Time Changes

Part Twenty Six

Alexis had accrued so much stuff over the last seven months living in Rio that packing her bags was difficult. She ended up throwing away more clothes to bring home her mementos, so many things, from so many places. And nothing fitted well into her bags either.  She’d repacked so many times it was getting boring.

But it did distract from all that lay ahead. Since Peter’s confrontation with Megan, she had barely spoken more than occasional words to him. He was trying his best to do as much as he could without needing to return to Australia for a court case, as in theory he was the principle witness. And once she understood that, it didn’t help their fledgling relationship, at a time when she was doubting everything and everyone. Needless to say, she planned to return anyway, and was waiting to hear that Peter was home, safe, and waiting for her. She hoped that would signal the start of a normal relationship, dates, dinners, and lie-ins!

On her last night, Boris her boss, Paolo, Maria and Xavier the three support workers all took her out for a meal. They ate at a very touristy place right on the beach, but the food was good and the company amusing. They were entertained by dancers and sellers playing up to the tourists, and drank Cachaça from shot glasses. Boris was a quiet man, and this was the first time she’d seen him let down his hair, and three hours later they were all dancing in a nightclub, the alcohol still flowing.

She’d be sorry to leave here, but had already told Boris that she’d keep in touch, and didn’t rule out doing another episode of this in the future. She had really enjoyed her time in the City, but as the hours rolled on, she doubted her ability to make the flight if she didn’t get some sleep.

The journey was long and her dreadful hangover didn’t help. To get to Geneva she had to change planes in Charles de Gaulle, and the connecting flight was typically delayed. She had a small overnight bag that she was carrying as she wanted to arrive looking at her best, and had clean clothes and tiny bottles of products to help her freshen up so that she could actually carry it on board. But that was little help when she was delayed for eight hours.

Instead of landing in Switzerland at ten pm, after a lengthy trip, she emailed Peter from CDG to say she was due to arrive at six am, and she hated that as they landed, early morning autumn in Europe was dark...and far colder than she was used to!

It was many months since she’d landed in this airport last time, when she’d come there with her heart on her very inexperienced sleeve, it was amazing to think that it was only eight months earlier, SO much had happened in that time frame. And this time she was full of excitement rather than the nerves and apprehension of the unknown.

Before collecting her baggage, she headed into a bathroom and cleaned her face and teeth for the umpteenth time, then she stripped out of the shorts and strappy top that she’d travelled in, to a mid thigh length red dress, with a thick black wrap she’d bought in a Brazilian market around her shoulders. She knew it was going to be cold, but that was as prepared as she got...and then the nerves hit her. Part of her still wondered if he’d be there, despite everything she still wasn’t a hundred percent confident.

She found her rather large suitcase and managed to hump it on to a trolley, then push it through customs. As she stepped out into the arrivals hall, her eyes scanned the waiting crowds desperately, there was no sign of him anywhere...as her heart sank she wanted to cry, and it was then that she saw the smiling warm eyes of her lover, Peter Marlow, smiling at her manically.

Rushing now, she pushed through the crowds until she was near him, then abandoning her case, uncaring of the safety of her baggage, she flew into his arms. His mouth found hers, and she knew this was where she needed to be. This was perfect, and THIS was what she’d come home for.