.” He said with such reassurance in his voice that I had to believe him.

 

I felt his fingers making little circles on my back until he found the spot and grabbed the gun again. By this time you would expect me to not even feel pain, but of course he didn’t lie. The first one he injected in my back hurt and they hurt bad. I could feel my body wanting to give up this time the little shocks were stronger then the ones on my arm. These little shocks caused me too squeeze his leg until he no longer had any circulation in it. Just as I was relaxing from the pain there it went again the cold feeling of the gun touching my skin and sending chills down my spine. Before I knew it the pain was back. It was running up and down my back each time making me cringe at each little sting.  Once my was able to move again he started cleaning it and putting bandages on all four of them so they could heal.

 

“Fuiste muy fuerte Lina, ni una lagrima” he said making me feel proud of myself for being able to go through with this without one tear falling down my face.

 

I was finally able to look up and see that he was there in front of me standing looking at me with pity. Looking upset but I didn’t even know why. Just as we smiled at each other I felt Chelitos hand rub my back

 

“You’re very valiente Mija”

 

It took me a while to finally get use to the idea that I had droids I had them now and would have them forever.

 

Chapter 5 --> Meeting The Family

 

            While walking back home I contemplated everything I had done during the past few days. Moving to the city, Trusting someone besides grandma, and getting my droids. I couldn’t believe it all. Never in a million years had I thought about it all before.

 

            That afternoon after helping out Chelito with dinner she walked me to the outskirts of the city where the factories were located. When we arrived there I couldn’t believe my eyes. The factory or should I say factories were huge. They were several stories high and had entrances all over the place. When we first walked in it seemed that Chelito knew exactly where to ask for help and where to get it. After walking up and down what seemed the same hallway over and over we finally came to a little office where she told me to wait for her. She stood there until a man came and hugged her. It seemed like he knew her. They started talking for what seemed like forever until he called me in. He simply asked for my name and age and gave a a set of papers to fill out.

Both me and Chelito walked out the office to fill them out.

 

“Chelito, Do you know him?”

“Mas o menos ” she said sounding empty not like her normal self anymore.

 

“El es mi hermano. A long time ago when this world started developing so did our ideas. We were always curious and me and him love inventing things. When a experiment went wrong we discovered droids. We made one my accident. He left them alone but I didn’t. Without him knowing I kept testing them and their possibilities. When I had a set of four finalized and my ideas ready to present them. He said we should do more tests and make more. Without me realizing he stole my ideas and proposals and presented them without me. I thought I knew him and I thought we would make it big together.”

 

“I’m sorry, perdon Chelito”

 

“No worries mija, everything happens for a reason right?”

 

I didn’t even know what to say all I could do was hug her like she had earlier that day. I could tell she felt betrayed. I didn’t even know how to comfort her.

 

“No te preocupes Lina, I made it to you know. I married Julio and Im doing what I always saw myself doing. Being a housewife. Having a hard working husband and having him come home to a nice home cooked meal and allowing other people to have a second family. Helping people like you. With no one in this world”

 

I could tell she meant it cause she said this with so much life in her voice. She was proud of what she accomplished and she didn’t mind what happened in the past. She became my role model. Just like she had done I would leave everything behind in San Mateo and leave it all there. I would start over in Tijuana even if it took me long. I would be strong just like Chelito.

 

Just as I was about to start filling out the papers Chelitos brother came out.

 

“You’re twenty-two right?”

 

“Yes Sir.” I said automatically answering his question

 

“Good come with me” he said leading me into his office, Chelito following after me not leaving my side.

 

“We have an opening as a Nanny, the job isn’t hard. But it does require patience.”

 

“I have a lot of it sir, I promise” I re assured him, I really needed this job and I didn’t mind sounding needy for once. 

 

“Esta Bien, Mañana te quiero aqui en mi oficina a las 9 de la mañana en punto.” He said with a stern look in his face.

 

He was nothing like Chelito unlike her he didn’t smile or bring me comfort. He was much less social then her. Looking at him and at Chelito I didn’t see where they could be related. But of course I didn’t argue that he had given me a job without me doing anything and I was thankful for that. I would finally be able to stand on my own two feet. I would be able to start all over again.

 

Chapter 6 --> La Nueva Vida

 

            The next day everything went well. The connecting part was something so different and it felt weird to know that I was here but I was there also. As soon as I go there Chelitos Brother Mario took me to the Nanny department. It was filled with rows and rows of connecting machines each of them with someone different standing there, connected to what seemed nothing but cables. They moved but not like a normal human being. They moved slower they movements weren’t drastic.

 

            As soon as I connected my self I realize why. It wasn’t hard to connect to the Robo nanny. The movements were simple but what wasn’t was looking at the little girls I watched play with me but not know me or know them more in depth. I didn’t really talk to them and that was weird. But I didn’t need them I had enough people in my life to hold me up.

 

For starters Juan Carlos and I had come to known each other and I had never felt like this for anybody. The fact that he cared so much for me and showed me and made me happy allowed me to let him enter my life. Not only that but after a while I moved in with him

 

            But of course I never stopped going to Chelitos house. I enjoyed spending time with her learning about her more and more. Having her by my side filled the void loosing my mom and grandmother had left. She was always there. Especially when it came to Juan Carlos.

 

“Mija only you can choose who and what makes you happy. So if Juan Carlos makes you happy go for it, just let him know that if he does anything for you. He needs to count his blessings cause he’s going to hear it from me and Julio.” She said laughing.

 

I loved her and Don Julio. They both along with Juan Carlos were my family and they were my support system. The day I came to Tijuana I remember thinking I was all alone. That was my biggest fear to be alone and not to be able to rely on anyone but myself. I was wrong and Im glad I was because I found the perfect new beginning.