—Tina —le dijo Jairo llorando —yo nunca me imaginé que mi padre fuera un jugador, estamos a punto de perderlo todo, tengo solo una semana para pagar una tremenda deuda qué dejó mi padre, yo no cuento con esa cantidad tan grande de dinero, estoy desesperado.

Tina nunca había visto a un hombre llorar así, eso la conmovió y la hizo enamorarse mucho más de él, sentía que lo conocía de siempre, que ese hombre que solo tenía pocas horas de haber visto, era el gran amor de su vida, y que algo tenía que hacer por él.

—Tranquilízate, Jairo — le dijo Tina —algo podremos hacer. Hablaré con mi familia, no te dejaré solo en esta situación.

Jairo dejó de llorar y apretó con más fuerza la mano de Tina, se fueron acercando lentamente hasta darse un "beso", luego se separaron suavemente y Jairo le dijo:

—Eres un ángel, Tina, dejo todo en tus manos.

Tina sabía que no sería fácil hablar con sus padres, pero estaba dispuesta a jugárselo todo, ella era la única heredera de toda la fortuna de su familia, y pensó en pedir su parte, lo que fuera, con tal de ayudar a Jairo, para ganarse su amor y convertirse en su esposa.

La reunión familiar fue muy dura, porque de entrada, los padres de Tina se negaron a su petición. De modo que acordaron una reunión con administrador de la familia, quién era un hombre honesto y muy sabio, quien seguramente podría darle prudentes consejos a Tina.

Don Jacobo, que así se llamaba el administrador, tenía muchos años con la familia, y conocía a Tina desde niña, le tenía gran aprecio como si fuera su nieta:

—Escucha querida, Tina, —le dijo el noble anciano, tomándola por los hombros —legalmente, no hay nada que te impida pedir tu parte de la herencia y ayudar a la persona que tú quieres, pero si haces eso, es como si retiraras todo tu dinero de un banco. Es decir, ya no tendrías fortuna ni herencia, lo perderías todo, y te podrías quedar viviendo en la mansión solo si tu familia lo permite. Entiendo que te hayas enamorado de Jairo; él es un buen muchacho, y muy apuesto, pero, pagando esa deuda, él podrá recuperar su hacienda, y es posible que casándote con él, puedas recobrar tu estatus social, pero ahora dependerás totalmente de él y de sus sentimientos. Piénsalo bien.

—Gracias por sus consejos, señor Jacobo —le dijo Tina mirándolo a los ojos —aunque conozco a Jairo, desde hace poco tiempo, me genera mucha confianza. sin embargo, no tenga dudas de que tomaré en cuenta sus consejos.

Es de noche, Tina no puede dormir, se toca los labios sintiendo aún "el beso" de Jairo, camina lentamente por su habitación, mira lo blanco de sus sábanas, observa el jardín y decide abrir la ventana, a sabiendas de que la brisa le traerá mucho frío, ve pasar algunas luciérnagas, y se queda contemplando la inmensidad de toda la obra que han construido sus padres, luego cierra la ventana, se va a su cama y se queda dormida lentamente.

Jairo nunca esperó recibir tan temprano la visita de Tina, entre nervioso y asustado, la atendió de la mejor manera que pudo, siempre elegante y caballero.

Luego de servir el té, Jairo se sentó frente a ella, mirándola a los ojos, esperando escuchar sus palabras de mujer enamorada.

—Jairo, no entiendo cómo pude enamorarme de esta manera de ti, solo con verte una vez —dijo Tina, sosteniendo su mirada —¿Sabes? Me reuní con el administrador de la familia, y no hay nada que me impida retirar mi parte de la herencia y ayudarte a pagar tu deuda.

Jairo le tomó nuevamente la mano a Tina, quizás no para acariciarla, sino para apoyarse y no desmayarse de la emoción.

—Pero he decidido no hacerlo, espero que me entiendas, y no te decepciones de mí, pues, aunque me siento locamente enamorada de ti, no puedo sacrificar mi futuro por alguien que no conozco. De todos modos, si me quiere seguir viendo, si aún te interesa mi amor o mi amistad, ya tú sabes dónde encontrarme.

Tina hizo un gesto para irse, y Jairo se quedó mudo, como en catalepcia rígida. Tina soltó su mano suavemente, y se fue caminando hacia su carruaje.

Jairo nunca más la visitó, vendió la hacienda, pagó la hipoteca, y con el poco dinero que le quedó, se regresó a la capital.

The Bernard family home, despite being luxurious, looked gloomy. The garden lights were the only ones turned on punctually at six in the evening, because at that time Mrs. Luisa could be seen watering the plants.

She was a pretty woman and always dressed impeccably. She greeted the neighbors with a cold, "Hello." Her only friends were Don Cipriano and his wife.

Mr. Enrique, on the other hand, was cheerful on the street, talkative, and always willing to help others. However, when he arrived home, he transformed into a distant and grumpy man.

The couple's lack of love permeated every corner of the house. Tina, the couple's only daughter, was a girl of exotic beauty; her face was angelic, as was her attitude toward others. Normally, she wanted to express affection to her parents, but she always ran into an iron wall, which made her feel worthless.

One Sunday morning, Tina accompanied her mother to church because Don Cipriano Méndez, the owner of the largest estate in Campo Claro, had passed away. The entire town was there to say their final goodbyes to a man who, despite being a millionaire, was always caring and kind to everyone.

The funeral wasn't taking place because they were waiting for Jairo, Don Cipriano's only heir, a young man who had gone to the capital to learn business administration and continue his father's legacy.

