“Don’t wait for me at lunch time,” was what he had told Jill before taking the decision of attending his so awaited event. He had watched his beard at the mirror before going out that day with a kiss on Jill forehead.
Jill had pretended not to have understood her husband’s intention. She just let him go. “The part of a young spouse doesn’t belong to me. Sometimes we wonder why we haven’t planned children yet. But this is another issue. Now I’m concerned with your absence from home in the weekend,” were Jill’s last words to Araon before he left home. She was assured that Araon would stay with his friends and that he would have eaten some sandwiches and drunk draught beer. Jill liked to stay on her own for a while that weekend. She had managed to love Araon in her own fashion. She had imagination enough to stand Araon’s needs. After all, when he left, she had used a vein of sophisticated irony. She couldn’t imagine Araon and his friends’ exuberance during the race. She was already thinking about what to plan for the afternoon of Araon’s arrival. They would have cuddled themselves silently in the darkness of the flat. She imagined themselves like two tiny birds just hatched from the egg. They were new to their kind of loving relationship. To keep the distance was a way to improve their candor. Araon would look forwards to embracing her after all the time he had spent with his friends. But now she was on her own, eating fried eggs and listening to the news. She was bored with listening to politics breaking news. They were talking about London current affair and nothing was told about Amsterdam. She turned off the television and switched on the radio. She went to the bedroom leaving the unwashed dishes in the kitchen and then she tried on some dresses that would make her as beautiful as a bride waiting for Araon. A light makeup highlighted her very blue eyes and her long eyebrows. A top and a miniskirt despite the weather would do. She was ready now.
Araon arrived earlier than expected and that made Jill wince a bit. Araon was shy and happy at the same time in front of Jill’s transformation. A nice evening was waiting for them. He made a small summary of his weekend, watching Jill with candor and enthusiasm. He had obviously guessed the time of the day. He took Jill’s right hand and he made her feel his shaved beard. He squeezed her waist and started kissing her with passion. They made sure that the windows were perfectly closed and abandoned themselves to their desire. They were the happiest couple in the world. Everybody would adore them.
“Do you know what alimony means to me darling?” Was the course voice of Araon at his awakening the following day.
“I know they mean nothing to you,” answered Jill. “Our love is eternal and I want to find infinite occasions to remember this,” she added.
Araon changed subject of conversation having received from Jill the answer he was looking for. He was so kind to spend the time for a while over there. He would have liked to tell Jill everything about his time in New York, the train, the rain, the park. But his common sense stopped him from doing so. The ancestral hatred towards the unprejudiced emerged from his heart right now. He didn’t want his wife remembering the sufferance of living alone for some time. He drunk some vitamin beverage, dressed himself and promptly made himself ready to leave home. “Sweetheart, I’m going for a walk. I’ll come back at lunch time as usual,” he said with coldness. He tasted Jill’s lips and went away. He was sort of petrified seeing the circumstances. He didn’t want to make Jill feel unloved again. His mind revolved around two or three issues alternately. He found inspiration while in the traffic jam to suppose that the corpse had already been dehydrated and burnt when the thieves were transporting it out of the museum. But how long would that discipline take to put into practice? Araon was desolate for not being able to have a clear picture in mind about the mystery of the missing corpse. He had to find new solutions to his dilemma. There was no way he would change his mind as regard as to carrying on with his investigation of the crime case with only the assistance of Doctor Van der Baast. Was it a story of his torturing, of killing and of hiding a corpse? In those days virtues and vices intermingled continuously and Araon didn’t know what to pick to disentangle his puzzle. Hands in his pockets, he listened carefully to the torture of his mind while joggling his feet. He had never considered himself as a hero, but a brave man. The darkness of the evening was made sweeter by the lamps in the corner of the streets. To reconstruct facts as they were was now his main priority. Accidentally came to his mind the legend of the vampire that suckled blood from whoever would approach him. It had some similarity to his own case. It was just the hindrance of his old aunt story that stopped him to mend the gaps of his knowledge. To be chaste was a privilege not a duty. Was the awareness of this that made the damned corpse disappear? These issues nearly meant nothing to him who was walking up and down close to the canals. He was now embittered by infamy and shame. Shame: what shame? He was wit enough to understand all that. He made a brief pause and later on he started wandering slower than ever. A niche of his mind concealed all his previous question marks on his investigation. He felt stupid to be perseverant with all his self-inflicted arrows of mediocrity. To sort his dilemma out he must be brilliant. He put his hands in his jeans pocket just to realize that some money was missing. Hopefully he needed the exact amount to buy a sandwich and a bottle of beer. He entered the first grocery and he got the dinner for that day.
