It's been about an hour before we speak again inside the car.
Henrietta rests her head on my shoulder, and we only hear the sound of movement on the tracks.
—Do you like her?.— Henrietta asks, looking at our intertwined hands.
—Yes.—
Henrietta lifts her head from my side and leans towards my face, staring at me. I turn to look at her, and she gently kisses the tip of my nose.
I say nothing about it.
—Do you know what that means, Razar?.—
—When I truly love someone, I kiss the tip of her nose.— I reply, it's something personal, even though I don't know how she knows exactly.
—That's right, when you, Razar, truly love someone, after kissing her mouth, her skin, that girl knows you love her, if you kiss the tip of her nose.— She says, closing her eyes, resting on my shoulder again.
—The irony is that until now you've never kissed anyone, right?.— She asks.
—No, I think IA would have been the first.— I reply.
—Do you know how I know?.— She asks..
—Because in the past, I kissed you?.— I say.
—Yes.— Henrietta says, I can see her tears as she replies.
—I'm supposed to be a gentleman, but I seem to hurt more than I should.— I say.
—You don't have to apologize, "I prefer to die for your love, than to live without having loved you", you told me a long, long time ago.— Henrietta says as I wipes her tears with my hands.
Not understanding the harm I might have caused makes me think about how unworthy and selfish I am.
—Can I know why you don't look surprised if you don't remember me?.— Henrietta asks.
—I've discovered what happened before the origin of the universe, I've imagined what it takes to create life itself... it's complicated to surprise me. Despite the fact that I don't see a girl floating in the sky every day, claiming to know me while I don't know who she is. I have my doubts, but the sky is blue, and ice is cold, all of this means you can't fight against reality no matter how much imagination you have.— I reply.
—And will you now tell me why I feel like I know you?, why do you look like a little girl?, why do we have the same necklace?, are they popular?, why does the scent of roses and chocolate of your body soothe me so much?.— I ask.
—That's sacrilege, Razar... you gave it to me.. And my scent...is the scent of our home..— Henrietta replies, taking her necklace, identical to mine, with her hand.
—I must be... 14 years old?, at least my body is that age.— Henrietta continues, looking at her body with intrigue.
—Although your face looks childish, it's hard to realize you're 14 with that height.— I say.
—And why does your breath always smell like candy if I don't see you eating them?..— I ask.
—Hahah, girls are made of sweets..— Henrietta replies, smiling.
—Where are we going?.— I ask.
—Do you want me to be honest?.— Henrietta says.
—Yes.—
—I don't know, we're going nowhere. I just want to be with you for a moment longer, that's all.— She says.
—Do you think I'm crazy?, do I look strong to you?, but did you know that my body trembles when I'm near you?...— She says...
—If you're crazy, what does that make me?, helping a girl pursued by a country, whom I know little about and just met.—
—Why do you simply follow someone you don't know when it could be dangerous?. We're at a clear disadvantage, and you seem so calm. What if I were a threat, a killer?.— Henrietta asks.
—Do you know what is the difference between life and death?, in one, you cry, and in the other, they make you cry.— I say.
—I always thought something was missing in my life, and when you cornered me against the wall and I saw your brown eyes, your very characteristic smell, as if I had already seen you, I felt at home. If you're a killer, I must be someone even worse.— I conclude.
***
The train stops at a station that is above the street level. At our height, we can see apartment complexes, and the few people in the cars get off before us, while others remain seated.
—Shall we get out?.— I ask.
—Mmh, yes.— Henrietta replies, smiling as always, as if she were happy just to be together.
We stand up and walk to the exit. The city looks a bit livelier, there are some cars and people walking briskly.
It's very subtle, but Henrietta observes every corner around her.
—The most dangerous animal on earth.— She says, looking at a baby in the arms of a woman, a foreign couple. The baby has a mole under her right eye, just like Henrietta.
—I see you don't discriminate by age.— I say.
—Haha, a human is a human.— Henrietta laughs.
—We need a place to stay for the night and buy something to eat.— I say.
—I need to go to a library.— She says, looking at me.
—Sure, all cities and towns have one.—
—It's the first time you've asked for something.— I add.
We descend the metal stairs, everything is reddish-brown due to the wooden decoration.
At the bottom, there's a man shining shoes, even with a chair for the customer to sit on.
—Haha, I need to look up information about something that happened a couple of decades ago.— She says smiling.
—Your braces make you look very adorable.— I say suddenly.
—Finally, you say something that doesn't sound like an interrogation, hahah.— She laughs, hugging me.
—I'm sorry.— I smile.
—Hahah.— She laughs, sometimes like a child.
I can hear the train bell again, heading back to town.
