The Destiny of Martín (Part VIII)

He considered himself a perfect idiot, a man without character. He knew everything was going to end badly. Why did he accept, then? He knew and had an explanation: he wanted to see Magdalena, in some corner of his heart, he still desired to be with her, even though he knew it was impossible.

He prepared himself as best he could and sent his best suit to be cleaned, which he discovered was wrinkled and dirty, he did the same with his best white shirt and a woven tie that Magdalena liked. He arrived at the building just at the agreed hour, greeted the doorman who received him kindly:

- Mrs. Magdalena told me to wait for you here - he said when he was going to the elevator to go up to her apartment.

- Oh, good - Martín replied, remembering at that moment that it was no longer his residence, that he was only a guest.

- A few minutes later, Magdalena appeared. To Martín, she seemed splendid, attractive, with a blue dress that highlighted her face and hair. That single vision had made the encounter worthwhile.

Magdalena looked at him, smiled, and greeted him:

- Hello - and that hello was like any other moment, as if nothing had happened, said in a common way.

- Hello, how are you? - Martín said, somewhat nervous, and added - I'm going to ask for an Uber.

- No, we'll go in my car - Magdalena replied, with her usual authority.

Martín thought that the car - "my car" according to Magdalena - had been paid for exactly half with his salary.

She handed him the key and said:

- You already know where it is, I'll wait for you at the door.

Martín obeyed and reflected "She's still the same as always".

During the trip, they only talked about Isadora's wedding. First, they went to the church, splendidly ornamented, with a camera and choir group, including mass, with many guests. Except for a couple of Magdalena's cousins, no one greeted him, and it was evident the sanitary cordon that the family had imposed. Always by Magdalena's side, who acted as if nothing was happening. It was a disturbing and annoying scene, but no one seemed to be disturbed. Pure cynicism.

The party was at an event center that was very far away, and they arrived after 9:30 PM.

The preamble was long, and he was alone with a glass of sparkling wine. No one spoke to him. Dinner began around 10:30 PM, and he was assigned table 4, along with some of Magdalena's and Isadora's cousins, exactly the one who had greeted him at the mass. His table was right next to where Magdalena's parents were, who ignored him without more.

When the newlyweds arrived at the table, they took photos. Isadora thanked him when she was next to him, whispering it in his ear.

Dinner was slow, and then the dancing began. To his surprise, Magdalena asked him to dance, and that was very good. It seemed like nothing had happened. She didn't speak to him for almost the entire...