After breakfast, she left her host family to meet with Alexander on the sandy shore.
She was so lively, eager, and enthusiastic that she seemed to take off, looking up from the pavements, escaping from the corridor façades, and bypassing the roof to join the pigeons in the sky. Anyone who saw her light silhouette descend from the mountain sensed that this woman was as a light as a feather.
She was to meet him again! Her heart was pounding.
Although she was already an adult, her heart was pounding from the thrill like a teenager’s would.
After approaching the sandy shore, Lisa, wearing a white striped T-shirt, short denim shorts, and an imitation pearl necklace, laid down on the lawn, fixing her eyes on the sky at the edge of the river. She breathed the fragrant air with pleasure.
It was one of the last days of May. The sun was shining and the cool wind was blowing. Just then, Lisa saw Alexander approaching the shore. She narrowed her wary blue eyes and slightly tensed up. He was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. He was tall and broad with long, muscular legs.
“Hi, Alexander,” she greeted him.
“Hi, Lisa!”
They sat on the shore enjoying the sun. She liked to feel the light waves touch her bare skin. Lisa laughed and felt carefree.
Alexander was silent, seemingly caught in a dream. “I—I’m sorry. It’s just that for a moment... Imagine that we are now in Greece and on a Greek beach in the Greek sun. You know, in Greece there is a warm sea and sun rays caress the beach.”
He brought a bottle of Greek wine and cheese. He handed her a full glass and their hands touched. Lisa breathed in sharply and opened her eyes, fascinated by his sensual mouth.
Oh, yes, Lisa thought. Working as an au pair, I can’t even think about traveling to distant countries.
Thinking about this sad fact, Lisa sighed, took her glass, and mechanically began to sip the cool, tart liquid. Then she suddenly noticed that she had drunk almost half the glass. She quickly lowered her glass onto the grass. The cup of Greek wine sparkled in the sun.
Lisa and Alexander were enjoying the beautiful scenery while imagining that they were on the Greek coast.
“Someday, I’ll show you that there are moments in life so beautiful that they cannot be bought at any price,” he said to her.
Now they stood on the riverbank and looked into each other’s eyes. Suddenly, all eyes on the beach turned to the romantic couple dressed in white.
But Alexander did not touch Lisa.
“Let’s go,” he said as he politely offered her his hand.
Lisa took his hand and suddenly felt a bit dizzy. Strong, warm fingers confidently held her hand. In a burst of sensuality, she firmly grasped his hand and then grasped it even stronger as he bent down to lift the glasses.
Alexander stood up and Lisa, involuntarily swaying, suddenly clung to his sturdy body. “Oh, Alexander... Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said politely. Alexander put the helmet on the seat of the bicycle and took her in his arms.
“I have to thank you,” he said quietly with a low voice. “And, if I may, because I have a few days off, I would like to take advantage of this time and take you around the neighborhood.”
“That would be very nice,” she said, completely stunned by his brown eyes and barely breathing. He bent his head and kissed her and Lisa’s heart melted. Alexander was the embodiment of her dreams. And she did not need anything else in that moment while in his embrace.
Lisa felt regret that the wonderful evening was coming to an end.
“Goodbye,” she said.
“Goodbye, Lisa,” he said. They embraced for the last time, got on their bikes, and departed in different directions. Time always seemed to stand still by the river.
35
Next day Lisa had picked Ben up and taken him home. They rode their bicycles home. Lisa didn’t notice his helmet was missing until the host father got home from work.
“Where is the helmet, Lisa?” the father asked.
Lisa shook her head. “I guess he left it in the kindergarten.”
The host mother left the room, shouting that her husband was to deal with the au pair.
They were furious with her.
“You should have noticed that Ben left without it. It was your job to watch out,” he yelled.
“Ben was so fast. I just didn't notice it was missing. I am sorry,” Lisa apologized. She hadn't meant to create such a tension in the household.
The host mother was hysterical and shouting at the host father about the cost of the helmet.
“This helmet cost us 260 dollars. It's the same as your monthly salary,” hHe continued.
Lisa nodded. “I understand.”
He kept moving aggressively. She understood the importance of the helmet and the value of money. She didn't understand how it was going to be her fault that Ben misplaced his own helmet.
“If the helmet is not there tomorrow, you will not get your salary this month,” he barked.
Lisa agreed.
The next morning, Lisa went into the kindergarten to look for the helmet. She found it easily, behind a desk at the front of the classroom. Ben had left without his helmet because one of the other children decided to hide it from him. One of the children thought it would be funny and give him a scare.
That night, Lisa looked up the helmet on Amazon. There were many different kinds, but she looked up the exact brand that Ben had. It would have been 17 dollars to replace. It wasn't even a good brand, but it was good enough to last.
This host family thought Lisa was a naive foreigner who new nothing about the world they lived in. The same way the previous host family had treated her. They believed she knew nothing about the way the world worked. She didn't know how to figure out the true cost of something. She was just some naive little girl with big dreams that she would never be able to follow.
36
On Monday, her working routine started again. Since Lisa lived in the basement, where there was no heat, taking a shower was torture for her. Thousands of cold drops fell like knives on her body. It also took her an eternity to dry her long, curly hair. However, Lisa still managed to look neat.
“You have to go to the hairdresser and cut your hair short,” said Angelica.
Of course, Lisa wanted to save her curly hair, and the hairdresser was expensive as well. Once, when Anjelica was long at the hairdresser and Marc, Lisa and Ben waited for her. Marc said, “She's been so long at the hairdresser. We have been waiting for half an hour now for her. She is probably paying and paying the whole time. For more than thirty minutes it is so expensive!”
At three p.m., Lisa ate a piece of bread with a thin slice of sausage for lunch (which was everything she could find in the fridge).
At 3:45 p.m. it was time to pick up Ben from kindergarten. Lisa got on the bike and rode through the quiet, green area in the direction of kindergarten.
After picking Ben up Lisa said, “Ben, first we need to go to the supermarket. I should buy something to eat.”
“Yes! And I'm faster than you!” And the naughty boy sped up on his bike. After shopping, they went to a tennis court, where he always played with friends. After an active competition, he came panting to Lisa.
“Lisa, I want to eat,” he said with a commanding tone.
“Good, now let's go home and eat some cereal or bread,” Lisa said, remembering the instructions of his parents.
While Lisa was at home unpacking his backpack and sneakers, she washed them with soap. Ben took a huge piece of black bread, smeared it generously with chocolate cream and enjoyed it.