Trapped by the Don

Chapter 7 - A new country

Myra's POV

Standing on this deserted road, I realised how afraid I was. Till now, I, was just thinking about my family but now the reality is hitting me hard in the face. My family is not alone, they have each other and also Sofia and her mom. But I am all alone. I don't have anyone to go to or at least to talk to, because I don't know French. I have heard that only 39% of French people know English. What if I meet someone who doesn't know English? Above all I am standing in the middle of a road where I can't see a single sign of life. I mean there is not even a bird flying in the sky. I don't know where to go. I looked at my watch and it showed that it was still early in the morning. I can't stay here all day long waiting for another vehicle. So I started walking in the direction where the truck went.

After walking for about half an hour, I became really tired. I decided to rest for sometime. I saw a tree at a distance. I walked straight to the tree and sat under its shade. Thankfully, my mother has packed food for me. I opened my backpack and the first thing I got just surprised me. My mother thought of packing a thermos flask for me. I took it out and opened it and the fine aroma of my mother's special coffee filled my nostrils. It's still hot just as I like it. I poured the coffee into the cup I got with the thermos. Then again, I searched inside the bag and this time something packed in aluminum foil struck my hand. My mother is just amazing. She even prepared something for me in such a short time.

I opened the foil and it was my favorite paneer sandwich. I took a bite and I missed my home. It brought back the tears and the feeling of emptiness. I quickly finished the sandwiches and coffee and got ready to walk again. This time, I took out the water bottle that Sofia gave me and placed it on the side of the backpack. I resumed my walk and this time with more energy. After walking for another twenty minutes, I reached another road which seemed to be a city road. Vehicles ran on both sides continuously. I checked on both sides and found some buildings on the right.

I walked straight to the building and it was a small building. It had a cafe and a grocery shop. There was a side road adjacent to the building along which cars were coming and going. Some of them stopped at the cafe or the grocery store. But no one cared to spare a look at me. I am all sweaty from all the walking. I went to the grocery shop and waited for the shopkeeper to be free. When he settled the last customer, he turned to me and asked something in French with a smile. I hesitated for a moment but then said in English.

"I am sorry, I don't know French. Do you know English or Italian?"

He smiled at me and looked inside the shop and said something. I think he called someone and, as I thought, a middle-aged woman came out. The man said something in French. The woman smiled at me and said,

"Buongiorno signora, come posso aiutarla"

She knows Italian. She greeted me and asked how she could help me.

"Buongiorno, voglio fare una telefonata. In realtà sono nuovo qui e ho perso il telefono. Sono venuto dall'Italia per incontrare mio zio ma qualcuno mi ha ingannato e mi ha lasciato su una strada deserta."

I told her that I wanted to make a phone call as I am new here and I had lost my phone. I told her that I came from Italy to meet my uncle but someone tricked me and left me on a deserted road.

She told the man what I said in French. I saw the man nodding his head. He said something to the woman and I think she was his wife. She spoke to me again in Italian.

"My husband told me that he saw you coming from that road. Whoever left you there is really heartless. That's actually a barren road. No one uses it other than some illegal gang. You are actually very lucky to be off of that road safely. You can use my phone or, if you say, I can call the police for your help."

Her last words really frightened me. If they called the police, I would be in great danger. I have to convince them to let me use their phone.

"Thank you so much, but you don't have to call the police for my aid. My uncle would be really tense without getting me on the phone. If you allow me, can I call my uncle from your phone?" I asked.

"Please come with me, you can use our landline." The lady invited me inside.

She went out of the shop and walked along the side road. That's when I saw an outline of a big city at a distance. This is not just a side road but a road to the main city. I followed her pulling my trolley bag. She walked straight and then turned right and I could see that it was a residential area. The lady walked straight to the third villa on the left. She just pushed open the door and entered the house and kept the door open for me. I entered the house after her. I removed my sneakers and followed her inside.

The villa had a nice and cosy ambience inside. I entered a small hall which had a couch and coffee table in the middle. I stood there without knowing what to do.

"Dear, you can use that phone." The lady pointed towards a corner where I saw a land phone on a side table.

"Thank you"

I walked straight to the phone and dialled my mama's number. I had already memorized it on my way in fear of losing the contact details if I lost my bags. The phone went to voicemail and I left a message in Hindi that I am in France and I need his help. I hope he hears the voicemail soon.

"Did you get your uncle? Is he coming?" The lady asked.

"No, but I left my message on the voicemail." I replied.

"That means you have nowhere to go." I had to nod at her as I knew I didn't have any other option.

"Don't worry, for now you can stay here. You said that you lost your phone, then have you informed your family that you have reached here safely? They will be worried about you."

She asked and that's when I thought about it. Mamma and papa will be really worried without knowing anything about me. I should at least inform them. I went to the phone and dialed mamma's number. I thought it would be safe to call mamma as her number is less used. She answered the call on the second ring. I didn't want anything to happen to my family and so I decided to just pass the message and disconnect.

"Main yahan pahuch gayi. Chachu ko message bheja hai. Apna khayal rakna. Rakhti hoon."

I just said that I had reached and had sent a message to my uncle. I didn't wait for her reply and just disconnected the call. I hope she won't call me back.

"Feel at home and relax. I will bring something for you." She said and went through a door on the right.

She came back within 10 minutes holding a tray. She gave me a cup of coffee and took the other cup herself. She sat opposite to me and said,

"I am Elisa Garnier and my husband's name is Lucien Garnier. I am actually an Italian. I came to France after marrying Lucien."

"Nice meeting you Mrs. Garnier. Thank you so much for giving me shelter and believing in me. I am Myra Shah. I'm actually an Indian. My family moved to Italy when I was 12. So, Italy is my second home. I recently graduated and wanted to visit my uncle before starting my career. My parents and brother couldn't accompany me as they had work. That's why I decided to come here alone. But now I think it was a bad idea," I said.

"Don't say that. Everything happens for some reason. You lost your phone so that we could meet. I was actually missing my country. It feels really nice to speak Italian after so long a time. I learned French but my husband still doesn't know a single word of Italian. But as it says, love needs no language and we proved it right. When we first met, we didn't know each other's language but still fell in love. We expressed our love through actions until we got married. But I had to learn French after coming here because the majority of the people here just know French." She said,

"Then where did you meet each other, Italy or France?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, we met at a friend's wedding. My friend was marrying his cousin's sister. Lucien came to Italy to attend the wedding. We fell in love at first sight. He proposed to me the very next day and I couldn't refuse. My family was against the marriage as he was not rich. My family was one of the richest families in Italy. No one supported me except for my sister and her family. So I came here with Lucien and got married. My sister and her family attended the wedding from my side. It's been 25 years and I haven't ever returned to Italy except for one time." Her eyes became wet and she quickly hid them.

"Do you live here alone?" I asked to change the topic.

"Well, we have two children, a son and a daughter. My son is in London doing his major in business management. My daughter is now in Paris learning fashion design. She comes home once in a while. I also have another son. He is actually my nephew, my sister's son. He is in Italy but visits me occasionally. He loves me more than my children. He is just like his mother, loving and caring." She said, and that's when her phone rang.

"Oh goodness, you really have a long life, my boy. I was talking about you right now." She answered the call.

Elisa went silent for sometime and I think she was listening to the other party. Then she talks about me over the phone. I hope this doesn't bring me any trouble.

"I will be waiting for you," Elisa said before hanging up.

"My nephew is coming. You can meet him if your uncle doesn't come to take you before that," Elisa said.

"What's his name?" I asked, out of anxiety.

"Luca Amanto," She replied.