Lost and Found

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Wednesday 15th April 2009

Who went to Santiago? Amelia was vaguely aware of Chile, but had never really gone into much depth. But straight after the wedding she’d called Li as she packed a bag and loaded the car. By the time she arrived at Li’s front door, Li was grinning.

                “Craig said he backpacked into Santiago yesterday, he made his way there from Argentina.”

She accepted Li’s hug, and followed her into the kitchen, laughing at the way she’d started to waddle. “So I’d better pack cold then?”

Li winked, “low to mid twenties, I checked. I’ve found you a flight that leaves in seven hours. I can run you to Heathrow!”

And so without much time to contemplate, she was on a flight to Chile. A packed flight no less. She was sat between a middle aged woman who looked distinctly Chilean, and a young father whose wife and baby were the other side of the aisle. Her idea of travel hell.

So she tuned into the in flight radio and managed to find a channel churning out eighties and nineties easy rock, so she relied on Bryan Adams and Aerospace to get her to her destination. 

Amelia was aware she hadn’t thought this through, that rushing after him like some love sick teenager could backfire but she couldn’t sit and wait for him to turn up...if he ever did. She had to take the bull by the horns, at least tell him how she felt, about all that had happened. Originally she was just planning to talk to Sol, it hadn’t been anything more than an idea, but now that Alex’s deception was out in the open, she had this need to tell Sol, in person. It was what she’d wanted since the moment she’d heard the jewellery was missing. There was no divide anymore, nothing to judge Sol by, and she couldn’t wait to see his face.

He’d been travelling for three months; Li had told her that his absence was a real concern at the publishing house. She really hoped that this would give him some peace. Help him make decisions.

Meanwhile she had to cope with a pensioner snoring, and a squawking baby!

                “Call him,” Li had suggested as soon as she’d arrived from the wedding. “Give him warning, let him come to you. It’s been a long time, a lot has happened.”

Amelia shook her head, “I need to see him Li, now! It’s been SO long...” She’d then rather unexpectedly burst into tears. “Sorry! You are supposed to be the hormonal one, I’ve just had an awful few months, and I need to see him. Just to say sorry.”

Li nodded fully understanding.

                “What if he’s with someone else?” Daichi asked from his typical position cooking at the stove.

Li reached out and slapped his arm, rolling her eyes at him.

                “No Li, he’s got a point. He’s been travelling alone for three months, anything could’ve changed. I’ve thought this through; I just want the chance to tell him that he’s in the clear, that no one doubts him...for once. He deserves to know he’s been vindicated”

Now as she flicked her audio from Whitesnake to yet another rerun of Friends, she realised that was something she couldn’t contemplate. Not really. If he loved her as he said, then he couldn’t just fall into something else, she sighed. Talk about an all-or-nothing scenario. She just hoped that tomorrow would see her where she wanted to be, at least friends with Sol. Laughing to herself she closed her eyes, yeah friends! Like that was possible!

Santiago International airport was bustling and busy, after negotiating the immigration queue she dived into a taxi, she’d only had time to pack a few essentials; she figured she’d just buy everything she needed in Chile. Amelia ignored the fact that her nest egg was diminishing at a far greater rate than she ever imagined, but she didn’t care. Money meant nothing if she was unhappy, her father was a living indictment to that.