Lonely Stories - Xavier St John (latest ebook reader .TXT) 📗

her house. Inside, the first room was awash with colour. A yellow, blue and red flag flew on the back wall, and a carnival mask sat in the corner of the kitchen tabletop. Arlo's eyes leapt around the room in amazement.
"How... How do you have all this?" he asked, dumbstruck by the decor. Valentina shrugged, replying
"We're Colombian immigrants. We came into some money, and moved."
Valentina opened a cupboard to reveal it fully stocked with food, and Arlo's jaw dropped. She grabbed two packet of apricots, tossing one to Arlo before making her way towards the stairs. Arlo stood, rooted to the ground as he looked around at all the items he couldn't possibly afford. He slowly looked down at the apricots, ate one and followed Valentina.

There generally weren't any doors inside Cuban houses, and Valentina's was no exception. It was entirely open plan, concrete walls dividing the rooms on the second floor. The left hand room was Valentina's - the right hand was Johana's. Grimacing, Valentina stepped across the threshold into Johana's room, Arlo following close behind. The bedroom, maybe half the size of Arlo's entire living space, was beautiful. Glow in the dark stars littered the walls, and a planetarium stood guard in the centre of the room, ready to cast the night sky onto the ceiling. Below the closed shutters, a desk was nearly organised, a large book central to it with pens and rulers arranged around the edge. Arlo searched the room, checking under the bed and in the wardrobe, before rejoining Valentina.
"She always loved the stars," said Valentina, stifling her tears.
"She would go out to the beach when it was clear and watch her ceiling when it was cloudy. She was the same in Colombia."
Arlo offered a sympathetic smile and moved closer to the desk. Valentina smiled back.
"Her dad got her that book when she was very little. It had all the constellations in it, she would read it all the time and memorise every word. She was a smart kid," Valentina said, sniffling slightly.
"What happened to her dad?" asked Arlo softly, picking up the book. Valentina's back went ramrod straight at the mention of him.
"He mixed with the wrong people. We had to move without him."
Arlo nodded silently and opened the book to it's contents page. There, each constellation was quoted with its official number, as were the planets and other celestial bodies. As Arlo read down the list, he sharply inhaled as a realisation smacked him in the jaw.
"Valentina, the numbers. They're constellations."

Valentina grabbed the book and flicked through the pages until she reached constellation number 28. It showed a large stick shape, like a chevron with a tail coming outwards from its point. Above it was it's name - 'COLUMBA'. Valentina grabbed Arlo around the arm, breathing quickly as she pointed to the title.
"Arlo, she's telling us something. Columba? Colombia? It can't be a coincidence."
Arlo agreed and flicked back to constellation 14. The lines joined together to form a wiggle composed of 4 stars. It read as the constellation 'CAELUM'. Valentina turned to Arlo.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Flicking through Johana's journal, Arlo pointed to the circled numbers.
"14a, not 14. Maybe she doesn't mean the constellation," he suggested, looking back at the double page spread in the book.
"There!" he exclaimed, pointing to the other page.
"The Alpha star of Caelum - star A, named Caeli. Does that mean anything to you?"
Valentina paled, and responded
"Yes. Yes it does. Cali was where we used to live in Colombia."

Arlo sprinted back to his house to pack a bag. When he entered, he was severely disappointed by the inside in comparison to Valentina's beautiful house. Rushing over to his bed, he wrenched a rucksack from under it and rammed in his passport, his piggy bank and whatever clothes were closest before running back outside to see Valentina waiting beside his car with a rucksack of her own. Arlo slammed his door shut, locked it and hopped in the driver's seat as Valentina jumped into the passenger's. The Chevrolet rumbled down the road, heading straight to Havana Airport.

Arlo and Valentina got to the airport at around 2 o'clock. They ran straight past the arrival's board and up to the information desk.
"When's the next flight to Cali, Colombia?" Arlo breathlessly asked, crashing into the desk and making the employee jump.
"Umm... Sir, the next flight leaves in 20 minutes," she replied, slightly startled.
"How much for tickets?" Valentina begged, her eyes welling up as the information desk shuddered under Arlo's heavy breathing.
"Um... 200 pesos and you're both on it." She answered.
 Arlo turned to Valentina with a look of despair. That was about how much he made each year. Valentina rummaged around in her rucksack and slammed the money down. Before the information desk began printing the tickets, Arlo grabbed her and quietly asked
"How much to get past security?"
The girl met his eyes, bowed her head and replied in a whisper
"100 more pesos."
Arlo looked at Valentina. Valentina growled and slammed down the extra money. The attendenr quickly took it away from the desk, checking nobody noticed, and pointed at a closed door by the side of the airport. Arlo and Valentina thanked her before striding towards the door, shutting it behind them and sprinting down the service tunnel.

