“Thank you,” said Araon before Phil could speak.
“The ladies…” said Mark Smith. “And there you are,” he said addressing Phil and Araon. “It’s my shortest business meeting I have ever had in my life. I wish it was always like that. As far as I’m concerned you will hear from us very shortly. And what’s more you will see your account trebling. I wish you good luck. If you haven’t anything else to say we can finish here.”
“For me it’s enough,” said Araon confident.”
“I have nothing else to add,” said Phil.
“So see you soon, guys. Have a nice day,” said Mark Smith.
After the meeting, Phil and Araon went out arm in arm with Samantha and Jill. “But we had no part in the meeting,” said Jill.
“Actually, you had your part. You both accompanied me with your smile,” said Phil. “Samantha do you agree with me?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
The four got in the limousine and asked the driver to take them around London without a specific destination. They would let him know where and when to stop. Jill accommodated herself as usual. “Darling.”
“Yes Jill?”
“I’m so sad. Tomorrow is our last day in London. Tomorrow we will be in our beloved Amsterdam.”
“But we will be always in touch and you can come here whenever you like,” said Samantha.
“It’s true. And concerning the business, we can work via the internet. You don’t need to be here all the time, Araon,” said Phil.
“By the way, Phil. do you think I made an impression in front of Mark Smith? I have been awkward to start talking in French.”
“You have been great. Don’t worry about that. Let’s think about something else. Have you got any idea how we can spend the day? We are just wandering around. It’s great to admire London from the rolled-up windows,” said Phil.
“You have the last word. You are our hosts here and you know London better than us. It’s easy for me to let you guess you will be our guests in Amsterdam next time we meet each other,” said Araon
“Sure. And then we will go together to Paris,” answered Phil.
“I am trembling. I cannot believe my life has changed so much,” said Jill.
“The same happened to me when I came in London all alone. I worked in the Versace shop in New Bond Street as an assistant and model and then I met this gracious, brilliant beast: Phil,” said Samantha.
“Darling, are you biting your nails?” said Jill to Araon.
“Sorry. Too many strong emotions. I’m delighted to be elated with you,” said Araon.
“Hey guys: can you see the Trocadero?” interrupted Phil. “Do you mind if we stop here and mingle with the stars? By the way: the coffee is terrific over here,” he carried on.
Samantha, Jill and Araon nodded. The limousine stopped and the four were free to get out. “Come to pick us up within forty-five minutes,” said Phil to the driver, who seemed to be happy to have a break.
The environment of the Trocadero was dream-inspiring for Jill. Yes, she had become a daydreamer. She never stopped having in mind the fat old lady of the knitting course and the old witch of the outskirts of Amsterdam. She needed to stop. Her imagination was bringing her far in the distance from the adorable chatting of her three companions. She took a jump. The presence of a weirdo sitting next to the table of the four, reminded Jill of thousands of blasphemies. But she didn’t want to appear ridiculous, topped staring at the weird lady and involved Araon in a loving chat. Samantha, who was aware of her friend’s absent-mindedness, talked first. “Jill.”
“Yes, Samantha?”
“Just to let you know: I’ll miss you a lot. Don’t forget to call me on the phone once you are in Amsterdam.”
“Sure I won’t,” answered Jill.
“Your plane is a jewel,” said Araon just for the sake of talking.
“I simply try to do my best for my friends,” answered Phil.
“It will be a stunning adventure for you and for your little Rokin,” said Samantha.
“I believe so,” said Jill.
“Time is running quickly as you can see. I think I had better to call the waiter for the bill. Oh. he is arriving by himself.”
“Finished?” he said gently.
“Yes indeed. Take the change. This is the bill.”
And after that their next stop with the limousine was a routine stop. Eventually the London adventure finished there, at least for the moment.
Jill and Araon were finally in Amsterdam doing nothing in their bed. “A dream, a brief dream. This is what London looks like,” said Jill, downhearted.
“We can go whenever we want, Jill,” said Araon.
