The Red Box

by Laura Sgarella

  “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “This sun helps me to be elated with you.” he said.”

  “I am not the victim of those bloody ups and down any more. This is a miracle thanks to your presence.”

  “Hopefully the so much awaited news has arrived. I see you are well provided with books in your bag. What are you reading at present?”

  “The same I was reading in the plane. I laughed at the passage where the breaking of a hen’s egg disclosed two little tiny chicks. What about your newspaper? Are you in the foreign politics page as usual?”

  “Actually, I picked the London Times. I paid attention to the article on the UKIP Party which has the aim of pulling the UK out of the European Union and kick immigrants out of the country. Come on. David Cameron acted wisely: he promised a referendum on the permanence of Great Britain in the European Union by the end of 2017, if he will be elected again. Frankly I do not know if the European Union without Great Britain is worth having. I hope common sense will win at the end,” he said.

  “But why don’t you ever read about Holland?” Jill said.

  “Because I think we shouldn’t wash our dirty linen in public. But I also read about the bluff of some British football champions. One of them got divorced five times and he has to pay alimony to five different women. Funny, isn’t it?”

  “What is his name?”

  “I forgot it. Let me think...”

  “Araon, I know you very well. You don’t forget the names of football players. You simply do not want to appear as superficial and a gossip.”

  “You are my guardian angel. Is it true Jill?”

  “I’m simply your wife. By the way: did you put the sun lotion on your face? The sun here is very hot indeed.”

  “Yes. It’s the first thing I did before sitting in this deckchair. I didn’t use it in all on my body because I think they wouldn’t allow me to have a bath in the piscine.”

  “You will put it on later, at least on your shoulders. The swimming pool has been chlorinated, so it’s very clean. I hope people don’t have a pee inside it,” she said.

  “Are you joking? Let’s have a plunge. We can do it now. Let us swim superficially. It will spare the annoyance of our contact lenses,” he said.

  “Hold me tight darling. I feel frightened. Look at the couple next to us. She is watching us as if they were throwing a punch.”

  “Don’t worry Jill. I think it is simply envy. I feel very relaxed here. The place is full of bathing attendants. Nobody would dare hurt us.”

  “Sorry, Araon. Sometimes I feel so stupid.”

  “No Jill. You are simply looking for my cuddles. I know you very well. And there is not a better way of doing it in public. To me you are still the most beautiful woman, hand on heart. I know this pleases you my dear. It’s simply the truth. You cannot imagine the joy that overwhelms me while I’m watching you. I spy on you and you spy on me. It seems that you want to make sure I don’t watch other women. You are so loveable. Somehow, I think I couldn’t live without your jealousy,” he said.

  “Eventually here comes the occasion now. A woman with a very huge breasts has just arrived. She is in the company of a man who looks at least ten years younger than her. Sure, you won’t watch her as well?” she said.

  “Jill you are so funny. But now don’t turn the other way. There is a man with a huge flambeau on his shoulders and together with him there is a fakir. I think they are the entertainment of the day. I do not want you to suffer because of such a sight.”

  “I don’t find those animal-looking men disguising, Araon. But I surrender to your suggestion. Now I am a bit hungry. Have you read the menu of the day?”

  “Yes. It’s a mainly fish-based diet I haven’t booked it yet because I wanted to hear your opinion first. It’s still too early for lunch,” he said.

  “Araon you are suggesting I don’t eat too much. What a surprise. Have I got a heavy shape?”

  “Jill, you make me feel stupid. I only see how little you eat now.”

  “Now let’s get out of the water.”

  They went back to their deckchairs and suddenly an annihilating silence laid over them. They were in awe in front of that piece of paradise. They couldn’t stand the high temperature which came as a surprise to them. Minutes after minutes they trusted their whims on term. Araon made a gesture of fondness towards Jill. They were sitting next to each other in a lovely way. They were two things into one as ever. The just started holidays had produced its first fruits.

