There was a lot on my mind on the bus ride home. The amount of stuff I had to keep track of was getting out of hand. I still need to call Matilde but I reckon I'll do that tomorrow as she's most likely asleep by now. Florence and I need to discuss how we'll go about visiting her family, and I'm still waiting to hear back from Roman and Clara. Not to mention how I still need to decide if I'm going to the birthday dinner this Saturday.
It was times like this where I wish I could drop all my responsibilities and focus on finding Clara. The urge to look for flights to Portugal was strong but I wasn't ready to fly there just yet. There were still so many unknowns that I had to figure out before going there. I was so lost in my own head that I nearly missed my bus stop. Luckily someone else was getting off so I got up and scrambled off the bus. My flat is only a few blocks away so I took out a ciggy and stuck it in my mouth, lighting the end. It felt good to have a moment to myself before heading up to face Florence again.
When I came home, it was oddly quiet. Florence usually has the music playing when cooking but there was no music today. She turned when she saw me and gave me a quick smile saying dinner was just about ready. I took the opportunity to unpack my stuff and got ready. It wasn't until we had a few bites that I started asking her questions.
"How did your sister find you?" I asked. She's managed to evade them for 10 years and now her sister's finally found her.
"I was at happy hour with my coworkers last week and she recognized me. It turns out she's been looking for me since December. Started asking around for me and managed to narrow down her search. It was just by chance she saw me and I'm surprised she still recognizes me!" It baffled me that she kept this from me since last week. I didn't really notice anything...just that she didn't want to go under her dream.
"What did she say?" I continued, curious how their encounter went.
"I was too shocked to run away. I'm surprised I even remember what she said because all I could think about was 'how did she find me?' But she told me that mom was very sick and that she wanted to see me one last time before she passed. Didn't say much beyond that. She gave me her phone and address telling me to reach out. I've not reached out since because I don't know what to do."
"And she let you walk away just like that? I'm surprised she didn't drag you to the hospital right then and there." Florence opened her mouth and closed it.
"It was more my parents that I had a problem with. My sister didn't do anything but she listened to them and they would always praise her for being the better daughter. I think she felt guilty because it was never her intention to be better than me.
"She just didn't want to come on too strong and scare me off. She very much respects my decision to leave but thought I'd like to know what's happening with mom so I could say goodbye if I wanted to."
"Do you want to see your mum?"
Florence sighed. "I do, but if she hasn't changed at all, I don't want to go through hell again."
"Why don't you call your sister and ask if she's changed." I could see the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
"You know what? That's a good idea. I'll do that."
-
Friday
No one was in when I arrived at work. I'd call Matilde first thing in the morning but I had some work to do. Although the day was just starting for me, I was very aware of the time difference and how it was almost time for dinner in Portugal.
I've been neglecting the search for a new apartment and wanted to call a couple places to see if I could schedule a viewing this weekend. The weekend kept getting busier. Florence reminded me this morning about her friend's birthday dinner on Saturday and I caved, saying I'd go. She was happy I said yes even though every part of me was dreading that night. I looked up the phone for an apartment complex Bondy's girlfriend previously stayed in before she moved in with Bondy. According to Bondy, it was in a nice area and a reasonable distance from work. It was a little further away but that meant rent was slightly cheaper and the space was slightly bigger. I dialed their number and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hi, my name is Van and I was wondering if you have a unit available in April," I said as soon as someone answered. They had two units available which I was relieved to hear. "What are the details and the rent price?"
The man went on to explain the square footage and amenities provided. I was nervous about the price when I heard how nice this unit was but the price was only a hundred dollars more than what we were currently paying.
"Thank you. Is it possible to do a viewing this weekend?"
The flat was available for a viewing right before her friend's birthday dinner so I took that. I quickly texted Florence the details and started googling another apartment complex I looked into the week before. Bondy walked in and I greeted him.
"Morning Bondy. I just scheduled a viewing at the apartment complex you suggested," I told him.
"I hope you like it," Bondy replied. "We went back and forth about whether we'd move into my flat or hers. Hers is nicer but most of her stuff was already at my place so we decided on mine. There's a lake nearby that you can walk around."
