Lost in Paradise

Chapter 4

Nadia just kept walking until she finally reached Ivan’s. From the outside, she immediately saw its banner...

"Ivan's Car Wash & Repair"

As she entered, a man came up to her. He is tall and fat but not overweight, and she thinks he’s in his 40s. She also noticed some tattoos on his right arm.

"Good morning Miss!" his friendly greet

 “Good morning... I guess you’re ... Ivan?" Nadia asked

“I am. And you are ...?” Ivan said as he presented his arm for a handshake

“I’m Nadia” she accepted the handshake

“You don’t look familiar... you’re new here?”

“Aaah... I’m here for my car”

“Ooow yeah! That’s the convertible car, right?”

Nadia nodded.

“C’mon” Ivan said as he went inside and Nadia followed

“Here’s your car” he said tapping the car’s top

“It is okay now. It had minor internal troubles so I just fixed and replaced some parts. It’s good to go now” he explained

“Really?... wow thank you so much” she said while inspecting the car.

“By the way, how much do I have to pay?” she added while trying to grope for her wallet inside her bag.

“Oh no! Nikko already paid for this” Ivan protested

Ivan’s statement shocked Nadia.

“Nikko??....” she curiously asked

“Don't you know Nikko? He’s the man who told us about your car... he even joined us towing your car on the road last night then brought it here”

“Right, so his name is Nikko” Nadia whispered to herself.

“Ahhh... yes, Nikko! Of course, I know him” she answered

“So, everything is settled. You can take your car now”

“Ok. Thanks again”

Nadia is now driving her car. It's truly fine now, Ivan did a great job.

While driving down the village and being mesmerized, a thought about the stranger she met last night started to linger on her mind. The stranger whose name is Nikko according to Ivan. She keeps on thinking about what the man had done. He paid the hospital bill even for the car. She’s feeling uncomfortable because she thinks she owes him something. As a woman with principle, she hates being in debt, she always wanted things to be fair. The man has wronged her but she thinks to pay the hospital bill was enough to compensate it. She knew that he spent much higher on paying for the car repair because she’s aware of how expensive her car parts are. She wanted to pay him back, but she doesn’t know how she doesn’t even know if they could ever meet again.

Nadia is still in Ivana. She decided to go around the community because she was fascinated by its silence. Ivana is very different from the city where she lived, the establishments are simple and classic, the houses are far from each other and have ample space to grow plants and flowers. There are some Spanish era-inspired houses that she thinks are vintage.

Later on, Nadia felt hungry so she decided to eat first. She parked the car and looked for an eatery nearby. She saw "Nay Liliana's Eatery" and decided to eat there. She ordered an unfamiliar cuisine which according to the old lady that they call “Nay”, is only available in Ivana. Her first taste on the cuisine already got her so she went out full from the eatery.

It was a beautiful day in Ivana. The skies were clear, and the wind was calm.

After eating at Nay Liliana's Eatery, instead of going back to her car, she decided to walk around and explore the place. 

She’s now wandering the place and keeps on being astonished by the view. Though she hasn’t seen the entirety of Ivana yet, what she has seen so far is enough for her to say that the town is a paradise.

While she was in awe, she did not realize that her feet already brought her to the seashore. From where she stands, she could see the fine white sand and the clear blue sea. The sea breeze is also fresh and cool.

In a moment, she suddenly spots a crowd of people walking in her direction

They are all chanting in a language she does not understand. While she’s gazing at the crowd slowly approaching her direction, she unexpectedly saw a familiar face. If she’s not mistaken, that’s the face of the stranger she met whose name is Nikko according to Ivan. Nadia immediately thought of the favor the man had done for her that she believes she needed to give back.

As the crowd of people approached near, she tried to follow and joined them. They were so serious about what they were doing that they didn't notice Nadia came along. From behind, she spotted the man who was in the middle of the crowd, she planned to shout his name but realized that they do not know each other personally, also they seemed to be in the middle of a ritual or something because of the song they are chanting. Nadia just tried to sneak in to get close to the man but the people around her were serious, she might disturb them. She has no other option but to follow them. After a short while, they all arrived at the seafront. The people formed a circle and some men started to light up a bonfire. The elders who lead the ritual started to do some sort of an ethnic dance while singing loudly. Although Nadia does not understand what is going on, she’s still enjoying it. This is her first time witnessing such event. Amidst it, Nadia suddenly remembered why she was here… because of Nikko. She immediately looked around, but the man was gone. Did she hallucinate when she saw his face or did she just not notice his departure because she was so busy watching the ritual? Whatever it is, she was gratified with the new experience.

The ritual is over and the people are now leaving. Nadia gazed into the sky and halted when she noticed the twilight. Time passed quickly, the sky now turned to orange. She witnessed the gradual disappearance of the sun and the fading of the daylight which calmed her down and temporarily relieved of all the pain she was feeling. She thinks this is the best sunset she has ever seen, because of that she concluded, Ivana is the place she is looking for.