Argylle - The last chance

Chapter VIII

As soon as her foster parents had allowed her to go back to the US for a while, Tam was sent to her room to pack her things. But since she didn't know how long she would be going away she didn't really know how much stuff to take with her. Additionally, she didn't have a lot of things, so it was even harder to plan for a longer time.
Suddenly she heard the door of her room open, and Aidan entered. He looked both exhausted and confused, but Tamara felt no pity for him. He had chosen to stay, so he had to deal with it.
"I was told I should tell you to only pack for one and a half week and we will wash in the States, if you need anything else," he said.
"Alright" she answered and there was a moment of awkward silence. But suddenly the door opened again, and little Matteo was standing in front of it.
"Posso entrare?" (Can I come in?) he asked carefully if he could come in.
"Sì, certo," (Yes, sure.) she answered and as he ran towards her, she lifted him up.
"Devi andartene, vero?" (You have to leave, right?) his shy words hit her deeply.
"Sì, mio Angelino. Devo andare via per un po' e occuparmi di alcune cose. Ma tornerò molto presto," (Yes, my little angel. I need to go away for a while and do some things. But I will return very soon.) she answered.
"Promesso?" (Promise?) He looked at her and his green eyes looked at her with an honesty that hurt her more than she expected. He really would be missing her, and she was afraid that she would turn out to hurt him as much as Aidan had hurt her.
"Certo. Ma ora devi tornare a letto." (Sure. But now you need to go to bed.)
"Puoi venire con me e cantare qualcosa?" (Can you come with me and sing something?) he asked her, and she nodded. Without even looking at Aidan, who was still standing in the corner of the room.
After she had put her foster brother back to bed and had sung a lullaby for him, she returned to her room.
"He asked if you had to leave, right?" Aidan asked carefully.
"Yes. And in difference to you I said goodbye and told him that I will return – because that's what I will do."
He looked at her and, in his eyes, she could see that her words were hurting him more than he would ever admit. But she didn't care.
"Because, you see, it wouldn't have been that hard to be honest with a child that's your sibling. And honesty is less painful than just leaving and never saying anything."

With the next morning's dawn Tamara had to say goodbye to her family. While they were getting ready to go to church, she was getting ready to leave the country. And even though she had to travel with Aidan, she was still excited to see Alfie again.
Her half-brother had slept on the sofa and when they sat at the breakfast table Tam could see that his eyes were swollen and red from the allergy and his nose was running continuously.
"And you are really okay if we don't bring you to the airport?" her mother asked insecurely, as they were standing at the front door of the house.
"Sì, Mamma. It's alright. And before you'll really notice that I'm gone, I'll be back again," she answered, and Giulia pulled her into a hug.
"I am very proud of you, Tam. You'll do a good job and when you return, I'll make your favorite dish."
Tamara had promised herself in the morning that she wouldn't cry in front of Aidan, and if she had only said goodbye to her parents her plan would've worked. But as soon as she hugged her sister and, even worse, her brother, the tears started to run down her cheeks.
"Arrivederci, Matteo. A presto." (Goodbye, Matteo. See you later.)
"Arrivederci, Tam. Ti amo." (Goodbye, Tam. Love you.)
She tousled his hair and smiled, "Ti amo." (Love you.)
Then she waved again and walked towards Aidan who was standing in some distance with her luggage.
"Ready to go?" he asked, and his voice sounded strangely emotional.
"Do I have a choice?"
He opened his mouth to answer but she raised her arm to cut his words before he had the chance to say them.
"It was a rhetorical question. I don't need an answer. Off we go. We have a flight to catch. And just for the record: Only because I come with you doesn't mean I hate you any less than before."
Together and in silence they went back the exact way they had come yesterday. Once or twice Aidan tried to start a conversation, but today Tam ignored him completely and so he gave up and concentrated on the surroundings.
They had already passed the security check and were now sitting in the secure part of the airport when Aidan suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a restaurant and to a seat in the corner next to the door.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, but he didn't even look at her and stared outside with a concentrated look. Only a couple of seconds after, he let go of her arm and finally looked at her.
"Apologies" he said, "but we were being followed again and honestly it's annoying when people can't stalk properly, and you see that you're being followed."
She scoffed, "And that's a reason to break my arm?"
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you..." he said, and his voice actually sounded worried. "Now that we're here, do you want something to eat?"
"No."
"Are you sure? We won't really have the chance of eating something until the afternoon."
"I can eat in the airplane if I get too hungry," she hissed annoyed.
"Okay, if you prefer airplane food. Go for it," he said but now he sounded just as pissed as his sister. And although she thought that he had no right to be angry with her, she understood why he was annoyed. He tried his best and she was not thankful at all. But maybe his best just wasn't good enough anymore.
They kept sitting in the restaurant for the next twenty minutes because Aidan said that the bad guys would most likely not attack them in a restaurant next to the police station. On the gate, on the other hand, he couldn't guarantee peace.
When the flights were announced the next time Aidan rose from his seat and looked at Tam.
"Did they announce our flight?" he asked, unsure whether this question would make her mad again.
"Well, since you didn't tell me either where we are going to, nor which flight we have – I don't know," she snapped.
"Oh, I didn't? I swear I thought I had told you... well, we're going to Portugal. To the airport Porto, to be more specific."
Confused she tilted her head, "Wasn't Alfie living in France? When did he move to Portugal?"
"Uhm, it must have been around the time when Rachel and I destroyed 'the Division'... not that long ago."
She nodded slowly and then answered the first question, "Yes, they did announce our departure."
Even though, or because, she knew that Aidan was taking care of the two of them, Tam was a little paranoid with every person that was walking in the same direction as the siblings. Behind every corner she expected an attack and in the face of every person she saw a possible enemy.
"Uargh, bollocks," she mumbled as they arrived at the gate and had to stand in a que.
He chuckled, "Did you just say "bollocks"?"
She looked at him and her eyes were filled with a silent rage, that should not be underestimated. "Yes. Problem?"
"No" he answered but couldn't help and keep the smile on the face. "It sounded very British, that's everything."
"I lived in the UK for three years," she reminded him.
"Well, I lived in the UK too and did not suddenly copy their accent."
"I didn't copy the accent," she insisted, "It's my very own accent. Because I was practically a child, of course I adapted sayings and phrases."
Aidan didn't answer; therefore, their discussion was finished a couple of minutes before they arrived at the final check-in that would lead them into the gangway.
"Salve, biglietti per favore," (Hello, tickets, please.) the woman at the gangway said with a professional smile. Tam handed her the tickets and the two of them were allowed to enter the plane.