  In the afternoon, Jill was happy to go to the beautician with the coupons for the body massages she had found in the hotel room. The beautician’s was a big place with at least ten rooms for the various treatments. The smell of incense didn’t spoil the vibe of the environment. Jill was welcomed by a gorgeous lady with a warm smile. “Good afternoon,” she said. “I’m here to help you.”

  “I have a coupon for a body massage.”

  “You are in the right place. Come with me. Have you remembered to wear a bikini according to our rules?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “So take off your clothes and lay on the couch.”

  Jill was a bit embarrassed. She felt she was undressing for a trivial form of striptease. “Are you staying here long?” asked the lady.

  “Yes I will be here for two weeks. Today it’s my first day. I’m here with my husband. Actually we are three of us since I am expecting a baby.”

  “Really? You are so slim!”

  “I am just one month and a half pregnant. I can feel the heart of my baby attached to mine.”

  “This should be fantastic. I have also liked to have children in my life but they haven’t arrived. This had caused brief arguments with my husband who couldn’t stand the disappointment. Luckily, our marriage survived that storm thanks to the help of a psychologist. Now I am near my forties. I feel I am like a young black widower. You are very young and you deserve to be blessed by the gift of motherhood.”

  “I am not so young. I am in my thirties.”

  “Really? You don’t look it.”

  “You are so kind”

  “Now stay supine. I will start the massage to the tummy. Later on I’ll deal with your back.”

  “Oh my God! My nose is bleeding,” said Jill, a bit frightened. “I don’t know how could it be possible. I have not the habit of picking my nose,” she carried on.

  “Be calm. It’s nothing serious. You have just to cover your nose with this wet handkerchief and it will be OK in a while.”

  “Thanks God, you are right. I have always had problem with broken capillaries in my life. Have a look at my face: don’t you see couperose?”

  “It’s just the beginning. It will disappear with a specific cream. I wouldn’t suggest you that you should have other kind of beauty treatments for this problem.”

  “I can hear a strange noise coming from outside.”

  “It’s the electrolysis. It’s very common here. I do not know if you need it.”

  “I don’t think so. I wax my legs every eight weeks. Sorry but I am a bit nosey. What does LBGT mean? I read it in the wall. There are other characters but they are so small that I cannot read them.”

  “It stands for lesbians, gays, transgenders, bisexuals. The paper is a form of warning. In this hotel we do not make any form of discrimination but we invite everybody to be decent. This is what you can read in the small characters: no kisses, no effusions, no coming out. Yesterday a woman with a beard arrived. The famous singer. He was so decorous that nobody noticed him He is one of the most fond guests at our place.”

  “I see. Can I lay on my back now? I told to my husband that I would finish in a hour. He is playing tennis with a man right now. Sure he won’t win. It is a long time since he has practiced tennis at all.”

  “Do not worry. We have nearly finished. I leave this coupon with you so you can use it another time.”

  “Thank you. I have also a coupon for a facial with massages to p
revent wrinkles and bags under the eyes. We will see each other another time during my stay here.”

  “I would love so. You are such a loveable person. Now you can dress up. See you soon.”

  “I’ll probably come tomorrow. I would like to deal with you for my treatments.”

  “You have just to ask about Sylvia. I am here every day from five till eight pm.”

  “That’s fine. By the way: my name is Jill and my husband is Araon.”

  Jill left the place in a hurry. She turned to the right of the pavilion and went to the tennis court. She saw Araon sweating and red in the face. His companion seemed more relaxed and at ease.

  “Araon,” she shouted. “Are you O. K?”

  “Oh, Jill. I am OK. Do not worry. The fact is that I haven’t played tennis for a long time and I feel a bit fatigued. Let me drink a bottle of water and I will be with you”.

  Jill made a gesture of disapproval. She was all frenzy. She wanted to shout more but her sense of self-esteem refrained her from doing so. She took a towel and went to make Araon get rid of all that bloody sweating.

