The Fate of Martín (Part XIII)

Martín spent the following days reflecting on his life, finding it necessary. He hadn't been happy in his marriage, didn't have significant professional achievements, and his friends had abandoned him in his worst moment, leaving him with only his family, who lived far away.

He had been cowardly out of convenience and brave out of conviction, but both circumstances had led to his defeat.

He had a rather mediocre employee, but one who gave him satisfaction. He lived in a narrow, small, and uncomfortable apartment and didn't aspire to anything more. He wanted to lose himself in anonymity. His five terrible minutes of fame had filled him with dread.

He had withdrawn into himself and didn't want to dream of anything. He couldn't get José Tomás out of his thoughts. Every time he went to court, he expected to see him, but no encounter took place.

Four weeks later, his boss called him into the office:

- Are you going to keep working with us?

- Yes, of course, why do you ask?

- I've seen you very quiet lately, and I assumed it was because you're looking for something else.

- No, nothing. I'm not thinking of leaving. I've just been focused on resolving personal issues.

- How's that going?

- Well, it's tough and painful, but that's life, it seems.

- Well, that's true. Look, I've been thinking about you, and I want to offer you the opportunity to pursue a Master's in Litigation at the Catholic University.

- Thank you very much for thinking of me, but at this time, I'm not in a position to pay anything extra. I'm paying off too many debts, and I don't have the space for the next couple of years to get out of my current situation.

- The university gives the Archdiocese two scholarships, and they asked me to assign one of them. And since I'm a damned person, I wanted it to be you. It's 18 months with classes on Friday afternoons until 9 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm. It's a bit demanding, but it can help you a lot.

- Thank you, really, thank you very much.

- Will you accept the Master's program? Before you respond, there's a condition...

- What is it?

- To pursue the Master's, you must sign a contract addendum committing you to work twice as long as the program lasts, and if you leave before that, you'll have to pay back the nominal value of the program.

- ...

- Think about it. I need to make sure you'll stay with us. At the end of the year, we'll increase your salary, so you'll have more elements to decide.

- I accept, I insist, I wasn't thinking of leaving. Besides, I like what I'm doing.

In the Master's program, he had the opportunity to meet people from a world that was distant to him: that of lawyers from large firms, specialized prosecutor's offices, and private university academies. He tried to go unnoticed and focus on his studies, which were of very good qua...