by Tikiri
“Fetch!” Win said, throwing a stick she’d found on the ground. The dog happily dashed off on his mission.
“Oh, oh,” Tetyana said, straightening up. “Trouble at thirteen hundred hours.”
“Straight ahead, to the right,” Luc said, translating her military directions for the rest of us.
I looked over to see a middle-aged woman walking over from the farmhouse. She was walking slowly, with a curious look on her face.
Luc hailed her as she got close.
“Gudde moien!” Good morning!
She didn’t reply or smile, but nodded her head in acknowledgment. The dog ran to her, then turned and ran back to us. Look at all these strange people I found, he seemed to say.
“Wat fur ein niedlicher welpe,” Luc said.
“Danke,” the woman replied. Thank you.
The dog jumped on Katy again. She laughed and said, “Get down, you silly pup.”
The woman looked at her curiously.
“I love your dog,” Katy said, forgetting about our no-talking rule.
The woman raised an eyebrow.
Luc spluttered and said something in German or in Luxembourgish. The woman frowned. Luc spoke some more rapidly. She looked over at us and asked another question. A couple of times, I heard the words “Universitat Luxemburg” from Luc. He talked quite a bit, while we waited, wondering, smiling politely. Finally, she nodded and pointed at the church.
“Danke,” Luc said. “Okay, folks.” He turned to us and spoke in English. “Let’s move along now.”
With a goodbye wave, we left the woman and the dog behind, the dog now distracted by a red robin perched on a fence. He ran after it, barking.
“Sorry guys,” Katy whispered, as soon as we were out of her earshot. “I forgot I wasn’t supposed to talk.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I said. “We seem to have done okay.”
“What did she say?” Tetyana asked Luc.
“I told her we’re international students and came to tour a castle,” he said. “I told her we went on a hiking trip, then got lost in the woods, and missed our coach back. That’s why we’re all so dirty.”
“You weren’t totally lying about visiting the castle,” I said to Luc.
“She said there’s a small hiking shop near the church where we can find a change in clothes, and a restaurant to eat at. She said to say she sent us.”
We walked toward the center and sure enough, to the right of the church was a small hair salon, and to the left was a small mom-and-pop restaurant with a happy yellow awning.
“Oh good,” Win said. “Finally, real food.”
Next to the salon was a dentist’s office, a bakery, and a flower shop. This was the town’s main street. We walked past the shops to find the hiking store the woman had mentioned.
It sold outdoor and hunting gear. The two teens behind the counter looked surprised when we trooped in, until Luc talked to them, telling them the woman with the dog sent us. After that, they became the friendliest and most helpful shop assistants. Win and I found it hard to find our sizes, but at least we could all walk out without looking like we’d spent the night in the woods.
We walked to the restaurant, following the smell of home-cooked food. As we got closer, I realized how hungry I was. Luc opened the door for us. It was just after lunch, so only one other couple was seated inside, finishing their meal. They stared at us as we trouped in.
Luc said a polite good afternoon to them and pulled out chairs for us, like a local gentleman entertaining his foreign friends.
In a few minutes, a plump woman in glasses bustled out of the kitchen. She came over to our table, removed her glasses, and looked at us with a hand on her hip. She doesn’t look very friendly, I thought. Luc was his most courteous self. While he spoke with her, all we could do was sit with frozen smiles on our faces and wait.
“Vun wou kennst de?” she said finally. “Where do you all come from?”
Luc pointed at himself and said in English, “Belgium.”
He turned to Win, who sat up quickly. Taking the silent cue from him she said in a bright voice, “Thailand.”
The woman’s eyes moved around the table.
“The States,” Katy said, with a smile.
“India,” I said, not wanting to complicate things.
“Lithuania,” Tetyana said, her face set in a half smile.
The woman seemed satisfied with our answers. She nodded and said, “Wellkom.” She returned with a round of beers for all of us, even though Luc never ordered any.
“What did you tell her?” Tetyana asked in a whisper.
“I didn’t have to say anything. She knew we were coming,” Luc said, keeping his voice muted, just in case someone in the vicinity understood English. “The woman with the dog already phoned her. She said next time we go hiking in the woods to carry a phone. I told her we did, but couldn’t get a signal. She said she was going to complain to the telephone company because tourists were always getting lost, and one day someone was going to die in the woods if they didn’t fix the problem.”
“Oh, that’s good,” I said, partly relieved we were not getting any unwanted attention, and partly guilty at lying to these kind people.
“It’s a small town,” Luc whispered. “They all know each other.”
“Didn’t she ask how we got here?” Katy asked.
“There’s a large castle ruins nearby. It’s a tourist attraction, so she thought we’d come to see that. I didn’t disagree.”
“Good work,” Tetyana said. “Did you find out about a car?”
“She said there’s no place to rent cars around here or call a taxi, but her cousin, who’s got a van big enough to fit all of us, can take us to the place where we can get a ride. But we have to find him first. He’s supposed to be on a nearby hill herding cows.”
“It’s a good start,” Katy said.
I was glad we were all going to be together for a little longer. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Tetyana or anyone else just yet.
