En efecto, la familia Arias tenía fama de ser multimillonaria con dinero robado desde que el padre de Gustavo Arias, Don Guillermo, se había empezado a codear con los de la política. De un día para otro, dejó de ser un abogaducho insignificante para pasar a ser el predilecto de políticos y artistas. Incluso hasta llegó a ser senador. Cambió su residencia de la colonia Escandón a una mansión en las Lomas, adquirió dos terrenos de una cuadra y construyó dos mansiones espectaculares. También se hizo de casas de campo en las mejores colonias de Valle de Bravo, Cuernavaca, Acapulco y Brownsville; se rodeó de autos de importación; viajó cuantas veces quiso a todo el mundo con su esposa Laura y sus dos hijos, Guillermo y Roberto; disfrutó de las mejores fiestas de la gente de abolengo de México, y tuvo como amantes a varias mujeres de moda 20 años menores que él. Cuando abrió los ojos a la realidad, habían pasado ya diecisiete años, en los que no se había dado cuenta de que tenía ya a dos hijos de veintidós y veinticuatro años, se estaba divorciando de una mujer con la que había convivido más de veinticinco años y que apenas conocía, estaba acabado por la vida de fiesta y promiscuidad y necesitaba salir con guardaespaldas para que no lo mataran en la esquina. Fue entonces que decidió jubilarse y dedicarse, tardíamente, a convivir con su familia. Gustavo, el hijo mayor, estaba a cinco meses de casarse y Roberto estaba terminando su carrera para irse a vivir a Estados Unidos y seguir estudiando. Se le frustraron sus intenciones, pues Laura peleó hasta el fin por obtener el divorcio, obligándolo a que le cediera la casa del terreno adjunto; Gustavo se casó y Don Guillermo se vio obligado a regalarle una casa, también de una cuadra, ahí mismo en Lomas de Chapultepec, con lo que sus ahorros se vieron bastante afectados. Aunado a esto, Roberto, siempre honesto y en desacuerdo con su padre, decidió irse a estudiar a una de las universidades más caras de Estados Unidos para no volver jamás a su país. El único que le quedaba entonces era Gustavo, al que decidió educar según sus métodos para que siguiera su ejemplo. Este no se resistió, pues una vez dentro del ambiente empezó a ver los deslumbrantes frutos de su trabajo. Ambos se convirtieron en los mejores socios y amigos en su afán de poder y avaricia en extremo.
Estupro conocía todos los secretos familiares a la perfección e, incluso, él había fungido varias veces como “tapadera” de su patrón ante la señora Maricela, pues habiendo dejado al señor en casa de Giselle, la adolescente artista del momento y amante predilecta del Lic. Gustavo, llegaba a rendirle cuentas a la señora que le preguntaba acerca de la ausencia de su esposo. Estupro, temblando y tartamudeando, le contestaba lo de siempre: “Me dijo que le dijera a usté que surgió un imprevisto”. La señora sólo se cruzaba de brazos y hacía una mueca de incredulidad a Estupro. Este, nervioso, se encogía de hombros introduciendo las manos en los bolsillos de su pantalón y se excusaba saliendo de la sala de espera con un “con su permiso, me retiro a ver lo que se ofrece”. A la mañana siguiente era la historia de siempre, el Lic. Gustavo subía a su coche blindado conducido por Estupro y, carcajeándose, le contaba durante el trayecto la regañiza que le había puesto su esposa y cómo se las había arreglado para inventar alguna novedad sin ser descubierto. Tenía también entrenados a sus amigos que fungían como alcahuetes de sus hazañas ya que, en el momento que la señora hablaba a casa de alguno para investigar si era cierto que había pasado ahí gran parte de la noche anterior, ellos aseguraban casi con sangre que Don Gustavo decía absolutamente toda la verdad.
