Innocent Guilty (Second Part)

While making a salad, Amy told the story of a girl who came to a coffee shop with her dog. She said, "Can you believe that a white dog has only one of its legs black and brown?" She laughed and added, "It was as if he had tattooed his hand."

She put the salad bowl on the table, went to fetch a bowl of water, and sat down. While making the salad, she mentioned, "I don't mind having a pet, but I'm still not sure if I like dogs or cats more." She then explained the advantages and disadvantages of dogs and cats. "What do you think? Which do you think is better?" she asked.

She was silent for a few moments and then continued in the quiet of the room, "We've never had a dog. How do you know if you are allergic to it?" Then she stood up angrily. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the empty chair and said softly, "I know the reason for your excuse," and with a smile, she added, "Crazy, nothing can take your place in my heart." After a few seconds of silence, she said angrily again, "OK, we'll talk about it later. Now we have to go see Jim." Once more, in the silence of the room, she said, "Oh, don't be angry anymore. Come and eat your salad."

While grumbling under his breath, she picked up the bouquet of red roses she had obsessively bought from the store and threw the shopping bags full of food over his shoulder.

He opened the door of the house, and Louis was behind it. Louis's fist almost came to her face. Amy let out a loud scream and stepped back.

Louis said, "Excuse me, excuse me, I wanted to knock on the door, but you opened it at that moment."

Amy, trying to control herself, asked, "What are you doing here?"

Louis replied, "I came to invite you to dinner."

Amy interrupted, "Do you know that the telephone was invented?"

Louis smiled, "Yes, but I thought it might be better this way."

Amy, her voice trembling, said, "No, it's not better." Then, with a calmer voice, she continued, "You know that in the evenings, I go to see my mother and have dinner with her."

Louis suggested, "We can go together."

Amy locked the door without answering, then said, "Thank you for inviting me. We can go for lunch on the weekend."

Louis replied, "Thank you, of course, sorry for intruding."

Amy calmly said, "no problem."

Amy sat in the back of her big van and drove off. After driving for half an hour on the main road, she slowed down, looked carefully several times, and then turned into a forested side street. She took a deep breath, opened the window, and put her face out. She turned up the music and started singing.

She drove so far on the road that it gradually got dark, the asphalt ended, and she continued on the dirt road.

Amy's parents always fought with each other. Amy's father had a habit of beating her mother, but even though he had never beaten Amy, she hated him because she witnessed his violence. One day, when Amy was a teenager, her father left home and never came back.

Contrary to what Amy thought—that her mother would be very happy—her mother was always restless and crying. Amy felt frustrated and disheartened. At the age of 16, she decided to study well enough to get a scholarship from a good university in another city and leave her mother. And she succeeded. She left and did not contact her mother for four years.

After four years, when she returned to the city, her mother had also left and had left a forest cottage for Amy. The cottage had no financial value and incurred maintenance costs and taxes. But Amy was strong and determined. She studied law, found a remote job, and worked three days a week in a coffee shop. It was in that coffee shop that she met Antonio.

Antonio was an Italian cyclist who traveled by bicycle from city to city, staying in each for a week or two. Amy fell in love with Antonio, but despite her pleas, Antonio left town after two weeks. This incident upset Amy deeply. She always talked to an imaginary person, telling everyone that Antonio had not left her. Seeing her reaction upon hearing the truth, everyone decided to support her and let her live her dream.

It was during this time that the news came that Amy's mother was hospitalized in a mental hospital outside the city. Every day after work, Amy bought flowers and food, visited her mother, stayed the night, and returned the next morning. Everyone admired her for her kindness and dedication.

Let's go back to the forest road where Amy was driving. Near evening, she reached the forest hut. As she exited the car, she shouted, "I'm here!" Singing, she took the food bags and bouquets and entered the hut happily and quickly. While arranging the flowers in a vase inside the hut, she said, "Do you remember Jim, the old man from the sweet shop? He greeted you today and said he will make any type of sweets and cakes you want for your birthday and give them to you as a present. After a second of silence, she added, 'What do you think, should I get a dog?

She then told the story of the white dog she saw in the coffee shop. She was silent for a few moments and then continued, "Do you think a cat or a dog is better?" There was silence for a few moments, but this time, before she could start talking again, a soft voice said, "Please hurry."

Amy said, "I will come now, do you miss me?" The voice answered, "Yes, and I am in a lot of pain." Amy entered the room where the sound was coming from.

There was a stationary bike and a treadmill on the right side of the room. The TV was on the wall with a sofa positioned a short distance from the treadmill. The TV was adjustable so it could be viewed from anywhere in the room, whether on the exercise equipment or the sofa. On the left side of the room was a double bed where a boy sat with his head down, hair falling over his face. His hand was tied, and a bracelet was connected to a chain that was attached to a column next to the wall.

Antonio raised his head, sweat-soaked and with swollen veins on his neck and forehead, and he said, "Please, faster, I am in a lot of pain." Amy smiled and brought her small bag, sitting next to Antonio. She gently shook her head, opened the bag, took out a small bottle and a syringe. She broke the top of the bottle, inserted the needle, and drew the liquid into the syringe with one motion.

Antonio put his hand on Amy's leg. Amy calmly and carefully injected morphine into Antonio's arm vein. Antonio rested his head on Amy's shoulder, and Amy stroked his hair and kissed his face. As he hugged her and kissed her lips, she gently pushed him, and they lay together on the bed.

*To be continued...