Uninvited

“‘Choose well!’ said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe”…Camellia thought to herself when she rode the open-top double-decker bus on a scorching afternoon in August in London.

She squirmed in her seat unable to adjust to the sudden change in weather, unlike her little sister Petunia. It is like her parents named them knowing how they will turn out to be.

From clothes to sandals to mini yellow satchels, Petunia nailed it. She looked kawaii in her Hawaiian style whereas Camellia who claims to be the know-it-all underestimated the heatwaves in the UK with her gaudy leather pants. It was only 12.40 pm and she was already dreading thinking about the rest of the trip as they had a whole day of sightseeing left to cover until their return flight to Russia. She just consoled herself saying at least she is aware of the summer in England now that she is planning to relocate here in a few months as a junior doctor in the NHS. She was lost in her thoughts which were rightfully interrupted by Petunia’s delightful scream,” Eureka!Eureka!Get down! Come on…It is Harry Potter”.She was pointing to a shop that said Platform 9 3/4. She knew that it was her cue to get up and keep moving or else she would be abandoned by her sister without any second thoughts.

     Harry Potter movies are understandably fascinating but the Hedwig plush toy is not worth thirty pounds, was just Camellia’s opinion. She would turn into ‘Moaning Myrtle’ if her sister were to read her mind. After scurrying through the store, among the crowded film fanatics for twenty minutes, both of them walked outside. For once, they agreed on the same idea…to never step foot inside any shop but to keep strolling in the street. The heat in a closed space dehydrated their body but fluids flooded their brain and eyes, finally making them think and see better surprisingly without clouding them.

     Hunger and thirst eventually lead them to the Seven Dials market, where Camellia decides to have a wardrobe change. Otherwise, she knew that this vacation would be her death. Losing your life to leather pants is quite tacky indeed. Death in the olden days due to tightly laced corsets, now that is fashion and in shape demise. Each ordered a tofu bao bun and gulped a cold matcha boba drink to quench their thirst. Sitting by the shade, both realised that their vast planned itinerary was to go down the drain and they needed a new plan to beat the heat. Petunia being the reckless, impulsive mastermind suggested that both of them should take the tube and get down and explore wherever it takes them. Although it sounded fun, the uptight, controlling inner-self of Camellia wanted a safer option. But an eternity later, she concluded that she, especially her cholinergic urticaria-prone skin cannot tolerate the sun and also neither can she walk due to the burns caused by her tight-fitting wrong choice of ex-garments. She felt like she did not belong there for a moment… sort of like an uninvited guest.

    Thankfully, they found a station nearby and boarded the first tube that came their way. Born and brought up in Ukraine, tubes are not new to them. But sure are crimes in the tube.

“What did we expect?” said Petunia looking at the jam-packed subway ride.” Peak hours, August and Summer Vacation…but we still chose to ride the underground…you know for a doctor, you are not that clever,” she chuckled. Healthcare was never her first choice but she has started growing fonder of the subject over the years. Besides, this idea of subway surfing wasn’t Camellia’s anyway. While both were arguing over whose fault it was their next stop arrived. Some folks got down and both were able to grab a seat although not next to each other. They had no clue as to where they were going and were now separated by a few seats but the younger one had no care in the world. She was striking up a conversation with the passenger next to her already. Unlike Petunia, social anxiety is the middle name of the older one. She was very aware of her surroundings all of a sudden and scanned across the people like she was Sherlock Holmes looking for puzzles to solve when suddenly her gaze fell upon a particular someone.

    He had these piercing blue eyes which was hard to miss even in the crowd but on top of that he looked like he could be a model of Abercrombie and Fitch. But the confusing part was that he was staring back at her as well, at Camellia, who always thought of herself as someone who fits the stigma of average-looking, geeky brunette. Maybe he must find the quote,” I prefer money,” on her tops amusing. She was having an array of thoughts and debates in her head as to why he would even take a second look at someone like her. While she was dealing with her internal conflicts, he stood up and switched seats next to her, which was empty by the way for a few stops now which she missed.

   “Hey, are you on vacation?” whispered a sturdy voice with, presumably, a Scottish accent. For instance, her skin felt cold and pale, like a lifeless body in the anatomy dissection hall, as his breath grazed her neck.

