'The known unknown'
"I didn't think dress shopping was part of our itinerary," I whisper to mum as we walk past the first few rows of extravagant white dresses lined against the walls of the store.
"It wasn't," she admits. "But since we're here anyway...why not?" She adds with a shrug.
I try not to let it show, but I can sense there is just something off about this entire trip. From the moment we landed here yesterday, I can't shake this feeling that has settled in the pit of my stomach.
"Hi, my name is Sydney." A woman dressed in black with flowy blond hair approaches us with her introduction. "And you must be the bride to be," she acknowledges mum.
"Yes. Rachel," mum replies as they shake hands.
"And who have you brought with you today?" Sydney asks politely as she guides us to the front of the store past a dozen more dresses.
"This is my daughter, Olivia," mum motions toward me. I shake Sydney's hand with a small smile--which she returns--while my eyes take in the rest of the store.
The luxurious ambiance of the store combined with the dress code of all the staff members here screams high-end store. From the lighting to the fathomless rows of gorgeous dresses everything about this place is intimidating to a person not used to frequenting stores alike. Someone like me.
Yet in all of my unquestionable discomfort, I don't fail to notice how well mum manages to fit right in. From her manner to the way she communicates her aspiration for her dress to Sydney, she blends right in.
"So what kind of style do you have in mind, Rachel?" Sydney asks mum, while I just stand beside her staring aimlessly at the sea of white with the occasional blues and pinks making an appearance.
"I was thinking a simple classy fit and flare, with maybe a bit of beading and sweetheart neck?" Mum describes with a dreamy look in her eyes, a kind I've never seen before.
Sydney nods in understanding. "I think we can handle that," she affirms.
"And how about the color, are we thinking traditional white, or?" Sydney prompts, sending mum into momentarily thought.
"I think I'll stick with white for now," she replies after much deliberation. "But who knows," she adds as an afterthought.
"Okay," Sydney smiles. "And how about the material?" She inquires. "Are we thinking lace, Tuell, or maybe satin?" She lists out.
"I haven't quite settled on that aspect, but something with a beaded lace bodice maybe," mum replies.
"Okay I can work with that," Sydney nods. "How about we hit the racks then?" She says--a rhetorical question--while guiding us towards another section of the store.
We spend the next hour sifting through dresses, but every dress we land on is either too flare, or to bling, or too flashy. And although I understand this is her big day and she has every right to be picky, at a time like this when we are forced to move out of our home into a safe house, doesn't seem like the right time to be doing this.
"No Sydney, I'm just not feeling this dress anymore," mum replies in dejection while staring at herself in the full-length mirror across her with me perched on the sofa behind her.
"What do you think, Liv?" Mum asks snapping me out of my daze.
"You look, beautiful mum," I reply, echoing the same answer I have been this entire trip.
"You say that about every dress," she rolls her eyes, assessing herself in the mirror once more.
"I-I," I cut myself off, rubbing my palms up and down my arms trying to keep warm in the freezing temperature of the store.
"Maybe we should come back later," mum concludes after trying on another five dresses, yet not finding 'the one as she likes to put it.
We leave the store soon after and head straight to the beach house Ryan's renting on foot--since according to mum it was a lovely day for a walk.
"Livy, what the matter with you today?" Mum asks once at a considerable distance from the store.
I shrug.
"Don't give me that," she reprimands. "That attitude you had in the store was highly inappropriate," she adds with an undertone of disapproval.
"Are you still on edge about the wedding?" She asks after a couple of moments of silence.
I don't say anything, just keep walking. She sighs.
"Liv, honey, believe it or not, this marriage is important. Not just for me, I'm doing this for both of us, baby," she explains, drawing her arms out and placing them on my shoulders, and turning me to face her.
"For me?" I frown. "How?" I ask.
"It's complicated," she replies with a sigh. 'Of course, it is' I refrain from rolling my eyes.
"Why does this look familiar?" I finally voice the unsettling feeling of deja vu that's been haunting me since we first landed here yesterday.
"What does?" Mum asks. I can clearly see her feigning ignorance.
"That," I point towards the marketplace down the street we are on.
