Sand Castle: Chapter 18

In one small suitcase and a backpack, I've packed everything I own. I don't want to take anything from Samuel. I don't want his designer bags and shoes. I don't want his expensive jewelry and beautiful dresses. I don't want anything that will remind me of the hell I've been through in the past two years. I wasn't with him for his money and the expensive things he was buying for me. I was waiting for a miracle to happen, and finally, today, the miracle really happened.

"Hey, Nina! What is this suitcase doing in the hall?" Samuel asked at the moment he arrived from Las Vegas. "Are you going somewhere, or you're kicking me out of our apartment?"

"I'm going home."

"This is your home," Samuel said, confused.

"I'm going to Croatia because I can't continue like this anymore. I'm tired of your girlfriends, I'm tired of your parties with your friends in Vegas and Hampton, and I'm tired of everything. This, what you're doing, is not fair to me, and you're not fair to yourself."

"You know?"

"What do you think? I'm an idiot?"

"No, no, you're not! I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, just... My parents have been forcing me for years to settle down, but I don't understand how they want me to spend the entire life with only one woman when out there are millions of gorgeous girls. Don't get me wrong, you're gorgeous too, just the marriage is not my thing. My parents have high hopes for me since the day I was born, but I'm always letting them down. When I think that one day I'll have to take over the family business after my father dies, I wish to die before him. Since my father retired seven years ago, he put me in the position of CEO, but everyone knows that he's still running the company..."

"You'll be fine... Here are your credit cards, the phone, and the engagement ring. I left all the clothes and jewellery you bought me in the past two years in the bedroom. I'm not taking anything from you; that won't be fair."

"Please, keep everything you want! Those things are yours. What will I do with your clothes?"

"Donate them to charities."

"You can take the jewelry and sell it..."

"That's very generous of you, but no, thank you."

"Wait! Are you leaving me?"

"Yes, I am."

"What am I going to tell my parents?"

"You should tell them the truth. Tell your parents what you've just told me, and I'm sure they will understand."

"You're going to break my parent's hearts. They adore you."

"I'm sorry. I should go," I said, and I got up because I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Wait, my driver will take you to the airport or everywhere you want. If you want, you can stay in New York. I won't report you to immigration. I'm giving you my word. You can stay at my apartment in Brooklyn for as long as you want. I'll pay for everything. That's at least I can do for you. I know I wasn't treating you the way you deserved, and I know you were unhappy with me, but tonight you did something very brave that I could never do. Tonight you saved yourself from me, and you did the right thing.

"Goodbye, Samuel!" I took my belongings and I left.

Our conversation went better than I hoped. And much faster. I wasn't hoping that my decision to leave him would make Samuel this happy. I can be peaceful now. He won't search for me to do me any harm because I left him. With my belongings and only 248 dollars in my pocket, that's all I have left from my grandparents' property, I took a cab, and I went to Tom's apartment.

"You came?" Tom smiled when he saw me on his doorstep.

"I have nowhere to go. I don't have money, I don't have a job, I don't have a place where I can sleep tonight... I only have you. Once, I let you stay in my room in Rimini, and it would be fair if you return me the favor."

"Tell me how it went? Was he threatening you that he'd report you to the immigration?"

"Are you joking? Tonight, I made him the happiest person on the planet. I can bet he has called all his friends to celebrate his freedom at the same moment I left his apartment."

"What a moron! But you're wrong, Nina! Tonight he is not the happiest person on the planet, but I am."

"I must call my parents to tell them that I have left him. They will be shocked. Or maybe not. They are getting used to my irrational behavior, and nothing can surprise them when it comes from me."

"Are these all your stuff, or you don't plan to stay with me for long?"

"These are my stuff, just mine. I don't need anything from him. I don't have a phone, I don't have a laptop, the clothes I have are probably too big for me..."

"Tomorrow morning we'll go shopping. I'll buy you new clothes, a new phone, a new computer, and everything you need. In the meantime, you can use my things. This is your new home, Nina. From now on, you live here, and everything mine is yours."

"I don't have much, but I have my little treasure box."

I took from my backpack my wooden box with all the things I have from Tom.

"What do you have there?" he was curious.

I opened the box, and I showed him my treasure. In the first few seconds, he had no clue what these things were.

"Wait, a minute! Is that my T-shirt?"

"Yes."

"All these years, I was wondering where I had lost it. It's my favorite T-shirt because you were wearing it in my hotel room in Rimini."

"It's impossible to recognize them, but I assure you that these are the sunflowers you gave me and the blue string..."

"I can't believe..."

"I know that I promised you I'd never take off this bracelet, but I was afraid of losing it, so I kept it safe here. This is an old issue of "New Yorker" you were reading on the plane. This is a napkin from "our restaurant". These are the CD's you said I must-have. This is the old empty bottle of the aftershave you were using, and I picked it up after you threw it in the garbage. These are the packs of the condoms we used, and that week we had sex..."

"... thirty-three times."

He looked at me, and he kissed me passionately, like he was doing it in Italy. Nothing has changed since then. I'm still burning in his strong arms. I still tremble while he is kissing my lips, my eyelids, my neck... He is so gentle and so careful with me.

We continued to lie on the floor in his living room after we made love. I remember this. I remember the feeling when he'll hold me in his arms, and I can feel his heartbeat.

"I'm afraid this is just a beautiful dream, and I'll wake up every moment."

"No, Nina, we are not dreaming. Are you cold here on the floor?"

"No, Tom! Your embrace is the warmest and safest place for me. When I'm in your embrace, I have a feeling that I'm at home."

"Well, in that case, welcome home, Nina!"