5- Traveling like a free soul
The woman turns towards me and looks at me deeply, she sighs and speaks
I'm about to travel to meet my future husband to celebrate our wedding, but I have discovered that he is unfaithful to me, now I just want to escape, but the whole trip is already paid for. I should board the plane at any moment and I feel trapped.
I'm so sorry. Have you confronted him and told him that you discovered his infidelity?
Yes, but still they force me to marry him because he is Muslim and our religion obligates us to. Infidelity is not a reason for divorce when you are Muslim. Men can have up to 4 wives.
I shouldn't be offended for not being the only one - the woman tells me, rolling her eyes. As tears flood her eyes.
That's horrible - I assure her and feel a great sense of helplessness in wanting to help her. I am also a woman and I feel connected to her.
Is there anything I can do?
If you can take my ticket to Greece and travel to my honeymoon, and give me your ticket to wherever you're going, then I could escape. My husband has all my money, I only have my passport and money to buy a ticket to Morocco, but I have to leave this airport before he finds out, if he finds out that I haven't boarded the plane, he will realize it, as he is waiting for me in Greece. - She says, rolling her eyes, then she lines her eyes, and resignedly walks towards the bathroom exit.
Wait, I think I can help you - I assure her.
I have a ticket to Los Roques, where are you going? We could exchange it with my passport and yours. The Muslim girl looks at me and I see a glimmer of hope in her eyes that had not appeared throughout all this time, then I check the photo on my cousin's cell phone, from a wild party in Los Roques.
Are you sure you want to give me your ticket? - The Muslim woman asks me.
What is your name? - I ask her.
My name is Jade Ahmad.
My name is Cecilia Rodes, from today we are friends - I tell her. And we both smile with joy.
Let's go, we have a ticket to change - I tell her and take her hand, we both smile and walk towards the Arab airline where she bought her ticket. Then the receptionist only charges us a small fee to change the destination from Los Roques in the name of Jade, and the ticket to Greece in my name. Jade hands me the ticket to Greece.
You board in two hours. - She tells me.
And you board in half an hour, so you must hurry - I say. She hugs me and I feel great joy in her embrace.
May Allah always bless you.
Write to me - I tell Jade as I watch her walk towards the check-in. Then I hold the ticket to Athens, Greece, at 10:55 am. I sigh and smile with great excitement. I have nothing to lose, and it's a perfect opportunity to experience Greece. Then I walk towards the international flights to Greece and get in line at the check-in of Olympic Airlines, bound for Athens. Gerardo is in line at the check-in, in front of him there are two girls, one with long curly hair and an orange bow held between her hair, and another smaller one around 4 years old, many families and tourists usually travel to Greece during this season. The girls look at Gerardo with curiosity, as he is quite tall and they probably see him as much taller, he looks at them sweetly and then keeps his gaze fixed on the reception. He hates waiting in line, luckily it is not high season, and there are few people traveling that morning. What he really wants is to get away from Beatriz and the toxic social circle that surrounds him in Caracas. He really wants to be able to enjoy the silence and be able to talk and make noise and share and make people laugh when he feels like it, not be it to protect himself and be the center of attention as he usually is. Because Gerardo always makes everyone laugh so that they'll like him, and to avoid others hurting him in any way. He knows that this trip will be the opportunity to disconnect from all that, and just go with the flow and leave behind what needs to be left behind. He leaves the check-in and goes through immigration, listens to music for a while, the song by Muse, Verona. Then they call for the passengers of his flight to board, finally for the plane to take off. He boards the Olympic Airlines plane, and soars through the skies of Venezuela, from Simón Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía (Caracas), bound for Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece.
While I travel, a song by Maroon 5, She Will Be Loved, plays in my headphones, I look out the window and sigh. I love to travel, I must let my cousin Charlie know that I won't be going to Los Roques, but I will wait until the first stop to inform her. I just smile excitedly and thank God and life for this new adventure.