  “Thank you sweetheart,” he said. “I will be ready to go out with you immediately. We can take the bicycles of the hotel and have a walk outside,” he carried on.

  “It will be terrific,” she said.

  “We have just to follow the cycle path and everything will be easy,” he said.

  They pedalled along the tree-lined avenue watching the sea far in the distance. They reached the place where the Bee Gees lived. They were very tired but happy. Jill’s mood was excellent. It was as if the sun made her brain produce more dopamine than ever. She didn’t feel depressed any more.

  “Darling tell me when you are tired. You are pregnant and you shouldn’t make your body strain too much.”

  “Yes Araon. I think we should go back to the hotel now. I need a cup of coffee.”

  “So come with me,” he said.

  They turned back and arrived at the Dorotha bar in the hotel. They were surrounded by the most bizarre people in the world. They started looking around to check if they could see famous faces. But they had to be happy with a cup of coffee with a dash of milk. To sip that black thing was a source of joy to Jill. She and Araon never stopped watching one another in the eyes in those moments of relaxation. People around didn’t matter to them any more. Every little word whispered by Jill penetrated Araon’s ears profoundly. What a beautiful day. He was definitely enthusiastic by the choice of going there. Araon was amazed and astounded to feel Jill’s heart beating beyond reason.

  Jill and Araon’s second day in Miami was very special. They took the tokens to use the usual deckchairs and they said no to suntan under the feeble rays of the sun. Frenzy. The weather now looked similar to the Amsterdam one. They had some reserve regarding the amenities and peculiarity of the place. Nevertheless, points of attraction were not missing. They had a sort of Orwellian feeling of being observed by the surrounding people. People were nosey about their habits and watched them impudently. In particular a couple of middle aged guys seemed willing to approach them. Actually, the woman was about fifty years old while her companion seemed twenty years senior to her. “Good morning guys.” he broke the ice.

  “Good morning to you,” answered Jill and Araon together.

  “I hope not to disturb you. I simply would like to have a chat. The sun here makes people gregarious. I feel so stupid. Maybe I haven’t hit on the proper topic of discussion. You know we are looking for long-lasting friendship and Florida is the best place to have success,” the man continued with self-assurance. “By the way, my name is Bill and my wife is Zean.”

  “And my name is Araon and my wife is Jill,” answered Araon with a tone of complicity. “Where are you from?” carried on Araon.

  “We are from New Jersey where I run an oil company,” said Bill.

  “We are from Amsterdam. We have decided to have a break from the tepid temperature of our city,” said Jill.

  “Amsterdam?” said Zean. “It must be a wonderful place to live in. We went there for one week last year and I started to have a problem with my menses. It was too abundant. I was frightened to have undergone an abortion but things were different. Apparently there were some cells in motion that could cause a fibroma. For this reason, a certain Doctor Van der Baast suggested to me that I should to get rid of my uterus. He was such a gentle person. But the problem is that now we cannot have children. It may seem bizarre to you the fact that I’m seeking motherhood at the age of fifty but there are women who had their first child when they were older than me. We are looking for adoption but they say we are too old. As I told you, I am fifty and my husband is twenty years older than me. We are very much insisting anyway. Have you ever heard of Van der Baast?”

  “Yes indeed. He is a sort of genius. He leads two departments of the hospital: surgery and gynaecology. We often contact him and not only to work out or problem. He is really a friend. I have to say,” said Jill, friendly. She avoided talking of her pregnancy. She wanted it to be an intimate affair.

  “Good. I see you have a fabulous amber tan. I am here one week and I am still as white as ivory,” said Zean to Jill.

  “It is probably the suntan oil I use I do not expose myself to the sun at late hours. That can harm my skin.”

  “I see. I have brought with me different sun lotion but somehow there is nothing working properly. I simply endow myself with helpful patience.”

  “Sure. You have not introduced to us your pet. Who is this little creature?”

