Chapter One - A New Beginning

Sitting quietly in a coffee shop, Isabel takes the final sips of her much needed latte.  Flicking mindlessly through last month’s cosmopolitan magazine, she tosses the magazine on the table and decides it is time for her to leave. She had been here for over an hour and considering she landed here two hours ago, it most definitely was time for her to make her way out of this humid café. Careful not to trip while she squeezes her way past others, she grabs a handful of tissues from the counter and stuffs them in her bag. It is always safe to carry tissue around, she thought. You never know when you’ll need them.

Dragging her ever-so-noticeable deep red Prada suitcase and carrying her signature Versace handbag, she stops outside Heathrow’s busy exit doors. She pauses and takes a piece of paper out of her bag. “South Kensington” she whispers to herself. Looking up, she spots an Indian man leaning sideways on his taxi, smoking. She speeds towards the taxi while waving her free hand to him. Realising she might look a bit odd, she lowers her hand but still running as fast as her 5 inch heels would let her.

“Excuse me, I need a ride. Here’s the address,” Isabel hands over the piece of paper she had been looking at to the man.

“Very well,” the man replied. “Let me help you with your baggage.”

Isabel dumps her suitcase on the taxi driver and takes her seat in the car. She kicks of those 5 inch jimmy choo and can’t help the feeling of relief take over her body. She closes her eyes for a split second then opens them again. She can’t fall asleep here. There is a time and place for that.

“Okay, I shall take you to your destination,” the man grinned.

What a weirdo she thinks. She looks down to her jimmy choo shoes. Those should come in handy if the situation demands so.

“Is this your first time in London then?” the man continues. The man’s voice is heavily accented that Isabel has to really concentrate to make out what he is saying.

“No,” she firmly answers. She prays this is the last thing he says to her She certainly isn’t in the mood to engage in mindless chatter. She has other things to think about.

“Oh, I see. So you must have been on holiday and now you have returned, no?” the man asks eagerly. “Where did you go on holiday?”

He really isn’t getting the message is he? Rolling her eyes, she sits up.

“I now live in London. I have moved here permanently,” she says calmly or as calmly as she can.

“You moved to London today. Wow, I wouldn’t have thought so. You have packed with you only one suitcase. You must be a simple girl,” the man says, taking a sharp left turn which made Isabel reach for the passenger’s chair headrest to support her balance.

This man is really going for it, isn’t he? He is really trying to milk information out of her. How far is this place anyway? It can’t be taking this long.

“I have a headache. Please, do you mind if we continue this journey in silence,” Isabel requests kindly, hoping the man gets the message and shuts up. He nods and there is silence.

Perfect she thinks. Just what I need.

She had not been lying when she said she had moved to London. She did. As of today, she is a Londoner just like everybody else who lives here. And she had also not lied when she said this wasn’t her first time in London. Five years ago, she arrived to London from Dubai as a shy 18 year old who had her dreams fulfilled when she had the chance to study International Relations at a top-notch university. It was like her long-term dream had come true. Her time here in London was made even better when she met him. She believed to be the luckiest girl in the world and she certainly was. She was so happy, she pleaded with her father to let her study a Master’s degree in the same university. Her father, the CEO of Dubai’s greatest banking company refused, assured her that “his little girl” is better of studying in Dubai if further education is what she wanted. Her mother offered little support in understanding her daughter’s wishes and so with that, Isabel left London behind and the love of her life.

“I will come for you one day,” he reassured her as they bid their farewell.

With that, silent tears streamed down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his sleeves and embraced her tightly.

“How...How can I? How can I board this plane and never see you?” she whispers, her face buried in his jacket. She breathes in his smell. His musky fragrance captivates her and holds onto him even tighter.

“Marwa, believe me. I will come for you, inshallah. I love you Marwa. Don’t you ever think I will let you go” he whispered back. “You have filled my life with happiness, how can I ever let you go?”

She looked up and stared into those big, mesmerizing green eyes that made her fall hard for him.

“I love you,” were the words she last said to him when the time came for them to split apart.

“I love you too,” was his reply. Those were also the very last words they had exchanged.

*

“We have arrived ma’am,” the taxi man announced, waking Isabel up from her thoughts.

“Oh, thank you,” she replies, her voice filled with confusion. How long must she have been day-dreaming, she wondered. She looked out of the window and caught a glimpse of her new residence.

“That is £30 please,” the man says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Isabel flings open her handbag and rummages through her possessions until she gets to her purse. She grabs two £20 notes and passes it quickly to him. She sets her bag near her and slips her feet into her Jimmy Choo shoes as she waits for the man to return her change.

“Here you go. That is £10 for you. I shall get your bag for you,” the man opened his door and forced himself out of his seat.

Isabel also made her way out of the car and waited for her suitcase to be given to her. As she waited, she looked around the neighbourhood. Nice she thought. Looks better than the pictures.

The taxi driver placed her suitcase in front of her and bid her farewell. He also gave her his company number just in case she requires some form of taxi transport in the future.

“Thank you,” she answered politely.

