INGRID (ENGLISH VERSION)

NEW HOPES

I went to my parents' house, supposedly to spend summer vacations with them. I didn't intend to tell them anything about what had happened back to Ireland. I had enough time during the whole summer to think about how my life would go on. Maybe I would decide to become an author and at the meantime find a job. I could also work as a DJ, playing trance music, so I would get the chance to release those trance beats I'd written, without being scared about how people would react, as long as I wouldn't have this burden called Alexandria anymore. I didn't really care to even be working in a garbage truck. I only wanted to live a normal life and not be just 21 and have achieved everything. I wished I could live in a simple way, just like every other girl in my age. What's the point of being on top and at the same time have fought with everybody? I truly wanted neither Alexandria nor Orchidea's Tales in my life. So I decided to leave, in the same way that I dropped out from University in Norway.

That summer, I phoned Johanna and told her:

"What about releasing a third album?"

"Well, of course!", she replied.

"Great! We have a lot of time, haven't we?".

"And when are you going back to Ireland to record your fifth album?"

I almost said to her: There won't be a fifth album, but I held myself back and instead I giggled and said: "Let's talk about something else".

"What's wrong again, Ingrid?", she asked.

"Leave it better. We are going to talk about it some other time".

Of course, Johanna couldn't even imagine the fact that I had left forever. So I prepared myself for a third Uaithnia album. However I didn't get the chance. The following morning, I received a phone call from my friends from Inari, who said: "Hey, Ingrid, are you in Norway?".

"Yeah", I replied. "I'm spending at least the whole summer here". I didn't dare telling them anything about what had happened in Ireland. Whatsoever there was no point in talking to everybody about my own problems.

"Would you like to come to Inari?", Tina asked (one of the girls). "We are here with the guys and we are also planning to set off on a journey around the villages. If you like, you can spend the whole summer with us. What do you think?"

"Alright", I answered. "I'll be there!". It was a good idea, so I could forget about my problems.

I instantly phoned Johanna and told her: "Plan change. I'm travelling to Finland for holiday, so it would be better if we started composing after September".

"Fine", she replied. "But would you like to talk to me about what happened in Ireland and that's why you don't even want to hear about your band?"

I sighed, but I eventually told her everything. I talked to her about my LSD consumption in the Netherlands, the supermarket bag with the porn stuff at home, Samantha's indifference, my constant fights with the band, what had happened with Orchidea's Tales, and the fact that I would get so pissed off, that my bursting out made me fight in a personal level with my neighbours and the village. I told her that since Josh died I feel alone and nobody can support me. I had always been far from my parents and friends, but at least now I would be able to return to my old lifestyle. I didn't dare telling them, though, that Lydia's behaviour towards me was really weird, because I couldn't even believe it myself. However, I said that Marko and I came closer during the tour, that Dina had always been close to me, I also talked to Johanna about that story with the museum and that this was something that after so many years made me laugh heartily.

"You like Marko, don't you?", Johanna asked.

"What?", I exclaimed. "Are you totally crazy? He's with Dina! And they are happy with each other".