"Will you be needing this urgently?" Jamie asked, holding up a lamp, "O abajur? Lamp" he added, smiling smugly.
Juliet rolled her eyes and smirked, he'd been doing that all day, practising for his Portuguese sweetheart.
"Give it a rest, Jamie..." she sighed, wrapping another candlestick holder in newspaper "and no, we wont be needing that lamp urgently when we arrive, so put it in one of the big boxes".
"Arrependido!" he replied. "That means 'sorry'...." He whispered under his breath, incase she was interested.
She turned to him, and smiled apologetically. "Arrepindio"
He turned to her, shaking his head lightly, "No, it's Arrependido!" he corrected, with another haughty smile.
She nodded. "Thanks again for all the help, Jamie" she said, reaching for the glass bowl Peter's mother had given them for Christmas.
"No problem" he said, placing the lamp inside a large container that sat beside him."You know....I just cant believe you're going .to Australia!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "o didnt vê aquele vinda" didn't see that one coming
She shrugged, hating to be reminded. Atleast with the packing, she was busying herself, and could put it all aside for a moment.
She was grateful to Jamie. He'd postponed his trip when he'd heard she and Peter were leaving. Even though Juliet had insisted he still make his flight.... Jamie didn't mind though. Truth be told, his LOTE teacher had not-so-subtly told him his Portuguese wasn't up to standard yet, and she advised him to spend another week in class.
"Have you heard form Peter today?" Jamie casually asked, as he stated bubble-wrapping another lamp.
"Last night...at 2 in the morning!" she said, suddenly remembering how tired she was. "...He says he's looking at an apartment near the docklands"
"Nice view?"
She shrugged, disinterested.... Jamie noted this.
"Australia's a nice enough place," he started, "great weather, practically all year round... Christmas in summer will be interesting..."
She wasn't listening. Instead, her mind had wandered back to Mark, she often thought of him now.
They hadn't visited each other since last week, at the pub.
She had told him, leaving no doubt in his mind that she had to leave.
"I know you do.... and I have to let you" The memory of his words left an ache in her chest. She wanted to see him. Especially since Peter would be returning in two days time, and then there would be chaos as they finished packing and selling off her business..... After that, they would be gone. "I do think its really fantastic that you are.... Seguinte são coração!"She snapped out of her daydream, hearing the last of Jamie's words. "What?" she asked, turning to him.
"Seguinte são coração" he said simply, as though she would know exactly what he meant. He continued bubble wrapping.
"What does that mean?" she snapped.
"Following you're heart" Jamie replied, without even looking up.
She suddenly couldn't breathe.
Jamie looked at his watch, his eyes popping out of his head when he saw the time, "damn! My lesson started fifteen minutes ago!" he sighed, struggling to stand.
"Oh...err...sorry, Jamie," she said groggily.
He grabbed his coat, shrugging it on. "I'll come by tonight with take-out and we'll finish up, ok?" he said hastily, running for the door.
"Bye!" she called.
Just as he swung the door open, he found himself coming to an abrupt stop as to avoid crashing into a gentleman standing on the steps, holding a box.
"Yes?" Jamie asked quickly.
Mark took a step back, trying to balance the box on one knee, "oh....err....can I leave this with you? It's some of Peter's stuff....I'm his friend, Mark" he tried outstretching a hand, but found the task too difficult.
"Err...I'm in a hurry, leave it inside with Jules..." Jamie brushed past him, "nice to meet you!" he shouted over his shoulder, as he raced for his car.
Mark didn't much like the idea of being alone with Juliet. He'd avoided coming around all week to deliver Peter's bits and pieces. CD's mark had borrowed, videotapes, books, and an old sweater. But last night Peter had called him from Australia and asked him to make sure to drop them off so they could be packed. Mark had hesitated, but agreed.
He started lowering the box on the porch step, when he heard footsteps coming his way.
"Who is that?" Juliet called out.
She stopped, a few metres away from the open door when she saw Mark.
He picked the box up again, struggling to balance it, "um...hey!" he stammered, "...Pete called me last night, to remind me about this lot" he indicated to the box in his arms, "so...err...here" he outstretched the box.
Juliet's jaw hung open as she stared at him.
"Umm...I'll just leave it here...." Mark lowered the box again when Juliet didn't say anything.
