The Universal Passenger Book 1. Someone Else

Chapter 4

After seeing Sophia off, Constantin couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt.

“Maybe I was too harsh with her—”

On the other hand, they had known each other for only a day, and she had already scared off potential buyers. All because she couldn’t keep silent.

Trying to blow off steam, he took a brush and began to paint chaotic strokes on the canvas. He wasn’t painting anything specific, just improvising.

And he drank a lot. First, he emptied the whiskey, then moved on to white rum. When he could no longer hold the brush in his hands, Constantin flopped down on the couch where the exhibition had taken place and closed his eyes.

In the morning, his head was pounding, but that was trivial compared to the lingering feeling from yesterday’s parting with Sophia. He liked that headstrong girl. The way she boldly defended her viewpoint was captivating. Yet he, like a true egoist, couldn’t accept an opinion different from his own. What childishness.

For half the day, he couldn’t find peace. He didn’t have Sophia’s phone number, which meant the only way to apologize for his behavior was to head to the "Sleeping Dolphin."

The place wasn’t pleasant, although for a clinic it was ornate and tidy. During the times he came here, he wanted to run away. The patients were in their rooms – prisons. They only crossed paths during walks, but what always surprised him was that there were never any violent patients in this clinic. Either they were sent to other centers, or they felt much better here and weren’t in a hurry to leave.

Constantin approached the schedule desk and confirmed that Sophia was seeing patients today. Of course, no one gave him a referral, but for a box of chocolates and a promise to call, he managed to get the room number from the receptionist. Sometimes appearances helped, even though Constantin didn’t consider himself attractive. He inherited his mother’s Asian eyes and his father’s strong jawline. The mix of genes was evident.

Lost in thought about his roots, he didn’t notice when he bumped into someone familiar in the hallway.

“Costa!” the girl with an alien-like appearance and bleached eyebrows broke into a smile. “I’m so glad to see you! You haven’t written in a while.”

“Sayana, what's up?” Constantin hugged her and glanced at the identification bracelet on her wrist. “I’m not a patient here. I just came to see a doctor about a personal matter,” he said. “And you still haven’t asked to go home?”

“No. I wanted to, but anyway I wouldn’t have made it in time for my mom’s birthday. And you know how families aren’t too keen on having a schizophrenic around. They feel more at ease when I’m getting treatment, and I feel more at ease when they’re not jumping at every little thing I do,” the girl smirked.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. They still love you. Just give them time.”

“I’m afraid I might not have the patience for long waits,” Sayana said, laughing sadly and tilting her head to the side as if she were listening to someone else nearby.

He looked at her bluish face and noted that not much time had passed since their last meeting, but she appeared even more withdrawn. Her thin fingers awkwardly ran through her light hair, as if she were gathering the remnants of her femininity to “freshen up.” Her large eyes, once a beautiful shade of blue, had dulled and turned more gray. On the girl’s neck, there was a pattern resembling vitiligo, but since Sayana was very pale, the pattern barely caught the eye and resembled more of an unusual decoration than a flaw.

“I believe in you, Sayana,” he said, hugging her again. “Remember, all fears are just in our heads. People outside this hospital don’t know what you’ve been through. Play the role you like.”

“Thank you, Costa. It was great to see you! We’ll meet again.”

The girl slowly wandered off toward the cafeteria, and Constantin turned to the appropriate office.

“Costa?” Sophia stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, raising an eyebrow.

“I allow her to call me that. We were treated together and became friends. May I come in?”

“Please, come in,” Sophia said, returning to the office and adjusting her already impeccably pressed lab coat as she sat in the chair. “How can I help you?”

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for yesterday,” Constantin began searching for the right words.

“No, I should be the one apologizing,” Sophia said, anxiously rubbing her hands together, mimicking human behavior when they’re upset. “I should have been more tactful and not meddled in things that aren’t my business. Besides, I really did like the painting.”

“Next time, I promise to behave more courteously,” Constantin smiled.

The heavy energy from his meeting with Sayana still lingered in the air, but he hadn’t come for that.

“Next time?” Sophia was surprised.

“If of course I haven’t scared you off,” Constantin hesitated. “I’d like to see you again, outside of this clinic.”

“Why not?” Sophia shrugged and he thought she seemed bored. “But this time I’ll choose the place for our meeting.”

“It’s settled then.” Constantin stood up to leave but suddenly remembered. “Can I have your number?”

“Of course. Is that why you came here?” she asked, dialing the number to call.

“Yes, I had to find some way to reach you, Sophia,” Constantin replied, feeling a bit shy.

The smartphone screen lit up with the precious call.

“Call me Sophie,” the girl smiled. “If you don’t mind, you can address me more casually.”

“Gladly,” he nodded and hurried to leave.

