Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins…
Vladimir Nabokov (LOLITA)
(1)
I was engrossed in reading a magazine when I heard the stewardess ask over the loudspeaker if there was a doctor among the passengers of the plane.
About an hour had passed since the takeoff of our Boeing 747, on our trip to
After a few minutes, I heard the stewardess inquire again if there was a doctor onboard, but no one answered.
Most of the passengers were elderly Belgians, and without a doubt most of them were enrolled with one of the agencies that organize cheap flights for retirees. The lady beside the window was Belgian also, as was clear from her accent. She was ugly and quite fat, to the extent one would wonder if she would be able to rise from her seat without assistance. She had not stopped eating since the flight began.
A few minutes later she addressed me, and that as if we had known each other for a long time. “It appears the husband of the woman works in the diplomatic corps. I heard the stewardess say so.”
I looked over my shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of the sick woman, but I couldn’t get a clear view, for she was all the way in the rear of the plane, and the seatbacks were blocking my vision. Just then the stewardess was making her way past us toward the cockpit, and the fat lady stopped her, and rained down her questions.
When the stewardess finally escaped, the Belgian lady said to me, “Her situation has gotten a lot worse, and they are in contact with
It was clear the fat lady was interested, for she had found in the saga of the sick passenger something even to distract her from eating.
Suddenly I heard the voice of the stewardess over the loudspeaker announcing we were forced to land at
It was a sunny spring day, with a beautiful view of the
She said these words as if she was talking to herself, for it seemed she was getting quite excited. She kept fidgeting in her seat trying to look back to see what was happening, and if not for the belt that tied her there, she would have left her seat altogether to get closer to what was happening.
I felt the plane begin to veer a bit from its route, and when I looked out the window it became clear it had completely changed direction. The murmuring of the passengers increased, and a sense of unsettledness filled the air. No longer was only the ocean visible, but fields and highways as well, and I realized we were now flying over the skies of
The plane did not land immediately, as I had expected, but remained hovering over the airport for some time. Finally, a voice announced over the loudspeaker to fasten seatbelts, for the plane was about to begin its descent.
The fat lady turned to me while inspecting her belt, as if this were some kind of police film, and said, “What an exciting trip!”
(2)
When the plane had finally landed at
Two officers boarded, one of them with a walky-talky. The first went straight to the cockpit, while the other went toward the rear where the sick woman was.
A few minutes passed before we heard the captain inform us over the loudspeaker that we would stay in
The bus took us to the terminal, and after passing through customs for the passport check and other formalities, I found myself in the duty-free area.
I strolled through the shops in the airport mall, and then searched out a cafeteria. I didn’t have to look long before finding one—quite clean—and with dim lighting.
Its chairs and tables were made of aluminum, with small cushions placed on the chairs for comfortable sitting.
I chose a quite place in the corner, and after ordering an espresso lit a cigarette and observed the travelers. The waitress wasted no time in bringing my coffee, and I sipped slowly scanning the other customers.
Sitting at the table across from me was a woman in her twenties. She took my attention for her hair was braided into two ponytails, which gave her a childish look, as if she was a true Lolita. As I was absorbed in these thoughts, she turned to me, asking in Italian if I had a lighter. I said yes, gave it to her, and after lighting her own cigarette she handed it back to me and said, “Grazie mile.”[1]
I asked her if she was Italian, to which she said yes, and then added, “I’m Italian, but I have been studying in
“So now you’re headed to
“Yes, I was on vacation, but now its over.”
Then she added, “I had hoped to spend today in
Her manner of speaking went well with her ponytails, for it made her similarly appear as an adolescent, which, incidentally, only made me find her all the more charming.
I said to her, smiling, “Happy Birthday! And many more!”
“Thanks. But I had wished to celebrate with my family and friends.”
“Don’t worry about it. Sometimes life forces one to do things he doesn’t really want.”
While she was saying that, I was thinking of something I might give her as a present, but the only thing I found was my silver keychain representing Tanit. I took off the one key attached to it and gave it to her, saying, “Here’s a humble present for you; sorry, it’s the only thing I have.”
After initial reluctance she accepted the gift, and the appearance of her face indicated she liked it. She thanked me, and asked what it represented. “Its Tanit,” I replied, “the Phoenician fertility goddess. It is said among us that she brings good luck. I hope it works for you.”
At this point she asked me my name, and as it appeared a bit strange to her she asked if it had any specific meaning, which I explained to her. Then in turn I asked her hers.
“My name is Anabella, but my friends call me Anna. Take your pick.”
“They’re both pretty, but I’ll call you Bella, since truly you are.[2]”
“Alright. If you really think so, then why not?”
We talked about travel, and I asked if she enjoyed it. She told me it was the greatest passion in her life, and that she spends almost her whole income on it.
She took her turn to ask me the same question, and I said yes. That’s why she appeared a bit perplexed why I said in reality I don’t generally enjoy the trips I take. I explained my travel was usually for business, which took all my time leaving little for pleasure. But before I could finish, it was announced over the loudspeaker that all travelers to
But before rising to leave and say goodbye, she searched a moment in her handbag before taking out a small crystal souvenir in the shape of a dolphin, and presented it to me. “I’m sorry also… I don’t have anything else either to give you but this dolphin. It can serve as your reminder about Bella…”
But before I took the souvenir from her hand she used it to take out a notebook from her coat pocket and quickly wrote her full name, address, and phone number.
“I’m really happy to meet you… it’s too bad it’s gotten late... I’ll await your letter and respond without delay… there wasn’t enough time to take your address…”
(3)
The designated gate for flights to
When she disappeared after leaving the cafeteria, I took time to admire the crystal dolphin she had given me. It seemed quite charming.
Only a few moments passed until I heard the call over the loudspeaker for all passengers to
When I took my place on the plane, I noticed the fat lady speaking with one of the stewardesses. After sitting down, she turned to me and spoke as if she had solved a great puzzle, “They’ve taken the sick woman to the hospital. She’ll stay in
It was only a few minutes until the plane took off. I, with tenderness, caressed the crystal dolphin in my pocket.
After the plane had taken its route above the clear Roman skies, I put my hand in my pocket to take out the paper with Bella’s address…but I didn’t find it in my right pocket, although I was sure that’s where I put it.
It wasn’t in my left pocket either. I frantically searched in all my pockets, but couldn’t find even a trace of it. It was then I realized it must have fallen from my pocket before getting on the plane.
I took out the dolphin from my pocket, and contemplated it disappointedly… it was all that was left for me of Bella, or Anabella, who was born this day the sixth of April, of whom I could only wonder if I would ever meet her again.
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