Plain Jane

C3 - Travel delays

Julia’s first stop is a beauty salon, “do you tint eyebrows as well?”

“Yes we do,”  the young girl on duty says, thinking that this girl looks a whole lot like Princess Julia.

“I want to color my hair and tint my eyebrows, please,”  Julia tries to speak like a normal person and not sound like a prim and proper bred princess.

“Sure, take a seat.”

Thirty minutes into the session the hairdresser drew the courage to comment on Julia’s appearance, “you know you look just like our beloved Princess Julia.”

“I know, that is why I am changing my appearance.  The paparazzi always take my photo and never believe me when I tell them that I am not the princess.”

Julia is impressed at how different she looks after her make-over.

“There you go, now no one will mistake you for the princess,”  the hairdresser says, proud of her handy work.

“Thank you,”  Julia taps her bank card, “no need for a receipt.”

Julia felt good about her transformation and wondered what would be best; to travel by airplane or take the long way to Italy by means of the ferry and train, “a plane ticket will cost over a thousand and that will tip of my mother.”

Julia hid the bicycle out of sight and waited at the first bus stop she saw.  It didn’t take long for the bus to arrive and on her way to the ferry she went.

Julia kept her baseball cap low over her forehead so that she can cover most of her face by simply looking down. When Julia got to the ferry ticket booth she noticed that the board says that the next ferry will only be tomorrow, ‘dammit.’  Julia wondered if she shouldn’t rather make her way to the airport but knew that it is risky with all the cameras and she will have to produce identification and there is no way she will be allowed to travel out of the country alone.

“What to do, what to do,” she asked herself as she looked around in hope that the answer will come to her.  Julia noticed some boathouses not too far away, “wonder if I can rent one for the evening.”

Julia walked over to the boathouses and search for any sign of life. 

“Excuse me miss?  Can I help you?”  A middle-aged woman asks Julia.

“Hi, yes, I am wondering how to go about renting one of the boathouses for the day and evening. Actually, until tomorrow when the next ferry arrives.”

“I manage some of them and there are only two available but they are in no condition to be rented out.  You are better off going into town staying at a guest house.”

“May I be the judge on whether a boathouse is good enough for me or not please?”  Julia tries to convince the lady.

“Sure, no problem.”

After a hopeful Julia inspected both the vacant boathouses she realized that there is no way she can stay in them, “you are right.”

“There are some private ones here that are vacant but you will have to go online to book,”  the lady explains.

“I don’t have a phone, is there an internet café nearby?”

“Nope, only in town,”  the lady says walking off.

“Um, ok, goodbye, I guess.”

Julia realized that she will have to go back into town and book a hotel room or a room in a guesthouse, “a hotel will ask for my credit card details but a guest house will accept cash.”

Julia waits at the bus stop so that she can make her way back to town. ‘First I need to draw some money,’ she thought as she got onto the bus.

Back in town, Julia notices her assistant in the line at the cash machine and ducks behind someone.  Julia gave a sigh of relief when her assistant walks the opposite direction after using the cash machine.  Julia drew nine hundred cash and made her way over to the nearest guest house.

After settling into her room she sat on the bed and wondered what to do with herself.  She switches on the tv and sees that it is only midday.  ‘What to do for the rest of the day,’ she wonders as she falls back onto the bed.  The baseball cap falls off her head and Julia feels behind her for it.  Julia takes the baseball cap and has a look at it.  She is about to put it down next to her when she sees a piece of white paper sticking out in what seems like a self-cut hidden spot between the inner and outer of the cap.  On closer inspection, she pulls at the piece of paper.  “CALL ME”  Julia reads the note followed by a number. ‘Seriously, do guys really walk around with a ready ‘pick up’ note?’ she wondered.  

Julia drops the hat and the note to her side and before long drifted off to sleep.  About two hours later Julia woke up and stretch her tall body before sitting up.  Julia sees a photo of herself on the tv screen, “ho-oh.”  She puts the tv a bit louder. ‘Made headlines again,’ she thought to herself as she listens to what they have to say and if they know anything about her whereabouts. Julia is relieved that they don’t know where she is but knew that come tomorrow she won't be able to leave the country by any means, “what to do, what to do.”

'First food,' she thought as she feels the hunger pain in her tummy.