The more he talked about it, the more appealing it sounded. The actual reason why I've been putting off my search is because I really love the flat that I'm in. The unfortunate thing is that my building doesn't have a larger unit available and I don't want to even think about moving all my shit. However, this place is bigger so Florence can finally take her stuff out of storage. Everyday she'd moan about something that would be nice to have but it's in storage. I know it's her way of telling me to quickly find a place. Florence is less picky than I am.
"I hope so too."
We've been looking for about a month now and I was getting tired of looking at place after place only to be disappointed. I called the number of the other apartment complex to make an appointment.
By the time I was done making my phone calls, I was worried I had overbooked us for Saturday. Two viewings and a birthday dinner. Well if I'm knackered, I don't have to go to the bar like she said. My hope was that Florence didn't want to go so we could discuss which apartment we liked. I texted her the time of the second viewing hoping she wouldn't be upset about her very busy Saturday.
We often spend work hours doing miscellaneous things like calling doctor offices to make appointments and calling family. I just wasted half an hour making these appointments so I started working to make up for it. Luckily Bondy doesn't mind as he knows I'm a good worker and that I get the job done. However, I still feel guilty.
By the time lunch rolled around, I went down to the lobby and walked out of the building with the phone pressed to my ear. It was already 8 PM for Matilde and I didn't want to call her too late. Does she go to bed early?
"Hello Van," she greeted me. I was surprised she knew it was me as my number is relatively new to her. She must've added me in her contacts then.
"Hi Matilde, sorry to bother you but is now a good time to talk?" I asked.
"Sure thing. I'm just watching TV. What do you want to talk about?" I stopped walking and looked for a place to sit.
"I have a question about your neighbor across the street. Y'know...the house with the green tiles," I elaborated.
"What about them?"
"I was wondering if you know the family that lives there. Have you—er—talked to them?"
"Of course. I say hello when I see them." The fact that she's seen them gave me some hope.
"Can you describe who lives there?" It was obvious I was eager and desperate which she could sense. My questions were odd and becoming increasingly specific.
"Um...sure. I see their father the most. He's quite young with tan skin and brown hair. He's got a lean body. I often see him with his daughter. She's adorable with all the dresses she wears and her hair's always done. I reckon it's her mom that braids her hair, though I've yet to see her."
My mind went back to the dream which was becoming fuzzy. I was still cursing myself for not drawing them. Now there's no telling if I'll dream about them again. But the way she described Rafael sounded right. As for Mia, she was wearing clothes appropriate for playing footy and not a dress. I do recall her hair in braids....
"Are you still there?" Matilde asked.
"Yes!" I replied quickly. "Sorry—I got distracted. You've been living there since 2015, haven't you? Don't you find it strange that it's been 8 years and you've not seen her mum? What makes you think she has a mum?"
Matilde laughed. "No offense but it's hard to believe that he would know how to dress his daughter. And the hairstyles are different everyday. It's gotta be her mom that dresses her like a doll." The word "doll" stood out to me because this is how Clara dressed. She was like a porcelain doll with her hair and makeup done and she was very feminine in the way she dressed. My lips twitched upward into a smile because things were lining up.
"The dad's name is Rafael and the girl's name is Mia, isn't it?" I questioned. I could hear Matilde audibly gasp.
"How'd you know? Did you talk to them when you were here?"
"Yes," I lied. I had to as she wouldn't believe that I've dreamt about them and read about them in Clara's letters. "I've not talked to her mum, though. So tell me—have you not seen her mum at all? Surely she's left the house or looks out the window."
"No, I've yet to see her but I do find it strange that I haven't seen her yet. Who knows...I'm not watching their house all day!" she chuckled.
"But you think she's still there. The mum, I mean."
"I can't explain it but yes. Rafael often works late hours and I can't imagine he'd let Mia stay home by herself without any supervision. Why do you ask?" I shied away from the phone, not sure how to answer. And then an idea came to me.
"Shit—I'm late and should get going. I'm so sorry but I have to go. Thank you for answering my questions! I'll talk to you soon." I held my breath waiting for her to answer.
"It's no problem. You can call anytime. Goodbye Van. It was nice talking to you."
She wished me a good night forgetting that I wasn't in the same time zone and hung up. In the meantime, I took out a ciggy to smoke and stood there trying to process our conversation. I was able to positively identify Rafael and Mia which gave me hope that Clara was still there, dressing her daughter up like a doll. It wasn't much but it was something. I was itching to go back to Portugal to find out.