—Is everything okay, Henrietta?.— She returns her attention to our surroundings, even looking at every window. All around us are buildings, not very tall, like houses with 2 to 4 floors.
I also try to look for something that might be out of place, but, I don't think I have enough experience.
—Everyone looks the same, men in suits, women in dresses, all walking as if nothing. We'd be better off in a quieter place.— Henrietta says.
It's still morning, according to my watch, 10 am.
—Shall we go shopping first?.— I ask.
—Sounds good.— Henrietta confirms.
As always, hand in hand, we pass among people. To be honest, I leave everything to her judgment, she's the most suitable to say where we're safe and where we're not, when to hide or keep going.
I can see a hardware store, a weapons shop, a clothing store, a printing shop.
—Maybe this isn't the area for groceries.— I say.
—Razar, we could eat paint... hahah.— Henrietta jokes, looking inside each shop through their large windows.
—Most likely, we're in the most commercial area, groceries shouldn't be too far.— I say.
—Newspapers!...newspapers!.— There is a newsboy on the sidewalk.
—Kid, do you know where there's a grocery store?.— I approach him and ask.
—On the other side, sir. Would you like a newspaper?.— He responds, pointing in the direction.
Sir?...Henrietta laughs hearing what he called me.
—Do you need one, Henrietta?.—
—Haha... no..— She laughs softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
—Keep working.— I tell the boy, and we continue walking.
—Do I look that old?.— I ask Henrietta.
—Hahah, no... but to him, you probably seem older.—
—I think it's common to feel moved when someone treats you like an old man..— I say.
—Hahah..— Henrietta laughs gently.
—And then there's always someone walking beside you, mocking the situation, haha.— I say.
—My benevolence towards you is absolute.— Henrietta says, leaning her face towards my neck with a smile.
We turn to the other side of the street. There's a policeman walking very slowly with his hands behind his back, holding his black wooden cane, patrolling the area calmly.
—That must be the store.— I say.
I see food displayed in the window and people leaving with paper bags.
—If you need anything, just take it, Henrietta.— I say as we enter the grocery store.
—Haha, thank you.—
It's a small place, but it seems to have a lot of things. At the entrance, where the cashier is, there's a gramophone playing a record, very popular these days, with its characteristic sound quality, as if there were background noise. The song is soft, with several instruments, mainly the trumpet, saying something like "...Or just how empty they all seemed without you..so..", with the voice of a woman... a love song.
—Good morning.— I say as we enter.
—Oh, good morning, come in!.— Says the cashier, attending to other people, an adult man with an apron and a mustache.
—I'll cook.— Henrietta says, looking into my eyes.
—That's fine, haha, I don't like cooking.—
—I figured, don't worry, you can leave everything to me.— She says, gently placing her outstretched hand on her chest without touching it.
I take one of those metallic baskets that break your hand when they carry too much weight... Henrietta notices my expression and lets out a slight laugh...
—After all, I'm the one who's going to carry it.— I say.
—Hahah...the work of a gentleman.— Henrietta says.
We walk to the aisles, and she starts loading some groceries.
—Spaguettis...salt..pepper..olive oil...canned meat for later.— She names the ingredients as she puts them in the basket.
—No problem... I'm made of money.— I joke when I see she's putting relatively expensive olive oil..
—Haha, don't complain, it's the price of being with such a pretty lady like me.— Henrietta says, smiling.
In the vegetable section, she examines the onions carefully.
—Onions, parsley leaves.. garlic.. and tomatoes..some fruits.— She says.
—We still need meat, and I saw cheese at the entrance.— She adds.
—Good morning, 500 grams of minced beef.— Henrietta tells the butcher.
—Of course!.— He says, taking out the meat and turning on a machine to process it.
—Spaghetti with sauce and meatballs... do you like it?.— Henrietta looks at me, as if it's very important.
—Yes, it's my favorite dish.— I reply.
—Mmh!.— Henrietta expresses happily that I like her menu.
—Here you go, miss!. You have a very beautiful young wife.— Says the butcher.
I smile at the man's words, and Henrietta pushes me as she hugs me tightly... very happy... she almost breaks my ribs...
...She doesn't let go of her embrace... so I walk as I can towards the cashier..
—Cheese..parmesan and a strip of bread, if you would be so kind.— I say.
The cashier, who seems to be the owner, chuckles as he sees Henrietta holding me tightly...
—Enough for lunch!.— Says the man, quickly cutting the cheese behind him and wrapping it in paper.
I put the basket on the counter, and the man presses the metal buttons of the cash register.
—That'll be... 1 dollar and 50 cents.— Says the man.
—Here.— I look for the money in my pocket as the man puts everything in a light brown paper bag.