Just as the plane was making its final call, Arlo and Valentina boarded. Their seats were together at the very back of the plane, and no sooner had they sat down did the staff begin the routine safety demonstration. Valentina tapped Arlo's leg.
"How did you know she would let us through?" she whispered. Arlo smiled.
"You obviously haven't been in Cuba long. Everybody's corrupt if you pay them enough," he replied quietly as the seatbelt sign lit up. The pair strapped in, and readied themselves for the flight ahead.

They arrived in Cali at roughly 6:45 local time after a 5 and a half hour flight. They rushed into arrivals when Arlo stopped and sat on a metal bench by the doors. Valentina grabbed him, trying to drag him through the doors, but couldn't lift him.
"What are you doing!" she said angrily.
"Thinking." was the reply from Arlo.
Valentina rolled her eyes and tried dragging him away from his sedimentary position again, but was unsuccessful.
"Why are you wasting time thinking when my daughter is out there?"
Arlo looked up at Valentina.

"Bear with me for a moment," Arlo said. "Why were you scared of Cali?"
Valentina shifted uncomfortably.
"My husband. He was involved in a gang. 'El Mono Dorado', they called themselves, 'The Golden Monkey'. They were mainly drug trade," she said in a hushed tone.
"Ok. Good. They must be the kidnappers. Why would they be angry with Johana, you or your family?" Arlo asked.
Valentina sat beside Arlo on the bench, and leant over to talk to him quietly.
"When I ran away with Johana, I took some money. To live on," said Valentina.
Arlo raised his eyebrows, remembering the comparatively extravagant house of the Colombians in Cuba.
"It was bad money, dirty money, but they wouldn't be happy with me. But Johana, she isn't involved. Enzo always said, there was a rule in El Mono Dorado - family stays out."
Arlo frowned. Suddenly, a brainwave struck him.
"What does she look like?" he asked, a quiet confidence slipping into his voice.
"Similar to me. Same height, brown hair, about the same length, brown eyes, tanned. Now she's an adult there isn't much difference," replied Valentina as she stared into the distance, remembering her daughter.
A grin blossomed across Arlo's face.
"Maybe so similar someone might mistake her for you?"

Valentina was at a loss for words. Arlo punctured the silence.
"I think it happened like this. The gang wanted their money back. They sent some people to get you, maybe with a picture or something. They saw Johana, thought she was you and bundled her into the car. Johana must have heard where they were going, but couldn't write it out, it would take too long - besides, she knew how to write faster. She wrote those numbers and tossed the journal out of the car window. The gang then flew her back to here, Cali."
The summary was coherent, and Valentina nodded in agreement.
"So how do we get her now?" Valentina asked. Arlo looked around, watching passengers walk in and out of the airport as they went about their individual lives.
"What did you say the gang did? Drug trade?"
Valentina mumbled a yes, and Arlo tapped his leg as the cogs began to whir again in his brain.
"They'd find out Johana isn't you, wouldn't they? Someone would be able to tell?" enquired Arlo.
Valentina laughed.
"I'd hope her father could tell, yes," she responded.
"And her father wouldn't kill her... But they're a gang, they wouldn't cut her loose..." Arlo murmured to himself.
Valentina's head snapped round.
"They'd mule her."
"What?" said Arlo, slipping back into reality as Valentina continued.
"They'd mule her. Use her as a drug mule, carrying contraband on planes. They always need more mules, Enzo used to complain about it all the time."
Arlo and Valentina locked eyes, and  simultaneously exclaimed:
"She's in the airport."

Valentina and Arlo rushed towards departures.
"Let's hope she hasn't already gone." said Arlo as they barreled through the large doors.
"I'll check the right side, you check the left," ordered Valentina.
 She sprinted over to the entrances on the far right. Arlo spun on the spot and ran the opposite direction, scouring the crowds of tourists for someone of Johana's description. They waited, checking the crowds for the missing daughter - nothing. Arlo checked his watch: it was just about to turn 7 o'clock. As the second hand spun around the clock face, a squeal ricocheted through the departures lobby. Arlo turned, and saw Valentina with her arms wrapped tight around her daughter.

The mother and daughter were reunited. After depositing the suspicious, black bag Johana was nervously clutching at a quiet street-corner in Cali, Arlo began walking back to the airport to introduce himself to the girl. The sun had set, and the night sky was watching down on the painter as he walked through the city. Arlo looked up, but could only make out one formation - the constellation of Gemini, the identical faces smiling at him from the stars.

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Publication Date: 08-30-2019

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Dedication:
To those who know I couldn't have done this without them.