Footprints of Hope: Pamela's Journey from Orphanage to Unexpected Betrayal: contos, #1

By Ricardo Almeida

 

Dive into the turbulent life of a young pharmacist, faced with challenges both professional and personal. In the whirlwind of betrayals and conspiracies, Pamela struggles to maintain her sanity and security amidst a world that seems to be crumbling around her. From her struggle as an orphan to the challenges of love and family, this captivating tale delves deep into the complexities of human nature, revealing the mysteries of the heart and the unwavering strength of hope. Follow Pamela on her journey, where she discovers that, despite the hardships, love and determination can be the driving forces that sustain the soul in times of despair.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ricardo Almeida
• Release date: Nov 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223394167

Book preview

Table of Contents

Footprints of Hope: Pamela's Journey from Orphanage to Unexpected Betrayal (contos, #1)

Hi there, I'm glad to welcome you to my channel, World of Stories.

I have a lot of interesting life stories that I want to share with you.

Enjoy listening.

The business trip to the neighboring city turned out to be very challenging.

Pamela, a young pharmacist, was sent to assist with receiving goods.

The new pharmacy was about to open, but they were short staffed.

The employees worked tirelessly from morning to late evening, constantly on their feet.

By the end of the third day, Pamela's mind was filled with nothing but medicine names,

dates, and expiration dates.

Some manager from the regional health department wanted the pharmacy to open on pharmacist's

day, May 19th, and no one cared that it was impossible to process such a large assortment

in such a tight timeframe.

Despite the difficulties, the work was completed earlier than planned, and all the business

travelers were allowed to go home.

What a surprise for Merrick, thought the girl on the train.

She's expecting me on Monday, and I'll show up on Sunday.

Pamela, tired but happy, looked forward to a quick reunion with her beloved Mark.

She silently unlocked her apartment with the key and entered the hallway.

Oh yes, exactly.

Now you get it.

She, like a snake, pretends to be sweet and dumb.

But I know, they would hire anyone for the pharmacy, slip us something, and nobody would

know why we died.

It seems like Mark loves her, but she's afraid to cling to him too much.

No, instead of spending time with a man, hugging him, she's always cleaning, tidying up, constantly

looking for something.

She washes clothes 15 times.

I can barely keep up with paying the bills.

She even finds things to do on her day off.

I don't know how to get her out of the house, it's impossible to have a private conversation

with my son around.

She's always studying.

Funny, I swear.

Everything she does turns out haphazard, apple pies turn into sour messes.

I just keep quiet and eat.

They didn't teach them how to cook in the orphanage.

But I still keep a close watch on her.

They are so embittered by life, they can make up all sorts of things.

Pamela froze in horror.

She clearly heard her future mother-in-law, Ms. Selena, talking about her on the phone

with someone.

Well I don't know what to do.

That idiot doesn't even want to get married.

I thought he would take me seriously.

And yesterday he came home at 2 a.m., reeking of alcohol, trying to bring some girl into

the apartment.

I would have given him a piece of my mind, but the neighbors might have heard.

We don't need any unnecessary gossip, you know.

In the morning, I told him.

I got married to her, and he said, no, I won't.

She's already getting on my nerves.

I told him, how is she getting on your nerves?

She's cleaning non-stop from morning till night.

And he replied, with her excessive neatness.

Like in a joke, I woke up at night to get some water, I come back, and the bed is already

made.

That's what I mean, he said.

And what do I think?

This is not the time to think, this is the time to act, my dear.

She's coming back from her business trip the day after tomorrow, and I'll serve her some

mushrooms.

She loves my mushrooms, oh, she loves them.

With some potatoes.

No, why poison her?

That's a criminal offense.

Am I some kind of fool?

I'll just sprinkle a little something on them, and then she'll quietly kick the bucket.

The main thing is for all of us to sit together at the table so that no suspicion arises.

I'll put mushrooms on my plate and marks plate two, but different ones, normal ones.

Pamela couldn't believe her ears.

Mushrooms?

Yes, she loves them, but they want to poison her.

Pamela, barely audible and almost holding her breath, opened the door, carefully placed

her bag of belongings, and backed away.

She did it all so quietly that she couldn't believe she had succeeded.

Her heart was pounding furiously, and her legs wouldn't obey.

Only after rushing out of the entrance did the girl finally breathe deeply.

With quick steps, carrying her heavy bag, she hurried far away from home.

Pamela walked two blocks before allowing herself to rest.

She sat on the nearest bench and cried.

Was this really happening to her in real life or was it a nightmare?

Mark tried to bring some girl home.

He didn't even hesitate in front of his mother.

And Miss Selena, she wants to poison her.

For what?

For cleaning at home from morning till evening, for trying to be a good homemaker, and for

wanting to be a good wife and mother in the future?

It all doesn't add up.

Could it be because of her background from the orphanage?

Are they afraid she'll leave without a place to stay?

But she has her own apartment.

It was because of Mark that she moved in with his mother.

It's him who doesn't want to wake up early for work, not me.

He should have just said, I don't love you, leave.

But no, it's not that simple.

Last week he called me his little wife, and now he's shamelessly bringing other women

home.

And his dear mother, she's got her own quirks, one moment she talks about marriage non-stop,

and the next she wants to poison someone.

No matter how hard Pamela tried to find an explanation for everything she heard, nothing

made sense.

In their seven months of living together, Mark never once seriously offended or humiliated

Pamela.

Yes, she noticed that he had been moody lately, but can a person have their ups and downs?

He has a tough job as a warehouse worker in a major retail chain.

Besides, is married life always smooth sailing?

The caretakers always told her to study hard, meet a serious person, be patient, not have

any illusions, but those are just generic phrases.

What kind of life can there be?

What should it be like when you meet the one?

No one tells Pamela.

And sometimes she accepted Mark's strange behavior as normal.

The