“Yes, I know. I miss Samantha.”
“And I miss Phil. Do you know what? Earlier they phoned me from the bank to let me know that two million euros arrived in my bank account. It’s a gift from Phil. It’s the money needed to start the business with him. I learnt a lot from his generosity. On the plane I picked up a leaflet with the details of hundreds of charity associations worldwide. I decided to send three hundred euros to the charity pro-genetic diseases. We left London two days ago and I haven’t contacted Phil yet. What a shame!”
“But don’t you remember it was him who asked us to call him back from London after a couple of days from our arrival in Amsterdam. The first news we have to tell him is that now we have the penthouse in our St. Luciensteeg Street house. A flat with two bedrooms, two toilets and a bigger dining room and kitchen. Not to talk about the fabulous study that can hold hundreds of books. His former owner sort of regretted selling it to us He went to live in a better borough in Amsterdam though. Now let me explain something else. Do you see this basket? I’m filling it up with fake fruit. It’s an idea that I got having in mind the Caravaggio painting of a basket with fruit. It’s a gift for Samantha I’m sure she will appreciate it She is so rich that it’s hard to find something original to present her with. And then there is the woollen nightdress. I’m knitting.”
“Good idea. Now let me call Phil.”
“Please, don’t speak French.”
“Of course I won’t.”
Araon dialled the phone number slowly and a familiar voice could be heard. “Araon! What a surprise. I guess you are looking forward to hearing from me as I do. What was your travel like?”
“It was terrific I had never enjoyed myself in a plane like this time What are you doing now?”
“Samantha and I are idling about in the swimming pool room. The weather is so hot that we hardly can go out What about you and Jill?”
“We are in bed doing nothing. There is something hilarious that might delight you. When I woke up this morning, I was all stinking. I peed in bed like a child. Hopefully Jill has not been irritated by this.”
“I see,” said Phil laughing It happened to me the same once. But I was alone in bed though. So now be energetic. You have to be used to this rhythm of life. Our business involves patience and stamina. I will let you know about our next business appointment as agreed, we will work via the internet. I’m looking forward to working with you again. Say hello to Jill and to your little Rokin.”
“I’ll do it. Bye for now,” said Araon, friendly.
“Sweetheart.”
“Yes, Jill?”
“I have some stomachache. I hope this won’t affect my baby.”
“It’s nothing you have to be worried about If you have got any doubt or fear why do you hesitate to contact Van der Baast?”
“Yes, Van der Baast. I don’t see him with my eyes in the same way I used to some time ago. Not that I don’t trust him. Thanks to him I have accomplished my best desires. I have overcome the fear of giving birth but this happened also thanks to you, Araon. The only thing I can say is that I am envious of other women. You carry with yourself the mystery of life for nine months and who knows…”
“And we men are your accomplice.”
“You are the slave of your passion Araon. But I’m sure you wi
ll be a good dad as well. With Samantha we have discussed a lot about bad parenting We had words and words to say It was when you and Phil were busy talking about business.”
“I see. There is nothing new for me. I know you very well. And my best luck now is that our relationship has been thriving since we became millionaires.”
“Wise though. When I was first dating you were a brave, solid and ambitious man. Here you are now.”
“Jill, Jill, I have been ferocious to compare you to a white Lady Macbeth. You push me to do everything but right now you are happy with this. Now do you think is the case we get out of bed?”
“Definitely. My hearty man I wish to go out for our routine walk. Or, maybe, you go out on your own and I will be busy with my business.”
“Thanks a lot Jill. I need my privacy. See you later.”
