Kapitel 18: DECISIONS… DECISIONS!

Amaranta remained thoughtful, then she said to her grandmother: - "Grandma, I'm going to the market to buy something later."

Her grandmother's clothes also looked a little shabby and old. Ella Amaranta wanted to buy her grandmother new clothes of hers and prepare them for her visit to the hospital the next day.

"I'm going with you."

«Grandma, we should make some bus transfers to get to the market. It can get complicated, and since I'm busy carrying things for us to go there, I may not be able to take care of you as well as I would like to. Can you stay at home and help me with the laundry so you won't feel like you're doing nothing, grandma?

—Grandma knew very well that she could get lost in this big city because of the huge crowds of people. If that were to happen, and with her being illiterate, it would only be an additional burden for Amaranta.

Madame Sáenz increasingly realized that Grandma Mary was a remarkable woman. Despite her own daughter's complete silence for over a decade, Grandma had raised her granddaughter at her expense. She was a wonderful woman who should be respected and praised for her unconditional love, for all the efforts she has made to bring Amaranta forward.

—Grandma Mary, worried that she didn't have enough money, held onto Amaranta's hand as she pulled out a small cloth bag. — «When you are on the street, don't rush or panic. Be careful and don't get hurt. If you see a dress you like, just buy it, don't worry, you understand…"

Amaranta continued nodding, holding back tears. It wasn't until she boarded the bus that she even saw tears streaming down her face.

«Young lady, what happened? Are you hurt? Do you feel bad? »— A kind old man sitting next to Amaranta handed her a tissue. She raised her head and looked at the old man, with his face full of tears, only able to answer. Sir.» Lord, I am not hurt or ill. Thank you, you were very kind for the handkerchief.

The premature and unexpected appearance of Óscar Roing and Ana Santamarina, damaged her fragile heart in an unexpected way, disturbed her calm state of mind like a rock thrown into a lake, creating wave after wave of ripples.

Amaranta's first stop was the hospital, where she inquired about the registration process and other related matters, with the procedures for conducting pertinent health studies regarding her grandmother.

Then, using her grandmother's ID card, she made an appointment for a consultation. Having done this before, he took the bus to a nearby market, where he bought some new clothes for her grandmother to take the bus back to the bookstore.

Just when he was about to enter the bookstore, he heard a man ask him, "Are you Johanna Sáenz's daughter?"

It was him. The Great Director Daniel Exxo.

He was the great master of the world of cinema. Any actress who had starred in his films, in addition to her first name, would be given another name: "Golden Girl."

«You are wrong, sir. "I am not Johanna Sáenz's daughter."

Amaranta came out of a limbo and assumed that the man in front of her, by giving her the name Johanna Sáenz, had in fact referred to Madame Sáenz.

She had such a beautiful name, Johanna Sáenz, so why did the owner of her food store call her "Madame Sáenz"?

"Oh, it's my mistake."

Daniel Exxo evaluated Amaranta from head to toe. On her face, which was devoid of makeup, he noticed ruby red lips, white teeth, lush and naturally shaped light brown eyebrows, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that shone like stars in the galaxy, radiating rays of brilliance. . Her simple cotton dress with a floral print was extremely old-fashioned. Despite all that, however, she seemed elegant and very relaxed.

«Mrs. Sáenz should be in the store. Please follow me inside!"

Daniel Exxo and Amaranta entered the bookstore.

Daniel Exxo was surprised when he entered the bookstore and looked around. It was obvious from his reaction that he didn't expect Johanna to be living out her days in a place like this.

Thinking about it, he felt that this was exactly something he should have expected from someone like Johanna!

She wasn't exactly a conventional person.

Amaranta opened the wooden door, causing the wind chime hanging behind her to make a melodious sound.

"Excuse me. Please wait here for a moment while I go look for Mrs. Sáenz.

Holding her bag, Amaranta walked through the bookstore to the patio at the back. Johanna Sáenz was soaking up the warm spring sun, reading a book.

"Mrs. Sáenz, you have a visitor waiting outside."

"Oh really? "I'll go take a look."

Johanna left her book on the chair and entered the bookstore.

Seeing Johanna, Daniel Exxo smiled and said: "I was wondering where you were, Sáenz

If that's where you've been living in seclusion? "Closing the big bad world, right in the middle of a city! You initiative to call me, I would have assumed you had left with a man!"

With a look of resentment, Johanna Sáenz saw Daniel Exxo. »Master Exxo, why do you still like to throw garbage on the roof of other people's houses? I called you because I wanted to inform you that we can start filming the movie 'My Adored Dulce' because I have found a young woman who is perfect for the role of Dulce. You just met her. What do you think?"

Johanna took a bottle of cold beer from the refrigerator and handed it to Daniel Exxo.

Daniel Exxo responded: «She has the spirit of Dulce. However, I'm not sure if she would be able to portray it successfully. As you know, Dulce is a multifaceted character with a wide range of emotions. "It wouldn't do Dulce's cleverly written script justice if it couldn't portray the depth and breadth of the character's emotions."

I want to continue with the production of the film. "I want to see this movie completed and projected to the world while I'm still alive."

«Our esteemed screenwriter Johanna Sáenz, I am fully aware of how much you value this script. Years ago, when I wanted to start filming this movie, you flatly refused, and now suddenly you're pushing for me to start filming this movie as soon as possible. How do you expect me to find an investor to finance this film with such notice? We currently do not have the budget to carry out the production, the money does not appear out of nowhere, it requires time and effort to find someone who wants to participate in this production, with "This is not saying that we cannot find investors, just not at the speed of light, however you want the filming to be done, plus we have the factor that this film is considered a non-commercial art film."

Therefore, even with their two solid reputations, the chances of them finding an investor were low.

"I will finance it myself," said Johanna Sáenz.

It was her script. She herself had selected the female lead, and she did not want an investor to interfere with her film, she would not tolerate anyone making bad decisions in her masterpiece, even more knowing that it would be her posthumous work, she had a secret that only she knew, she told him. There was little time left to live, and she wanted to make that film that one day she promised to that friend who one day saved her, to whom she owes her life.

"How are you going to finance it?"

Daniel Exxo felt that Johanna had gone a little crazy. This film had a lot of city scenes, which meant that it would not be a cheap film to film and would need a lot of financing, as permits cost too much money.

Furthermore, and this was the most important point of all, the film would not be a box office success, since the story was about the life of a character who represented only a small segment of the population, personally I did not understand why the Johanna's obsession with this film had him confused, and he didn't know what decision to make regarding agreeing to co-produce with her.

«I plan to mortgage my real estate properties. "I have already made a rough estimate, and I hope to be able to raise around €7 million from my assets."

Johanna Sáenz, after giving it some serious thought, had come to the conclusion that the only way she could have the most control over how the film was produced was if she herself was the largest investor in the film.

«No way, Johanna. You are crazy. You don't even realize what kind of movie this is? It doesn't matter how good the script is. If no one goes to the cinema to see the movie, you will lose everything.

Johanna Sáenz laughed softly at Daniel Exxo. "Our life in this world is short, just a few decades. Money and assets are just material things, things we didn't have when we came into this world and things we won't be able to take with us when we die, so I don't really care if I lose everything."

Who better than her to know, right now she is at a crossroads, deciding on her short life span.

"Well, I still have to think about it."—Decisions, decisions, how complicated everything in life is.

Although Daniel Exxo said that he still needs to reflect, he was already running through a list of potential actors in his head. Which actor would be a good fit for the male lead?