Running Away to London

by Geiza Stefany de Oliveira

“How can you refuse Paris?”

  “I have got a lot of work to do honey.”

  “All that matters is Paris in the coming days, honey.”

  He pulls me to his chest where I rest my head and rest. Elliott relaxes me completely, sticking his fingers in my scalp. When I realize we are stuck on the couch...

  “I confess it that I do not want you to think I'm a sort of interested just for your money or I do not have values, Elliott. That's why I'm afraid to go with you to Paris when I should stay here in London...”

  “Look at me, duchess.” Elliott raises my face and I look upset. “If anyone thinks such a thing, they will have got to talk with me.”

  I look at him feeling so safe for the first time that I want to surrender to him completely but restrain myself.

  “You know, Paris will be amazing.”

  I see your smile that always ends with me. We kissed again, and this time I have got to hold on a little longer.

  “Prepare your luggage, as we will go a few days before.”

  “Oh, No...”

  “Oh, yes duchess...”

  Oh, he drives me crazy! Elliott is not caring about anything but breaking the rules of adulthood with me and going to Paris to enjoy what our dating might be, because with persons like him things are different.

  “Alright, I'll call an Uber and go home.”

  Elliott stares at me seriously wondering why.

  “Why?”

  We never had got our first time and I do not want it to be now. I am the sort of woman who wants something very serious, and at the moment there are insecurities inside me...

  “I think I better go, babe.”

  I smile blandly, crossing my legs. Elliott makes the most suspicious look he has ever given me.

  “Luiza, say what's wrong.”

  I look at him feeling a little bad, especially after hearing him call me that.

  “I'm not ready, Elliott.”

  God, he looks at me like I am the woman of his life now... Elliott kisses the back of my hands several times, from that minute he becomes so much more affectionate with me. I see him respect my space and finally take me home talking a little more about Paris.

  I lie in bed with a passionate smile and feeling a thousand things at once. Paris will be amazing, and I already know which pieces of clothing I will take. Oh, I do not believe that Elliott — my boss I could hate — is now becoming the love of my life.

  Chapter 27

  This is my last job before I go to Paris with Elliott. Right now I am trying to concentrate as hard as it gets, especially after receiving red roses in my office with an Elliott card:

  I can hardly wait for Paris with you.

  With love,

  EP

  So, I am here counting the minutes until the day is over. Models arrive on time for work at a gym. Jordan is one of them, and his look is not at all pleasant to me. I try to imagine what she might be doing to retrieve Elliott right now, but nothing she does affects me.

  I feel so superior because Elliott makes me feel that way too. That's why I always smile when I see her. The session is over and I prepare in the gym bathroom to meet Kim a little late at night. I brush my lipstick and hear tennis steps to approach me.

  “I just want you to tell me something.”

  Jordan says making me face her with one more smile.

  “What?”

  She is so red, angry, and that is not just me, but surely why Elliott should not accept everything she tries to do for him.

  “When you agreed to work for him, that's when you decided to seduce and steal from me, didn't you?”

  I smile, putting my lipstick in my bag.

  “No, Jordan. I did not because I was just the assistant who almost killed himself from working so hard and thought only of me. Elliott was completely in love with you. My first job was to get your scent, the dress and the letter he asked me to send you. You didn’t want anything serious with him and you dismissed him even after he left everything for you. Now you decided you want him back?”

  “I love him so yes, I want that man!”

  She screams making me nervous as she gets closer.

  “I want you to listen to me now! He loves me, so go learn how to handle it!”

  I say firmly close to your face.

  “Do you think I'll let you stay with him? No, Liz!”

  I can not hold back my laugh. She is so ridiculous! There is no value in your threats, so I am not afraid.

  “Oh, I'm scared, Jordan!”

  I use a little mockery and so pass her by listening to her growl behind me. I walk toward the exit so confidently until I feel something very hard hit my head. Suddenly everything goes black and I can no longer discern anything...

  Chapter 28

  I remember that at Christmas my dad used to wake me up very early and then I'd get up and fussing with him to check out the gifts on the huge Christmas tree we decorated. At that time, in the 1990s, there was no evil in my head.

  My happiness was that Santa Claus existed and he read my letter so I got the gift I wanted most. My father was finally going to take me to learn to ride a bike! After I no longer know which time I tried to get balance and got it, he hugged me and said I was the smartest girl he had ever seen.

  There was not a single day in my childhood that I did not receive the words of affirmation that my father spoke to me. He was my hero, my best friend, the one I could count on. I wake up in the hospital suddenly remembering him, and that I did something terrible.

  I forgot to remove some moldy fruit from his fruit bowl since traveling with mom to Rio. Well, I moved. Today he should be back, but there is still time for me to change the fruits in the apartment... I just need to understand how I ended up in this hospital... Suddenly, I feel my head hurt terribly.

  “Ah, a doctor! Thank God!”

  I whisper and the doctor suddenly stops. He gives me a polite smile and beckons me to wait... Oh no! Why is it that every time I get sick and go to the hospital then I am always treated by the pretty little doctor? Anyway, sigh. I try to remember if I drank too much and had an accident.

