The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 100

Rachel

As I picked up my bags and began to walk slowly toward the boarding gate, a feeling of inevitable farewell washed over me. Each step seemed to weigh twice as much, as if my feet were glued to the ground of that airport, reluctant to leave behind all the pieces of me that had already been lost. In the far corner of my mind, I could hear Nancy's voice. A soft and familiar echo, cheerful as always, brought a strange warmth to my chest. And for a moment, I allowed myself to believe that it was just her memory that appeared to comfort me.

"That's my friend!"

The voice was booming, so loud and so Nancy that it made me stop suddenly and turn toward the sound. With my eyes wide open, I couldn't help but smile and be surprised to see my friend running across the boarding area toward me, with an absurd amount of stuffed animals hanging from her arms and a neck pillow around her, clearly uncomfortable. She was looking for me, balancing all those things, and yet she wore a wide, infectious smile, as if she were going on the greatest adventure of her life.

"I'm going with you, Rachel!" Nancy shouted as she approached, her voice so familiar and full of life. "I don't know where to go yet, but I'm going with you!"

That was just the Nancy way. No questions, no thoughts of consequences, no hesitation in showing how big her heart and loyalty were. My eyes, which had been heavy with sadness before, now filled with different tears-tears of gratitude, of relief. Because in that moment, I understood that I wasn't alone.

"You don't have to do this," I said, trying to smile and dry my eyes at the same time, as she stopped in front of me, panting.

"Of course I do!" she replied, with that determined tone and a sparkle in her eyes that only Nancy had. "Do you think I would let you embark alone to... anywhere? No, ma'am!"

I laughed, unable to contain my excitement, as she dropped the stuffed animals to the floor and opened her arms to embrace me in a hug. We didn't exchange many words after that. The simple fact that she was there, that she reminded me that I still had something familiar and safe by my side, was enough. Her presence seemed to dispel some of the fog that surrounded me.

"How did you manage to get here so quickly?" I asked, when I finally managed to pull away a little and look at her, curious and slightly confused.

"Oh, I have my ways," Nancy said, with a mysterious and convinced smile. "Let's just say that, after much thought, I decided that you weren't going to get rid of me that easily."

The relief I felt at seeing her made my anxiety subside, and for the first time in hours, I felt safe. Nancy, with her exaggerated and completely unpredictable ways, had the power to transform any environment. Even in a crowded airport, her vibrant spirit made everything around her seem lighter, as if the whole world were just a stage for her madness.

"Come here, are you crying?" she asked, feigning surprise and putting her hand on her hip, looking me up and down. "Rachel, you know I'm going to replace a way to liven up this trip, right? There's no excuse for drama here, huh?" I laughed, and that laughter seemed to open a crack inside me, a space for hope, for the unexpected. "Oh, Nancy... I guess this is a little inevitable, but I appreciate the effort," I replied, trying to adjust the stuffed animals she was awkwardly holding.

We walked together to a nearby café, where Nancy ordered a coffee and an unreal amount of sweets. As she scattered sugar across the counter trying to mix the coffee in a hurry, I realized how that simple act of having someone by my side made everything more bearable. Even without understanding the full depth of what I had been through, Nancy knew enough to be there, present and ready for anything, as she had always been.

"So, tell me, where exactly are we going?" she asked with her mouth full, one of the stuffed animals resting on her shoulder as if it were a natural accessory.

I took a deep breath, hesitant to say the words. The truth is, I didn't know if there was an exact "where." My ticket was home, to an old life that now seemed like unfamiliar territory. Saying it out loud made everything seem more real and more confusing.

"I... I'm going back to my mom's house," I mumbled, staring into the bottom of my glass. "I need a place where I can think. Where I can... try to make sense of everything that happened."

Nancy nodded, her expression now more serious. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down next to me, placing her hand over mine. "Rach... you know life is full of ups and downs, right? And... I know that sometimes we don't understand why certain things happen. But you are strong. And I will be here for you. remember that, even if you forget it yourself."

Those simple and sincere words brought a sense of comfort that I hadn't felt in a long time. That feeling of someone who truly cared, who wanted to see me well, no matter what I was or had done. The unconditional love of a friend. I looked at her and smiled, trying not to let the tears overflow again. "Thank you, Nancy. Seriously, you have no idea how much this means to me."

She shrugged, as if all of this was natural to her. "You would have done the same for me, I know. And besides... I needed a vacation! So let's make this trip an adventure. How about it?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Even in the midst of sadness and chaos, Nancy managed to bring a new perspective, a touch of lightness that made the burden less heavy. For a few minutes, we sat there, talking about anything, laughing at the nonsense she made up and pretending that everything was normal, that the world around us wasn't falling apart.

The loudspeaker called our flight again, reminding us that it was time to move on. We grabbed our bags and, hand in hand, walked towards the boarding gate. The simple fact of having someone by my side made that moment less scary. I knew that I still had a long way to go, that the challenges would not end any time soon, but, in that moment, I felt stronger, more prepared to face whatever came.

Nancy looked at me, with a determined and confident look, and said: "Now, let's go, my friend. Because the world out there doesn't know what it's missing if we give up on living our story."

With a slight smile, I took a deep breath and took the first step towards the unknown, certain that, as long as I had a friend like her by my side, nothing could bring me down completely.