Story: Dancing With My Soul. Chapter 6.

by Andy Engines

The water was freezing as we plunged the sheets into the stream and then out to scrub on the old flat rock at our side. I had learnt to work hard and fast to get blood flow into my fingers and yet every time we did this the old woman would look and laugh.

“Cold yes?” her eyes shined in amusement as we scrubbed and she talked on, some words coming clear but the rest a blur. I was getting proud that I could just about follow her monologue if she kept to simple words and didn’t change the subject once I had grasped what she was talking about.

“Yes… Cold… fingers… cold.”

Her eyes crinkled up and she guffawed loudly in pleasure at my words. It was a beautiful day and the sun was still low in the sky as we scrubbed and washed.

Summer had turned to fall and with it a new beauty descended on our little world. The days became shorter and as night followed day then so did our routine, we slept earlier and yet rose at the same time each morning. Dawn would bring a chill that I was not used to and the morning coffee became all the more seductive. Dawn also brought a slowly changing world full of beauty as the leaves around turned to golds and reds. Richness displaced the vibrancy of summer. I remembered a poem I had read and realised that summers lease did hath all too short a date. I smiled thinking of winter and the spring to follow with the darling buds of May.

I shuddered again and my daydream broke as I plunged my hands once more into the freezing water of the stream. Soap scurried out of the white sheet as we twisted it harder and harder and then released. I couldn’t feel my fingers but then as we twisted once more I felt pain with the effort. It was a good pain, I felt alive.

So much had happened and I still felt as if I was in free fall but the cottage and the old woman had become my parachute, my safety net. I felt secure and if I could have nothing else then secure was enough. There were worse things that could happen.

Sitting in the little room feeling the warmth of the fire and I felt into my pocket and touched the letter that I had read over and over until I could recall every word. It had arrived by hand and the old woman had just presented it to me with the words ‘It’s for you.’

It was from Marije. Addressed to Marije. To me. With rest and warmth my mind wandered.

“Mark, its Val. Something horrible has happened. There was an accident and….” Words poured from my mouth like bullets from a machine gun and it took long seconds before I registered words.

“Val, slow down, I don’t understand. What’s happening. Deep breaths calm down and start again.”

Step by step I recounted everything and even though the idea of missing parts or twisting it a little so as to appear less foolish were more than tempting I soldiered on. It amazed me as the words flowed from my mouth just how stupid it actually sounded and just how stupid I had been. The full impact of my situation started to really hit home as I transferred memories and thoughts into spoken words. It was as if someone was writing in the dark and then all of a sudden a light was turned on. My actions became excruciatingly clear to me. When I finished there was a long pause on the other end and I thought the connection had been lost.

“Mark are you there?” I could hear panic in my own voice again.

“Yes, Val I am here. Let me digest this a little. Stay on the line.”

There was the longest wait and I thought I could hear a pen scratching away in the distance and then the questions started. Each one probing and questioning for more detail.

Mark was the man who made everything happen. Silently he headed a team of accountants and lawyers who had handled first my father’s affairs and then my own. It was Mark who had headed the team that sold the company, sold shares and then quietly moved money from currency to currency. It was Mark who captained the ship of our fortune and it was Mark who had quietly stood by in my times of depression. He had never forced any ideas or thoughts on me, but always stood on the side watching like a big dog ready to protect. I had never acknowledged to myself how much he did for me but now I was starting to learn. He was the one man I knew could sort this problem and if he couldn’t he would soon find someone who could.

“Ok, I think I have this down. Valentina listen to me. Do not go anywhere and do not speak to anyone. I will reach out and find a Croatian lawyer who can help you. I will send out Jimmy, he is good but cannot practice in Croatia. Jimmy will set up a team with the Croatian lawyer. I promise we will get you out of this. As soon as we have a name I will let you know but for now sit tight. It will be ok. Understood?”

“I understand.” Relief flooded over me at Marks words, one phrase kept bouncing back and forth in my mind. ‘It will be ok.”

Just under two hours later the phone rang.

“Val. Its Mark. Ok listen and write this down. A lawyer is driving to you as we speak. His name is…” I could hear rustling of paper as he paused, “Branco Gaspar. He should be there soon. He said he would try to call you on this number but cell coverage is limited between towns and cities. Jimmy is en route to the airport and should be with you in 14 hours but for now follow Branco’s lead. He will take care of you. Understood.”

It felt so good having someone making proactive decisions for once and I found myself relaxing a little for the first time in days. “I understand. And Mark what about Marije? She is with the police now.”

There was a long silence that seemed to last an eternity. “Val… My main concern is you, to get you out of this mess and safe. Marije will get our full support and attention if anything comes to pass. At present it looks like a shakedown because they know they can extort money from you… The lawyer and myself think this will come to nothing. We believe it is exactly what the police are stating but they are using it to line their own pockets at the same time. Remember this is a poor country Val… and Val remember that nothing has happened so far, sabre rattling for sure but we are sure that is all it is. I am sure Marije will be back in the morning so for now we shouldn’t do anything. Branco will appraise you.”

“Mark, do we know him? Can we trust him?”

“Yes, we can Val, the company have used him once before and he is good. He is one of the good guys Val, he is on the team.”

-----------------

“Miss Van Den Berg, I am Branco Gaspar.”

The man in front of me could have been my grandfather, he could have been anyone’s grandfather. He even had a tweed jacket.

“Please come in Mr. Gaspar, it is good to see you.”

I was struggling to maintain composure and for a second I wanted to hug him, it felt like the cavalry had just arrived to my rescue.

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