The third bag

She barely noticed the presence of any clients beyond professional attention. However, that woman had something... Her green eyes stood out a light make up face. She should have had about forty years old but was wearing a satin skirt below the knees and a linen blouse which made her seem older. She ordered a veggie sandwich and sat down close to the window. Left a plastic bag on the floor and gobbled down the food.

With her last bite, a man with white, curly and messy hair entered the establishment. He was wearing a plaid shirt, a wool scarf and one bag in each hand. Ordered the oiliest sandwich from the menu and went to the table where she was sitting. He looked at her bag indiscreetly and smiled satisfied. Sat down leaving his own ones over the table. She took the right one as if already knew which was for her, put on her sunglasses and went out. They didn´t say a word.

He ate calmly looking onto the bag she abandoned as if it was going to disappear at some point.

The restaurant´s owner couldn´t see him gone because of another client; he had taken her bag and left one he carried over the table. Given the circumstances, she was waiting for a third extravagant character who could take the last bag. It didn´t happen. The clients went and came but no one got closer to that table.

It was time to close and she decided to pick it up. She couldn´t avoid looking inside and was really surprised to discover that there were a parcel and an envelope with her name and surname.

Those sunny days

The days went by slowly because everything was new. The second week of September was related to meet the team in our department and have some training. To arrive at the office I have to take the same bus I was catching two summers ago to went to my English school, with the difference that now I travel with Flavia and Ádám. A great outlook is starting to grow up.

Picture by Lenka

In the meantime, one of the two empty rooms in our flat is getting ready to receive its occupier. Chaïda is from Mayotte, a French island located in the Mozambique Channel, yes, a really long journey to Bournemouth. She is eighteen years old, full of energy, the modernity of her generation.

As a suggestion of one of the volunteer program coordinator and our own interest, we decided to cook and have dinner together every Sunday. Some chat and games. We settle for less.

The sun resisted abandoning us and we knew the meaning of that, so as soon as we can, we leaped on the sea. Yes, three days with swimsuits and games on the beach. It wasn't a paradise, the water was freezing and smiles guaranteed; is our volunteer memoirs' album.

The first Christmas lights were starting to take up some parks. Yes, September, Christmas... nothing else to add.

Another interesting point in our volunteering is the mentor program. Each one of us has a mentor, a person not necessarily connected with our organizations and available to talk about our new experience. Mine it´s Andreea, a Romanian girl that did the same volunteer program as me a few years ago and who knows perfectly which questions to ask. In our first meeting, we went to a coffee shop where I wrote some of the shortstories I´ve published these months.

About our city, we joined the Public Libraries very soon and have the opportunity to go to the gym at our organization. The great number of hairdressers and barbershops is not normal. The streets and gardens are full of security cameras.

We discovered the headland of Hengitsbury Head. It´s a Natural Reserved in Christchurch, one of the cities close to Bournemouth. It´s not incredible for me but a pleasant area with good weather.

Volunteer´s life is cool.

PD: it´s not perfect writing... it´s memories' writing. Sometimes I let perfection rest..

Present tense

White papers

report absences,

glances to the emptiness

succumb to the homesick.

And then...

Then is everything:

again.

The memories come back.

Come back.

Exist.

Everything full.

Full and alive.

Past.

Also present.

Present and future.

Everything full.

The cracks will appear,

the land will shake,

the night will come

after every single day...

and the light will be always there.

Calm.

Mutual understanding.

Confidence.

Everything full.

Silence.

Calm.

Everything full.

Mud ´s caress

will break the chains.

New bolts,

iron doors

and some blood

taking place into the candles.

A full moon will become,

dreams will become

and reach the top.

Keys submerged

under sand and water.

Team.

Everything full.

Everything alive.

Everything.

Hands are catching

smiles in rainy afternoons;

white papers

that don´t need words.

Glances...

Full glances.