—Have a nice day.— He says, handing me the bag, and then I give him the exact money.
—You too... Ah, do you know any place where we can stay and has a kitchen?.— I ask, suddenly remembering.
—Of course, there are several vacant apartments in the city, with a kitchen too.— Says the man.
He must have noticed that we're not from around here. The man takes a piece of paper, a black pencil, and draws some lines... making a sketch... a bit messy...
—We're here... and in this complex, you can rent a flat, with a kitchen and everything.— Says the man indicating the route.
—Thank you, we'll pass by later.— I say, leaving the store and carrying the grocery bag.
—Henrietta..Henrietta.— I say her name, she seems immersed in a trance of happiness..
People are staring...some are laughing...she continues to hold onto me without saying anything other than smiling...
—Don't look!.— Says a mother passing by on the street, covering her child's eyes..
Henrietta walks with me along the sidewalk, and I have no choice but to wait for her to return to normal..
I glance at the movie billboard, there's no one around at this hour.
—They'll be showing "Casablanca" in a few weeks.— I say.
—Casablanca?.— Henrietta asks, finally saying something. And without letting go of me, she looks at the billboard.
—It's one of our favorite movies.— She adds, now walking normally at my side and holding my free hand.
—Check my left pocket, that's where we'll stay and you can cook.— I tell her, I can't take it out myself.
Henrietta pulls out the paper and looks at it orienting it to where we are headed.
—We'll only use it to cook today, we need a quieter and more spacious place.— Henrietta says, looking ahead, towards the street.
—Are you sure?, I have money to stay longer.— I say.
—It's not about the money, it's what's best for my senses, like my hearing, also for my strength.— She says.
I figured the reason would be something like that.
—No problem, after lunch we'll look for a suitable place.— I say, looking at my watch.
After a few minutes, we arrive at a small brick building, not far from the city center. It must have 6 apartments starting from the second floor. Through the glass door, you can see a reception area.
—Is this it?.— I ask, looking up, the windows overlook the street.
—According to this paper, yes.— Henrietta says, as if she doesn't remember when the man drew it.
She grabs the doorknob and opens it for us, entering first.
There's a slightly old woman, knitting with a ball of yarn, and she's listening to a brown radio on the wall beside her.
—Good morning, we come from a grocery store where we were recommended this place, we need a room.— I say, standing in front of the woman.
—Eh?.— Says the woman.
—....— It seems she didn't hear me..
—Good morning, we need a room.— I say again.
—Eh?.— She repeats..
..Henrietta puts her face against my arm to hide her laughter...
—A room, a room!.— I raise my voice so she can hear me...
—Ehhh?!.— ...
Henrietta laughs...and I leave the bag on the reception surface...
—A room, we need a room!!..— I say, pointing upwards.
I wonder how she can hear the radio like that...
—The moon is fine, but I have rooms available if you're interested.— Says the woman..
She didn't understand me, but she assumes why we're here..
—How long will you be staying?.— She asks.
I turn to look at Henrietta.
—Just today.— She says.
—Alright, just one day.— I repeat, turning to the woman.
—We usually rent by the week, but seeing how much this girl cares for you, I couldn't say no.— The woman gets up from her chair and turns to look at the keys hanging on a board on the wall.
—You have a bathroom and kitchen.— She continues, taking the number 30 and placing it on the counter.
—Third floor, at the end, the window faces the parking lot and where clothes are hung. It's 1 dollar and 30 cents.— Concludes the woman.
I take out the money, 1 dollar with two quarters.
—You can keep the change.— I say.
—Oh, thank you, and don't touch the wallpaper.— Says the woman, sitting back down.
—Let's go upstairs, then.— I say, looking at Henrietta, who takes the key and me the bag with the groceries.
There's no elevator… it would be difficult to live here if you were on the top floor.
—It's almost lunchtime, I'll start preparing the food.— Henrietta says when we take the first step on the wooden stairs.
The walls are adorned with a design of small spearheads, the building looks old but very well maintained.
—It seems quiet.— I say, as we pass by the doors of the other rooms and don't hear anything.
—At this time, everyone must be at work.— Henrietta says.
—You're right, that could be the main reason.— We stop in front of a wooden door with the number 30.
Henrietta inserts the key and opens the door slowly.
There is a dressing room on the right and the kitchen is just in front with very bright colors. The bedroom in a separate room as well as the bathroom.
—Nice, isn't it?.— I say.
—Hahah, yes, for some reason, it feels like our place.— Henrietta says.
I leave the bag and my backpack on a round table in the dining area. Henrietta examines the appliances and turns on the kitchen tap.
—Everything seems to be working fine.— She says.