La Casa de Papel (Palermo) // Translation

01. volver

She is listening to it. At that precise moment she is just listening. The sound of the sea, the sound of the wind. She is feeling it too. She is feeling the sun on her skin, she is feeling the sand under her feets...but she's also relaxing. But this relaxtion is suddenly interrupted when a note falls on her bare stomach and she opens her eyes in alarm. She is still afraid that the police or the CIA will find her. But when she is seeing Max, who is standing next to her now, she relaxes and smiles.

"What is that?" she asks. She is holding the note between her fingers and sits on a couch.

"A strange guy gave it to me, as if he wanted to sell me drugs. He said this is for you and I shouldn't read it" Max explains. Max is a Boy she met at her first time at the beach. Since then they always see each other. Now he is a friend of her's.

"Didn't he told you more?" she asks.

"No, everything he told me, I told you, muñeca" he said. She looks at the note again and read it. "Cynthia Sotelo". Her name. Her heart is racing now. She sighs and opens the note.

"Telephone booth. Street 88. 16 o'clock."

Now she isn't scared anymore. She is like frozen. She never thought that this moment would come.

"And? What is it?" Max asks with a worried expression. Cynthia starts laughing and took a deep breath.

She took her backpack, which was beside her in the sand, and took her clothes out because she was still wearing her bikini. She starts dressing and began to laugh. "What is wrong?" Max asks and let out a nervous chuckle. When she was ready she looks at Max.

"I am going to visit a friend in Thailand" she said and hugs him.

"It's just around the corner" Max said ironic.

"I'm coming back. I promise. I'll get you souvenirs. Just don't stop waiting for me, amigo" she said and hugs him again. After the tigh hug she let go of him and looks at the time. She still had half an hour. "Adiós" she said.

"Adiós" Max said too.

Cynthia is running to the Telephone booth. She want to tell Max everything but she can't. While she is running through the hot streets of the Bahamas, she had the feeling that she never told Max who she really is. She just couldn't. She couldn't have told him that she rob with her friend 25 Billion Pounds from the bank in Buenes Aires or that she betrayed him. She got all the money to the Bahamas, where she is living since then. But there is also something good about that. She left much money for her parents and her brother. She already bought the 5th house for her brother and her parents also got 2 new houses. And Cinthia is just 20 years old.

Finally she is at the Telephone booth and got in. Her time shows that she has still 4 minutes left till 16 o'clock. Then the phone starts ringing and she takes the call.

"Hello?"

"Cynthia Sotelo?" a unkown voice asks from the other side of the phone.

"Yes"

"Your van is waiting in front of the Telephone booth. He drives you to Sergio" then the call was ended. Cynthia turns around and her eyes widen as a tall man was standing in front of her.

"Time to go" he told you and made his way to the van with her behind him.

(...)

"He is in there. It was an honor for me to travel with you, señorita" the man, which she met 11 days ago, said.

"Thank you for staying with me all these days and for picking me up" she thanked him.

"Good luck, Señorita" he said and left. Cynthia sighs as she watched him till he is gone. She is in Thailand. In front of her is a big Temple. She is tired because of the 11 days traveling. She needs 6 minutes to go up the stairs to the Temple. No one is there. Then he is standing there. Sergio. He is just standing there, watching her.

"Señorita" the professor greets her and Cinthia is smiling like crazy.

"Professor" she said und starts hugging him tigh. "Let's go. They are waiting outside. We're late" the professor said.

"Stop! Wait!" she said and stops him. The professor turns around and looks at her confused."You know how long I was traveling. When I am walking now I am going to die" she said warning him.He rolls his eyes and carry her outside to the street."Did you think about an new name?" he asks while walking.

"Velez" Cinthia said.

"Is it a city in Argentina?"

"Part of a city."

"You have to pick a city name."

"Then small town 31" Cinthia said and looks at the professor waiting for an answer.

"I think Velez is a good name" he said and Velez start laughing. They are walking to a Caravan. The professor opens the door and they go inside where the whole group is waiting.

"Guys this is Velez. She is the last one. Now we are complete" the professor introduced her. It feels like everyone is watching her.

"Hole velez" the whole group said like in a choir. The professer and Raquel are going to the driver seats and are going to drive. Velez take her backpack off and take place at the ground cause there is no more place to sit.

"Do you know us, sweetie?" Nairobi asks.

"Obviously" Velez said laughing. "You are Nairobi and you are Tokyo" she said while looking at the two woman in front of her "Denver" she is looking at the man who was playing with his son and then at the woman next to them with the blond curls "and you are Monica Gaztambide." The blond woman was laughing.

"Stockholm" she said and Velez starts laughing because she knows why her name is Stockholm.

"Helsinki"she is looking at the tall man naxt to Nairobi who was eating a lollipop.

"You've forgot me, I'm Lissabon" Raquel said from the passenger seat and Velez nodded and smiled at her.

"But I don't know the three of you" Velez said while she was looking at the three unkown mans.

"I am M-" the man with the long blond hair said but was cut of by a other man.

"I'll better do that" he said and Velez looked at him in confusion. This is Marseille", he introduce the man with the long blond hair.

"Are you Argentinian?" Velez asks as she realized how he spelled the double l out.

"Of course I am" he said and smiled at her.

"Good" Velez sighs cause she isn't the only one anymore.

"This is Bogota" he said while pointing on a tall man. "And I am Palermo."

"The biggest macho of the group. Don't be fooled" Nairobi said and Tokyo was laughing about that.

"When do you shut your mouth, Nairobi?" Palermo said and raise his voice.

"Shut the fuck up you patriarch" Nairobi said upset.

"Palermo, like the part of the city?" Velez asks.

"No thickie like the city in Italy" he correct her with an arrogant voice. Nairobi was right. Tokio gave Velez a sign and Velez stands up and goes over to her to sit next to her. She is watching Palermo exactly.

"He already insulted me" Velez said to Nairobi.

"I've told you, sweetie" she said.

"What was your name again?" Palermo asks.

"Velez" she answers and waited for his reaction like she did by the professor.

"Velez is part of a city in Buenos Aires and no city" he corrected her with the same arrogant voice he had before.

"Do I look like I care?!" Velez asks serious but when she heard the laugh of Nairobi she starts laughing too.

"Girls..." Palermo said quit with an ironic smile. Then Velez smiled too.

"Sorry to interrupt you bit we've arrived" the professor said and everyone got out of the caravan. At the end of a bridge is a big villa. Velez looks at the professor who was looking at Palermo and nodded. He made his way to the villa with the group following.

published:05/26/20

word count:1402

edited: 05/25/22