And he left the flat like lightning. Now Jill was busy digging in her past. She was a self-conscious woman who needed to clean her conscience. She had a lot of work to do. She simply wanted to stay at home and be herself. She was thinking of her life as a child. She would have liked to have a twin sister whom to play with. But now she changed her mind. She considered it healthier for the relationship with Araon not to have a sister in the background. A strange fear arrived out of the blue. Her attachment to Araon would have marred with dangerous smoke. It was her memory of London smog. She had no regret. She simply wanted to do something. At her Mayfair house she simply needed to dial number five to have a housekeeper to clean the house. Now she had to wait for her lady to arrive. She had to solve a puzzle that harassed her mind recently. And to be alone was the best way to do it. She took the frame of the picture with Araon and her in London. She was missing that life. Now she disentangled her mind from any dirty thought and waited for the housekeeper to arrive. She wanted a perfectly tidy and clean place to be a novelty to win Araon’s heart the more and more every day.
For Jill it happened to be one of those sleepless night again It was three in the night and no hint of drowsiness bathed her. In her imagination some ambulance sirens ready to give aid to a lady with a bleeding hand could be heard. It was not a telling response, a presage or omen. It was her sense of loneliness that made all that happen. She decided to call Sylvanus, the other friend of the night., a real broken heart. Actually, she had pledged to contact him once in Amsterdam. “Hi Sylvanus, it’s late, isn’t it? But we both adore the night, apparently. Sorry if it’s three am but I’m here confined to my worst thoughts. I cannot tell you the joy which pervades me when I watch Araon sleeping like an angel. Actually, I can hear him snoring. I guess you are fully awake now. I arrived in Amsterdam two days ago but we did nothing else other than idling about. That’s why I’m calling you just now.”
“Hi, Jill. You don’t disturb me at all. I am always happy to hear from you. I was so anxious to know good news from your side. I also cannot sleep at all. I don’t know if it is the loneliness or the blistering hot weather. Hopefully now I feel a bit better. The shop opened after the holidays and Albert and I are very busy. I’m glad to tell you that Albert has stopped arguing with Ravina. But to fully forgive him, she wants him to satisfy a whim. She wants a housekeeper to help her with the household chores. Do you know anybody to recommend to them?”
“Certainly. I’m calling sporadically a woman from an agency. She gets paid ten euros an hour. She is terrific. I can provide you with the phone number of the agency and you do the rest. A small thing: the agency is very nosey to know how you could get their phone number and details of the shop. You don’t need to tell a lie. Just let them know that I recommended them to you. The number is: one, one, two, three, four. Please, be serious when you select the girl you want to clean your flat.”
“Thank you, Jill. Tomorrow morning I’ll give this phone number to Albert. Listen: on Saturday morning I’m free. Sure enough, Albert made me work a day extra during our holidays and now he gives me the free day he had purposely stolen to me. I would like you come to my flat as you did before you left for London. I’m nosey to know more about your time in that gorgeous metropolis. I guess you have enjoyed yourself a lot.”
“You are right. I already miss Samantha and Phil. God has blessed me with the gift of their friendship. Now I let you go. I’m sure that after our chat you’ll place your face on the cushion and you’ll close your eyes immediately. See you soon Sylvanus.”
“See you soon Jill. And don’t forget to come and visit me during the weekend.”
Jill was worried that Araon must be turning over and over in bed annoyed by the humming of her chat to Sylvanus. But she soon realized he hadn’t changed position in bed at all. She went to take an oil on canvas. She wanted to build a new present for Samantha. But she was suddenly shaken. She started thinking of the old lady of Amsterdam outskirts. Jill was not superstitious nor did she believe in witchcraft but she had a sense of guilt for allowing that lady to intrude on her privacy. She believed in the force of evil, though. That was what she feared most while thinking of that lady. She decided it was time to lay in bed. She was so strenuously shaken that she finally reached the realm of dreams.
To get up the following day was a problem for her. Araon understood that she had a harsh night. He put his lips on hers and dressed himself up ready for his routine walk. He had a new balance in life now. He had to decide if to hold the yard while being a business associate with Phil. After working it out all over he concluded that the best thing to do was to take both jobs. After all, his business with Phil didn’t require his presence via internet every day. here was a spasm: Van der Baast. Could Phil find out their plot with all his power? But Phil was selfless and considerate with no reason to intrude on Araon’s life more than due. Van der Baast, in his turn, was finally in Amsterdam. He had returned from Greece with his wife. And, as usual, while Araon was thinking of the doctor the phone rang. “Hi, Araon. It’s Van der Baast. How are you?”
