I pause... think about it, then click send... it has gone. I’m still unsure if I’d done the right thing and a little embarrassed as it isn’t my finest literary moment, but it is enough to convey my intentions.
Booking the flight will have to wait until tomorrow and I still need to give some thought to the accommodation, however, now I have replied there is no need to panic.
I gaze out of the window to the street below and watch as the crowd finally starts to disperse. Every Sunday there is a constant stream of people to the church across the street. With four services, two in English, one Portuguese, and one in Spanish, the Church is always full from seven-thirty in the morning until three in the afternoon. Today was especially busy as we are approaching the Holy Week of Easter. I thought my missing housemates may well be there but as it turns out, I couldn’t be more wrong.
About an hour later the front door opened then slammed shut. ‘Oi’ reverberated up the narrow stairs, my housemates Ana and Luciana have arrived home. After several attempts to clamber up the stairs two very happy, giggly individuals fall through the door.
‘Olá! So, what are you two celebrating today?’ A valid question I thought, as in this culturally diverse neighbourhood there always seemed to be a special day, week or even a season to celebrate.
Turning around I’m confronted by two entwined bodies on the floor, half in, half out of the doorway. I sit with my arms folded, shaking my head. ‘I thought this was Holy Week, a time for sober reflection?’
Luciana rolls off Ana and as she does, she hits her back on the doorframe, this prompted more hysterical laughing. ‘We may have had one or two drinks!’
I stand up and walk over to them still shaking my head; ‘unbelievable’ I say whilst offering my outstretched hands to help them up.
Luciana is first up off the floor and then between us, we manage to stand Ana up before moving her over to a chair by the window for some fresh air. Ana pushes down on the arms of the chair until she is upright, then she lifts her legs, rearranging herself so she is now cross-legged, almost as if contemplating meditation.
Ana starts to giggle as her head falls forward. I need to lean across her to fully open the window and as I do, she grabs me, raises her gaze to mine and utters ‘onde é a festa?’
I turn to Luciana for help.
‘She wants to know... where is the party?’
I turn back to Ana, her lips now pushed together, her eyebrows raised and her big brown eyes wide with expectancy and mischief. She still has a tight hold of me and my face is inches away from hers; I lean in towards her, my heart is beating faster and faster as anticipation takes hold. I’ve gone ninety percent of the way I just need her to come the ten percent to me. I close my eyes as our lips are about to touch. At that moment the yearning I have had for Ana for so long is about to be satisfied.
‘HELLO!’ Luciana makes her presence known.
I pull back from Ana slightly; I need to see in her eyes that she wants me as much as I want her. Ana whispers to me, ‘later,’ then out loud she says, ‘let’s get some food.’
‘Actually’ says Luciana ‘that’s a really good idea, where are you thinking of?’
‘El Coca?’
It is a restaurant that they both love, the food is excellent with the bonus of having a bar and club attached, so it works for me.
Luciana nods her approval.
‘Cool, I’m going to get changed’ says Ana, finally releasing me from her grip. As she stands up to leave the room, Luciana makes her way over and sits down on the chair at the computer.
‘So, what have you been up to then?’ She turns to face the screen, sliding the mouse side to side to bring the computer back to life.
With the movement of the mouse, the screen saver clears revealing my travel plans.
‘Going back to England?’ she turns and glares at me, I could tell there is an immediate assumption that I am going back for good, and to be fair, the details still on the screen does only show the flight back to Manchester, so the assumption is easy to make.