Pulling her suitcase in one arm, and carrying her much loved handbag in the other, she reaches the steps to her new apartment. She knocks on the door and waits patiently for an answer. Few seconds later, a tall, brunette woman answers the door with a huge welcoming smile. Her style was impeccable. Her hair was well placed, not a single strand was out of place. Her clothes were well ironed, her teeth were blinding her and to top it off, her fruity fragrance totally fit in perfectly with today’s outfit.

“Hi, hello!” the woman exclaimed. “Welcome, my name is Linda.” She puts her right hand out for Isabel to shake. Isabel hastily put her suitcase down to take her handshake.

“Hi, my name is Isabel. Sorry if I kept you long. I was supposed to arrive at 4 o’clock,” Isabel says as she looks down at her watch to confirm the time. “Oops, I am 30 minutes late.”

“Oh that is fine. London traffic is not something you should rely on but anyway do come in. I shall show you around,” Linda says happily, making her way into the apartment. Isabel can’t help but notice how cheery this woman really is. She puts her luggage at the side, still carrying her handbag and follows Linda as she leads her into the living area.

“Here is the living room. As you can see, plenty of space. More than enough space for you,” she grins. “Through here is the kitchen. Again, decent space. All of the equipment needed are already installed.”

Isabel nods as she follows Linda through all the rooms in the apartment. The apartment was much better than what she initially imagined. The living room has already been decorated with matching white sofa set, light beige carpet, a 45 inch flat screen Panasonic TV. The walls have been carefully painted with very light yellow paint and it also includes a feature wallpaper with subtle grey flowery designs.

“Here is the bedroom,” Linda announces.

Her mouth was about to hit the floor. The bedroom was so elegantly put together. The queen sized bed was designed with the silkiest bedding Isabel had ever touched. She caressed the red silk very softly and smiled as she turned to look at her closet. She opened it up and was wowed by its size. She closed it gently and looked out of the window. The view wasn’t the best she saw. She was used to better but then again she did live in Dubai. Isabel notices a door and looked over to Linda.

“Yes, that is your very own en-suite,” Linda says proudly, waving her hands over to invite Isabel to take a look. Isabel opens the door careful as if the door were ancient and peeped through. Then she opened it widely and in front of her stands her very own Jacuzzi, glass shower and a grand mirror covering the width of most of the whole wall. She walks cautiously on the marble floor and runs her finger over the bathroom counter. She looks over to Linda and smiles.

“I am happy with the end result. Good work has been going on. I am very pleased,” Isabel grins.

“Then my work is done here,” Linda replies cheerfully. “I am glad you are pleased. Here are the keys. I shall see myself out. I do wish you a happy life here. I am sure you have it but just in case I will leave you with my contact details should there be any problems. Oh and also, the food you requested has been brought.” She hands over her details and the keys and Isabel sees her out. She collapses into her brand new sofa and kicks of her shoes. As she sits there for a few minutes, she can’t help but imagine how her new life would be like. It’s like a new chapter. A new beginning. She dragged herself to her new bedroom and opens her suitcase. She dumps everything in there on her bed and then reached for her iPhone. Opening up her contact list, she scrolls down until she reaches the name “MPB”. She presses the green button and waits to hear it dial. After 4 rings, a grumpy sounding man picks up. As soon as he realises it is Isabel on the other line, his voice softens.

“Habibti, how are you. Have you reached London safely?” he asks with enthusiasm.

“Yes I have, listen Rashid, I need the rest of my stuff. Very soon as well. How long will it take?” Isabel taps her feet restlessly on her carpet.

“Ya’ni I told you it will take some time. You are looking at maybe two days,” he replies.

“Two days, uff. I have the bare minimums with me you know. Yalla, I will give it maximum two days then. I will have to make do with what I have,” she sighs.

“I am trying my best Habibti. You told me you took your most essential things so two days is nothing. Trust me, by Thursday, you will have your things inshallah,” Rashid assured her.

“Inshallah,” Isabel repeats. “Okay bye then. You have the right address sa7?”

“Of course darling,” Rashid confirms. “Don’t worry”

Hanging up the phone, Isabel walks towards the mirror placed in the corner of her room. Looking at herself, she grabs a handful of hair and stares at its ends. Hmm, need to do these ends soon she thought. Isabel always had very thick, black hair. Her family always swore it was in the family since mostly all of them had the very same thick, dark hair. Another thing that is apparently in her family too are her deep, dark brown eyes. The first thing most people notice and compliment her on are how beautiful her eyes are. “They are so mysterious,” someone once said. She placed her fingers on her cheeks and examined her skin. She was famous for her olive skin tone. She is the only member of her family with a natural tan which confused a lot of people. She looked more Hispanic than Emirati. She sees the strains of today’s journey in her face and promises to sleep early tonight.

She removes her jeans and top and slips on her Victoria’s Secret’s PJ set over her slender figure. It is only 5:30PM but suddenly she feels like all of her energy has been drained out of her at once. She sorts the clothes that she has and places them all neatly into her cupboard. She crawled into bed and enjoyed the contact between her skin and the silkiest bedding she has ever come across. She couldn’t help thinking again how relieved she feels for making it to her apartment. The realisation that she is thousands of miles away from Dubai brought slowly a smile to her face. She chuckled to herself and turned around to a foetal position. And with that, she fell asleep. That night she dreamt of the sea and dolphins.