Estupro era bastante tonto, pues tenía un gran poder en sus manos que no había sabido utilizar. Nunca se aprovechó de la confianza que le brindaba su patrón y estaba dispuesto, al igual que su padre, a dar la vida por él si era necesario. En varias ocasiones había sido testigo, mientras conducía, del manejo de drogas entre los altos funcionarios y su patrón. Observó, entre otras cosas, intercambios de todo tipo de estupefaciente, el pago de altas sumas de dinero e, incluso, la manera de usarlas junto con la transformación que experimentaban las personas que las usaban. Él mismo las había probado en varias ocasiones y estaba muy orgulloso de ello. Le había tocado también compartir a las modelos que habían pasado por su patrón y todos sus amigos y que, finalmente, habían sido botadas borrachas e inconscientes dentro del auto. Su patrón le daba permiso para que hiciera con ellas lo que se le antojara y él, ni lento ni perezoso, obedecía en ese instante a su mandato. Era tal el extremo, que en una ocasión que pasó a recoger a su patrón a una fiesta privada, observó que éste se abrazaba de manera provocativa con otro alto empresario amigo suyo. Los dos subieron a la parte trasera del auto y Estupro no quiso ver más. Prefirió borrar de su mente aquel desagradable suceso para conservar intacta la imagen de su ídolo.
En fin, ¡qué no había aprendido Estupro en dos cortos años en los que se había dedicado a ser el chofer de confianza del Señor Arias! Se enorgullecía como un pavorreal haciendo alarde de todo lo que creían en su persona, pero era cauteloso con sus comentarios. La única que conocía todas sus hazañas era Dulce María, que juraba no contárselo a nadie y lo escuchaba sorprendida. Por supuesto, se entristecía al oír que Estupro le era infiel y éste, aprovechándose de la ingenua niña, le inventaba y le aumentaba de su cosecha a todas sus aventuras para hacerse el galán. Ella terminaba llorando y salía corriendo a su recámara para que, minutos después, fuera consolada tiernamente por Estupro.
Comúnmente la mansión de los Arias estaba invadida por muchas personas que asistían a un sinnúmero de celebraciones, pero esa noche era una noche especial. Estaban invitadas personas de gran importancia en todos los ámbitos y la gente de la más alta sociedad.
Doña Zenaida y dos cocineras más se empujaban en la cocina desesperadamente y corrían de un lado a otro buscando ingredientes, sacando diversos guisados del horno, mezclando, batiendo, cortando y picando; el jardinero y Federico, el joven mozo, adornaban la casa con flores de extraña belleza, traídas de Asia y África por órdenes especiales de la señora Maricela Arias para dicha ocasión; Dulce María planchaba y vestía de etiqueta la salita de estar, la sala principal y el salón de fiestas con mantelería y vajilla grabada con las iniciales GA, pertenecientes a Don Guillermo Arias; la nana de la familia indicaba a los 15 meseros contratados la forma correcta de servir cada suculento platillo; los choferes se alistaban para recibir a los autos más flamantes de la ciudad con sus uniformes negros y los guardaespaldas aguardaban ocultos por todos los rincones dentro y fuera de la mansión.
English version:
The Arias family had a reputation for being billionaires from stolen money since Gustavo Arias's father, Don Guillermo, had started rubbing shoulders with politicians. From one day to the next, he ceased to be an insignificant lawyer to become the favorite of politicians and artists. He even became a senator. He changed his residence from Escandón to a mansion in Las Lomas, acquired two one-block lots, and built two spectacular mansions. He also made country houses in the best neighborhoods of Valle de Bravo, Cuernavaca, Acapulco and Brownsville; he surrounded himself with imported cars; he traveled as many times as he wanted with his wife Laura and his two children Guillermo and Roberto; he enjoyed the best parties of important Mexican people, and had had as lovers several fashionable women 20 years younger than him. When he opened his eyes to reality, seventeen years had passed, in which he had not realized that he already had two children aged twenty-two and twenty-four, he was divorcing a woman with whom he had lived for more than twenty-five years and that he hardly knew, he was finished by the life of partying and promiscuity and he needed to go out with bodyguards so that they would not kill him on the corner. It was then that he decided to retire and dedicate himself, belatedly, to living with his family. Gustavo, the eldest son, was five months away from getting married and Roberto was finishing his career to go live in the United States and continue studying. His intentions were frustrated, because Laura fought to the end to obtain a divorce, forcing him to give her the house on the adjoining land; Gustavo got married and Don Guillermo was forced to give him a house, also one block away, right there in Lomas de Chapultepec, with which his savings were greatly affected. In addition to this, Roberto, always honest and in disagreement with his father, decided to go to study at one of the most expensive universities in the United States, never to return to his country. The only one left then was Gustavo, whom he decided to educate according to his methods so that he would follow his example. He did not resist, because once inside the environment he began to see the dazzling fruits of his work. They both became best partners and friends in their lust for power and extreme greed.