“Hi, Van der Baast. I feel very weak I came from London three days ago and now I am in a crammed square. I was thinking of you right now. What was your trip to Greece like?”
“It was fantastic. My best moments were the ones when I endlessly stared at my wife’s smile. Now she wants to go to Turkey. She is looking forward to my next free week. Actually, I have called you because there is some news about the Amstel flat. Apparently, the lady didn’t live alone. She was crabby with everybody in the block of flats. Somebody can witness not to have seen the other woman in the flat recently. But this doesn’t mean that Ida Itch hadn’t lived there for some time. The fact that those two women hadn’t reported the news of Ida’s disappearance to the police means they know she is dead. Definitely we have to talk to the old lady. We have only to ask her if she knows about the habits of poor Ida. It wouldn’t take long to know who and why kidnapped her and killed her. Do you know where I’m calling from? From my office. Today is another exhausting day but I love my job. What about you?”
“I am the happiest man under the sun. My new friend, Phil, has asked me to work as business associate of his, he presented me and Jill with a flat in Mayfair and other innumerable things. I will tell you about everything later on. Now I go to the Amstel flat to see if the crabby lady will go out. I think we are on the right track. We have only to consider what to do in front of the police when we find the decomposed corpse, or, better, the skeleton. We have not to be penalized for not reporting the fact to them immediately. Anyway, have a nice day. You will hear from me very soon.”
Van der Baast, Van der Baast. What a problem. He had sealed his mouth to defend the honour of Araon. And Araon was ready to face the adventures of a menacing destiny. This time he was the first to get back home. Jill had a tremendous, sleepless night and she was who knew where. For the sake of their marriage survival, Araon had devised a sort of long-distance relationship with his wife who was accomplice to him. They were a marriage made in heaven like Phil and Samantha. With the only difference that Phil had the power to dominate Samantha while he had the small consolation of bei
ng able to keep a secret. But his conscience had split him in two parts because of his concealing from Jill a dreadful truth. He was split in two parts but he wasn’t necessarily becoming schizophrenic like Van Gogh was. Fortunately, Van der Baast’s call made him aware that they were closer to the truth they were looking for about four months. By far the time necessary to convert a corpse into a skeleton. But there was something genuine about Van der Baast’s words. He was the fascinating, worldwide famous doctor who held secrets of any kind. Araon was ashamed. He felt ridiculous in front of Phil. Just a phone call and he was able to tell the past of whoever. But Araon was confident that Phil had no reason to dig into his past. If so, what about all those wonderful gifts? It was a liking at first sight between the two. And now the small man was able to savour the desires of all worldly pleasures. A small businessman who was going to become very big because of Phil’s partnership. Was he the man he had coveted to meet for so long? He would think so. Ambitious and loyal, he was the one who pulled the trigger against any calamity approaching them. He looked at his wristwatch.
It was nearly lunch time and Jill was not there yet. He started to be worried. Maybe she wasn’t aware of the time passing because she might have left home quite late that day. It was very strange indeed. The phone rang. He felt relieved, maybe it was her. “Hi Araon, it’s Phil speaking.”
“Hi Phil. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.”
“The same with you. There is news. A British company wants to build a skyscraper in London’s outskirts. They want people to invest money in a project that would return a profit in one year. I was considering investing time and money with you. We need just to control that things will proceed quickly. Your communication via internet with me would be enough. Listen Araon, this is my second call to you today. Don’t hesitate to say yes, please.”
“Je suis tres joli. Oh, sorry, I wanted to say I am very happy about your proposal. I simply don’t feel to be up in that business. That’s why I am awkward and speak French. I definitely want to say I want to be involved in that project. I love Jill as my wife and you as my best friend. I hope I won’t speak French in front of other businessmen any more.”
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