A week passed and Sophia still hadn’t called. Constantin waited patiently, comforting himself with thoughts that she had a lot of work. In the meantime, he painted and considered the concept for his next exhibition. He wrapped the painting of the twins in a blanket and stashed it in a distant corner, out of sight.

In the evenings, he met up with friends from the creative world. One of these friends invited him for a ride on a motorcycle to the waterfront. Constantin didn’t often use his iron steed. Perhaps it was due to the fear of getting carried away and losing track of speed, or maybe because he had made a promise to his parents long ago to sell it. But he never found the heart to part with his speedy friend.

Instead, he took him to a quiet enclosure behind the studio, away from onlookers. Now, as the cool sea air seeped through his helmet and filled his nostrils, he sped toward adventure, trying not to think about the girl for at least a couple of hours.

“Constantin!” his friend broke into a smile and waved.

“Hi, Max,” Constantin said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“How could I not? Good to see you, buddy,” Max said, turning to the two guys standing behind him. “Let me introduce you. This is Albert and Denis. They have their own photography studio.”

Constantin looked at them and nodded politely.

“What a cool motorcycle you have! The red paint looks bold,” Albert said, approaching the bike.

“And you can even control the navigation system without taking your hands off the handlebars!” Denis chimed in.

Constantin looked at the guys and smiled. Nothing took him back to childhood like toys, even if they were grown-up ones.

“Want to take a ride?” he offered.

“Of course! I’m driving,” Albert said, jumping onto the bike and putting on the helmet as he went.

“Alright, just don’t show off on the road,” Denis warned.

The guys sped off in a flash, while Van ordered a double espresso at a nearby café and returned to Max. He was a chubby guy of short stature, but he had a certain charisma that shone through at times. When Constantin was in the clinic, Max was the only one who didn’t pry into his personal life, never criticized or judged him. A priceless quality these days. And it was Max who had accidentally found Constantin on the floor that day.

“So, what are you up to now, my friend?” he asked, scratching his left eye. It seemed he just couldn’t get used to the contact lenses.

“You know me. I’m painting, spending long hours in the studio.”

“Sorry that I didn’t come to the exhibition. I was on a business trip. I hope you took photos of the paintings before selling them?” Max sighed sincerely.

Constantin always painted in one copy, so his paintings never lived in two places at once.

“Of course. I couldn’t leave you without news,” Constantin chuckled, lightly punching him in the shoulder. “By the way – speaking of news – I met someone.”

“Now that’s interesting. Who is she?” His friend immediately got to the point.

“You’ll laugh, but she’s my doctor. Not the best candidate for a relationship, I know.”

“Well, why not?” Max laughed. “Keep the most important things close at hand, as they say. It’ll be good for both the soul and the body.”

“You’re always joking,” Constantin replied, appreciating the tease.

While they chatted, time flew by, and the guys on the bike returned.

Denis jumped off the motorcycle like he’d been scalded, adjusting his curly, unruly hair as he went.

“I told you not to show off,” he scolded Albert, who, with a triumphant look, handed Constantin the helmet. “You almost made my heart jump out of my chest.”

“But it didn’t jump out,” his friend retorted. “Next time, don’t hold on to me like a girl.”

“What, like a girl? Oh, you!”

Denis kicked Albert and they engaged in a playful scuffle.

Constantin finished his invigorating coffee and went to toss the paper cup in the trash.

It was already quite dark on the waterfront and the streetlights had come on. This was his favorite time, when the sea, with its calm, barely noticeable waves, marked the end of the day. Turning his head toward the benches, he saw her.

The graceful silhouette of the girl stood out against the backdrop of the evening sunset.

She was sitting on the bench, reading something on her tablet while adjusting her hair, which the breeze was swirling around. A moment later, Sophia took a hairpin from the pocket of her gray blazer and neatly twisted her hair into a bun. She set the tablet aside and looked in Constantin's direction, as if expecting to see him there.

He approached her.

“What a coincidence.”

“For some reason, I’m not surprised, Constantin,” Sophia replied. “The evening waterfront is perfect for a stroll after a long day. Oh, right – you like to work after sunset.”

He looked at her and noticed her tired appearance. It seemed she had been quite busy.

“I didn’t want to bother you after our last meeting. But I must admit, it wasn’t easy,” he said, sitting down on the bench next to her.

“Why wasn’t it easy?” Ephor furrowed her brows.

“God, Sophie,” Libby rolled her eyes, settling down next to her on the railing. “When you’re human, it’s natural to feel things. Every event shapes your mood.”

“Right, I promised to call,” Ephor continued, not waiting for an answer from Van, who was staring at her. “So much work piled up. And complicated clinical cases at work. I’m sorry.”

“I understand. Every day feels like sitting on a powder keg,” Van tried to joke.

“Exactly,” she nodded, her voice devoid of laughter.