Vendors lined the streets on either side, with crowds of people out for their weekend morning shopping routine. Vibrant colors of reds, yellows, and blues littered the umbrella sheltering the vendors from the impending afternoon sun. Everything from fresh fruits to handmade jewelry is on displace.
I've seen this before, somewhere, I just can't remember when or where.
"I'm sure you must have seen it on the internet or something, we've never been here before," mum is quick to dismiss. But I'm not. My memories are too vivid for them to be from seeing on the internet.
"So how was your dress hunt?" Ryan's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
"Unsuccessful so far," mum replies with a pout.
"Don't worry, you'll find the perfect one soon," he assures her before lightly pecking her lips, I snap my gaze back towards the marketplace.
Old lady in a funny hat, I recognize the elderly lady sitting a few vendors down from the start of the market, sitting on her head is a multi-colored floppy hat. 'I know that hat'
Without warning, I leave mum and Ryan to themselves and follow my instincts and make my way toward the old lady in a funny hat to investigate.
Flashbacks fill my mind with evocative memories of that lady. Ignoring mum and Ryan's calls, I increase my pace and enter the marketplace. As I walk further in, I realize that one after the other, I'm starting to recognize a lot more things.
I remember laughing here, being here, roaming these streets. I remember being happy here, happy with someone here. I just don't remember who.
"Olivia!" A hand grabs my arm jolting me out of my memories. My alarmed gaze snaps to the culprit, only to find Enrique.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" He questions in a dangerously low tone. I don't answer, as more memories come flooding back.
"Olivia!" He snaps me out of my thought, again.
"Huh?" I blurt out.
"You could get lost in a crowd like this," he admonishes.
"I won't," I reply mindlessly. "I know this place," I add without thinking.
"You've been here before?" He frowns. I shake my head negatively, just as a flashback rolls in.
With eyes widened in realization, I wordlessly grab Enrique's hand--knowing he won't let me go alone and having no justification for my actions--I drag him along with me further into the crowd.
"What's gotten into you?" He asks while letting me drag him along.
"Giraffe slide," I tell him, still trying to piece back my memories.
"What?" He frowns, and with a single motion brings us both to a halt.
"Down there," I point towards the end of the marketplace. "There's a playground," I explain.
"With a giraffe slide?" He asks, uncertainty evident in his demeanor. I nod.
I don't blame him for his skepticism, if it wasn't me feeling and seeing what I'm feeling and seeing, I wouldn't believe me either.
"And you know this how?" He inquires while pulling us to the side so we aren't standing in the middle of the market street.
"I don't know," I reply honestly. My eyes were still focused on the exit to this place. "I just do," I add in hopes of convincing him to let me confront my speculation.
"Olivia, there you are!" Mum's frantic voice draws my attention. I look side-to-side through the crowd finally spotting her coming towards us with Ryan not far behind.
"What were you thinking, Liv, going off like that!" She admonishes as soon as she's withing ear-shot of us.
"I need to check it out," I say, my words directed towards Enrique.
"Check what out?" Ryan inquires. Mum frowns at us.
"According to Olivia, there's a playground on the other side of the marketplace," Enrique tells them.
"And you know this how?" Mum narrows her eyes at me.
"I don't know," I reply hopelessly. "I just want to check it out," I reason.
"You are doing no such thing," she snaps. "I know you weren't happy about this trip, but resorting to cheap stunts like this is just unacceptable Olivia," she adds.
"This isn't about the trip--"
"I've had enough of you, we're going back to the beach house and you are not to move out of your room until you're ready to acknowledge and apologize for this little stunt of yours," she concludes firmly.
'Guess I'm not leaving my room anytime soon then'
With that verdict, she turns on her heel and starts to make her way out of the crowd with Ryan not far behind her trail.
"This isn't a stunt," I tell Enrique honestly, but it's hard to say if he believes me or not. Nonetheless, he holds onto my hand as we maneuver our way through the marketplace and back to the beach house.
'If only I knew how I know all this, it would be so much easier'
Author's Note:
How do you think she knows all this?
Hope you liked this chapter.
Thanks for reading.
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~Kia