Page 98 of A Perfect Disaster

Gonzalo stares intently at the two of us.

“The only thing you have to do…” he says, drawing out his words, “is not let this damn ship turn you into idiots.”

Helen and I look at him at the same time, surprised.

“I mean, more idiots than you already are fresh out of the factory,” he jokes.

And we can’t help but laugh. Helen leans toward me again to whisper:

“I need to tell you something important before we go into that office.”

She doesn’t have time to say anything else because my phone starts ringing like crazy.

I look at the screen and my blood runs cold when I see that I’m getting a call—again—from that damn nursing home.

“Give me a moment,” I announce, jumping up from my chair with such force that the legs squeak against the dining room floor.

I take a few steps into the hallway, just enough to have some privacy, but feeling Helen’s eyes fixed on the back of my neck.

“Hello? Good morning.”

“Maika, good morning, sweetheart. I was calling to let you know that we’ve just confirmed the first payment for your grandmother’s rehabilitation plan has been received. In fact, the medical team will start the physical therapy sessions this very week without fail.”

I’m stunned. The hum of the ship’s engines fades from my ears.

“What?” I ask, my brain short-circuiting. “You already have the deposit? But I haven’t…”

“Yes, yes. They’ve confirmed that it was a transfer arranged by the shipping company, from the Marine IV administration, under the internal extraordinary assistance program. So breathe easy—your grandmother’s spot is secured.”

“The shipping company? Through the extraordinary assistance program?” My whole body goes limp, and my face turns whiter than a captain’s dress uniform. Who the hell…? I turn my head and meet Helen’s gaze.

“Okay… well, thank you very much.”

I hang up the phone and stare at the blank screen, feeling a wave of rage, wounded pride, and humiliation begin to burn inside me.

I stride toward her.

“Maika…” she begins as soon as I’m close.

“Can you tell me what the hell you’ve done?” I hiss at her, keeping my voice down so as not to make a scene in front of the table.

The entire dining room seems to fall silent around us. Helen swallows hard and locks eyes with me, her cowardly silence confirming exactly what she’s done.

“Behind my back, Helen? Really?” I reproach her. “Have you decided to fix my life on your own and at your own risk, as if my grandmother, my problems, and my damn dignity were just a formality you could handle all by yourself?”

“Maika, listen to me for a second, please,” she pleads, taking a step toward me. “I just wanted to take that weight off your shoulders. I saw you were devastated, you couldn’t even breathe, and I… I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when I had the means to help you until you get that job.”

I laugh, and I assure you it’s the most bitter and sad laugh I’ve ever let out in my life.

“Sure, I forgot that you always have resources for everything,” I snap at her. “The problem is that you played savior without asking my permission. You trampled on my pride.”

Gonzalo makes a move to stand up.

“Come on, Maika, relax a little, because people…”

“Shut up and stay out of this if you value your life,” I cut him off, without even bothering to look at him.

I don’t know if I feel like screaming in the middle of the dining room, bursting into tears, or grabbing Helen by the lapels of her shirt and demanding she give me back my damn autonomy. But I don’t have time to decide, because Arturo appears in the doorway, escorted by Julianne.