   ” How did you know I was on vacation?” she replied harshly, although those were not the intended words. His eyes widened like he was in horror but soon relaxed like the waves in the blue ocean. It was captivating and she replayed all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies she had watched over the years in a few seconds in her mind. She felt like a Pirate but somehow she was the stranded one. Ah!Irony!’I would change my career as a writer if only this guy were to spend his life with me’ thought Camellia. She was taken aback by her feelings for a stranger she had just met. This has never happened before.

   “I could just tell by your body language, and also your boots”, he chuckled as he said that. The winter breeze and cold she felt on her skin came to a halt. It was summer all over again. She knew she was going to regret this trip as she had little money left in her bank after spending on her UK licensing exams. But her biggest regret now about the trip was her choice of clothes and shoes. She virtually face-palmed herself in embarrassment.” It looks cute. I like the cat detailing on it”, he smiled as if he genuinely enjoyed its sight. Maybe it was not that bad after all and she was relieved and calmed by his voice. She was in love. She is not the type to fall in love quickly and she normally cringed at love at first sight stories.

But her tarot readings did tell her that she had a huge surprise waiting to be uncovered in August. Maybe it is love! Maybe the universe was returning her a favour for being single all these years.

   She was engrossed in thoughts, meanwhile, he got up and got down in that stop. She was perplexed for a moment as he left without a word but what made her jaw drop was the bag he was carrying on his back. She was startled by the buzz in her phone and it was a message from Petunia. It said,” Please don’t tell me that it is your blue backpack”. 

   She just realised that fear lasts longer than love. She looked down on her lap and her bag was gone. It was like her worst nightmare coming true and the surprise the tarot cards predicted earlier was rather a shocking one.’It is time I give up on spirituality. It is all a scam,’ she mumbled. The train was already in motion before she could come to her senses

Petunia rushed her way through the crowd and exclaimed,” I knew it!”She does act more responsibly although society expects more from older ones. Both decided to get down the next stop and take a train back to the previous stop and to go after him. Although the chances of finding him were slim, they wanted to try their luck. Or more of Petunia’s luck, as it was maxed out on the other side.

  A passport, credit cards, and most importantly, her late grandma’s ring were part of the valuables in the blue backpack. She could easily freak out right now but she was unusually calm. Is it because she thought he would come to find her after realising what he had stolen and they would start a whirlwind romance? or is it because she was recalling the quote of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from the afternoon ride,” Choose well. Your choice is brief and yet endless”.Well, her brief choice of foolishness and “love at first sight” is going to last for a lifetime and she is never going to hear the end of it once her parents get the message.

  They took the tube to Queensbury station where her “instant romance” drifted apart. Once they got to the station, they looked around, walked, ran up and down the stairs, and asked people if they saw someone with his description, although she held back from saying he looked like a model from A&F.She thought it would be “weird” to address him like that. The natives looked unbothered by their questioning. It is when it struck her that incidences like these are pretty common in this world and that she was living in a hole all this time.

‘Tourism isn’t my cup of tea’ Camellia sighed.

  Both now had no choice but to report to the local Police. They were making their way upstairs to get help. The closer they got to the overground, they heard fleeting steps of the mob in addition to folks chanting slogans. Now to their dismay, they saw men in rage marching towards them with spray paints in their hands and one stopped to look Petunia in the eye and said,” Go back home! Coming days are going to be nasty,” Next thing you know, she looks petrified. Camellia had to step up, gather courage and console her sister at this point.

  Unaware of the current circumstance, they still proceeded to move forward seeking help from the Police for their lost belongings. A few men who looked like Indians urged them not to continue that way as the city was in chaos and riots had broken out in various parts owing to the stabbing of tiny innocent children in Stockport. Though both were horrified to hear the news, they knew they had to think and act quickly as they hadn’t got any time. Camellia sobbed,” Hotel Room?”…nodded Petunia and said,” It is not like we can flee the UK…You don’t have a passport and we….well, we don’t have a country to live…live in peace I suppose…We are uninvited everywhere… aren’t we?”….Petunia winked at her sister with her smile soon fading and letting out a small sigh.