Leaving The Palace II.
****
I thanked her for the information and rushed to meet this seaman. I had enough money to leave Akkad and start a new life.
"Where is the ship going to?" I asked him when I got there. It was just a confirmation answer I wanted.
"Novia, young lady," The man told me. His front tooth was missing and each time he spoke, saliva leaves his mouth. I tried my best to avoid it from landing on my face. "Where are going to?"
"Novia, sir," I said with a smile.
The seaman looked at me for some minutes. He seemed suspicious "What are you going to do there?"
"It's my homeland, sir" I replied.
"Pay twenty-five shillings, do not argue about the transport fare because it is fair. It is a week's journey using the sea" The seaman said. He returned to his business of calling other customers. He thought I could not afford it.