Estupro knew all the family secrets to perfection and, even, he had served several times as “cover” for his employer to Mrs. Maricela, having left the man at the house of Giselle, the adolescent artist of the moment and Lic. Gustavo’s lover, he came to render accounts to the lady who asked him about the absence of her husband. Estupro, trembling and stammering, answered her as usual: "He told me to tell you that an unforeseen event arose." The lady just crossed her arms and made a face of disbelief at Estupro. The latter, nervous, shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands in his pockets and excused himself as he left the waiting room with a "with your permission, I retire to see what is on offer." The next morning was the usual story, Lic. Gustavo got into his armored car driven by Estupro and, laughing, told him during the journey the scolding that his wife had given him and how he had managed to invent something new without be discovered. He also had his friends trained who acted as pimps of his exploits since, at the time that the lady spoke to someone's house to investigate if it was true that he had spent much of the previous night there, they assured almost with blood that Don Gustavo was telling the whole truth.
Estupro was quite silly, he had great power in his hands that he had not known how to use. He never took advantage of the trust his employer gave him and was willing, like his father, to lay down his life for him if necessary. On several occasions he had witnessed, while driving, drug dealing between high officials and his employer. He observed, among other things, exchanges of all kinds of narcotics, the payment of large sums of money and even the way of using them along with the transformation experienced by the people who used them. He had tried them himself several times and was very proud of it. He also had to share the models that had passed through his boss and all his friends and that, finally, had been thrown away drunk and unconscious inside the car. His boss gave him permission to do whatever he wanted with them and he, neither slow nor lazy, obeyed his command at that moment. Such was the extreme that on one occasion when he happened to pick up his boss at a private party, he observed that he was hugging provocatively with another high-ranking businessman friend of his. The two climbed into the back of the car and Estupro did not want to see more. He preferred to erase that unpleasant event from his mind in order to keep the image of his idol intact.
In short, what had Estupro not learned in two short years in which he had dedicated himself to being the trusted driver of Mr. Arias! He prided himself like a peacock from everything they believed in him, but he was wary of his comments. The only one who knew all his exploits was Dulce María, who swore not to tell anyone and listened to him in surprise. Of course, she was saddened when she heard that Estupro was unfaithful to her and him, taking advantage of the naive girl, invented her and added more stuff to his adventures to become the gallant. She ended up crying and ran to her bedroom so that, minutes later, she would be tenderly consoled by Estupro.
Commonly, the Arias' mansion was invaded by many people attending countless celebrations, but tonight was a special night. People of great importance in all fields and people of the highest society were invited.
Dona Zenaida and two other cooks jostled desperately in the kitchen and ran from one side to the other looking for ingredients, taking various stews from the oven, mixing, whisking, cutting and chopping; the gardener and Federico, the young boy, adorned the house with flowers of strange beauty, brought from Asia and Africa by special orders from Mrs. Maricela Arias for this occasion; Dulce María ironed and dressed the living room, the main room and the party room with tablecloths and tableware engraved with the initials GA, belonging to Don Guillermo Arias; the family's nanny indicated to the 15 hired waiters the correct way to serve each succulent dish; the drivers were getting ready to receive the newest cars in the city with their black uniforms and the bodyguards waited hidden in every corner inside and outside the mansion.
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