That night I cried myself to sleep knowing that everything was all over for Abbey and I she gave up on me. I gave her everything I had, my whole entire heart, and it wasn’t enough to make her stay; I had to let her go. I wake up the final morning to the sound of my apartment phone ringing “hello?” I answered sleepily. It was the receptionist lady.
“Ello good morning just wanted to let you know that your shuttle has arrived early, but no worries the driver told me to let you know to take your time. You will still need to come down next door to check-out” she said to me. I grab my watch seeing it was eight in the morning “alright I will be there shortly” I said. “Okay take your time” she replied as we disconnected the call.
I hang up the phone taking a look around at my apartment one last time before I leave. I had everything I needed for the journey home including the crappy satellite phone I rented and my statue souvenir of Big Ben I had purchased in Westminster.
I put my wallet and my passport in my trouser’s pockets while putting my coats on. I take my two travel luggage bags putting them around my body taking my apartment key. I walk out the room of my apartment looking back before closing the door as I close the door walking downstairs to the outside. When I got outside I could see the huge shuttle vehicle there waiting for me parked in the middle of the street with its flashers on.
Both sides of the street were filled with cars which is why the driver had to park the vehicle in the middle of the street. I walk inside of the building on thirty-one Rosary to check out. I walk down the few steps into the reservation room seeing the receptionist lady there.
“Ah Ello there did you enjoy your stay?” she asks with a smile seeing me walk in. “Yes I did I enjoy my stay I’d totally come back here.” “Glad to hear that now before you give me your key you do have a small bill to pay which is just the telephone bill from your apartment. You can either pay by cash, debt, or credit card. If it’s cash you can pay using pounds or the U.S. dollar.”
She takes out the bill showing me the summary of all the calls I made and received during my stay in London. I look at the bill seeing the total being seventy-eight pounds and fifty pence. I pay the bill using my card and turned in my key saying goodbye to her.
I walk out of Astons Apartments holding the piece of paper I received when I booked my airport shuttle to come pick me up. I walk over to the driver’s side seeing an older man sitting there sipping on a cup of tea. I knock on the window as he sees me “Hello there you must be the young gentleman the reservation lady spoke of” he said placing down his cup on the dashboard. “Yes sir that’s me” I said to him showing the papers of my reservation of the shuttle. He gets out of the vehicle as I move back from the door.
He takes out his hand “nice to meet you” he said. I shook his hand surprised that he wasn’t anything like the taxi driver I had that dropped me off on the first day. “Nice to meet you too sorry I had you waiting” I said. “Oh don’t worry about it I was just having my cup of tea and I just dropped someone else off close to here so I figured to drop by early.”
There was a pause “here let me open the back seat doors for you and help you with your luggage” added the driver. I smile giving him one of my bags as he takes it leading me to the back seat door. We go around to the left side of the vehicle as he opens the door seeing it slide open. He puts my bag in “make yourself comfortable” he said walking over to the driver side.
I put my foot on the ledge of the back seat door about to get in as I look behind me taking a last look at the apartments. When I turn I see Abbey walking down on the pavement with her dog Jody on the left side of the street. She stops when she reaches the apartment building on twenty-nine Rosary. Her and I stare at each other for a second in the distance for we could both sense a gap between us having that feeling sense of being strangers. And yet at the same time knowing we'll never be here again…
YOU ARE READING
Eight Days In London
Non-FictionKeith Bailey, a regular American searching for adventure travels to the one world city of London, United Kingdom. His first international trip over three-thousand miles from home finds himself in a roller coaster ride living in a lifestyle of a wor...