She gave a faint nod.
"I'll be off..." he said, turning on his heel.
"Stay?"
He stopped, but didn't turn around as he deliberated in his head.
"Please?" she asked again. "...The house looks as though a bomb has hit...but I'm sure I can rummage through some boxes and find the kettle and some mugs.... and perhaps there's an uncluttered space somewhere.... perhaps?"
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." he started, slowly turning to face her.
She bit her bottom lip, and looked at the box sitting by the door, "yeah, yeah you're probably right"
Mark dug his hands into his pockets, waiting for the silence to cease. It didn't. So he cleared his throat, "...who was..." he started to ask.
"Jamie?"
Mark nodded.
"My cousin...a very good friend"
He nodded, "right...helping you to..."
"Pack"
"How is that coming along?"
"Slowly"
He nodded again.
"Heard from Peter?" Mark asked, even though he had called Mark just last night.
She nodded, "yeah, last night.... he's maybe found us an apartment"
"That's great"
"Yep"
"How much?'
She shrugged.
"Oh" there was a vast pause that seemed to span for miles, "...so...I best be going then"
She bit her lip a little harder, "I don't want to go" she breathed, her words barely audible.
He looked up, into her eyes. They were swollen and red. She'd spent many days crying, it was obvious.
He stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do with her words.
"I don't want to go...." She repeated them.
He sighed, "I don't want you to go"
His words made her chest heave a sigh of relief.
He shrugged, digging his hands deeper into his pockets, "but you have to" he added, she felt her chest tighten again.
She nodded.
"You have to go.... and I don't want you to.... but you do...so its best if you just let me walk away now, without saying anything, and have this as our last goodbye...so that I have plenty of time to...get over you"
She said nothing, just watched as he turned again, and started walking away.
"You told me once that I was perfect!" she called out to him, stopping him.
He turned, she stepped out of the house, "...but I'm not" she felt her eyes begin to prick, "I'm anything but!" she hugged herself against the chilly winter air, "...I cheated on my husband..." she gave a sarcastic laugh, feeling a tear escape down her cheek, "so you see, I'm hardly ever going to be perfect!"
He opened his mouth, about to plead with her to go back inside, close the door and let him be on his way. But she wouldn't let him speak. She took a few more steps, coming closer and closer to him. He stood where he was.
"...But if perfect means that I would have never known you're touch.... you're kiss.... if perfect means I'd have never let myself fall in love with you...." She sighed, now standing so close to him, she stopped, looking up into his eyes, ".... then I don't want to be perfect"
He didn't say anything. He just gazed into her chocolate eyes as tears ran down.
"Please...say something," she whispered.
He couldn't.
"Mark... I will leave Peter. I will tell him everything.... just to be with you"
"Don't"
She caught her breath. "What?"
"Don't screw up everything that you have with Peter, because of me..."
"But, Mark..." she tried.
He shook his head, "Jules.... you can start a whole new life. A clean slate, you and Peter..."
She reached up, touching his face lightly. He stepped back, away from her touch.
"Jules, listen to me!...You and I...we came too late!" he nearly choked on his own words, "But, you and Peter....Jules, he loves you. He'd do anything for you. Don't throw that away for me.... Who knows how we'd end up, given the chance? Maybe I'm only infatuated with you because I can't have you! ...Maybe that's just the sort of jerk I am!"
"No!" she spoke, her voice shaky.
"Atleast, with Peter, you know its real...you know he loves you no matter what.... so just.... just forget about me, ok?"
"I don't want to!"
"I do!"
She didn't want to hear this. She knew what he was doing. Purposely pushing her away. Making her decision for her, without her feeling guilty.
"I love you!" she whispered.
He caught his breath for a moment, before whispering; "I will always envy Peter for finding you first", and then he turned away, and started walking, without looking back.
Juliet watched him go, and didn't say anything.
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AUTHORS NOTE
Alrighty, let me just say 'no I don't speak Portuguese'. I went to and that's how I was able to do Jamie's dialogue in this chapter. I don't know if the words are correct, most likely not.
So, if you are Portuguese, let me apologize if I've written something horribly offensive or stupid, or both. But, in any case, if you can speak the language, could you tell me of the mistakes?! Thanks!