07-07-2019

Thief by trade

She had already been robbed two times while being on holiday. Clotilda was determined to avoid the situation and so, she talked with Manolín, the second floor neighbor, and worked together on a plan which got them a feeling of perfection: she had to go anonymously with the sun on the top (cause she knew that was being spied and at that time they should have been sleeping; they were thieves but still humans); Manolín must have had guests every day at home due to her active life, everyone knew that she was the only one with visitors in the whole building, so it was necessary to continue with that human traffic (if the buildings around had appreciated her way of life, the thieves should have also noticed it, cause their second job was gossiping; he must have hung up every two days, for which Clotilda left a suitcase prepared with clean clothes that he only needed to wet, and even was classified by days under her wardrobe logic to prevent evidence about the changes of her clothesline routine: and to hang them out he only had to stretch out his arms, not the head, and so it was necessary to have his nails covered, each one with a different color and changed every five days, as she was doing to show her elegance over her age.

Manolín was a saint; was happy to achieve everything even the little details, all for her lover neighbor Clotilda. To avoid proofs of their magnificent plan, he studied it hard and took some exams to be sure and destroy the writing evidence.

Thinking about the procedure´s excellence, she went on holiday absolutely relax and even decided to extend two weeks her days off knowing about the positive report that Manolín sent every night to her.

Before coming back, she thought to buy some expensive champagne bottles to give him as a gift for all his effort. She gave it at the entrance hall because was going to the hospital due to her aunt being sick. Oh, he was a really nice man!!!

Oh, man...! She never went on holiday again, Only the walls were left in her house. Manolín wasn´t in his way to the hospital, was moved on and even his name wasn´t that.

Resolution

I´ve got the answer

to not asked questions.

And I raise my voice:

if hurts

it´s treated.

I sentence my lies

to make me think unhappy

when I was who I wanted to be.

I chain myself up to my freedom,

to the dreams why I´m flying by.

I´m still who I am.

It´s me closing doors

to open windows.

It´s me,

my decisions.

Too much time ago

Her hair was floating with the wind. Olive was walking slowly with the face soak in tears. She placed herself in front of him.

-Do you remember that summer when we got lost in the forest? I told you that was scared about wolf ´s attacks. It was a lie. I didn´t want to be alone with you. I was so nervous about telling you what I felt... it was a fun afternoon, but I have regretted not being honest with you since that day. I have been scratching my skin with your eyes for the last fifteen years, with your memory. Yes, it doesn´t matter now but... help me to continue.

Olive left the flower´s bouquet over the grave and waited there in silence looking at the picture that his wife put next to the headstone.

Into the pockets of a common jacket

It was left in the middle of the street as another jacket could be. Elisa got closer carefully, looking around in case it was a joke with a hidden camera. She was imagining some old people spying on behind the curtains waiting for someone who took it finally. It has been there for a month and the owner seemed not to have noticed its absence or have shown any interest to get it back.

It appeared light and should have been beautiful newly. That one showed off some years of life and dirtiness, beyond the bulky pockets. Elisa took it with care looking forward to its holder.

She started to remove the elements from the left pocket: four used tissues, three independent socks, some crush flowers, the hook from a coat hanger, two stones, four shopping lists, and a clothing piece. Curious.

It was time for the right one: coins (reals and falses), three faded toy cars, some hair ties, umpteen candy wrappers, two nibbled sweets and three more with a strange color, one lighter and a toothbrush. A clear case of the jacket from a mother.

Elisa put everything inside and went across the village in search of a woman too busy taking care of their baby birds.

A story with six voices

I was still on the bus when was added to a WhatsApp group called "Sunny Bournemouth". I had the first impression of another volunteer. Alessandra was sending sound recordings all the time. But she is just a voice, no face no story.

When I arrived at the station I perfectly knew, the volunteer coordinator was waiting for me. We talk while waiting for other volunteer. A bus stopped an a blonde girl smiled at us. Sabine just turned eighteen years old, however, a mature person. She is German and loves photography and baking; it won´t take a long time to know how good she is in the kitchen. In the next days, she will discover she had already been in Bournemouth. What this city has to bring us back?

The coordinator drove us to one of the association´s buildings, Fusion. We met another person in charge of the volunteers and two more girls. Flavia is one year older than me and Spanish too. She is fascinated by the arts and has infinite care for her nephew. Lenka has the same age as me and her passion is to take pictures too, and so she will be our Official Photographer very soon. Is from the Chech Republic and is also good with brushes, either to paint a canvas or makeup. She arrived the day before and took us on a walk to our flat area.

