There was a short period of calm, almost normal. Rosie returned to her teaching job in Leganés, and part-time deal of jewelry, which hired Jasmine, Charlie's girlfriend, as a permanent employee, and Mr. Moon in security duties, transportation of jewelry and money. Jasmine, a student of fine arts that had been, had a fine sensitivity to appreciate the quality of the jewelry, hence its value, and pass it to customers, mostly female, in the still small but correct English that I was learning. Moreover, it was a person of absolute honesty and trust, especially by their idealistic principles, rather than by the precariousness of their situation in the country. Finally he had denied his request for political asylum, and was now filing a regular residence permit. Somehow I felt solidarity with her, I also had to flee my country, but for very different reasons, and I months pending the thread of a residence permit. Jasmine had the added obstacle that was not a European citizen, so his license was in danger of being rejected.
Yasmin's honesty had found shortly after his arrival in Spain. On one occasion, casually talking, and knowing your painting skills, the trial whether he would be willing to copy a painting commissioned by a client of mine who paid very generously. I left not finish the sentence, or even say what the box that the customer wanted. In fact, the client was me, and I was thinking of forging some of the valuable paintings from the mansion of Frederick, with the intention to cross .... Give them a poke to the heirs. I interrupted angrily, claiming she would never do anything illegal.
"Before I prefer to be deported to my country, but with his head held high. "And we were talking about post-Khomeini Iran. After
Charlie gave me the anger by hinting even a hint of illegality. Jasmine knew nothing about the criminal activities of Charlie. Poor Jasmine, if she had imagined what kind of murderers and thieves were surrounded, would have run frightened to seek asylum ... in Iran's embassy. Their innocence was touching me. I do not know if my desire to help was to do something good in life, something noble at least once. Or if instead I was looking to have her around to see if one day fall into the temptation Yasmin and jump their own principles. Rosita's case was not very significant in this respect, it was never clear who had principles. Rather I think the opposite, that never was, neither the mother nor the guests of the board were very good image. What they lacked was the courage to Rosita break the rules, until he was taking self-confidence and ended up being bold.
Jasmine's case was very different, never lacked the courage to oppose the Iranian Islamized society, refused to wear the veil, to submit to male domination. Nor now lacked the strength to refuse to follow the easy road that I hinted. Their sense of freedom, dignity and ethics seemed innate. Charlie was fully in love with her and I missed, I myself was a bit fascinated. He had proposed marriage to that way, as wife of a British citizen automatically have the residence. And had rejected offended. She only marry for love, never make a false marriage of convenience.
"But I tried to convince her I .- Charlie.
I do not know if I really want, but I'm not ready for marriage.
- Could it be that you suspect something? "He asked me to Charlie, he told me their secrets, some of which led me to believe that the engagement between them did not exceed the platonic stage, and not for lack of desire to Charlie.
"I think not, if you suspect something and not be here.
"You're right.
Actually my question was not serious, it was rather to stir up a bit, I really wonder is what could have been Jasmine in a drug dealer, thief and murderer like Charlie, to give even hope. Namely, I was surprised that had come with him from London. It occurred to me that there might be some other reason, but this is not what I said to Charlie. What I did was take the first opportunity to talk quietly with her.
"In London there are many countrymen of yours," had no friends there?
"Yes, some acquaintances. - I noticed that it got a little tense, which confirmed that it was giving me on the head.
- And no one special?
- What do you mean special?
I do not know, I guess it is normal that you assist her each other, right?
"Oh, do not believe, everyone is afraid. "At once I realized that he had repented of his words.
- Scared of what? ... Well, Jasmine, trust me, what you and I will talk a secret, here we are in Spain and is not going to happen. Just want to help.
- To me, why?
- Do you promise to keep secret what I say?
"Yes, I swear. "He said in all seriousness. At that moment I knew I could trust her.
"I'm fleeing my country, and I have lived long in a pension, no papers, just like you. So give me a joy to help you with something. Now tell me, why fear?
"Many are spies of the guards.
- Quee? Do the guardians?
"Yes, the guardians of the revolution, Khomeini's henchmen, now Ali Khamenei.
"Explain that.
"Well it is very clear. In London they have spies everywhere, pretending to be friends of yours, may be your colleague at the university, your roommate, and are actually spies who passed information to the guards to take reprisals.
- What retaliation?
"Sometimes chasing your family in Iran, arrested on charges of counterrevolutionary. Sometimes they attack you directly to London, suddenly you get a beating by unknown masked men. Or even ...
- Or even why?
"Even people has disappeared.
"Do not worry Jasmine, with us you are totally safe, I can assure you that we are not informers, nor those guards or anyone.
After living some time in simple accommodation close to the jewelry, finally agreed to settle in our spacious apartment Velázquez. It was not easy to convince her, Jasmine was not someone who would like to receive favors. Rosita who was apparently able to overcome their resistance, arguing that this would make him company in the periods when I was in Tenerife. But I like to think that also played a private conversation that we held.
By the way, also things on the island returned to work. Resume construction of the hotel, this time by a company a little more expensive, but proven quality and reliability. At the time, to avoid future problems similar to Guti, and open a new storefront, I was planning on creating a building society, to implement our sales and compete in the market. Feel the possibility of using the company "Caribbean", which was formally constituted and empty of content, waiting for the judge to settle the lawsuit. Jesus, the lawyer made me give up. We could ask the judge to grant us provisional administration unique and skip and joint administration that we had put the Guti as bait, but then would have had to report regularly to the judge, and we are not interested in that justice nudge its nose in our accounts, even on a routine and bureaucratic. So it was best to create a new company and provide it with its own capital. My problem is not liquidity, but on the contrary, had too much black, fruit of my old business of the false invoices, but could not bring it out at a pace too fast, because that itself would have drawn the attention of tax authorities . On the other hand, I was interested in further integration of the family of "rough" in the new society, by its contacts with local planning authorities, and its long experience in real estate nearby. But the problem is that they themselves lacked liquidity, to the point that they could not sign the social capital necessary for a meaningful and sufficiently motivated. A new issue for which to find a solution. And I never rested, I could not just enjoy how much they had achieved, have always needed a challenge to face.
why I liked to return to Madrid, the closest thing to a home I never had, embrace Yasmin Rosa and find a painting in the lounge or on the terrace, depending the time it did, its landscapes and portraits of precise lines and elegant colors that could never sell. Poor Jasmine, exiled from his country, rejected by British authorities, fleeing from their fellow exiles. Everything to finish finding refuge and support within a group of common criminals. Almost made me feel good, after all this time we were not so bad.
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