I’ll Wait for You

When Sina and Paula arrived in Berlin, they trudged toward the nearest Burger King, both joyful and utterly exhausted. They ordered the biggest meals on the menu - double bacon cheeseburgers, oversized fries, and the largest Cokes they could get their hands on. They collapsed into their seats, savoring the taste of newfound freedom. For the first time in a long while, Sina felt truly, deeply happy. If you want, you can go to the toilet. I’ll wait here for you, Paula said, flashing her brightest, most reassuring smile. Sina nodded, taking another quick gulp of her Coke before heading off, still riding the high of their adventure. But when she came back to their table, Paula was gone.

At first, Sina assumed it was just a prank. She stood there, smiling to herself, expecting Paula to pop out from behind a corner with that mischievous grin she always wore. But that grin never appeared. Paula wasn’t behind the next corner. She wasn’t behind any corner. In fact, she was nowhere to be found. A cold prickle of unease crawled up Sina’s spine. Panic began to unfurl in the pit of her stomach. She combed through the station, searching every platform, every store, every tucked-away nook and cranny. The cheerful chatter and hurried footsteps of strangers around Sina blurred into white noise. Her chest tightened as she clung to the slim hope that Paula might still turn up.

Sina remembered Paula had her cell phone. Desperate, she fumbled for the last of her loose change and made a shaky call home from a public phone. As soon as her mother picked up, Sina broke down, sobbing as she tried to explain the situation. Well, that’s your own fault, her mother said with a hint of cruelty. Figure it out yourself. Everything around Sina seemed to tilt and spin. She collapsed onto all fours, her Coke now spilled and forgotten on the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she called out Paula’s name again and again. But the only response was the indifference of the bustling station. Paula was gone, and Sina’s small world suddenly felt emptier than ever before.