Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,82
I never want to see you again.” With that, I’m done. I can’t stand to be in the same room as either of them. I turn around and, before anyone can stop me, I run from the room.
“Ellie wait.” I hear Victor calling after me but I don’t stop. Thankfully, the elevator doors open immediately after I press the call button. My cell phone starts ringing almost instantaneously. I dig it out of my purse and put it on silent. I wait till I’m safely tucked away in the rear of a taxicab and on my way to the airport to let the tears finally fall freely. I let myself cry for a few minutes, then I wipe away the tears and pull myself together. I just have to hold it together until I get home. Once at the airport, I purchase the first available plane ticket back home and only after the agent asks me if I have any baggage to check do I realize that I’ve left all of my belongings back at the hotel. Luckily, I have my credit cards and identification in my purse and that’s all I really need to get home. I can replace my clothes and my makeup.
While sitting in the terminal gate waiting for my plane to board, I decide to call Jordan. Newark Airport is an hour away from my house and I’m hoping that she’ll pick me up. Grabbing my phone out of my purse, I see that I have over twenty missed calls and nine text messages. I don’t even bother looking at them. I scroll through my contact list until I come to Jordan’s name. The phone rings once and she picks up.
“Holy shit, Elle, where the hell are you?”
“I’m at the airport.”
“Victor has been calling me nonstop. He’s going crazy.”
“Listen, Jordan, my plane is about to board. If I text you the flight information, do you think you could pick me up?”
“Of course.” She hesitates for a moment. “Are you gonna call him, Elle?”
“I never wanna see his face again, let alone talk to him.”
“I know you’re hurting, babe, but I think you should hear him out. He sounds like he’s on the verge of losing it.”
“I don’t give a fuck what he sounds like. Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Yours, Elle, I’m always on your side. I’m just saying that there are two sides to every story.”
“I can’t do this right now. I’m exhausted. I’m texting you the information now. I’ll see you when I get to Jersey.”
She sighs. “Okay, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Thanks.”
“Of course. I love you, Elle.”
“I love you too.” I hang up the phone feeling drained. Why would Jordan want me to talk to Victor? What could he possibly have to say to make this any better? There’s really no excuse. I walked in to find another woman in our room, there is no way to talk that away. I board the plane, grateful that I have a window seat. Looking outside helps to calm my nerves a little bit. The plane takes off, leaving behind the pieces of my tattered heart with it. I try to block out the events of this day but I just keep replaying it over and over again. It’s almost like I’m in the middle of a nightmare. It’s so hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that Victor would do this to me. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. I shut my eyes and try with all my might to sleep but my mind won’t relax and the unshed tears are burning the back of my eyelids.
By the time the plane lands in Newark, I feel like I’m having an out of body experience. I’m exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally drained. Jordan is waiting for me just outside of the gate. The minute I see her, I lose all composure, collapsing in her arms and sobbing uncontrollably. To the unsuspecting passerby, we’re just two old friends greeting each other after not seeing one another for years, but we both know that these tears are not happy ones. These are the tears of a person whose heart has been ripped apart.
“Shhh, it’s okay, everything’s gonna be okay, Elle,” Jordan says, stroking my hair.
I nod my head and pull away. “Please just take me home,” I say, wiping away the tears.
She gives me a sympathetic smile. “Okay.” We walk silently together through the