It's September, the most sweet month of the year, even if brings back the sadness or the return from the resting face of the summer. The sun, setting, has that soft orange, that prepares you, from the light of the day, to accept the darkness of the night. The airport seems like it's from the set of a science fiction movie. And here I am. Leaving with the flight 317 for London.

I asked from my parents not to come to say goodbye. I didn't want sadness and tears. I'll be back on Christmas anyways. My mother still insists that I didn't try hard enough in the exams. For God's sake! I tried as hard as I could, but the questions were hard. If she told me that I wasn't well prepared, she may be right. But that's in the past now. I won't waist an other year for preparations. This time next year I will be graduating from the first year of the English University.

They told me not to be friends with Greeks, to exercise the language. But it seemed too funny to me to moan to strangers from what I'll be missing from my country! I'm gonna make Greek friends. I have Annabeth's address anyways. Yes, that's what everyone is afraid of, friends and family, that I'm going to England to be with her. That I will meet her and we would live together. But I haven't seen her for one and a half years. From that summer that her parents send her to their cousins, in America. It was this airport that I came to say goodbye to her. I watched her leave in sadness, holding the Teddy Bear I had given her. She exited the bus last and got in line. Her eyes were searching for me. She let people pass. Finally, she started getting up the stairs slowly. When She spotted me, she held up the Teddy Bear and waved at me. I wanted to be alone. To scream, to cry, to run. But I wasn't. Her parents and our friends, but strangers too were there.

That summer I wrote to her every day and once a week I called her. We had gone to family vacation to Halkidiki. I didn't want to hang out with anyone. I read "Ecstasy" by Loudemi and I wrote her the best quotes…

Love… last night I only whispered you,

And they told me to sing lower.

I still remember that part… A family friend, that saw me reading to the beach, gave me the "Love at the times of Cholera" by Markes. New letters with quotes of Markes this time. Coming home from Halkidiki, I found lots of letters waiting for me at home. They were her letters, all with quotes from songs of American bands. To Loudemi answered the… Chicago. With time the letters became less and less, and after a few weeks came the last one. In that she wrote that she wouldn't come back at the 30th of August, like it was planed. I lost it! I called a friend and with his bike we went to Kladi, where her parents toke vacation and we had spent so many summers. At the familiar tavern, I found her father treat friends and acquaintances. When he saw me from afar, he got up, came close to me, hugged me and told me:

-It's great luck, Annabeth got accepted to the International High School of London.

"Departure, flight 317 to London" sounds from the speakers "Gate number 9". That's my flight.

There are a lot of people. In front of me, a chubby lady with a huge orange hat. Annabeth had returned looking kinda like that. I hadn't gone to the airport, of course. I was mad at her. I couldn't stand the idea that she would spend a hole year to that International High School. But of course, the point was for her to finish her studies abroad. Well, let her finish them alone! I couldn't stand any more letters. Besides what good would letters do? I imagined her among blond Englishmen and brunette Spaniards, rich Arabs and charming Indians. And me? Just with the letters, and some times a phone call here and there, what chances did I have?

When she was in America we tried to communicate with tapes. A huge failure. But failure with laughter. I had written down the words and I had chosen the best music –the must passionate. I had put all my charm in my voice. At one part I remember saying: "My love, away from you the sun becomes a cloud and the day became night. I'm gonna explode if you don't come back soon!... I hope you're not saying: Explode so we can hear what sound you'll make!"

I send the tape as an express and registered letter. Five days later, at 3am, the phone rings. I run there before anyone else wakes up.

As soon as I pike it up, I hear laughter. It was Annabeth.

-Why are you laughing? I ask

-Thank you for the tape, but um it's very funny!

-Funny?

-Especially when you said you're going to explode, I told my cousin, Emma, that we were listening together "Explode so we can hear what sound you'll make", and a second later you answer me over the tape "I hope you're not saying "Explode so we can hear what sound you'll make".

-That was the only thing that touched you?

-My cousin, Magnus, wants to play it to the local greek radiostation.

-My tape on the radio?! No.

-Come one, don't get mad, he wants to show the Americans what Greek Lover means!

-Why don't I sell it? I will make more money.

We hang up mad at each other. I was so angry I couldn't go back to sleep. Rachel, my best friend, came the next morning, I told her what happened and she suggested listening to it. Thankfully I had kept a copy, pretty surprising of me. No wonder Annabeth calls me Seaweed Brain. We laughed till our tummies hurt. "The sun becomes a cloud" with French music playing in the background!...

Annabeth was right. I grabbed the phone and called her. It was a couple of hours after midnight for her but I didn't care. Her uncle picked up. I asked her as nicely as I could. A few seconds later I heard her sleepy voice.

-What do you want?

-You were right. It was kinda funny. Tell Magnus to play it in a comedy or something.

-I'm sorry for earlier. It was really sweet what you did? And me, the hideous, to listen to it with Emma and to laugh! To make it up to you, I'll send tree letters today.

-No, you should send a tape too!

- No way, Seaweed Brain! You're capable of playing it everywhere.

-Do you forgive me, Wise Girl?

-Do you?

And just like that we were back to the letters and the phone calls. Until that last letter. I never wrote to her after that. When I found out about the International High School, I decided… I'm done! I've had enough!

In the middle of October I found out from Rachel that she would be coming back for a couple of days. She had moved permanently now to London, and she had to get the rest of her staff. She said that if I wanted to go to the airport she wouldn't tell her parents.

-No, I'm not going anywhere. Instead, I'm gonna leave the city. I don't want to see her!

Finally, Rachel went and welcomed her. She told me that she spotted her immediately when she got down from the plain. She wore a hat huge and orange. Before she even left for America she threatened me that she would come back with a hat, huge and orange. Like the lady standing in front of me. Where is she, really?

-Your luggage in the machine please, sir. The security guard told me.

I was in my bubble again. The lady had moved, and I'm standing in front of the luggage check point. Another orange hat I lost in my life.