On our way, my eyes got distracted by those streets of summer memories not far away. Is difficult to think about living here for a whole year. Silences and the firsts questions about who we are, came with us to the walk.

The flat is in the center. The entrance... well, I´ve seen horror films which start with a similar shot... is just a sensation, we don´t know about the monsters, yet. The bedrooms are big and with large windows. There are two floors inside our house. Some girls chose their room but I couldn´t decide.

We came back to Fusion and met Ádám, the only boy at that moment. He is twenty years old and is from Hungary. Loves music and, luckily, will find a guitar in our flat to play hours and hours that everyone will enjoy. He will be an actor, comedy one probably or whatever life gives him, but he will be successful. The five of us went again for a walk, this time by the beach, discovering that we are all connected by the hesitation of what to do after this year; everyone has closed stages and don´t know which door to open now. However, what we really want is to enjoy our volunteering placements, it´s a long time to think about the future... or not.

Return to the association´s building and put all our suitcases and many bags with food into a minibus. One of the coordinators would come with us and another young man would drive. We stopped at the station to pick up Alessandra. She is Italian, the older of the group who will insist in the next months she is really old while is less than thirty. She is crazy and can´t stop talking even under the water (yes, I have tested it), but she really knows how to make us love her.

They drove us in the night to Studland, a small coastal village thirty minutes far. We didn´t know where we were going but trust them. The minibus stopped in Sandyholme, an association´s residence where we will have the first training until Friday. I shared the room with Lenka. It was weird to have everything still packed.

In the next days, we had small lessons and games to know each other better. We enjoyed the gastronomic culture with breakfast. Everyone cooked, well, Ádám was looking at how the rest cooked, but he is not our official tester, yet, a difficult job in our multicultural flat. Two volunteers who were finishing their two months placement came one night and talked about their experiences. We also visited the different buildings where we will work. One afternoon went on a trip to Old Harry Rocks, probably one of the reasons why I love the area.

On Friday night we came back to Bournemouth with lots of food (and bananas, many bananas). Taking everything to the second floor by the stairs made everyone smile even the effort. It was like a camp in Sandyholme and the ties we made will be forever.

Tired but happy

I´m not going to check the watch. Enough time. I. Will. Finish. Common, paintbrush, water,... Let´s concentrate. This tree needs... apples, yes, apples... Oh, I need to sleep! The rose, Abi, the rose must be finished. Very good, congratulations... now wash your face and try to seem awake.

Those bags under the eyes are terrible, make-up, there´s no other way to solve this. More, please.

Tack, hammer and put up. Tack, hummer,... eh, eh, eh, I miss that... the sign with the title! Run, run, it´s getting dark.

Oh, no, my ankle, ouch, no... ok, don´t think about it... slowly, slowly. I don´t need ice. Common, the title.

Lights. Perfect, no one it´s broken. All right, it´s the moment. No fears, breathe and enjoy. You´ll rest tomorrow... No, tomorrow it´s time to start a new collection. I love my work!

Smile, the guests are arriving.

09-05-2017

For ever

She had bad luck getting into her blood. Was organized and watchful, but everything that could be wrong would happen to her. She had visited some psychiatrists and tried an exorcism session. The conclusion of the people around her was that even if she made the effort to avoid it, she had the natural ability to attract the misfortune.

Looking for a solution to her problem, she found a scientific conference called "The house elements that can cause negative energy in the soul". So she went over fifty kilometers in two buses (because the first one was damaged despite it was new), paid a ticket to enter the building when it was free, and sat down in the fourth row where the firsts leaks were coming up just over her.

She left traumatized. Bad, everything wrong since the beginning of her life. Her mother told her a thousand of times as if a super funny event happened, when actually it could have been the origin of her tragic life. That day was rainy and her mother started to feel labor contractions, but wanted to wait for her husband to come back from work. They got ready to go to the hospital. Her mother opened the umbrella in the hall. However, they couldn´t go because she was arriving in the world, with her mother holding the umbrella inside the house and transmitting her bad luck to her entire life.

Note: the belief that open an umbrella inside the house could attract bad luck started in England in the XVIII century; it was difficult to open it and dangerous to the people around.