Sweet Jill always prepared for him nice meals but now he had to be happy with what he had. Never mind. I n a few minutes he would be back home. At his arrival he found Jill perfectly made up wearing a long violet suit. “You beat the time,” she smiled. She didn’t need other words that would spoil the vibe. It was the magic of love. The chemical attraction between the two was the dwelling of their passion. But they were unable to understand why babies had not arrived yet.
The night was a disaster. Araon forgot to switch off the light in the atrium and the cat was crying all the time. Maybe he wanted to find a shelter in the bed of the couple who fell asleep at four a.m. They had gently let the pet go into the other room as it wanted and coveted.
The following day was supposed to be a business day. Jill wanted to be cautious. So far, she had used a high amount of glamorous look but she wanted to appear modest now for the sake of Araon. Araon was his inspiring hero. They went out together to have a look at the yard of Araon’s brand-new job. It was a question of a brief moment and they were free to go to their own businesses. In the evening, wandering accidentally along the canal they saw a party in one of those floating houses in the canal. It was a private party where bouncers and chuckers were working with an awe of respect for their bosses. There was la crème de la crème over there. The theme of the party was the unfolding of some pearls of the ‘belle dame’. The guests wouldn’t have found a better way to enjoy themselves sipping champagne and smoking electronic cigarettes. It was the lavish desire of an old fat lady to fill in all the rooms of the boat with all the most stunning guests. The belle dame teeth were striking and conspicuous. They adorned her with a matronly smile. “Never say that,” a black man behind her broke the ice before she could start talking. “We are in a brave new world,” he carried on agitated. The lady pretended not to understand and left the room angrily. She could smell fresh air and perfume of flowers in that floating dwelling. She could also appreciate how exhilarating were the drinks and how tasty were the sandwiches in the most admired room of the yacht. The party was supposed to last all night long and the belle dame needed a place where to hide herself undisturbed. She witnessed some guests sleeping in the drawbridge in the weirdest position. It must be a hard job to wake them up at the right moment. For now, the wolf was just howling.
CHAPTER NINE
Araon would have liked to proselytize in a new ‘religion’ right now. A stark evening spent watching the inside of a yacht on the canal had been very exhausting. With his deceitful voice he was able to entrap whoever in his realm of fantasy. He was brave enough to face death if the situation required it. Jill loved him to the full. She was now living with the fear of losing him. But that fea
r slowly disappeared when Araon approached her for childish things. This happened when the sole of Araon’s shoes betrayed a profound scar. It was the outcome of Araon walking up and down along Amsterdam with his old boots. He made this fuss a matter of stiffening their bond of love. Nostalgic feelings awoke in them the zeal for the past. Their duty to undertake the management of the yard was something steady. They needed to oversee and keep calm to make things easier for the employees. The enjoyment of their previous night had made things softer. Jill decided not to accompany her husband to work. She preferred to see him when there was a window from work in sight. She felt a bit lonely when her husband addressed her a malicious smile. She didn’t understand what the hell he was doing but she didn’t dare to ask for further explanation. She decided to be the perfect wife for good. Araon had pushed her to do so since early in the morning when he had gone to have a shower. He had simply shared with her two words and went away as usual when the smell of toast was still fresh in the air. They now looked the most enviable couple in the world. Anyway, Araon had assured Jill that he would come back within an hour. He had an appointment with an electrician. He had to repair the bulb of his car light which had been giving him a problem recently. The big guy arrived on time wearing dirty jeans and a very large pullover. The two men shook hands and started working on the bulb as agreed. It was a child’s game for the guy. He didn’t even ask Araon for money, who nodded embarrassed. Araon didn’t use his car too much but it was a precious jewel to him. Strangely it came to his mind the period when he was studying the engine of the car when he was going to get his driving licence. He was not a very good pupil but he succeeded in the end. Now he was driving slowly towards new Amsterdam. His instinct drove him insanely near the door of a convent. All the friars inside went out to check the cause of the big noise they had heard and they found a funny little man with a helmet. It was Araon, of course. “Good morning,” he introduced himself. “I am Araon. I’m busy with some dirty things I’m going up and down in Amsterdam to boost, figuratively, my brain skills. I do not want to be enigmatic. I just hope I have not frightened you with my arrival.”
