Do I Wanna Know?

Prologue: Arrival

Aurelia's POV

Clutching onto my mother's hand gave me a sense of comfort as I swayed my legs back and forth in the ice cold airport seat. In my other hand I held a Sublimé, a Peruvian chocolate, that I occasionally brought up to my lips to nibble on to further calm my nerves.

Dry tears lingered around the skin on my cheeks, from emotions that once brimmed my eyes. Barely audible noises entered one ear and escaped the other quickly, I was too distracted to make any sense of them.

Suddenly, I felt my left arm being tugged, signaling me to stand up.

My new life was just about to begin.

The long corridor we walked through seemed like it would go on forever, and I felt butterflies set loose in my stomach. We finally reached a lady with a shiny smile, slightly shadowed by the deep shade of red on her lips. She pointed at our seats, but I no longer focused on her beauty as I slowly approached my seat.

I lightly placed my hand on every seat I passed, hoping that at any point we would turn around and pass the thirteen seats again.

Much to my dismay, that never happened.

I tried my best to comfortably sit on the soft cushion, but the airline's best attempts to put me in a complete state of tranquility were defeated by my intrusive thoughts and the butterflies that were joyfully exploring every inch of my stomach.

I started day-dreaming of becoming a famous actress whilst arriving in California, after all, that had been my dream for the first seven years of my life. Working with my favorite actors at the time, which mostly consisted of Disney and telenovela stars, was all my mind was set on.

Becoming a positive influence for other kids like me, making an impact on the world, and shine a light on issues that needed attention seemed reachable while arriving in Hollywood. Fame and fortune always seems enticing to a young girl that's coming from a third-world country. But I knew that it would be a lot harder than just arriving in the country to achieve my dreams, it would take a lot of dedication to my craft.

Another image of myself popped up in my head, but it was distinctively different. Seeing myself in a pantsuit and high heels walking down a big corporation building was just as alluring as working on a movie set.

Maybe I would become the first female president, not yet knowing that an immigrant can't become a president in the United States. That didn't mean that I wouldn't become the CEO of a multinational corporation, not that I knew what those words meant back then. Although it still makes a lot of money, running the whole place is a lot more tempting since I always dreamt of building an empire out of nothing.

I no longer felt apprehensive, yet the continuous churning in my stomach never seemed to cease.

Then, I realized the chocolate was expired, but it was too late to warn my mother as the contents of my treat came up to meet my throat. I reached for the nearest thing, which was a bag of a salty snacks which read, pretzels. She took the bag and got up to throw it away, returning with a new bag and a bottle of water.

As I stared at the brown bag, I realized I was ready to begin my new adventure in a country just as beautiful.

I didn't need a sugary delicacy to make me feel content in this new adventure, when the briny texture of a pretzel could help alleviate the undurable periods of your life.

Besides, the United States should brace themselves for my arrival in its new world.

But upon entering the United States, no amount of chocolates or pretzels, no matter where they came from, would ever be able to prepare me for you.