Insistence, Persistence or Resilience?! Part 3

Part 3 – Yes, Resilience!

This post is Part 3, and the last one, I promise, of this story about my trip to London. I want to tell you that, as people say, nothing is ever so bad that it can’t get worse, but the opposite is also true... 🥹

To recap: I had missed my flight to London. I prayed that it would be delayed, as had often happened lately with most of my flights, but no — it left right on time, leaving me behind, sad and unsure of what to do, until my “almost-husband” encouraged me to buy another ticket and go anyway. And that’s exactly what I did.

I spent the entire day at the airport rooftop waiting for the new flight, which would only leave at night, but I truly enjoyed my time there, making the most of it, with the experiences I described in Part 2.I paid for my drinks and changed restaurants. I went to an Italian place I already knew, in the same area, “The Circle,” at the airport. I ordered a lemon risotto with shrimp — those who have read my book Beirando a Loucura know it’s one of my favorite dishes — but that’s another story.

My phone buzzed. I had just received an SMS from EasyJet saying my flight was delayed. What irony! “I guess my prayers reached Heaven a bit late,” I thought, smiling, and didn’t worry. More time to enjoy my meal in peace!

I was already feeling so fulfilled with my day and the blog post I had written that I thought nothing could possibly ruin it — but I was wrong. 😒

The flight finally departed, and I took the opportunity to read a book by a writer friend — something I hadn’t found time to do in ages — but after a few pages, overcome by fatigue, I fell asleep.

When I arrived in London, it was already past 11:30 p.m. I turned on the Wi-Fi and tried to connect, without much success. I had to use my own roaming data and finally managed to open the app to check the train schedule. That’s when I realized, to my sadness, that the last train had left at 11:06 p.m., and because of the flight delay, I hadn’t made it in time.

My only solution was to call an Uber and pay 80 pounds to get to the hotel. Once again, I remembered my partner’s voice telling me not to cry over this expense, that it would be worth it later on. I took a deep breath and ordered the ride.

The Uber pick-up point at the London airport is a ten-minute walk away, through some strange and dark paths.

With my phone battery almost dead, I finally sat in the car and relaxed. Soon, I’d be in bed... or so I thought! 😄

The roads were full of nighttime construction work, turning four lanes into just one and causing a huge traffic jam.At least I could charge my phone, I still had some water in my thermal bottle and a piece of pretzel I’d bought at the airport. “I’ll get there eventually,” I thought. “Relax!”

I opened my backpack, drank some water, and reached for my bread. The sound of the wrapper caught the driver’s attention — he turned around and, before I could even take a bite, told me I couldn’t eat in his car.Since I don’t speak English well, although I understood, I pretended I didn’t and kept a blank face. He insisted, pointing at a sign on the window showing a picture of “no eating.” Of course, it had to be a picture, just to stop people like me who pretend not to understand. 😅

I apologized and stayed hungry. I even tried to explain, mixing my little English with some German — and when I realized the driver understood a bit, since he had lived in Germany,

I told him my flight had been delayed, I’d missed the train, that’s why I was in an Uber, and that I was starving! No luck.I didn’t talk to him anymore and avoided leaving a review on the app, since it wouldn’t be a good one. Better leave it blank. 🫣

I finally arrived at the hotel; it was already one in the morning.I waited for the receptionist, who was asleep, to wake up and remember what his job was. Check-in done, I read the sign saying breakfast would be served until 8:30 a.m. sharp. Those were the rules — to my despair.

At 2 a.m., I was finally in bed. I slept until eight, hoping to catch breakfast. Oh, if regret could kill! 🙃Breakfast wasn’t worth it, and when I got back to my room, I realized I had woken up an hour early for nothing — I had looked at my watch and forgotten that London was one hour behind! 😒

I took care of myself, had a long shower, prayed in silence, grateful to God for everything I had lived through, for all the protection I might never know about. I visualized my new day in a positive way, and an immense happiness filled me.

Without a doubt, what happened next was a result of that energy...

Straight from the General Consulate of Brazil in London, we held the launch of our anthology The Power of the Feminine Voice in Literature, created by dear Sueli Lopes and written by 32 women authors about 32 other women.I wrote about the life of Maye Musk, mother of businessman Elon Musk, but the book also tells the stories of other incredible and admirable women around the world.

The launch was a success! We had the presence and support of the kind Deputy Consul, Sarah Cruz Ferraz, who also wrote our beautiful preface, as well as many guests, friends, writers, and supporters of our project.

The book can be ordered directly from me — I send signed copies all over Europe — and soon it will also be released in Switzerland.

To crown my day of success, a dear friend and fellow writer, Gigi Jones, kindly accompanied me to the main train station, where she made sure I was safely on the train that would take me to GW Airport for my flight home.

I could still enjoy the beautiful landscapes of London, its majestic and historic buildings full of royal charm, its lush parks... We took a typical London double-decker bus, sat on the top deck, and had a panoramic view of that beautiful city.I was left with a “taste for more,” but I know it won’t be long. I feel that good winds will take me back to London again, to discover and experience even more!

#London #BrazilianConsulateInLondon #BookLaunch #WomenInLiterature