“Not at all,” they answered in chorus. “You can come and share some words with us if this will help.”
“Many thanks. I would also appreciate a cup of tea if this doesn’t annoy you.” Araon was happy to have met the confraternity of his dreams. While sipping his tea he was tormenting himself with the thought of being clear about his mystery with the brotherhood. “I have a mission to fulfil.” He started dazzling the friars with his mysterious words. “I wonder if I can visit all the rooms of this convent. I’ll take what the convent agrees, as the saying goes.”
“Of course, we will show you everything, but first tell us more.”
“I’m afraid I cannot. I come here to find some peace of mind.”
The friars were a bit disappointed but they let Araon walk around. An old neon lamp struck Araon’s attention. It was in the middle of a dining room but you could also see it easily from outside. Apparently, it was the gift of a man who used to join the friars quite often. It was bright and brilliant. It was the fuel of all the convent energy. “They gave it to us in exchange of a hedging,” a brother said when he realized that Araon was bewitched by the lighting.
“Sorry,” he said, “I feel I am a meddler. Now it’s’ time for me to go. I thank you so much for your hospitality,” he said.
“Goodbye dear man,” they answered when he departed from them.
Jill was waiting for Araon with such a patience that could break the wall of the sound. She had to deal with difficult circumstances and to be alone was not helpful. “Araon, Araon,” she cried in the room. She was looking forward to seeing him before lunch. She had the modesty not to consider herself brilliant in her situation. Finally, Araon arrived and she cherished it like a child. “Are you OK now?” She embraced him with a smile.
“I’m fine as you can see. I was confident I would find you ready to go out at my arrival. You have been busy with your housekeeping as usual. So, now let’s go to a promenade in the park,” he said.
Jill was an obedient wife and everything told by Araon was a command to her. She followed her husband, forgetting the gift she had for him. It was something devised for the joy of his palate. It was a pity she couldn’t show it to him straight away. “Darling!” she started.
“Yes, dear?” he answered.
“I feel we are going in a direction we don’t know at random. How could we be so blind?” she said.
“I know you are just moaning. You should have told me that you didn’t want to come to the park. We will be back home soon and your wishes will be satisfied. What a lazy woman I have married,” he said just to sting her with spare words.
Jill hadn’t learnt yet how to be convincing with her husband. Somehow, she felt to be a witch to have forced Araon to leave the trip to the park to another day. She calmed herself down when Araon and she started walking hand in hand. The sun of the spring was a source of joy. No wind disturbed the lovely atmosphere of peace. The couple didn’t pass unobserved. They were able to enchant the crowd. As smart as they were, they showed sarcasm and wit in front of everybody. A ring-shaped cake fell onto the ground suddenly. It hit Araon’s feet like a meteor. Maybe it was the sign of destiny. “Grace, we are going home, hopefully. I think you were right to push me away from the park I feel an innocent pain. Maybe this is the price I have to pay to be your adored husband,” he said to his wife, whose only desire was to obey him.
