Witch of Portobello
Page 23
Her son goes to see her every weekend and is doing brilliantly at school.
Of course, Athena may one day tire of this isolated life and decide to return to London. Nevertheless, people have very short memories, and apart from her closest friends, no one will remember her. By then, Andrea will be the catalyst and—to be fair—she is better able than Athena to continue the mission. As well as having all the necessary gifts, she’s an actress and knows how to deal with the public.
I understand that Andrea’s work is spreading, although without attracting unwanted attention. I hear about people in key positions in society who are in contact with her, and when necessary, when the right critical mass is reached, they will put an end to the hypocrisy of the Reverend Ian Bucks of this world.
And that’s what Athena wants, not fame for herself, as many (including Andrea) thought, but that the mission should be completed.
At the start of my investigations, of which this transcript is the result, I thought I was reconstructing her life so that she would see how brave and important she had been. But as the conversations went on, I gradually discovered my own hidden side, even though I don’t much believe in these things. And I reached the conclusion that the real reason behind all this work was a desire to answer a question to which I’d never known the answer: Why did Athena love me, when we’re so different and when we don’t even share the same worldview?
I remember when I kissed her for the first time, in a bar near Victoria Station. She was working for a bank at the time, and I was a detective at Scotland Yard. After we’d been out together a few times, she invited me to go and dance at her landlord’s apartment, but I never did—it’s not really my style.
And instead of getting annoyed, she said that she respected my decision. When I reread the statements made by her friends, I feel really proud, because Athena doesn’t seem to have respected anyone else’s decisions.
Months later, before she set off to Dubai, I told her that I loved her. She said that she felt the same way but added that we must be prepared to spend long periods apart. Each of us would work in a different country, but true love could withstand such a separation.
That was the only time I dared to ask her: “Why do you love me?”
She replied: “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
Now, as I put the finishing touches to these pages, I believe I may have found the answer in her last conversation with the journalist.
Love simply is.
February 25, 2006 19:47:00
Revised version completed on St. Expeditus’s Day, 2006
About the Author
PAULO COELHO is one of the most beloved writers of our time. With sales of over 85 million copies worldwide, his books have been translated into 63 languages and published in 150 countries. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards and was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. Mr. Coelho also writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world.
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Other Books by Paulo Coelho
THE ALCHEMIST
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THE VALKYRIES
BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT
THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN
VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE
WARRIOR OF THE LIGHT: A MANUAL
ELEVEN MINUTES
THE ZAHIR
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Credits
Jacket photograph © Artem Efimov/Shutterstock
Copyright
THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO. Copyright © 2006 by Paulo Coelho. English translation copyright © 2007 by Margaret Jull Costa. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © MAY 2007 ISBN: 9780061828898
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Begin Reading
About the Author
Other Books by Paulo Coelho
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher