The Truth

I wanted to call my mother and ask her not to forget to bring bread and eggs. She usually, after leaving work, goes to the supermarket and buys whatever is needed at home. I had no balance on my phone, so I had to use the residential phone. I dialed the numbers and waited for her to answer.

-Hello, Mike. -It was a strange voice. I wasn’t sure if it was female or male.

-Mom?

-No. – They answered almost whispering, but they knew my nickname.

I made sure that I had dialed the correct number and to my surprise the number that was showing was: “000-000-0000”

-Apparently I dialed the wrong number, excuse me.

-You didn’t, Mike. You called me for a reason.

-Excuse me, who is it?

-I am the truth.

-The truth?

-That’s right. I have all the answers you need.

I had never been so confused. For a moment I thought of just hanging up. I also thought it was a prank, but calling me by my nickname made me really curious.

-Is Mike my real name?-I asked as a challenge.

-Miguel José Antonio Hiraldo Morales is your real name. The nickname “Mike” did not exist until shortly after beginning to study English.

That’s when I felt shivers all over my back, a fear arose in me to the point of having to look everywhere in my living room.

-How do you know that?, Cristian, is that you? – My brother. It didn’t sound like him, though. Moreover, it didn’t sound like anyone I recognized.

-I just told you. I’m the truth.
I was silent for a few seconds, then I sat down slowly. I thought of something that only I could know…

-How much money do I have in my bank account?

-2.357 pesos. I know, it’s awful for you when it’s not a round figure.

I took my left hand to my head. My body wanted to tremble. There was nobody at home at that time apart from me, I had no one to share my surprise with. I felt that instead of still checking if he or she really knew all the truth, I had to ask him things I really wanted to know.

-Alright. Was I really Patricia’s first boyfriend?

-Of course not. In fact, before you, she had a boyfriend and a girlfriend. She was going through a moment of sexual insecurity.

-You must be joking!-I couldn’t believe it -Amanda, right?

-Yes sir.

-Damn it! I knew that something was odd about  that friendship- Although I wanted to burst from the disappointment, it felt very good to finally know.

-It was pretty obvious- And laughed.

-Why did Marcos stop talking to me?- I asked quickly.

-He does not accept that you were called to work for the Immersion Program and not him.

-What?…- I found it very absurd, especially since I thought he was a good friend. The doubt had haunted me for a long time and had finally been clarified, because he used to say “sorry for not talking to you man, is that college and other things are keeping me very busy”. I understood that, but I never imagined it was a lie.

-Will I be rich in the future?

-I’m the truth, I don’t know what hasn’t happened yet. The future is unknown.

-Ah, I understand. – I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand. There were so many things I wanted to know that I didn’t know where to start. Key things to understand many things in my life, important things to solve mysteries that marked my past. I felt excited, but nervous.

-Who stole my poetry book in 2nd grade?

-Who stole it? -He or she laughed out loud. -Do you mean on which seat of that bus you left it?

-Damn!, ash… and I had blamed so many people.

-That’s right. But don’t worry. No one read your poems before they were burned in the Duquesa’s Landfill.

What a relief… Although I would have liked to have them to publish them on my Blog 10 years after having written them.

-Who killed Kennedy?

-Lee Harvey Oswald…

-Ah, True… I already knew that.

At that moment, I heard the indicator that the line was running out of balance. That sound had never been so horrible. My heart began to beat more quickly.

-Ehm… does Jazmin like me?

-No. Although she admires you very much and cares about you, she only sees you as a friend.

-Damn it, okay. Do the Illuminati exist?

-There are many secret societies in the world. The original Illuminati society died out, but many fanatic groups have used their name as their own and many artists use these references to create controversy. What a lot of people know, it’s not a secret.

-I did not understand but OK!. And… which politicians are really involved in the ODEBRECHT case?

Right there, all of a sudden, the call got disconnected. I screamed all over my lungs. I called the number again but it said it didn’t have enough balance.
My mother came, I ran out, I opened the door and without explaining her I took her cell phone. By calling the number composed only of zeros, an automated voice responded “The number you have called is not available”.

My mother asked me again and again what was happening and I had no words. I looked at the back of her car and I saw a couple of shopping bags from the supermarket, none of them had bread nor eggs…

Written by Mike Hiraldo.