There was a creative atmosphere. She felt a great passion for this work and for this reason she decided to spend one year in Paris, the city of elegance and charm for excellence.
-" This may be the reason of my disinformation"- she thought. "-" But now? How can I satisfy my father's wishes? I have the fashion show of my first collection in two months. It's impossibile"- she said aloud.
-"Who are you talking to?"- Anthony's voice brought her back from her musings. He had quietly entered Liza's office.- "to my father"- she answered.- "What?"- Anthony replied.
-"Yes, my father. Read this."- she said, handing him the notary's letter.
-" But , you can't go there! This is the moment you have been waiting for all your life. You could send someone you trust in your place".-
-"Maybe you are right. I'll do that"- she said and they didn't talk about this during the dinner.
But when she went back home alone, she thought about the letter again.
The day after she phoned Anthony from the airport and informed him of her decision.
-"I have to go there and take a look at the matter. I'll be back home in two days"-
-"I hope so"- Anthony said - " your fashion show is in two months, you have to take many decisions and organize everything"-
-"I know Anthony; I have spent all my life, all my energies for this goal, it's my only dream"- Liza replied.
-"After our marriage, I hope"- Anthony said laughing.
-"Of course"- she also laughed. –"But that's exactly my point, Anthony. I have to go to that estate; it's my father's desire. I can't ignore it."-
She put down the phone and.....how strange! She felt relieved.-" He's the man I have to.... I want to marry in two months!!! I love him, I know I love him. He's the man I've chosen for my life. That's all "-she said to herself.
A loud noise came from the back yard. At least she thought so. She left her father's study and headed for the backyard door. What a surprise! Two children, the boy younger than the girl, were playing basketball; they were throwing a ball into a basket that Liza had never seen before.- "It wasn't here during my childhood."-
-"Who are you"?-she asked.
They didn't seem to notice or to hear her.They were so caught up in the game that she was invisible to them.
-" Hey, you two; I'm talking to you"- she said loudly- The young girl stopped the ball and turned towards her. She was a really pretty girl; her hair and eyes were black but her skin was so white that it seemed strange, almost unreal.
Finally, the boy also noticed her presence and looked at her. He was completely different from the girl. He was so delicate with his red hair and some freckles round his nose; his eyes were green.
-"Mark, Emily"- a tall man around 40, was heading towards them. –"Sorry, madam"- he said looking at her. -"I'm very sorry about this, I had already warned my children. I didn't have any time to remove the basket. I'll do it immediately"-. He went towards the basket and tried to unhook it from the pole stuck in the ground.
Liza stood there without saying anything. The man with the basket in his hands went to her and, holding out his right hand, said: -"I'm Liam Reed, your father's administrator of the estate. You're Miss Liza Roland, aren't you?"-
She nodded
-"My condolences for his death. I'm really sorry for his sudden departure. He was like a father to me. I hope to cooperate with you as I did with your father, in the interest of the estate."-
She managed to get over the surprise and, holding his hand, she told him:-"Thanks, I'd like to talk to you about whatever is concerning the farm. After my father's death I found out that he hadn't sold the estate as I thought he had."
-" Of course, I'm at your disposal at any time. Now it's the harvest time, the most important moment of the year and I have so many things to do"- he said, half smiling.
She stood there without moving, following the man with her eyes. He gave her a sense of stability, strength and security. He was the typical handsome man-" like Brian"- she thought. But he had something more than Brian, her first boyfriend who lived in a big house near her father's estate. Their families were quite close.
They all believed that Liza and Brian would get married soon. Instead, Liza left to Paris to pursue her dream.
-"And now"-she said to herself-" I'm here again, far from my work, my man, in this particular moment, that may be the turning point of my life! I've worked so much for my first important fashion show and..... where am I? In a distant country estate, so far from the centre of my world! It's incredibile! I can't believe it!"-
She entered the house with decision, thinking:"I'll do everything necessary in the shortest possible time and then I'll go back to my life. I have to respect my father's will but it's also important to respect mine! Ok, I'll manage both. "-
She went directly to her own bedroom, the same she used to stay in when she came on holiday as a child; she put on her jeans and trainers and went out to reach the kiwi plantation.
It was a long walk but she didn't get discouraged; she just wanted to solve the situation and go back to her life.
It was October 3rd and it was a warm and sunny day, the ideal time for a walk. She had been walking for ten minutes and could admire the beautiful scenery of the English countryside.
Suddenly she remembered the open-air spaces where she used to run with her cousins, his uncle's children and the other boys and girls she played and spent all her summer holidays with, till the age of 16.
-" There must be a big tree with an enormous hollow log, somewhere around here; it was near this pond"- she remembered-" We used to get there to swim and sunbathe."
She also went fishing with her father there; everything she was seeing now was bringing up memories from her past.
Deep in her thoughts, she arrived at the kiwi plantation and heard someone shouting: - "Miss Roland"-
She looked around but couldn't see the people on the plantation very well, because of the sun blinding her. Slowly, her eyes got used to the strong light and could see at least a dozen people busy gathering kiwis.
A woman around 60 was coming towards her. She was smiling. Liza couldn't say who she was but she had the clear impression she had already seen her. She forced herself to remember but couldn't manage to associate a name to that face.
The woman finally arrived in front of Liza and hugged her. - " My dear Liza"- she said.- "I almost couldn't recognize you; 10 or 11 years have passed since the last time we met."-
All at once, Liza saw herself at the table of a big kitchen while eating a slice of bread with butter and jam and near her, doing the same thing , there was Mary with her big hazel eyes and her long brown hair.
-
