Aka. "Destination Anywhere", "The Boy and Girl from County Bavaria"... After a very intense year in Würzburg (Germany), I'm back in Salamanca. I probably won't have that many experiences to write, but there's always an excuse to post a new entry!

17.

Sharon rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was still dreaming, she thought; her headache told her otherwise. She tiptoed, following that blonde little girl slowly. There was a small, slightly untidy kitchen at the end of the corridor, as she could tell by looking through the space between the door and the doorframe. Sharon had to blink twice as she saw who the child was talking to.
"She's awake!" she heard her say.
"It's ok, honey. Go back to play."
The girl smiled as Flo poked her nose tenderly. She then ran out of the kitchen happily and went back into her room, almost bumping into her as she was still standing by the kitchen door.
What was that? No wonder she felt like she had seen that kid before - her resemblance with Flo was uncanny. And apparently that was something natural, for she was her daughter. Daughter?! Her ex-lover was a mother? Since when? And why did the child talk about her like she knew her? She's awake?
Then Sharon remembered a certain phrase she had pronounced the evening before, her last glass of wine in hand: And I bet I'll find the love of my life tonight wherever we go and wake up tomorrow in their arms! She believed things happened for a reason. Perhaps she had travelled in time and was now seeing her future: She was living with her former co-worker and friend in a cute, little apartment and they had a sweet, blond daughter who clearly was genetically theirs... It was probably the shock of the moment, but the Dutch girl felt that she was shaking and feeling weak. Her legs couldn't hold her weight anymore...
When she opened her eyes, she was back on the bed, but this time there was light in the room. Sharon sighed. It had been just a dream, even if everything, including the pain, had felt so real. A rather cold sensation on her forehead made her wince and squeeze her eyes shut. Someone was putting a wet towel on her face to wake her up.
"Finally you came round!"
Scared of what she could find, she opened her eyes slowly. Then she wished she hadn't, for that only increased her confusion. The person sitting next to her on the bed, holding a towel, was Flo.
"I made you something to eat. It will make you feel better. Come with me."
Too weak to do anything else, she played along. Sharon nodded and got out of the bed carefully, worried that all the body parts that hurt would hurt even more if she moved any faster. Barefoot, covered only by what looked like a man's t-shirt, a slight fever made her shiver. She embraced herself. Flo, who had been watching her all the time, ready to catch her in case she stumbled and fell, handed her the bathrobe hanging at the wardrobe door. Mumbling a few words of thanks, she put it on and followed the other woman.
The corridor was the same she had seen in her dream, and so was the kitchen. With a gesture, Flo told her to sit on one of the chairs surrounding a small round table. The smell of bacon and scrambled eggs filled her nostrils. No matter how delicious she found it, her stomach turned as her alleged wife put the plate in front of her. The brunette looked up at her and shook her head.
"You need to eat it. I don't want you to pass out again" Flo repeated "Fat is the best remedy against hangover. Besides" she continued as she turned around to pick up some kind of pouch from one of the shelves "You can't have this on an empty stomach. It will make you feel better. Trust me, I'm a nurse."
Knowing that there was no use in resisting, Sharon began eating without saying a word. She ate slowly, afraid that any bite would make her bring up her food. As she tasted the eggs, she realized that all she felt was a deadly thirst. Like she had read her mind, Flora filled a glass with faucet water and handed it to her.
Little by little, the food seemed to agree with her. At least the sickness disappeared after a while. She observed her friend cooking something as she finished her breakfast. It reminded her of the times she offered to prepare dinner during their short romance. She had to admit that she was rather talented in the kitchen, even if her dishes were usually simple. Now she wondered who she was making them for. As questions floated around her head, distracted by the checkerboard walls, the little girl entered.
"It's broken" she announced, holding a beheaded doll out to her.
The woman held the toy in her hands and had a look. After an instant, she placed it on one of the counters.
"Mommy will fix it later, alright?"
Sharon observed her as she accepted the response and turned away, humming some song playfully. The child stopped and stared back at her; then she spoke to the other woman.
"Who's the strange lady who was in your room before?"
"Hey! Don't be rude!" Flo said softly "She's a friend of mine."
