Chapter 13

Believe it or not there is actually something called the invisible woman syndrome. If women start to no longer be attractive as they age, they becomes less relevant—and invisible.

Vika and Irena didn’t buy the invisible women stuff. They thought of themselves  as the “Fadeaway Girls”—fading silently and smoothly into the background of ordinary life, and then slipping quietly away like the fog which vanishes without leaving a trace.

There would be no classy Louis Vuitton luggage or stylish outerwear for this journey. Vika had hastily called on Simone for simple clothing and large plastic carry-all bags.

* * *

And so it was that early one morning, arm in arm, two elderly women (one carrying a cat in a large satchel) made their way slowly on foot, arriving at the central station just minutes before the bus for Talsi was to take off.

Irena did the talking, purchasing the tickets but avoided chatting to anyone else. She had a foreigner’s accent and body language that set her apart. Vika kept her head down fixated on her satchel, cooing and babbling to her disgruntled cat who was ready to jump in her face and put an end to the nonsense. Vika rolled her eyes and sent out a silent prayer.

It was answered. The Goddess of Happy Endings looked down on mother and daughter and willed them a pleasant journey.

You will stop running. You will stop being afraid. I will not abandon you. I will show you a Latvia free of dirty dealings and intrigues. I will send you to Brivzemnieki where you will discover the wonders of this land—the majestic stork nests high up on power  masts, the  fields of wild flowers buzzing with  bees, the regal oaks,  the white Baltic birch groves, dew-filled early mornings luminous with sunlight, clear translucent ponds and exquisite water lilies, traditional saunas, brown Latvian cows, song festivals and children dancing.

And always the sea. The endless sea.