The dream of the train had already vanished from Araon’s mind. He had used it as a sort of lightning conductor under a limpid sky. The presence of his wife was an excuse not to turn it into the instrument of his established purpose. He didn’t want to dissolve the traces of the investigation all at once. Jill was very busy with her own housekeeping. She picked a sock from the bed and threw it into the washing machine together with all Aaron’s other dirty clothes. Araon was sitting on the sofa listening to the news on television. He learnt of a crisis in government which might have sad repercussion on his brand-new job. Jill was an absent wife during those moments of meditation of him. She felt to be closed in a box. A red box, as they dare say. The noise of the washing machine definitely didn’t help Araon to concentrate on the news. It seemed to be a device of his wife who didn’t like him thinking of those bloody matters. She wanted them to stop their mutual business to finish cuddling and kissing each other as they did when they started their day. Araon become as violet as Liz Taylor’s eyes when he saw his wife undressing to go under the shower. They were now intimate enough. Jill’s singing sweetened the peaceful vibe. They had waited a long time before they could enjoy moments like these. “Darling,” said Jill wearing a white bathrobe. “Do you know what day it is today?”
“Not at all,” answered Araon promptly.
“Today is our wedding anniversary. Do you remember, it was a warm April day here in Amsterdam? How come you have forgotten such an important thing?”
“Actually, I was just pretending not to remember it. I wanted you to mention it to me first, that was my whim. I would like to celebrate it in an Italian restaurant. And if you wait a few minutes…” The bell rang. It was a guy with a bunch of one hundred roses.
“To Jill, the love and joy of my life,” she read. Jill was so excited that she had butterflies in her stomach. “Darling, sorry if I am always prejudiced against you. These flowers are wonderful. You know well that roses are my favourite flowers. I definitely want to go and have lunch at an Italian restaurant. But first wait a bit.” She went to the bedroom and came out with a small box for Araon “This is my present for you,” she said.
Araon unwrapped the gift. It was radio. An old- fashioned one, which Araon appreciated a lot. Araon had a clear vision of Doctor Van der Baast’s bewilderment while opening his present. It was the sign of love from Jill that made things go their way. Their love was the prime cause of their happiness. “It’s wonderful, darling. Definitely, we are a perfect
match.”
“Yes indeed. But now let’s go or we will be late at the restaurant,” answered Jill pompously.”
My boss, which is me. gave me a day off work to celebrate our object of pride,” joked Araon. “The restaurant is in Rom Steeg. I have booked for the two of us and we have to be there by one o’ clock.” He added “The more I know you the more you surprise me. Hopefully I have lost a few kilos in one month. This won’t deny me to enjoy the meal today.”
The couple went straight away to the corner of St Luciensteeg. The restaurant had a vein of glamour. It was all flowers and the furniture was smarter than due. A gallant waiter accompanied them to the table where they spent a nice day. They never stopped laughing and remembering all the funniest moments of their married life. Jill ate almost all the bread and butter while Araon consumed all the caviar and champagne. But the day was destined to be devoted to Jill. He succeeded in stopping puzzling his mind with the big mystery which had been haunting him for three months. Jill noticed a black scar on Araon’s forehead. Something which even Araon didn’t realize he had. It was a sort of black scratch that darkened his physical appearance. “It’s nothing we have to be worried about, sweetheart,” he pronounced clumsily.
“It’s not like that. I was only concerned that it might be some food poisoning. Anyway, let’s enjoy our lunch,” said Jill, taut.
But the best surprise of the day came with the bill, it was only five euros. “It’s a gift from the boss. It’s a present for your wedding anniversary. I hope you have enjoyed yourself,” said the waiter before he disappeared to collect bills from the other tables. It sounded very strange. It was, sure enough, the first time they had been at the restaurant. So how could they know about their anniversary? Araon and Jill appreciated that gesture with a bit of mistrust though. They left the place hand in hand to go to the local church to say some prayers for their happy union.
The Red Box Page 9