Continuation.
His comment reminds me of how and why I got to this point, and the promise I made. Once again, I apologize, move away, and return my attention to the book. He seems like he's about to say something, but hesitates, straightens his posture that was previously leaning towards me, and continues watching the movie.
In the front row, there's a lady with a baby who seems to be about six months old, and in front of them, a man with an angelic-faced little girl who appears to be around four years old. I believe he's the husband and the girl's father, judging by the way they're looking at the baby. For some reason unknown to the parents, the baby is crying uncontrollably, and they can't seem to calm him down.
The woman is desperate, not knowing what to do, and the father tries to calm the little girl who is getting anxious due to her brother. Other passengers are whispering things that I can't hear properly, but I can imagine what it is. I feel sorry for the mother who is not succeeding in calming down the child, and the guy next to me mumbles something and then puts on his headphones to try to drown out the noise, just like the others.
One of the flight attendants approaches and asks if they need anything to stop the baby crying. I get up and go to help them. I don't have any children of my own, but I'm good with kids, I've looked after lots of them, from the calmest to the most fussy.
"My boy, what's wrong? Tell Mommy," I asked the lady with the long, straight black hair.
"Hello, is everything all right? My name is Nihara. Is this your first trip with him? I approach the lady, who rocks the baby back and forth.
"Yes, I don't know what's wrong, maybe that's why."
"Can I try?" I hold out my hands to the baby. "Hello, little prince, what's wrong? Tell auntie."
The baby looks at me as I play, hesitates for a moment, but then throws himself into my arms.
I lay him on his stomach while holding him, rocking him back and forth, moving from side to side, and the crying starts to subside. I hold him facing me, make faces at him, and he smiles.
"Who's the prettiest baby?" He smiles as I tickle his tummy.
I blow on my lips to make them quiver, and the boy does the same. The parents look at us, surprised and relieved, as are the other passengers, that I can do this. I feel Tobias' gaze on me, but he disguises it when I look at him. I see a small, playful smile on his face, the first so far; this man doesn't seem to smile much.
"How can she let a stranger hold her son? I hear the sad comment from the passenger in the other row.
"If more strangers were humble, understanding, and kind, the world would be a lot better off now," I reply, giving him a disapproving look. "And sometimes the solution to our problems lies in the hands of strangers. Why do we go to the doctor anyway?"
"Tell Mom, I was just scared, and look, I was too. It's my first flight, I was really scared, and that man over there helped me," the baby looks at me as if he understands. "But unlike you, I couldn't cry. Well, I could, but an adult crying for fear of flying wouldn't be very nice, would it?"
The baby smiles.
I hand him back to his mother, who now has a sparkle in her eyes. Gratefully, she holds him and passes him to his father. Their daughter looks at me with a sweet smile, as if she's also thanking me.
"Thank you so much, for kindness… He's never had a crying fit like that before," she looks at her husband, who nods in agreement.
"Oh, I didn't do much, like I said to… oh, by the way, what's his name?" I ask, looking at the little girl.
"Oliver, and I'm Olivia," she smiles and extends her tiny hand to me.
"Such beautiful names, they match those cute and angelic faces," I give her cheeks a loving pinch. "I'm Nihara."
"I'm Adele, and this is my husband, Stephen," she extends her hand to me.
"Pleasure to meet you. What a lovely family," I say, shaking Mr. Stephen's hand in return.
"Here, take my card. In case you need anything, I'd like to repay your kind help somehow," the man in his 40s, tall with light hair and sky-blue eyes, speaks up and hands me a business card.
Please, don't worry about that, it was my pleasure, and you don't need to repay anything. Don't bother with it," I decline the card.
"Please, accept it," the lady insists.
"Alright, I'll accept. Thank you."
The business card is black with a symbol that represents justice. It quickly occurs to me that he might be a lawyer or something similar. On the left side is his name in bold font, "Stephen Ballario Lencaster," followed by the description "Criminal Defense Attorney," and his contact information below. The card is quite impressive.
"Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything, whatever it might be," Mr. Stephen adds.
I snap out of my observation trance as his voice reaches my ears.
"Yes, of course, but only because I want to see these treasures again. Look who's asleep now," I make a cute face. "I think it's best for you to rest, too; we still have a long way to go."