It had been raining heavily in the town for three days, and the rivers were swollen. People were saying that Jairo wouldn't make it back in time to see his father one last time, since cars couldn't pass.

Jairo arrived when the pulleys were ready to lower the coffin. The young man was covered in mud from head to toe. He looked emaciated and weak. When they opened the casket, Jairo saw his father and fainted. The strongest men at the funeral carried him home.

Don Cipriano's wife asked Mrs. Luisa to accompany her home.

Jairo was treated by the doctors, the maids bathed him, and changed his clothes. Luisa and Tina accompanied Don Cipriano's wife, who was also very weak.

The next day, Jairo woke up. He was the same good boy as always: attentive, polite, and affectionate. He dressed and saddled his horse to go to the hacienda to see how everything was, and to talk with the farmhands about what they would do now that Don Cipriano was gone.

On the way back, he stopped at Doña Luisa's house, where she was watering the flowers in the garden. He greeted her, and she invited him for coffee. Tina didn't know there was a visitor, and when she saw Jairo, she was fascinated. Jairo was different from the people she had grown up with; he liked to talk, laughed at everything, and was affectionate and polite. He was noticeably different from all the boys in town; and both Luisa and Tina went out of their way to treat him, as if he were a prince.

Jairo wasn't indifferent to Tina either; he had a very light conversation with her and promised to return the next day to visit her.

The next day, Jairo met with the foreman and the hacienda manager, and things weren't going well. His father had piled up in debt, and a large mortgage threatened Jairo with losing everything if he didn't find a quick solution.

Jairo, very distressed, couldn't find anyone to talk to about his problem, so he didn't wait until the next day, and that same afternoon he went to visit Tina.

She, who hadn't stopped thinking about him since she saw him, trembled with emotion at the sight, but she tried to feign calm and poise.

"Excuse me for coming without warning," Jairo said, gently taking her hand, "but I needed to talk to someone."

_Pixabay

Unexpectedly, as if it were an everyday occurrence, Jairo didn't let go of her hand and walked with her to a bench under a leafy tree:

"Tina," Jairo said, crying, "I never imagined my father was a gambler. We're about to lose everything. I only have a week to pay off the huge debt my father left behind. I don't have that much money. I'm desperate."

Tina had never seen a man cry like that. It moved her and made her fall even more in love with him. She felt like she'd known him forever, that this man she'd only seen a few hours before was the great love of her life, and that she had to do something for him.

"Calm down, Jairo," Tina told him. "We can do something. I'll talk to my family. I won't leave you alone in this situation."

Jairo stopped crying and held Tina's hand tighter. They slowly drew closer until they kissed. Then they gently separated, and Jairo said to her:

"You're an angel, Tina. I leave everything in your hands."

Tina knew it wouldn't be easy to talk to her parents, but she was willing to risk it all. She was the sole heir to her family's fortune, and she was willing to ask for her share, whatever it took, to help Jairo win his love and become his wife.

The family meeting was very difficult because, at first, Tina's parents refused her request. So they arranged a meeting with the family administrator, who was an honest and very wise man, who could surely give Tina prudent advice.

Don Jacobo, as the administrator was called, had been with the family for many years and had known Tina since she was a child. He held her in high regard, as if she were his own. Granddaughter:

"Listen, dear Tina," the noble old man told her, taking her by the shoulders. "Legally, there's nothing stopping you from claiming your share of the inheritance and helping the person you love, but if you do that, it's like withdrawing all your money from a bank. That is, you would no longer have any fortune or inheritance; you would lose everything, and you could only live in the mansion if your family allows it. I understand that you fell in love with Jairo; he's a good boy, and very handsome. But by paying that debt, he can recover his estate, and it's possible that by marrying him, you could regain your social status, but now you will be totally dependent on him and his feelings. Think about it carefully."

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Jacobo," Tina said, looking him in the eyes. "Although I've only known Jairo for a short time, I trust him greatly. However, don't doubt that I will take your advice into account."

It's from At night, Tina can't sleep. She touches her lips, still feeling Jairo's "kiss." She walks slowly around her room, looks at the white of her sheets, looks out at the garden, and decides to open the window, knowing that the breeze will make her very cold. She sees a few fireflies fly by, and contemplates the immensity of her parents' construction. Then she closes the window, goes to bed, and slowly falls asleep.

Jairo never expected to receive Tina's visit so early. Between nervous and scared, he greeted her as best he could, always elegant and gentlemanly.

After serving the tea, Jairo sat across from her, looking into her eyes, waiting to hear her words of a woman in love.

"Jairo, I don't understand how I could have fallen in love with you like this, just by seeing you once," Tina said, holding his gaze. "You know? I met with the family manager, and there's nothing stopping me from leaving." my share of the inheritance and help you pay off your debt.

Jairo took Tina's hand again, perhaps not to caress her, but to lean on her and not faint from emotion.

"But I've decided not to. I hope you understand, and don't be disappointed in me, because, although I feel madly in love with you, I can't sacrifice my future for someone I don't know. In any case, if you want to continue seeing me, if you're still interested in my love or my friendship, you know where to find me."

Tina gestured to leave, and Jairo remained silent, as if in rigid catalepsy. Tina gently let go of his hand and walked toward her carriage.

Jairo never visited her again; he sold the estate, paid off the mortgage, and with the little money he had left, returned to the capital.

End

Me gustaría invitar a @evagavilan, @genomil y @casv