i kept thinking ≫ fernando torres

005

An hour later, Kim and Hailey arrive to my place. They met at the station, they told me. I open the door and I was just about to say the little text that I have said to all the guests that arrived this morning. It's quite busy these days, but that was to be expected.  It is great for the money that comes in, but you don't have a lot of privacy these days. People come ask you for all the facilities. And everyone wants to shower when I want to shower too. It's kind of complicated at times. I let Hailey and Kim inside. 

"Girl, I haven't heard from you in a very, very long time, what's been up?" Kim asks. I close the door behind me and I look at her. She's right though, I haven't texted her in ages. 

"I guess I've just been super busy here, people come and go, especially now with the current football stuff going on," I sigh.

"Alex, why don't you just find yourself a normal job, like at a store or a restaurant or whatever, or you could go to college maybe," Hailey says when we walk to the living room 

"I can't really, you know I have to help my parents at the B&B, my parents are getting older too," I say to them. They're right. I have never had the opportunity to continue to study. Unfortunately I also didn't have a brother or sister that could help me out in the house for a bit, and we don't make enough money to hire someone from the outside. 

"Anyways, we better go," I say to them. I smile and take my black purse that I stationed on the couch. My purse is basically dying and I don't think it will last me another year. We walk to Kim's car and get in the front and Hailey takes a seat in the back. Kim starts the car and drives away. I wish I had money to buy my own car, but it will take me forever to save up to get the car that I want. And I don't want to get a cheap one that might possibly break within a few years. Kimberly however has a beautiful cara she got herself. She has got rich parents, so they got it for her. She's really pleased with it though and treasures it with her life. 

After about 20 minutes, we arrive at the shopping mall of our choice. There are shopping malls closer, but this one has more stores that we like. It wasn't busy today, ,which meant that there are no lines to try on clothing. A lot of people are either working or watching football. I only watch when South Africa plays, which a lot of people also do. Inn about a few days our country has to play again, on the same day as Spain, so I guess I'll end up watching both of those. I don't even understand football. Kim parks near the entrance and we get out of the car. 

"Hailey, now that we're here," I ask, "Have you foud yourself an handsome Spanish man." Hailey and Kim both laugh, but Hailey also blushes a bit. I know it is Hailey's dream to meet a nice Spanish lad so she can move to Spain and live there with him. 

"Well, I mean, I've flirted and hooked up with a couple, but no one is interesting enough," she answers, "I wish there were more men like David, except not actually David." I grin. 

"Why not exactly David?" Kim asks. 

"Because he's my best friend, but he wouldn't want me as a girlfriend, you know," Hailey tells her.

"You won't know, if you don't try," I wink at her.

After being in the same store for over half an hour, I start to get a bit bored. The clothing is really nice, but I can't find anything that I like enough to try on. Kim is trying something on, probably a little black dress, since she loves them so much. Hailey also dives into the fitting room with a yellow tee shirt. And I'm just standing there with nothing, but an old bag in my hands. After quite some time, Kim and Hailey both uy some shirts and we go to a few other stores where I can also find stuff I like. After the stores, we visit our usually hamburger place, where we get each other some hamburgers. It's kind of gotten a tradition to eat those whenever we go shopping here. This time it is my turn to pay. 

"You know, perhaps I should just call David, whether he wants to go out on a date," Hailey says. She comes back to the previous subject: love. 

"Perhaps you should, I'm about 100% sure he likes you too," Kim says. It's silennt for a bit and I take the opportunity to take a bite of this deliciously unhealthy hamburger.

"Anyways, Kim, you haven't told us about your love life yet," Hailey asks grinning. 

"Oh, it's bad. Well maybe good. But bad usually," Kim answers. I look at her, surprised. She's gorgeous though. Blonde curls, beautiful red lips. Men would kill to get a piece of her. "I'm trying to get together with Ryan, but still little to no success."

A little while later, we decide to head home. Kim drops of Hailey first and she yells goodbye at us when she opens the door to her place. I'm up next. I step out and take my bag, eventhough I'd probably rather keep it in the car. I make a mental note to buy a new bag whenever I have some money left. I walk inside and immediately head upstairs, because I see my mother is busy cooking dinner. It kind of means I have some time left to read in Fernando's journal. I have been craving to know what is going to happen next. 

February 2nd, 2010

Dearest reader, 

Life goes on. My family misses me though.  I'm pretty sure. I got myself a ticket for the Spain against Japan game. I probably would've played, but not now, obviously. I played some ball yesterday. By myself against a wall. I still enjoy playing it, I guess. I just don't enjoy the fame. I hope whenever my story dies down, I'll just be a very good amateur player. I just don't like Roberto anymore, he doesn't feel like me. 

I'm wondering when the book is done, I look at the amount of pages left and I notice there are not too many left. I guess I would've hoped there were more, but it's okay now. I'm sure Fernando's story is more elaborate than whatever is written in this book. 

February 3rd, 2010

Dearest reader, 

I kept thinking, if I'll live through this, they'll never know. This is not my story. 

Those were the only words scribbled on the page. I really liked those words, but they are so sad. I'm sure Fernando never meant it like that. I'm not even sure how he meant it when he wrote those words down in his hard-to-read handwriting. I count the pages left. 13 pages. I look at them all, and notice that some are short and some are longer. I also find an envelope that is unopened. I'm not sure it's meant for me, but I won't open it now, eventhough I'm getting more curious by the minute.

It's time for me to take a shower now that most of the guests are out. I consider taking a bath, but that would take a lot more time than just a shower and I don't think I have that time now. I open the shower and the hot water pours down. In the shower I decide I shouldd email my story to my dearest friend, Nadia, whom I hae only seen a couple of times, because she lives at the other side of the country. It's kind of funny, because back in primary school, we were assigned penpals and Nadia was mine, and we never really stopped talking. It were letters first, but the mail was so unreliable that we started emailing instead. I decide that I would write Nadia an email about this when I'm done showering.