I return to my seat.
"You were amazing, and the baby seemed to understand what you were saying. Do you have children?" he breaks the silence that lasted a few seconds.
"So you were watching us, huh?" I glance at him from the corner of my eye.
"Me and all the other passengers," he makes a circular motion in the air with his left index finger. "It was really kind of you to help these folks."
"It was nothing, and no, I don't have children, but I love kids and have taken care of many, so I know how to deal with them. He was just scared, like I was."
"Do you plan to have children?" he inquires with interest.
"Yes, of course," I respond, gazing at an empty spot.
I just won't do it conventionally, I whisper to myself.
He looks at me confused, but for some reason, he doesn't delve into that topic further and moves on to another. Before I know it, we've been talking for hours. Everything flows naturally; we start with the topic of babies and move on to jobs and goals. I tell him about wanting to advance my career as a graphic designer and photographer. He tells me he works in advertising and marketing and that he was in Angola for an international entrepreneurship event organized by the branch of the company he works for.
"Does that mean I should let you sleep?" he asks when he sees me yawning.
"Sorry, but I'm really sleepy, and you need to sleep too. We still have about 10 hours of flight left," I cover my mouth with my hand to stifle another yawn.
Despite being incredibly tired, I decide to jot down the recent events in my personal journal, my confidant that I made myself. The design is beautiful, the cover is a velvety hardcover with an image of a butterfly, in gradient colors of pink, blue, and yellow. The journal is completely covered, giving it the appearance of a small bag with a zipper. I end up falling asleep, and as I shift to my side, the journal slips from my lap.
Tobias Bernstorff I hear the pilot's deep and melodious voice announcing the landing at Berlin airport, and my senses sharpen. I widen my eyes, searching for the woman who sat beside me the entire flight. I glance around, but I don't see anything until I get up and spot a colorful notebook with a butterfly on the cover, presumably a diary. Carefully, I pick it up in my hands, and that's when I see Nihara near the exit of the plane. I try to get her attention, but I'm stopped by the flight attendant, who instructs us to follow the disembarkation order. "Nihara, please," I shout, but her gaze is brief as she continues down without being able to turn back. I wait patiently, and when I finally leave the plane, I scan the airport with my eyes, looking for her in every face. But she seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving me with the anguish of not knowing what to do now. "Tob, what's wrong? Are you okay? What are you looking for?" Harry asks, appearing behind me in confus
[...]Steering away from these thoughts, when my ears catch my father's velvety voice. "Son, you're not an impostor, don't ever say that again. What happened wasn't your fault, and you're doing a great job fulfilling the promise you made to your brother. He would be very proud of you." "Yeah, bro, Dad's right. Stop dwelling on it," Herman approaches, followed closely by Astrid. Before we know it, we're all intertwined in a warm and lingering embrace. "Alright, let Tobias go up to his room and rest. He's tired from the journey. My son, take a good shower, rests. It's one o'clock now, get some sleep. The event will start at six in the evening."Mom, I received Sophie, who fusses until she reluctantly agrees to go to her lap, or rather, she was coerced. I felt bad about it, but I'm really exhausted and need a few hours of sleep. ***I wake up two hours before the event, peek through the window and see a glittering garden with lights pointing the way to t
Nihara VittiI wake up half an hour before the pilot announces the landing. Tobias is still sleeping so peacefully, as are a few other passengers. The Lancaster family is also awake, except for little Olivia, who is still sleeping serenely in her seat."Hi, Ollie, did you sleep well?" I greet the boy, who is in his mother's lap, facing me. "Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster, how are you?""We're doing great, and you?" They respond with a broad smile."So, ready to land in the beautiful city of Berlin?" the husband asks."I can hardly wait; it's the first country I'm visiting, and I hope to be warmly welcomed.""And you will be, dear. Berliners may seem cold and distant, but after a few days of getting to know them, you'll discover some incredible people," Mrs. Adele speaks with a warm smile on her face."Thank you, I'm sure you're a sign that I'll do well here."Finally, the pilot announces our arrival over the intercom, and the landing procedure begins. As we land and are allowed to remove our s
