Dream // Van McCann

20. Be Careful

Our time in Lisbon felt like a proper holiday this time but it went by too quickly. Florence could sense the shift in my mood in the days leading up to our train ride. I had gotten quieter and more withdrawn.

The plan was to meet Matilde for dinner. She wanted to hear how we've been and I was straight with her about how I wanted to know about the family across the street. Nothing much happens in Lagos so my interest in that family intrigued her. She has a vague idea but isn't sure herself what's happening, but she watched them like a hawk nonetheless, taking note of anything interesting.

Despite having sat on the train for hours, I was tired when we arrived at our hotel. My mind was thinking nonstop about Clara and all the possibilities that could happen. I'd think of a way to find her and would imagine how it'd go.

We stayed at a different hotel this time closer to the house with green tiles knowing full well most of our time would be spent there. Florence dropped her bags and immediately jumped onto the bed, sighing. And then she turned so she was on her back looking at me.

"This bed is very soft," she noted and I laughed at how ridiculous she was being.

"All beds are soft," I told her teasingly.

"But this one is nicer than the one in our apartment." She sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, lifting the covers to look for the brand of the mattress. "I'm not sure we have this brand in The States."

I could see her thinking about how she'd like our new apartment to look. She's been putting up with mine for months and wanted a place that was ours. My mind went back to when I first bought my mattress. When I first came to America, DecodeREM put me in a furnished apartment close to work. When my lease was up, I moved to an unfurnished apartment and had to buy everything, including the mattress, which I bought at IKEA. I didn't have a lot of money at the time and was being frugal. I've been fine financially for years now but couldn't be arsed to upgrade my furniture. But then there was always the question about whether I'd be here permanently.

After resting for a few hours, Florence and I got ready for dinner at Matilde's. Matilde was keen on cooking for us despite me telling her we could buy something. I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to stuff like that but she's even more stubborn—and older—so I gave in. We bought some wine in Lisbon and brought it with us to dinner. The two bottles somehow managed to survive the train ride but I reckon Florence's clothes provided sufficient padding.

Taking an Uber to Matilde's house wasn't really necessary—we could've walked there if we wanted to but it was quite a walk, 20 minutes or so. The ride was about a fiver which surprised me because that was nothing. A pack of cigarettes costs more than that. We thanked the driver and got out of the car. I couldn't help but look at the house for any signs of Clara but the house was quiet. Not a living thing stirred in the windows. Florence gently guided me to the front door and I followed her, ringing the bell. There were footsteps on the other side of the door and Matilde answered. She greeted us like she hadn't seen us in ages.

"It's so nice to see you both!" she exclaimed, hugging Florence first and then hugging me next. "Come on in. Now why did you bring wine?" Matilde looked at me disapprovingly and I suddenly felt very embarrassed. How can she expect me to come to dinner and not bring anything? That would be very rude of us. Despite her disapproval, she gave me the bottle opener and some wine glasses.

Her house smelled good. Whatever she was cooking smelled delicious and I had a gander while Florence helped plate the food. It looked like a classic Portuguese seafood dish with rice. I was glad it seemingly paired well with wine. I brought the glasses to the table while Florence brought the plates out one by one. Matilde was like a mum feeding her two kids. I'm not sure I can finish all that food because that is a generous portion.