  The doctor left me alone so there must be something... Ah, my cell phone! I catch him by my side and my head weighs heavily. I check it because this is not my cell phone, but as I have got no problem moving what is not mine... I unlock the screen and see a picture of me on the wallpaper that scares me.

  It is a picture of me taken by someone where I am standing in front of castle ruins somewhere that can not be my country... oh God, what is this? I try to get out of bed looking at this device a little more. I have got never worn such an 80s outfit!

  Suddenly I come across a huge corridor full of people passing around, speaking in English... all right, now I think besides the headache I will have got a tachycardia. My mouth goes dry, my feet touch the cold ground of this place.

  I do not even hear a Portuguese phrase, I do not even understand most of the English I hear... what the hell is that? I go to the elevator just as I see people looking my way: two tall, red-haired guys. Maybe they are security guards...

  I run! I reach the elevator and the doors close in time as I gasp. My head feels like it is going to explode until crying hurts. I open the phone, see the hundreds of photos that come up and they are unbelievable! Oh my God, what happened to me?

  Am I in another country? It is not possible! Am I kidnapped? The elevator doors open and I try to walk like a normal person so as not to arouse suspicion, which is late... the entrance is in front of me, but my body faints...

  I just wanna make sure of the truth... God, they catch me and say things I do not understand! My despair is gigantic, my cell phone crashes to the floor, people look at me in terror and then I am taken back... I scream, as if the world is ending because it is. What the hell is going on here?

  Chapter 29

  I wake again reminding me of home and my father ... tomorrow I have got to arrive early at work because I left some pending issues... get up bewildered,
propping myself up on my elbows, and then a whirlwind hits me like a hammer.

  “Luiza, please calm down.”

  It is a doctor by my side. She seems to be a little older, but she is Brazilian and this I am sure because she talks in Portuguese with me.

  “Where I am? What happened?”

  “You're safe, that's the first thing you need to know.”

  “I was kidnapped? Is this some sort of human trafficking?”

  “No, you are safe really! You live in London now.”

  “What?”

  I will go crazy any second!

  “You had got a hard blow to the head so your memories have got been erased, but it can come back.”

  “I can’t believe!”

  I say with tears, sitting very bewildered. I put my hand in my tousled hair...

  “Can you tell me what year it is today?”

  - Is it 2016?

  She looks at me kindly and notes.

  “Can you tell me your name?

  “My name is Luiza Costa”

  I take a deep breath closing my eyes feeling everything turning.

  “Alright, lie down...”

  She starts taking care of me. I ask for my cell phone all the time because I need to call my dad! He has got to take me back to Brazil. After a while they finally let me dial his number...

  “Dad?”

  I call him, trying to contain my cry, but it is in vain.

  “Luiza!”

  He looks so surprised.

  “Dad, I'm in London!”

  I whisper in disbelief that I am thousands of miles from home, even sounds like one of those nasty pranks.

  “Yes, you are, but what happened?

  “They said I had got a blow to the head, but I don't remember coming to London...”

  “Tell me where you are. I'm going there right now!”

  He asks me in astonishment, happily, I see the doctor.

  “Tell my dad where I am...”

  She picks up her cell phone and talks to my dad about an address that is a little difficult for me to repeat at the moment.

  “Listen to me, Liz, I'll get you right now, okay? For nothing of this world get out of there.”

  “Are you in London too?

  “Yes, my daughter. It's a long story, the important thing is to see you now. I'm going.”

  I wait. Only my dad will make me feel safe now. I swear I try to remember, but it is ridiculous. The moment I decide to check my cell phone a little further, an incredibly tall, well-dressed, slender gentleman walks into my hospital room.

  He has bright blue eyes and uses a delicious scent. I get very embarrassed, especially because he comes in looking at me like I am the woman of his life which makes me feel butterflies in my stomach ridiculously.

  “Liz...”

  It is my nickname on his beautiful lips and a look of concern mixed with a smile. I do not know how I feel, honestly. He looks at me so penetratingly...

  “Who are you?”

  He stops right in front of me with a slightly confused look and smiles, says something in British English with an expression of amusement. Oh, I have got no patience for this! He is very handsome, and I love everything about him, but I do not understand anything he says.

  “I am sorry, I don’t understand what you say.”

  I say a basic American accent that I learned in life. Before we can proceed the doctor approaches and he talks to her. They talk for a moment and I try to understand what they say. It does not take long and it makes me look heavy, sad...

  The handsome man approaches me too much and stunned me. He kisses my forehead after holding my face and I stare at him with wide eyes, no reaction.

  “I'm Elliott, your boyfriend.”

  I can understand this very well. Something happens here inside me. I am not sure, but I want to kiss him... God, what is my problem? I do not even know who this man is, what if he is lying to me? The way he looks at me though...

  Last week I went on a blind date with a boy that one of my friends got into and he was so scruffy. I hated the way he talked to me because I am the type who likes to be treated like a princess anyway. That is how I feel around this handsome man named Elliott. I sigh, struggling with myself, for I have got not yet accepted that I am in London and lost my memory...