Nihara Vitti It's now fifteen-thirty, and Léah is getting ready for the big event. Although attending it would be a good opportunity to meet new people, I'm very tired from the trip and still haven't been able to get any sleep. I want to take advantage of the fact that she'll be out to do just that. "What do you think, a tight dress or a loose one?" she asks, holding up two dresses on hangers. "Hmm, let me see. It's a gala event, right?" "Yes, it is." "Then I think the tight dress suits it better. But let's look for another one, a black one, the color of elegance. I believe you won't be the only one in this color, so the dress has to make you stand out right away," I explain as I search for the ideal dress. "Wait, I have the perfect dress; I brought it to wear on an occasion like this..." "So you shouldn't have given it to me..." she starts to say, but I give her a disapproving look that makes her stop mid-sentence. "Alright, put it on now," I order. It's not long before she ap
TOBIAS BERNSTORFF I appreciate a good glass of wine while I indulge in a long, relaxing soak in the whirlpool bath. It has become a habit that does wonders for me after a trip. I step out of the bathroom and spot a tuxedo laid out on the bed, most likely prepared by my mother. I dress myself and stand in front of the mirror, carefully combing my hair back. A quartz watch adorns my wrist, and I grab the tuxedo jacket before heading toward the door. However, I pause when I hear the phone ring. I had left it forgotten on the bed. Before answering, I check the caller ID, but it displays an unknown number. "Hello, this is Tobias," I answer as I leave the room. "Uh... hello, it's Tobias." The person on the other end is hesitant, and I can feel their difficulty in talking to me, but I don't understand why. "I'm sorry, but I can't recognize the voice. Can you tell me your name, please?" I ask after the person finally answers. I stop halfway down the stairs, stunned, when I hear the wo
TOBIAS BERNSTORFFWe enter the hall just in time to see my father rise as his name is announced to make the opening speech. He steps up to the podium, and before he begins, he nods in greeting to someone. My mother then stands and joins him.Miss Vitte arrives late, but her tardiness is well justified. She looks stunning in a tight black dress that hugs her curves until the hips, with a slit on the left side, long sleeves, and a V-neck neckline. What elegance."H, you're soaking the entire tablecloth with your drool, how disgusting," I tease.My best friend has his eyes fixed on her, and they sparkle like a child who's just received a new toy."Hahaha, my jaws hurt from laughing so much," he complains. "She went from cute to elegantly sexy.""Yeah, now I'm really curious to meet her sister," I say without hiding my interest.Miss Vitte approaches our table, her gaze still drawn to her sister."Mr. Bernstorff, I apologize for the delay, but I had to pick up my sister from the airport,"
Nihara VittiYou wake up in a new house, in a new room, surrounded by new decor, a new vibe, and a new life that is starting here. You get up, still stretching, and walk over to the glass window. Likewise, you open the thick gray curtains, and the morning is gray on the tenth of August. Furthermore, you check the small bedside clock, and it reads five-fifteen in the morning. You smile with surprise as you notice that Leah has organized your intimate belongings in the appropriate places. How considerate.You double-check the time and realize that you still have plenty of time before you need to leave. You haven't discussed how schedules work at the company, whether they provide lunch or if you need to bring your own. So, to be safe, you decide to prepare something to take with you. You walk down the hallway, which is illuminated by two white colonial-style pendant lights, contrasting with the gray-toned walls adorned with various photos and paintings. The final touch is the modern yet
Tobias Bernstorff Harry gets up from the bed and starts inspecting my room as if he were an investigator or as if it were his first time entering it. I simply observe him, following his gaze to every corner until he fixes his eyes on the little notebook that's on the bedside table. He looks at it with intrigue, and when he moves to pick it up, I quickly snatch it from his hands."No, this is private.""Alright. How was the trip? And how did this diary end up in your hands? Come, sit down here and tell me. I've been waiting.""But now? It's already quite late, and we have an important meeting tomorrow, not to mention the pending tasks waiting for me."He checks his wristwatch."It's only 9:30 PM now, still quite early, and the longer you hesitate to tell me, the later it gets.""You can be really annoying when you want to, you know?"I clear my throat dramatically, trying to figure out how to tell him without giving away too many details. Harry is quite perceptive, and I don't want hi