The food came and we ate like we’d never seen food in our lives. When the woman inquired, Luc truthfully said it was the best meal we’d had in a long time. She walked away looking pleased with herself. When the bill came, we noticed she hadn’t charged us for anything. It was a simple note that said, “Eng secher Rees.”
“Have a safe journey,” Luc translated for us.
Everyone looked down. I was sure they also felt terrible for lying to our hostess. I felt like she’d just given us a warm hug to make up for all the bad people we’d met. For the first time in days, something warm and fuzzy stirred inside me. People aren’t all that bad, I thought to myself.
We waited to thank the woman, but she only shook her head with a smile, patted Luc’s back, and said “wellkom,” before walking back into her kitchen with our empty plates.
We walked outside and huddled on a street bench to take stock of our plans.
“I don’t like hanging around here for too long,” Tetyana said. “The castle isn’t that far-away. Who’s to say they won’t come looking for us here?”
“The thing with a small town,” Luc said, “is everyone knows we’re here now.”
“You think they called the police?” I asked.
Luc shook his head. “I don’t think so. So far, we’ve been good customers and nice to everyone. No reason for anyone to call or complain.”
Tetyana nodded. “Okay, why don’t you go find that farmer. The rest of us probably shouldn’t stand out here for everyone to see. We need to stay away in a quiet spot for an hour or two.”
She looked around the street and pointed at the hair salon. “How does everyone feel about a haircut?”
“I could do with a trim,” I said. “I probably look like a jungle girl.”
“I’m not talking a trim, girls,” Tetyana said, her eyes narrowing. We looked at her puzzled. “I’m talking a wholesale makeover.”
Katy gasped. “But I love my hair.”
&nbs
p; “Do you want to make it easy for Fred or the police to find us?” Tetyana asked, with an eyebrow raised.
We remained quiet, contemplating this.
“Do I have to change my ’do as well?” Luc asked. I knew he was more vain about his looks than any of us were. This was going to be hard for him.
“Yes, but later,” Tetyana said. “You’ve got an important job to do right now. For now, go buy a hat and sunglasses at the hiking shop, then go find the farmer.”
Luc sighed in relief.
“And I’m going to get my short hair back,” Tetyana said.
“No!” Win said. “Don’t cut your hair.”
“It’s time I became myself again, hun,” Tetyana said.
“Your hair’s gorgeous just the way it is,” Katy said.
“I’m a short-haired brunette who used to teach kids how to speak English in a little town near Kiev,” Tetyana said, with a smile. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m not a redheaded vixen who likes to wear heels, like you.”
Chapter Fifty-three
By the time we had our hair cut and colored by a team of friendly hairdressers, Luc was back.
The farmer agreed to take us to the castle ruins, or take us “back to the ruins,” as he put it. It was only a twenty-minute drive, and he left us at the foot of the hill near the parking lot to the castle ruins.
Nearby was a stop sign where buses came to pick up tourists and take them into the city. The bus stop was now overtaken by a group of Chinese tourists. It was nice we weren’t alone, but I worried about finding space on any bus that came by.
We gathered in a corner, trying to figure out our next steps. We could now pass as any cosmopolitan student group. Luc had switched his black bomber jacket and dressy pants for an athletic suit with a hoodie and a baseball cap. Win was sporting a purple bob cut now, which made her look like she’d come from California. Katy had her hair done up. She refused to color her hair, but allowed them to trim and pin it up, making it look short, though we all warned her that meant a ton of work every morning. Mine was cut to the shoulders, layered and dyed a chestnut brown. It was going to take some time to get used to, but I was happy to be a step ahead of Fred and his goons.
“Next best step is Luxembourg City, for all of us, right?” I asked.
“Better if we can get into France directly,” Luc said.
Tetyana was unusually quiet. She looked unusual as well, with her hair cropped short and colored brown.
“What do you think, Tetyana?” Katy asked.
She didn’t say anything at first. When she looked up and spoke, her voice was solemn. “One step at a time. First, we need to get out of here safely.”
“Hey.” I looked at Win, who was standing quietly aside, her face scrunched up. “You all right?”
Tears were welling in her eyes. She was feeling the impeding break up too. “I just want all of us to stay together,” she said.
Katy pulled her in and hugged her.
But our conversation was cut short as a long coach pulled up to the bus stop, making the tourists twitter excitedly. They gathered their bags, called out to each other loudly, and swarmed the bus.
“We’ll never find space in there,” Katy said, shaking her head.
“That’s a private coach,” Luc said. “They won’t take us anyway. We need a city bus.”
“What about hitching a ride in a car?” Tetyana said, looking at the parked cars. “We could try to get one of the tourists to take us.”
“That means splitting up,” Win said, her voice slightly high pitched. “We won’t all fit in one car.”
Nobody said anything. We knew Tetyana was itching to return home, to find a way to rescue her brother, even though she still didn’t have enough money.
“We’ll need to find someone with a van,” Luc said.
“A bus is best, I guess,” Katy said.
