The Abacus Equation

by Peter Stremus

  * * *

  Pieter thumbed lamely through the pink pages of the Financial Times. The weekly paper issue of the journal was months old and could not raise his interest. Nor divert his brain from speculating on the effect of his mail.

  “Where is Alex?” he finally asked Jackie.

  “He went with Brigitte to her place,” she answered. “They said that they would be back in five. But that was about an hour ago. Why am I not surprised?”

  Pieter checked his watch. It was past eleven and the sound of pots and pans from the nearby kitchen reminded him that he had become hungry.

  “You want to join me for lunch?” he asked invitingly.

  “What do you mean? Never heard of a butler bringing room service?” was Jackie's lazy answer.

  “Vaguely, you spoilt good-for-nothing,” he teased her. “But maybe it is not a bad idea to stretch the legs and exercise your social skills. Go meet new people.”

  “That is definitely a bad idea. I am quite comfortable here with my solitary skills. Why don't you go and take my sister with you. Speaking of the devil, there she is,” Jackie answered while pointing at the door.

  Pieter followed her finger and saw Jane coming through the garden in a white linen dress. She had pinned up her hair but some disobedient tresses fell naughtily alongside her cheeks.

  “That one looks a lot better than a few hours ago when we arrived. She looks a lot better than I have ever noticed before,” went through his mind.

  “Were you talking about me?” Jane asked.

  Jackie answered quickly: “Pieter just told me that he did not want yours truly to join you for lunch as he wants to have a tête-à-tête with you. So I sacrifice myself, again, to eat here all alone.”

  “That sounds like a splendid idea. One of the more sound suggestions that have come out of his mouth,” she answered ironically. “I am indeed hungry and the nap has done me lot's of good. I do believe, Pieter; that you could use another couple of hours. You still look like...”

  “I get it, I get it,” Pieter defended himself, “I feel fitter than ever. And I will have plenty of time to sleep in the plane. In six hours we are being picked up from this place.”

  Jane had the same initial reaction as her sister: “but I don't want to go. I'd love to stay here for a couple of weeks. Who has come up with that bad idea?”

  “Come let's go and eat,” he interrupted, “I'll explain over lunch.”

  He addressed Jackie while they made their way out: “in case you change your mind, you know where we are. If you see Alex, tell hem to join us also.”

  She put up her hand slowly and waved them away, her eyes closed.

  Silently they strolled to the restaurant at the beach where already some of the guests had gathered around the buffet. Some of them wondered who the newcomers were. It was a small resort, so everyone knew everyone after a couple of days. Newcomers were always taxed by the anciens.

  The restaurant was built like a large hut and rested on pillars in the clear blue sea. The floor was interrupted by glass enabling a view on the many fish swimming under the construction. A wooden bridge connected the restaurant with the beach.

  Pieter and Jane sat down at a table for four. A waiter arrived immediately with ice water and a bottle of cooled white wine. He greeted them jovially inquiring when they had arrived as he had not seen them before.

  “Early this morning, with our private plane,” Pieter explained.

  “That is very nice,” the waiter answered with a heightened expectation for a big tip.

  He talked to Jane while filling up her glass.

  “On honeymoon?” They did not wear wedding rings, but it was one of his standard opening sentences.

  “Yes, indeed. For me this already my fourth marriage. But my husband is still a virgin, it is his first time.”

  “That is very nice,” the waiter kept on smiling. “Idiotic rich tourists,” he thought.

  He left when Vivian, the manager of the resort, approached Pieter and Jane.

  “Well what a doubtful surprise Pieter. It's been, lucky enough, a long time. Are you here to make trouble again with your buddy Alex?”

  Much more friendly she introduced herself to Jane: “Vivian Liebeck, manager of the resort.”

  “Jane Hutton, sailor around the world in trouble. How do you know each other?”

  “My dear Jane,” Vivian answered, “if you live for years in this corner of the world, even if that corner is a vast piece of water, all of the inhabitants hook together. It's worse than a remote ex-pat community. I have known Pieter from the first weeks that he arrived on Egmont and was restoring the old colonial mansion. Together with my husband and children I was doing research. Egmont was one of the favourite harbours for wandering travellers till Pieter arrived.”

