through her territory, because Eva considered it to be forbidden land, she had seen her screen completely occupied by profiles full of pictures of faces and torsos of all kinds of men, before whom Mesalina's voice was filled with sensual nuances that floated in the air throughout the morning, both in her treatment to the public and in her conversations with the other female colleagues, since in that section they were all women.
Yes, it was that screen they were quoting and presenting in the documentary. According to the broadcaster, infidelity was now the rule, and the successful website allowed millions of heterosexual men and women who were attracted to the adventure of meeting unknown people to share their bodies when they came together, both personally and sexually.
The title of the website was now in the foreground on her TV, and no more advertising was needed. Eva was immediately curious to see it. She turned off the TV, the computer and while it was booting she cooked herself some dinner. Then the phone rang. It was her sister.
- Eva, did my daughter get there all right?
- Yes, too well. She left everything in her room and ran away. She told me she was meeting the villagers. She also told me you didn't set any time for her to come home.
- You know what happens. Since there are many of her friends who live in the city, they get a little out of it. When the others go home, she'll be back in your flat. Don’t worry. Leave her alone.
- Well, you're her mother. This is Guesthouse Eva for whatever you need.
- Eva, she was very excited about it. She isn't going to stay alone in town. I'm already texting her to make sure everything's okay.
- And does she answer you?
- Not always, but don't worry, my daughter is a responsible girl.
- I've already given her the key. I'm not going to be the control centre. I'll tell you tomorrow if everything's okay.
- I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll see. Thanks for everything, sister.
- That's what we're here for.
When she left the phone she saw that the computer screen was waiting for her orders.
- Explorer.
- Dating pages - she typed.
In front of her she had the first results. Meetic, eDarling... but they were pages once she had heard her work mate laughing at, which she called convent flings. She decided to look for something stronger.
- Liberal dating pages - she re-typed. And there was another website that had recently made headlines because of the identity theft of its user profiles. But it wasn't the one she wanted either. She tried it one more time.
- Sexual dating pages - she typed now, looking forward to the result. Yes, there was the name XXX that obsessed her. She had found the door to an unknown world that she nervously wanted to explore.
Even with the nervousness of a teenager, she chose the heterosexual option for women and was able to spy on the calls of men and women who smiled at her as if they had known each other all her life. But just seeing didn't do her any good. She wanted to meet.
Even with doubts about whether what she was doing would be crazy, she signed up.
- Username: Virginia
- Password... Email... Message: Looking for pleasure - she wrote without knowing if it would be too direct.
- Photo.... - She decided not to put anything in.
- What an embarrasement! If my friends or office mates see me. I'm dying, sure!
When the programme confirmed that the registration was correct, she was able to enter the privacy of her 'virtual boyfriend'. Men of all ages, of all races, of all physical appearances looked at her smiling and seemed to tell her to choose them.
She didn't have to wait long. At the moment she had the sign that someone was writing to her. Alongside the photo was the age: 33 years old
- Virginia, my name is Black, I'm looking for a woman like you to get to know each other and have a nice time together. I want to make you really happy. Write to me.
Eva was amazed. A handsome young man gazed at her with a sharp look that seemed to see beyond her surface. She really liked him. She started to press all the icons in the interface until she managed to open his profile. To her surprise, in addition to other data about his weight and height, it said he was 9,500 km away.
- But where is this guy? she said to herself.
- Where are you? - she typed.
- I'm a man tired of working at sea and I want to stablish couple with you. Do you have a picture? I'd really like to see you.
- No, I'm new, I don't have a picture yet.
- Give me your email. I have a lot of work to do and I can't write properly here.
- But where are you?
- I want to leave this job and relocate to your country. I've got enough money for us to have a comfortable life. This is my email. [email protected]. Write to me. I want to hear from you privately.
Before her the email that was attracting her shone with a distinctive colour. She had serious doubts about the sender of those messages, doubts that would have been expanded if she had known the meaning of the word "fake" in the email. But she belonged to the generation of French learners, only translating it into Spanish. She paused for a moment at that message and did not know why she was thinking of her ex then. Perhaps by comparison to the inclusive styles of men when they want to be husbands. But her second ex, of whom she had trouble remembering even his physical features, would never have spoken like that. She had been the one who had set the direction and rhythm of their life as a couple. He had let himself be carried into everyday life, towards a socially accepted state that made life easier after the age of 40. When no child was born after ten years of living together, he managed to get pregnant another woman 20 years younger and began his life as a father.
Eva finally agreed. Why not keep talking? It was far away and he didn't know her address or her phone number. If she wasn't interested in what he said, blocking his email was enough. She was aware that she was filling her existential void with another unknown, distant life, with hardly any references, without even the other side having a picture of her. Going to her email server, she wrote to [email protected].
- But how can you talk like that if you don't even know me? Tell me about yourself, please.
- United States Marine Engineer on mission in Kuwait. I'll be leaving soon and I'm transferring to Europe.
As the conversation progressed Eva was finally able to see that she was talking to a machine.
-You can see me naked on the website "XX naked.com". Turn on your webcam.
- God! she said, and immediately closed any virtual contact.
She started to think. What was the point of talking to women without an interlocutor on the other side? Among the various possibilities she could think of was a way to increase the visibility of the ads that always floated around the ends of the screen without her being aware of them, by having more and more people connected
