She didn't remember the way she got here but there she was, and her previous journey seemed unimportant. At least at this very moment of sweet oblivion which she longed for to keep her sanity. Maybe she hoped for enlightenment that could only come if she once again did what used to be so normal and obvious in her past life. Simple things she never even thought about and which suddenly turned into a luxury. Now she was not ready to think too much about what happened and why she was so mistaken.


Angelika was sitting at the corner table on the terrace of a bistro on a buzzy street of central Barcelona sipping white wine from a decent thin glass and Spanish voices and laughs of a middle-aged group of people eating and drinking at the table next to her were drowning out her thoughts. But this noise was more welcoming than disturbing. They looked like some lawyers from a nearby office enjoying their lunch on this sunny September afternoon and this was enough for her to put them somewhere in her mind. Not worth thinking about these people more.


Her dog, which she adopted a few months ago when things were not yet so difficult, was leaning on her leg and looking up at her confused. As if he was asking: “What on earth are we doing here? Is it a part of your plan?” Under the table he was as invisible as she was. A mature, although still good-looking tall blond woman with a large size dog of no obvious breed having a lunch in the Barcelona’s Eixample district. She was unimportant to anyone but the small world surrounding her, people walking on the street and even the loud lawyers were crucial to her wellbeing. For this short while she could feel like the person she used to be and more importantly, being a part of the world.


Angelika had no plan except another glass of wine. She was not ready to leave yet. Maybe a miracle could happen right here today, or the correct answer to a million dollars question would appear. What to do next? Only one thing was clear. She will have to make sacrifices for the rest of the month to pay for this lunch and two glasses of wine. No way she could afford it without counting coins in the next weeks. Something she never thought would ever happen to her. But at least for this moment she felt like a valid member of the world.


The carefree laugh coming from the next table stopped as somebody’s scream cut through the peaceful early afternoon. Everyone around looked in that direction, even the dog named Oliver pricked up his ears and prepared himself from a lazy pose to a flight or fight mode. The desperate shouting came from around the corner, where Angelika couldn't see, and as it got closer and louder, it became more distinct. “Catch him!”