  “But he really went astray the moment that Alex arrived,” she said with a stern look. “They were, well they are like two brothers-in-arms. Especially Alex took good care of him. He was his primarily drunk flying instructor who turned smuggling with an official army plane into an art. And in the meantime he tried to improve Pieter's piloting skills. Apparently still not yielding any success. I heard that a big old seaplane is littering my beach. And of course each lesson had to be celebrated so I received complaints from the other guests the moment there was again a loud party going on. Please realize that most visitors here pay a small fortune to find peace and quiet.”

  Pieter defended himself: “Vivian, that happened once and that was two years ago. We needed to celebrate that one crash landing which we miraculously survived. And the ones complaining were some sulky old spinsters who were upset because we had not invited them. So please don't exaggerate.”

  “Old spinsters? You mean over thirty?” Vivian continued. She was not planning to give up the argument like that.

  As a true deus ex machina the waiter returned with an iced dish towering with fresh seafood and put it swiftly between Jane and Pieter.

  Vivian decided to drop the topic after all.

  “Well, enjoy your lunch.” She nodded kindly to Jane: “I am sure we'll bump into each other later.” She summoned the cook to inspect the buffet that he was building up.

  “So what is going to happen now, Pieter?” Jane asked.

  She attempted clumsily to undress one of the shrimp upon which Pieter took over and gave here the nicely peeled part. Enjoying she ate the succulent shrimp and expectantly opened her hand for the next one.

  “Believe it or not but this morning I got a call from Ian Summerton, you know, the person we talked about yesterday or the day before yesterday. The days are really blurring together. Good acquaintance of your father, so I assume his little rescue has more to do with the daughters of his influential friend than with me. One way or another he had figured out where we are, read my mail to the journalists and knew about the documents stolen from Diego. So he is sending an airplane to take us back to civilization.”

  Gloomily Jane remarked: “I am really trying to understand the events of the past days. But I have to admit that it is all a bit above my head.”

  “Sure I can understand that. But the most important is that we can leave here as soon as possible. History shows that it never did anyone any good to smuggle military secrets out of a country. I want to get as fast and as far away from Diego and the whole damned base.”

  “And what about Jonathan?”

  Pieter pouted his lips. “I cannot imagine that Oona has anything to do with this. I have known her for so long now. We had such good times with her and the old team. On Diego and at my place. But, I heard what I heard. It was obvious what happened at the other side of the line.”

  Pieter skinned the other shrimps for her so she only had to eat the flesh with her fork. Apologizing as a little girl she said: “I hate it to niggle with these things. Mostly I end up with mashed sticky stuff on my finger in stead of a tasteful shrimp.”

  “Actually, I am really glad that we have met you, Pieter,” she abruptly added.
>
  “Ahum, yes, it has been quite an adventure the past days. I can imagine that both of you cannot wait to be back home in Australia. Or continue your trip if you still find someone who is prepared to give you a ship.”

  “That's what I mean. Despite the adventure and the whole situation, and the fact that I still feel like collapsing from fatigue, well ... there is something else.”

  “Over-production of adrenaline?”

  She shook her head: “I didn't tell you that when I am back in Australia I will get married in a couple of months. This whole trip was for me the last chance to enjoy life as a bachelor before taking that commitment.'

  “No, you did not tell me that. Congratulations. Isn't that wonderful? I really appreciate the plan to first travel around the world for a couple of weeks before you settle. Good thinking. I would do the same.”

  “Probably, yes. But I don't think it is the idea that I start doubting.”

  “Isn't that a bit classical?”

  “That's also what my mother said.”

  “Geez, thanks!”

  “You know what I mean.”

  She looked over the vast ocean. “It is because of you that I feel like this, Pieter.”

  At that moment Jackie came running in a fluttering sarong, Pieter's cell-phone in her hand. Out of breath she arrived at their table, pulled over a chair and sat down.

  “I took the liberty of answering your phone and the good news is that the plane that is underway to pick us up will be here one hour earlier than expected. I still cannot believe that we are finally getting lucky after all. Mmmm ... those look like great shrimp. I sure wouldn't mind to get some of them. I hope you don't mind that I join you for a bite, do you? Of course not, there isn't anything secret in what you have to tell each other anyway, haha!.”

  She lifted her head in the air and called the waiter.

  “Hey, can you bring me also one of these delicious dishes? And another bottle of chilled white wine? We have something to celebrate!”

  She looked at the silent Pieter and Jane.

  “What?”

  * * *