Just then, from the corner of my eyes I saw an official-looking car with a bar of lights on top slowly turn into the parking lot. Oh no. Have they found us?
The coach driver, who’d gotten out to load the tourists’ bags, jumped back in and started the engine. I didn’t wait. I ran up to the door and leaped up the stairs.
“Excuse me, do you have space for five more?” I asked the driver.
“This is not a city bus,” the driver said, with a thick German accent.
“We’ll pay extra.”
“I’m going to Luxembourg City.”
“That’s where we’re going too,” I said nodding.
I quickly glanced behind me. Everyone was staring, wondering what I was up to. Behind them, the official car was inching its way slowly by the parked cars, as if checking for something.
“The city bus doesn’t come for another hour,” I said, turning to the driver with pleading eyes. “It’ll be a huge help. Really, really huge.”
The driver hesitated and looked at the woman sitting in a lone seat above him. She looked like a Chinese tour guide or translator.
“There’s space at the back,” the driver said to her.
“I’m okay if they pay,” the Chinese woman said. “In cash.”
“We’ll pay,” I said, nodding. “In cash. Not a problem.”
The driver shrugged. “Okay, I’ll drop you at the train station same as the rest of them.”
“Thank you!” I turned around and signaled to the others to come over.
When everyone had jumped in, the driver closed the door and turned the bus to leave. Peeking out the window, I saw the car was still there, checking the parked cars. The decal on its door said “Parken.” Parking? I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d worried for nothing, but at least we were getting out of here.
We walked in a single line to the back of the bus, surprising the throng of tourists as we did.
“You come with us?” one of the women called out in English.
“Yes,” Luc said.
“Welcome!” one of the others said.
“Thank you!” Win said.
“Sit here,” said another, patting the seat next to her. “Join me.”
“The driver said to go to the back,” Katy said to her, with a smile. “But thanks!”
We found our seats at the very back, next to the smelly toilet. But our fellow bus riders were a curious bunch. Very soon, one by one, they left their seats to inquire about us.
Through broken sentences, hand gestures and the use of electronic dictionaries, we soon learned they were retired teachers from Beijing, touring the world. They were mostly women, and one quiet, shy man in the back who simply smiled and bowed his head every time one of us looked his way.
His female colleagues wanted to know everything about us: where we were from, why we were in Luxembourg and where we were going to college. It was hard to ignore them. They were especially interested in Win and asked about her parents and what kind of company they were running in Bangkok. I think she said it was a clothing company, but I couldn’t say for sure above the din. Everyone was talking all at once. I only hoped everyone was giving consistent answers.
Pretty soon a white-haired woman sitting in the row in front of us opened her purse and took out a silver flask. She held it high and said with a sly smile, “Party?” That was when I knew we were going to be okay.
We all took sips, and I began to feel bad about lying to these lovely people who were embracing us. When the driver dropped us off, we felt like we were leaving good friends. They made us promise we’d come and visit them in China, before they picked up their bags and shouted loud goodbyes to us.
We walked into the train station feeling a little lonely after that ride. From our entire stay in Europe, that day was the best we had. I remembered the woman with the dog, the restaurant owner who’d served us food on the house, and the farmer who’d stopped his work and went out of his way to drive us to the ruins for free. I remembered little Greta who’d befriended and helped us, in ways she didn’t even understand. The world wasn’t that bad. There were good people every
where, I thought. We just had to find them.
We found a bench to sit, while Luc and Katy pored over a large map of the station, looking for a currency exchange booth. I watched people walk back and forth around us and listened to the PA announcements in French, German and English. Once in a while, I’d feel the thundering of a train arriving at the station.
“Guys, look!” Win said. I looked up to see her staring at a drop-down television. It had shown train arrivals a minute ago, but it had switched to the news. We watched in alarm a picture of Baroness Agathe’s castle appeared on the screen.
My heart leaped to my mouth. Tetyana scrambled up from her seat to get a better look.
The newscaster was speaking in German.
“Where’s Luc?” I asked, looking around. I saw him and Katy walking back from the currency booth, and motioned to them to hurry over.
“What are they saying?” I asked, when he got close enough.
We stood in front of the screen, watching, trying to make sense of what was going on.
“Are they talking about us?” Tetyana asked.
The reporter spoke at length to the camera. He sounded very serious.
“You won’t believe this,” Luc said, “you’re just not gonna believe this.”
“What?” Katy and I asked at the same time.
“The police didn’t come for us.”
“What the hell?” Tetyana said.
He lowered his voice. “Remember that list we put online?”
Everyone’s faces cleared.
“I knew it!” Katy said. “Remember I saw Bob Halt at the dinner. He was on the list!”
“That’s why the police were chasing that man around the castle,” I said.
Luc shushed us with his hands, so he could listen.
To our shock, Monsieur Wilmar’s face appeared on screen next.
“What’s he saying?” I asked.
“He’s saying a bunch of petty thieves stole from the castle kitchen on the same weekend.”
We gasped.
“He’s saying several vintage bottles of alcohol are missing from the cellar and that his mini kitchen was vandalized by a bunch of, er, ruffians.”