The girl gave Sharon one more suspicious look before waving with her hand. Sharon returned the greeting, smiling weakly. Apparently, she hadn't travelled in time to a parallel world in which she and her ex had started a family. But those blue eyes, the freckles that covered her face, the smile... no doubt she was related to Flo.
"What are you cooking?" the kid asked, sniffing.
Flo picked her up in her arms and lifted her so she could see something that was boiling in a saucepan. With her free hand, she stirred the liquid with a wooden spoon.
"We're having tomato soup. Wanna try it? But be careful; it's very hot."
The girl nodded. As she licked the spoon gently, she smiled.
"Yummy!"
Also with a grin, Flora kissed her bangs and put her back on the floor. The little girl giggled as she left the room.
Sharon bit her lip. They seemed very close and happy, and that saddened her slightly. Clearly, that wasn't a dream or a vision of her future, but it was her almost ex-girlfriend's present. It could have been her life, she thought bitterly.
"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a daughter?" she finally dared to ask softly.
The question caught the other woman by surprise. She turned the cooker off and gazed at the brunette.
"Sally is not my daughter. She's my niece."
Confused, the Dutch girl frowned, having one more sip of water.
"She called you mommy..."
"She's six. Kids always call their mommies when something is wrong, you know?" Flo explained "I'm just taking care of her while my sister is at work."
Sharon shrugged. It all made sense now. And that was a relief. However, there were still other things she wanted to know.
"So we're at your sister's? How did I end up here?"
"I brought you. You almost drank yourself into a coma last night."
The brunette toyed with her hair, embarrassed. In fact, she didn't remember much of what she had done the evening before, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to know at all...
"Did anything happen between us?" she stammered out the scariest question of all.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but no" Flo half-smiled "You tried to kiss me several times and told me that you liked me, but you fell asleep instantly as you hit the bed."
"I did? God, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, hiding her face behind the glass.
"It's fine. You're sweet in a weird way when you're drunk. Well, when you're not trying to strip, that is."
Her brown eyes widened. Could it be any more embarrassing?
"S-strip?"
"Zach and Bill were following you all the time so you wouldn't take your clothes off in the middle of the club. Poor guys, they looked so exhausted from running around after you with bottles of water... I had to force them to go home and leave you with me."
She wanted the Earth to open up and swallow her. Small flashbacks from the previous night were slowly going back to her mind, and each one was worse than the ones before. Finally, she forced herself to say what she feared most.
"Did I do anything really stupid?"
Flo thought for a moment. While she did, Sharon's eyes travelled to the clock hanging on the wall. It was long past midday and she didn't know how long she had been sleeping.
"Let's see. Apart from trying to show the whole Rainbow Garden your boobs, you spent five minutes seducing your own reflection. And about to succeed, actually. You also stood on one of the stools and danced. If Bill hadn't been there to catch you, we all might have ended up in hospital. You also told some random girl in the bathroom that she should go to your place and have a look at your miniature collection. And then..."
"Ok, that's enough" Sharon's face couldn't be redder "And you saw it all, apparently."
"Only what you did at The Rainbow Garden" Flora replied "If you wanna know anything about what you did before that, you would have to ask Bill and Zach. I heard you guys went to some straight clubs."
Great. So she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of all the lesbians in the city, but also in front of a lot of men. No wonder she would never find a partner if she went on like this. Hopefully she would still be on speaking terms with her best friends in spite of embarrassing them like that... That, at the same time, reminded her of something. After all the lies she told her and how she had treated her... why would Flo take care of her while she was in such a state?
"Why did you help me?" she wondered after a long pause.
To answer that question, Flo stopped what she was doing. She put the knife aside and washed her hands with a cloth. Then she walked towards her and kneeled down so their eyes were at the same level.
"You're my friend, Sharon. I couldn't just leave you like that; who knows what you might have done?"
Sharon looked down. Guilt stabbed her heart.
"But... I was such a bitch to you..."
"Maybe" she admitted "But I still care about you. Or maybe it's just the nurse within who never sleeps" she added with a chuckle.
The brunette returned the smile weakly. Some voice at the back of her mind told her off for letting such a wonderful person go. She would never deserve her anyway.
"I know you would have done the same" Flo squeezed her hand softly "So, whenever you feel ready" she spoke on as she stood up "I'll tell Sally to get dressed so we can drive you back to your place."