When she reached the suburbs, Nina noticed that there was no end to the barbed wire, which divided the city from the rest of the world. There was also no way out.
She stopped to rest for a bit and let the children come out.
“Look, somebody is coming. He might help us find the way to the sea.”
Her son’s eyes sparkled, but since he didn’t like strangers, he decided to withdraw back into his nook, which was getting smaller and smaller. Ada didn’t hear her; she kept smiling in her sleep.
The first thing she noticed was that the man was carrying a huge suitcase. Then she noticed his big blue eyes, which reminded her of the sea. She fell in love with him within seconds.
(It might be worth mentioning that he had stopped right beside her, although still on the other side of the fence, opened the suitcase and revealed breads, cheeses, candies and cookies neatly stacked.)
I am in love, said her heart, wanting to jump out of her chest.
She wouldn’t allow herself to analyze this sudden love, even for a moment. Because if she did, she would have inevitably asked herself whether she was in love with his suitcase, or rather the contents of his suitcase, or with him. She stared at him (and his suitcase), and he looked back.
“You are so handsome,” Nina said, and leaned on the barbed wire between them. She stretched out her hand to touch him. He didn’t pull back, and seemed to enjoy her attention. He bent forward and she took a deep breath. He wore a crisp white shirt that for some reason made her want to scream with joy.
Smelling and touching things and people had become a habit of hers a long time ago, as if she made them real by doing so. She believed that she turned them into friends by just that one touch, her magic wand. Or turned them into gold, the only gold she would ever possess. He is so clean, she thought. Her eyes were drifting naughtily off to the suitcase.
“So, you are on your way to the sea,” he stated.
“How did you know?” Somehow she wasn’t surprised by his statement. “Yes, I’ve been looking for the way out of here for a long time. Can you help me?”
“Certainly,” he said, and jumped over the fence.
How strange! He can jump over the fence to my side and I can’t jump to the other side no matter how hard I try. Perhaps the children are too heavy. Or I might be too weak. I’ve lost a lot of weight. She looked at her clothes hanging loosely. Aware of her body, she blushed.
“Let’s walk together,” he said, “and I’ll show you the way out of the besieged city.”
Besieged city? What did he mean? She would have to ask him about that later.
Understandably, Nina had no idea that she was walking in a circle and that the barbed wire marked the confines of her hometown, which was indeed under siege.
First things first: What about the suitcase? Her eyes were glued to the suitcase; he had left it behind when he jumped the fence.
Her love melted away.
“You must be hungry,” he noticed her gaze. “Forgive me. I brought this food for you and your children.”
“But you don’t know me. And how did you know I had children?” Nina was confused. She had never seen this man in her life; she would have remembered him.
“Oh, we haven’t met, but your friends wrote me a letter asking if I would help you. So, I brought you some food.”
“My friends wrote you a letter?” She was slightly embarrassed. Why would they beg for help from people we don’t know? But pride quickly drowned her embarrassment. Ah, my golden friends, organizing a rescue mission.
“My name is David. This was just one of their numerous attempts.”
“Your friends have been writing letters to politicians, musicians, kings and queens, writers and gods. One of them met the famous Italian writer you loved so much and asked him to help. He said that people all over the world suffered, and he couldn’t choose whom to help. But he did send you his autograph.” He handed Nina a piece of paper torn from a notebook. A post-it note was attached to it: ‘You can sell my autograph and get rich. Good luck!’ “That was last year but I couldn’t come earlier.”
Last year? She had lost sense of time. She ’d have to ask him about that as well. What about the suitcase? Nina’s head was spinning.
“Sorry, I almost forgot the suitcase.” He jumped over the fence and brought it over to her.
“I must go now.”
“But you promised you were going to show me the way out.”
Liar, Nina thought, and she got more frightened than ever. I can’t go on, I’ve been travelling for a whole year, she wanted to shout after him.
The sight of the suitcase full of delicacies gave her new strength. At least we won’t starve.
“I know, I made a promise. I will be back.”
“I don’t trust him,” Ada grumbled, and jumped out to look at the food.
“I don’t like him,” Dino snarled, getting out of the pocket and sitting down beside his sister.
And Nina was in love, with the suitcase, with his shirt, his blue eyes, and the smell of his skin. She was in love with his freedom. I have to remember what he looks like, she thought.
She chose to remember the nape of his neck and the way he walked. And his eyes. She would look out for him as she continued her journey. For some reason, she was confident that he ’d be back. Her friends’ love was powerful enough. If it had brought him here once, it would bring him again.
“Did you give him the letter?” asked Ada.
“Oh, I almost forgot. David!” As soon as his name crossed her mouth, she fell in love with it too.
He was already walking away from the fence, but he turned. “I have a letter for the Duke of Arcadia. Ada had read in a magazine how he helped save animals and she asked him if he would save the children dying in wars. She even drew herself and her brother as members of the endangered species of children. Would you mail it for us?”
“Yes, but you have to bring it here. I cannot return now. My boat is waiting.”
“Boat? How can I bring it?”
“Jump over the fence.”
“I can’t.”
“You can, now that your pockets are empty.”
Nina hesitated for a moment, but, surprisingly, not too long at all. She told her children to wait for her, leapt over the fence, and started running.
“Where shall we wait? When will you be back?”
“Eat some food and lie down in the suitcase. I’ll be back soon.”
Now, though I am recording this story the way it happened, I still shudder from shock to see her run like that. She did want to give him the letter, but I don’t believe for a moment that’s the whole story. After all, I heard her heart pound like crazy. And it wasn’t fear that made it pound. I think that the foolishness of some women in the presence of men could have played a part. I guess we’ll find out in due time.