  “We call him a chaw chaw. Naturally he keeps us company all the time. Once on the plane we were frightened that they would force us to leave him in the baggage. Luckily this has not happened,” said Zean.

  “Darling, sorry if I interrupt you. Why do you have your pearl necklace with you? Everybody is watching you with a weird expression. You had better put it in your bag.”

  “I’ll do it. But I don’t feel to be the centre of attention here. I agree with you, we must be moderate over there,” said Zean”

  “It is a simple but nice necklace. It’s a pity you have to treat it as if it was forbidden fruit,” said Jill.

  “Actually this is a present from my husband. He bought it when we were engaged twenty years ago. It is my best companion. But Bill somehow feels there are too many thieves around.”

  “I have not to give you advice to you. You are superb,” said Jill.

  At that some moment she turned her attention to Araon. She noticed he hadn’t got the newspaper as usual. “Darling, foreign politics doesn’t matter to you at all today?”

  “Actually I left the newspaper in our hotel room. But the sun makes me feel wise here. I had a look at the news before breakfast this morning, there was an interesting article on immigration. President Obama made the green card issue a central matter of his politics. Everything has been planned to get consent from the public. There was another article on Bill and Melinda Gate’s foundation but I had the time to read just a few lines. I am a voracious reader in my own way. I’ll read it tonight when you are watching TV,” said Araon.

  ” “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? We are big supporters of it. They are going to say around that by 2020 there won’t be poor people any more. We have given a lot of time for that charity activity even if we know that five percent of it might be misdirected. I completely agree with Melinda, attitude towards the planning of pregnancy among those poor people. A lot of women die giving birth. They need to control the births with the contraceptives. Melinda is a staunch Catholic but she doesn’t agree with the Pope’s warnings against the usage of contraceptives,” said Zean.

  “I love Bill assertion on money. He says that it belongs to society and that he will give every single dollar to the poor before he dies. What a great man! But now guys, don’t you feel it’s time to go and have a plunge in the swimming pool?” said Araon.

  “Of course. But first I want to ask you to come to our table for lunch today. I’ll book the table
,” said Jill.

  “At what time do you usually have lunch?”

  “At about half past twelve.”

  “Perfect. Enjoy yourself in the tepid water of the piscine. I’ll come in a few minutes,” said Bill.

  Jill and Araon enjoyed the scent of summer. They were in their little paradise dream. Zean departed to the other side of the piscine in sign of respect of the intimacy of her new friends. But it was soon time to have a shower and to be ready for lunch. Jill and Araon went to their hotel room to choose the clothes for the occasion. Jill took Bermuda’s with a shirt and Araon decided to wear white jeans and a white shirt. They enjoyed a fresh shower before going to the lunch room. They checked in their lock if everything was OK and then they hurried up for lunch. Bill and Zean were already there. Two roses embellished the table. This was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between the four lucky ones.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Mark Ward was taken by surprise when the police went to pick him up from his riding school early in the morning. Apparently they had found in his flat evidence that could lead him to plead guilty in the killing of his two horses. They found some syringes in the old piece of furniture in his bathroom. These could be the ones he had used for the poisoning of his two bays. From the investigations, it emerged that the polonium had been bought on the internet in a local library in north Amsterdam. There was a password and a fake name in the computer that had been used just one time. Exactly the time to buy the poison from the walk in. “Come with us,” said the policeman with handcuffs. “You are guilty of the poisoning of your two horses.”

  “But why would I have done something like that?” Mark answered frightened.

  “This is something you have to tell us at the police department. For the moment your riding school is closed and you have to stay in custody.”

  “But I was waiting for the first persons to arrive for their lesson. How can I inform them that I won’t be available for who knows how long?”

  “Don’t worry about that. We’ll put a note on the gate of your riding school that your courses are momentarily suspended. If you will be found guilty you have to face a jail sentence and close your school forever.”