Chapter 16
I got here five minutes ago, carrying a cone in my hand to look as nonchalant as possible, but I am burning with impatience and I know I can’t hide it. I nonetheless try to keep my composure, to act as a tourist while I scan the place for the barista.
She should be here anytime, if she’ll really come. When I landscape the crowd it doesn’t feel like someone’s watching me, but would a professional give himself away so easily?
I decide that if my woman is not there in 5 minutes I’ll beat it. I’m not even sure I have the guts to meet her.
Don’t be stupid, what are you here for?, I whisper to myself
But wait…is that her?
Yes, I’m sure, she’s walking fast, eyes to the ground. She looks my way, furtively, before bowing her head again. When she’s no more than few feet from me I stand up and stretch, before shoving down the last remnants of my cone and putting up an expression that I intend to be a smile.
But the woman’s face is so dark that my half smile cringes within seconds.
She pretends to trip, and being almost in contact with my body she whispers, “Go, they’re after me”.
I don’t know if she’s playing games with me, and with which purpose. For a moment I am not even scared anymore, just angry, damn angry at the nonsense of this all. But then, as I am starting to head off and the barista is already several meters away from me, the tail of my eye catches her fall on the ground.
I don’t know what happened but I know I must run. Just run, Iris run, don’t think! Run! The ice cream makes its way up to my throat, and I swallow it back while my feet prop me forward, fast as they’ve never done before. My throat burns and my spleen hurts and I feel I’ll collapse any moment. There’s a street, and the traffic light is red but there’s nobody.
PAS OP!
The shout comes from my back, loud. Then a horn, pressed hard, even louder. I feel myself fall hard, I moan, my head throbs, I hurt so bad I can’t move, and the moan goes dead in my mouth.
It’s black now, and I am so at peace with myself now that it’s over.
Joshua, please hold my hand, Joshua…