The meaning of destiny

Chapter 2. A new journey

In the summer before I entered first grade, my parents decided to move to the UK. If it was just a vacation, I would have been more excited about the journey. However, we were moving permanently. Back then, the internet didn't exist, and Nokia was just starting its rise in the marketplace.

My parents tried their best to prepare me for the move, but there was a lack of knowledge about the UK. Although my parents had friends who had moved there, their experiences were quite different. The only thing they all mentioned was that it was a "better place."

On the day of the move, we were in the car with my parents' friend, Miss Elisa, who was driving. Michael Jackson's new album "Bad" was playing on the OEM CD. I thought to myself that at least she had great taste in music. After a while, Miss Elisa got bored of the repeated album and started to chat.

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Miss Elisa: Oh kushdo, you don't even know the views you will have to see every single day. There are a lot of buildings from the Victorian Era. You can see them, especially in London. They talk about the American dream, but this place is far more than any of that. Aren't you curious little one?

Adora: I want home.

Mom: Adora, that's rude!

Miss Elisa: She is just a kid, Inara, let her be. It's not easy for any of us, Adora, but believe me when I say, London has its beauty you shouldn't miss. I must be real, is far more beautiful and prosperous than Kosovo by far.

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Twenty-four hours later, we were on a ferry boat, and my parents were admiring the views from the windows. I was uninterested and couldn't care less. While we were waiting, Miss Elisa realized something important. She had some photos taken in London in the pocket of her jacket.

She was right, London was truly stunning, but so different compared to what I have known. On the ferry boat, there were a bunch of foreign languages spoken. I couldn't understand a single thing anyone would say. My parents knew a little bit of English, but we had a long way to go to maintain a normal conversation with a native.
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Ferryman: Land ho, we arrived on the ferry slip, hope you are not feeling blue. First, toe the line for inspection.
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After the whole inspection thing, we were already in the Portsmouth International Port. The sun had already set, and only city lights remained, gathered around us.

We had made a prior arrangement to stay at a comfortable hotel.

Before bed, I already missed home, so I was searching for some photos Miss Elisa made for me. I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity as I held Amadeus's photograph close to my chest before going to bed. The room was quiet and peaceful, and I felt his presence with me even though he wasn't there physically.

My mother entered my room and kissed my forehead, as she saw I hadn't fallen asleep yet. She asked if I wanted to hear a fairytale. I nodded, and she placed a chair next to my bed.
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Mom: Once upon a time, there was a baron who was a magician. He finds out that his son is destined to marry a poor peasant girl. Furious, the baron starts to search for the girl.

Adora: What was the problem with her?

Mom: The baron wanted a girl from a rich family.

Adora: That's so unfair...What happens next?

Mom: Her dad, a man with six children, couldn't afford to feed them all, so he gave his youngest daughter to the evil man. The magician threw her into the river, but she somehow survived, the waters floating her to a fisher's house.

Adora: Fish? Yack.

Mom: The fisherman raised her, and she grew up into a beautiful woman. The baron and his companion saw her beauty and started to talk with her. To cast her horoscope, he asks for her date of birth. After he realized her true identity, the man sent her to his brother, with a letter telling his brother to kill her.

Adora: Horoscope...? Like the ones on TV?

Mom: Sort of, but she fell among the rubbers, who altered the letter to say she should marry his son. After he read the letter, the magician's brother started to prepare for the wedding and saved the girl. That's not all, the baron, annoyed by his failing attempts to get rid of her, threw a ring into the sea and told the girl not to appear in front of his son unless she had the ring. Back then, she worked in a kitchen, and when the baron came to dine with the householder, she prepared fish, finding the ring in it. Impressed with the dish, the guests wanted to meet the cook, who showed up with the ring.

Adora: Don't tell me he is going to be mean again...

Mom: This time, he accepts the fact that fate exists and lets the couple to get married.

Adora: Mom, but what is fate?

Mom: Fate is something that was meant to take place. You can call it destiny, too. Everyone has a destiny.

Adora: What's my destiny?

Mom: That is for you to find out, sweety! I have to go now. Good night!

Adora: Good night, mom!

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