Litz arrived at Porto airport late at night. She was exhausted by the unhealthy schedule and at the early stage of an emotional turmoil, having just completed her latest assignment. The period from one mission to the next was always a mix of fear and excitement. Meeting a couple of friends by the ocean would give her mindset some clarity before initiating intense months of negotiations.
Glenn was waiting at a fast-food restaurant in front of the arrivals with a bored face. It was the only restaurant open at that time, her flight had arrived earlier. It had been years since the three friends met all together. Litz was very happy that could finally happen again. Fiona lived in the North of Portugal and had rented an apartment for the three of them at the beautiful tiny city of Esposende, a little jewel less than an hour from the airport. Apparently, they would have been undisturbed there.
Litz had by that time forgotten how an undisturbed life looks like, so she didn’t pay too much attention on that, but rather on the level of security the apartment offered. There were cameras at the hall of the building and the bedrooms had all its windows on the internal garden. The terrace had a breath-taking view, but it faced other buildings’ windows, so she had already filed it as a no-go. She would have insisted on rather having dinner out.
Glenn and Litz were the only two customers of the night bus going to Esposende. Litz was nervous, but not excessively. The driver and his companion didn’t catcall during the journey and only whistled once they had left the vehicle. The flat was at walking distance, they had no issues. Only a dog barked aloud while they passed by a luxury unit. Fiona, who had entered the apartment a couple of hours before, opened the door in pajamas and the three friends had a sober hug, repressing their screamy joy to avoid issues with the sleeping neighbors. They exchanged gifts quickly and went to sleep right afterwards.
Litz woke up in anxiety very early. She served herself a hot coffee, trying not to be too noisy, and ate chocolate delicacies watching the sunrise from a wonderful wall-size window. Fiona reached out soon afterwards, claiming her night pills not having been strong enough. Litz avoided words of repression that time. She was very content of finally having her friend in front of her eyes again. She triggered a mindful and thought-provoking conversation with her, instead, and the hours went by fast. Glenn, a night owl, appeared with a zombie look at lunchtime, craving for a coffee. Once their bodies were ready for the beach, the three friends put themselves out there and walked to the ocean.
The beach was sandy. The place was too crowded for Litz’ taste, but her friends appreciated mundanity more than her and she wanted to make them happy. The strength of the ocean’s waves and the burning Portuguese sun healed the surface of her memory. She enjoyed light-hearted laughing in the water. After that joyful moment, the three friends reached the bar and ordered a few drinks and snacks. Litz couldn’t wait on her seat for too long, so decided to climb a little rocky cape while her friends refreshed. She had too much energy to bring out and that kind of sport let her release fast the adrenaline. Fiona entertained her friends speaking Portuguese at the shops near the beach, engaging in pleasant exchanges with the shop keepers.
After so many years, Litz appreciated again the typical women’s chat while dressing up before dinner out. She wore an H&M Conscious green dress, made of recycled materials, and a decorating scarf bought in Türkiye during one of her travels. Her hair was tied up by a Scandinavian designed & Other Stories golden pin. She had intentionally kept her figure severe. That matched well with how she was feeling inside. Eventually, sneakers on her feet allowed her to run.
They ordered too much sangria and Litz was relieved that the burgers were fat enough to keep alcohol under control in her stomach. None of them lashed out to inappropriate behavior and nobody harassed them.
The night went by, and all was good.
