~We are here. But were the hell is Lina?~
When we got off the elevator and took our things out I gave Henry the keys so he could open Lina’s apartment.
”Aunt Liiiiiiiiinaaaaa!!” Henry started shouting in the empty house and walked further in.
I got the luggage into the apartment and turned to close the door.
”Mooommyyy she is not here…” I heard Henry telling me disappointed.
I gave him an unhappy smile and walked towards him.
”Lets go to the kitchen, see if she left us anything to eat.” I said to him and we walked together.
Her apartment wasn’t very big, it was bigger than mine but nothing special. It was a gift from her parents now that she was studying. It had a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, two main bedrooms, a room for studding that now it was Henry’s bedroom and a small balcony.
Her kitchen and the living room were basically in the same room but I liked her idea of placing a counter with some modern stools to separate these two rooms, you know like a “wall”. As Henry and I walked to the counter we saw a paper standing there alone, I took Henry in my arms and looked at it.
”Alice and Henry, I had a date and I couldn’t cancel. There is some pizza in the fridge but I suggest you not to eat it because I don’t know how for how long it has been there... Feel free to order! The catalogs are on the fridge. Your bedrooms are ready. See you later! Kisses Lina.”
I looked at Henry when I heard his belly complaining. My poor baby was hungry but I didn’t have any money so we could order. All my money was in Euros…
”Why don’t you go watch something on TV?” I asked him as I let him back to the ground.
”When are we going to eat?” He asked me.
”I’ll make something now, in ten minutes it’ll be ready.” I informed him happily and he walked to the couch as I walked to the kitchen.
I opened all the cupboards trying to find something that we could eat. She had a pack of pasta, a tomato soup and a can of tuna.
“Well, that’s all I need.” I said to myself and folded my sleeves.
Yes, well one thing you don’t know about me is this, as I was raising Henry I was also studying. I was studying to become a Chef and also a Pastry Chef, my passion was cooking. I wanted to become a famous Chef one day and to open a little bistro in a corner of Italy. Yes I wanted all those things but one day as I was walking to my lesson I saw a seminar about cinema. And that was when I discovered the magic of the movies.
Don’t give me wrong! I still like cooking for my child and my friends but I wish, oh God I wish so hard that I could find a small job in cinema or in TV on day. Not as an actress, Heaven’s No! But… you know like Julia Child or-or Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson!! (People that inspired me to become a chef.) They were working on television but they were also cooking, sharing with people their knowledge and their love for good food, their recipes, and the stories their dishes have to say. To be honest? Two of my favorite movies were Julie & Julia and Chocolat… have you ever seen those movies? If you have you know very well why I like them so much.
When the food was ready I took the plates in the living room. Henry was watching something on TV when I placed the plates on the coffee table. I sat down with him and we started eating.
After two bites from what I had made I stopped and pushed the plate away. I couldn’t eat. It was impossible.
”Mommy are you ok?” Henry asked me while he was munching.
When I looked down I saw that around his mouth he had a circle full of tomato sauce. I laughed and kissed him on the cheek.
”I’m alright just a little bit tired…” I told him as I got up and sat on the couch.
I pretended I was watching TV with him but my mind was flying away. Back when that strange guy kept me in his arms so I wouldn’t fall. Back when he smiled to me and I first saw his beautiful eyes. Back… back when he answered his phone… She was so lucky, that woman that was with him. She should make him happy everyday. I took a deep breath and kept thinking of him. And as much as I was thinking of him the worst my stomach was feeling.
Around 21:00 o’clock Henry was sleeping on the couch close to me. I slowly got up and with him in my arms I walked to the hallway that Lina’s apartment had, to find his bedroom. Across the hallway you see the bathroom, to the left is Lina’s room, to the right is Henry’s room and next to the bathroom is my room.
I opened the door and slowly placed him in his new bed. He didn’t felt a thing; I took off his shoes, his trouser and his footer and let him sleep with his shirt.
”Good night my sweet prince…” I whispered as I placed his clothes on the desk that his room had and walked outside. I closed the door behind me and went back to the living room, I cleaned the coffee table and washed our plates. I turned off the TV and placed some wine, that Lina had open in her fridge, in a glass and sat there alone, lost in my thoughts.
I had lost the track of time when the sound of keys on the door brought me back. Scared, I slowly got up and hide behind a wall as I made my breath slower. Someone opened the door and got into the house, I took a step closer and looked who it was.
”Ok, ok see you tomorrow bye bye!” Lina whispered and closed the door behind her.
Relieved that was her I made my appearance.
”You forgot us.” I said to her and crossed my arms in front of my chest.
Lina looked at the black figure that was standing in the middle of her living room when a huge smile covered her face. She ran and hugged me tight.
”YOU ARE HERE!” She shouted happily and immediately I acted.
”Shhhh!!! Keep it down! Henry is sleeping…” I said to her after I managed to cover her mouth with my palm.
I saw Lina looking at me and nodding her head. I let her go and she hugged me again.
”I can’t believe it! You are finally here!!” She said as she was trying to keep her voice down but still letting me know how excited she was.
”Yes! Yes! I’m here!” I said to her excited and hugged her back.
”Ah, I have so many plans to do with you!!” Lina said while she was walking to the kitchen.
”I made pasta if you are hungry…”
”I love you!” She heavily exhaled when she opened the saucepan and smelled what I had cooked.
I laughed as I saw her taking a fork and the sauce pan and sitting by my side to eat.
”We need to do some things tomorrow…”
”Name them…” I heard her saying with mouth full of pasta.
”I need to go to the bang and cash some money, and this time in British Pounds, second we need to go to the grocery store and buy a few things because we ate all that you had.”
”Yes I know…” She answered as she giggled.
”Well that’s it, and I need to unpack with Henry…”
”Ok, ok we’ll do all these things but tell me, how was your flight? Did you meet anyone?” Lina asked me and winked meaningfully.
I turned to look at her. It was like she knew…
”I don’t remember much from the flight because I slept, and well a taxi brought us here so… no, nothing special…” I said to her as I got off the stool. “Well I’m exhausted; I think I’ll go to sleep. Sorry I can’t stay.” Was my excuse as I got up and started walking towards the same hall that I had walked before, to get Henry to his room.
“Good night!” I heard her telling me from the living room.
When I walked to my dark and cold bedroom I closed the door behind me and yawned. Quickly I striped from all my cloths and left with a t-shirt that I was wearing under all those. I got under the blankets and stood there in fetal position.
Good, first night in England and I was doing everything wrong. I had to stop! “A good sleep will help me...” I said to myself and covered my head with blankets. Falling slowly to sleep.