  “I'm Liz. It’s nice to meet you.”

  God, how horrible I sound! He, however, smiles. Now say something else, but I shake my head. I give him my broken phone on Google Translate. Elliott glances at my cell phone but immediately picks it up and starts typing.

  “I'll stay here with you until you get discharged...” he says.

  “It's not necessary, because my father will come for me.” I watch his face and as he reads something in it makes him look like a wild beast.

  “No, that's not a good idea. I'll take you home with me. ”I read getting very angry with him.

  “You are crazy? I don't know you, dude! My dad is my dad, the person I trust the most in the world, but you just gave me your word!” Elliott looks at me very critically and I make the same look at him feeling threatened.

  “I'll show you what you need to know about us.” Suddenly he pulls out his cell phone and then puts it in my hands. It is a video of us walking along with a lawn holding hands, narrated by another person, another man. He appears quickly and then I see his red hair.

  Oh, it makes me so nervous! Suddenly Elliott stops and grabs me around the waist making me smile. We are somewhere here, on a sunny day, and we talk so in love... he kisses the tip of my nose making me smile. I do not recognize myself, not even the clothes I wear. My body is not the same because I am so thin.

  Finally, I see him hold my face and kiss me, so the video goes on. We are in a beautiful house on the couch, asleep... this redhead films us so close whispering... it's me. God, I lost my memory, but I can not believe it!

  There is no reason for me to be here and live a life I have got no idea! Once again I type into my cell phone, “I need a moment please.” Elliott sees and looks at me worried.

  “I'll give you a few minutes, duchess.”, I look at his answer and then he comes to give me another kiss on the forehead causing me the same effect when he first did it. Elliott leaves the room and I take a deep breath, crying. My father has to get me out of here and take me to Brazil!

  Chapter 30

  The next minute Elliott leaves my room is the same as my father enters. I can not believe I am looking at him. I put a hand to my mouth as I realize how thinner and pale I am. I notice his hair so much grayer, deep dark circles. My father is horrible!

  He at least dresses well at the moment, and also smells good. With a smile, he hugs me, and I hug him back feeling so much safer now.

  “Oh, dad! For God's sake say what's going on!”

  I tell him crying that he won't let me go this minute or even the next.

  “Thank God you are well, I missed you, my daughter. I can't even tell how much.”

  I still hug him without understanding.

  “What happened to me coming to London?” I can not remember...

  “I'll explain everything at the right time, but now what matters is that you recover without further stress.”

  My father stares at me, finally, thrilled. What did he mean by "no more stress"? Elliott enters the room at once, putting his cell phone in his pocket. As soon as he spots my skinny father, his gaze turns to one of a wild beast.

  “What are you doing?”

  Elliott asks my father in a way that makes me extremely angry with him.

  “I'm her father, and you must be her boyfriend.”

  My father reaches out to Elliott. They look into each other's eyes in a way that looks like lightning will come out of their eyes. Then they start talking in a more complicated way. My father speaks English much better than me. Then the doctor arrives and I will have got to spend the night here.

  My dad and Elliott stay by my side all the time, all night long. I can not tell Elliott to go. I am in
another country without remembering how I got here. In the morning I wake up full of many questions, my father is not here, but Elliott is so charming with this beard.

  He kisses me on the forehead once again — I am not used to it yet. So I have got to listen about the post-traumatic Mnesia. And I also have got to listen to the treatment that I will start from now on. We are in 2019, not in 2016.

  It is horrible to hear that. I had got a concussion in my head and I have got no idea how did this happen now I feel like a baby who needs the attention and support of everyone. I am very scared, even though my dad is here and my very handsome British boyfriend too.

  I want to see my mother, but she is in Brazil... my mother has always been very detached, so I do not know how long it will take her to arrive. When I can finally leave the hospital, my dad takes me with Elliott. They hardly talk, the only thing that matters to both of them is me.

  First of all, I almost fall back when I leave the hospital. As Elliott talks to my father, I see London around me. It is unbelievable that I am here in the middle of it all! Fear starts to hit me more and more until I flinch and get in the car by myself.

  I cry, even though I do not want to cry in front of my father and the stranger who is my boyfriend. It is a horrible nightmare, it looks like I'm dreaming... Elliott opens the car door and fastens me with the belt without even asking me permission. He does it like urgent extremely, so my dad sits next to me and hugs me.

  He drives ahead driving through London and I cry silently seeing this place so beautiful and so strange. We stop in front of a beautiful building, Elliott once again goes forward and then we enter a place that seems to me to be upper class. It can only be his apartment. I quickly spot a picture frame with a picture of me: the same as my wallpaper in front of the ruins of that castle.

  Did he take me there? God, if it is him, I have got to marry this man! Elliott leads me to a spacious and beautiful room while my dad stays in the room calling my mom, maybe. As soon as Elliott and I enter the room, he stops and looks at me like in the hospital: like I'm the woman of his life.