All Things Bright

by Ted Tayler

  “Chidozie told us he never married,” said Lydia. “That’s so sad. I hope he isn’t lonely.”

  “When we saw how he was with the line of Museum visitors, I think he’s the gregarious type, don’t you? I’m sure his bar will be livelier when he’s in there, and who knows, he might have met someone special here in Rotterdam.”

  “Maybe his late mother was right,” said Lydia. “He had a girl in every port. Perhaps he’s left a long line of broken-hearted females in cities around the world.”

  “I don’t think you should ask him that this evening,” said Alex. “You don’t want to push too hard.”

  “Okay,” said Lydia. “I prepared a long list of questions before we left home, and this morning most of them flew away on the breeze. I dreamt of Chidozie telling me that Eleanor was his first love, and he never forgot her. That romantic idea was in my head even before we found out the name of the bar. While listening to Eleanor telling me how they met, I imagined them finding one another again after so many years and everything being sweetness and light. It was unrealistic, but they were the exact words he used this morning. He even said that naming the bar ‘Lady Eleanor’ had helped me find him.”

  “You must remember how Eleanor spoke about him,” said Alex. “She made a life without Chidozie Barre in it and was happy with her lot. The two of you have moved forward as friends, which works for you. When we get home, talk to your mother, better still visit her, and speak about this weekend. Eleanor might decide to come here to renew their acquaintance, or she might get in touch by phone or letter. After so many years, Eleanor might be happy to learn Chi-Chi’s alive and well, but not want contact with him.”

  “You’re right. It’s Eleanor’s choice,” said Lydia. “I need to rein in my enthusiasm. I’m letting my imagination run wild.”

  “The most important thing tonight, and for what free time we have left tomorrow is for you and your father to agree on what relationship you can have in the future. Once that’s sorted, then you can worry over what Eleanor and Chidozie want to happen.”

  “I’m so lucky,” said Lydia. “I have a father in Aberdeen, another in Rotterdam, and if they can’t offer me enough wise counsel, then I can rely on you to keep me on the right path. I love you, Alex.”

  “I love you too, Lydia. Now, this shower is running cold. I vote we dry ourselves and get dressed. We must try to look as elegant as your father if we’re dining with him tonight. I know you brought enough clothes for a week, but I’m a smart-casual guy when I’m not at work. I leave my suits in the wardrobe when I go on holiday. You must decide which shirt looks the smartest from my limited selection.”

  When they stood across the road from Chi-Chi’s bar at seven-thirty, the view that greeted them differed from this morning. Someone sat on every seat on the benches outside, and couples and small groups congregated on the pavement. Conversation and laughter filled the air. Through the crowd, Lydia could see the bar was busy inside too. The various staff members, male, and female, scurried from table to table taking orders, or delivering food and drink to eager customers.

  Chidozie favoured a simple uniform of crisp white shirts and black slacks, regardless of gender. Lydia searched for Chidozie, but at first, she couldn’t see him.

  “Fancy a beer?” asked Alex. “Let’s get a cold one and stand outside on the pavement. It will be too warm indoors. We’ll tell the bar staff we’ve arrived. Chi-Chi could be upstairs getting ready or dealing with customers at the back of the room. We can’t see every dark corner from here.”

  Alex and Lydia crossed the road and went inside the ‘Lady Eleanor’ for the first time. Lydia looked for a senior member of staff. Most staff working this evening were teenagers, but hovering by the bar, keeping her eye on everything, was a middle-aged, blonde-haired woman. Lydia heard her issuing orders to her charges as they rushed past. Her accent was Dutch.

  “Excuse me,” said Lydia, “we’re meeting Chidozie here. Has he arrived yet?”

  “You must be Lydia,” said the woman, “I’m Rosa. He’s still upstairs in the apartment. He won’t be five minutes.”

  Alex arrived with two cold lagers.

  “We’ll be outside,” said Lydia. “It’s too nice an evening to stay indoors.”

  Rosa smiled and resumed her vigil.

  Alex reckoned that while she was on deck, the ‘Lady Eleanor’ was a well-oiled machine that maximised Chidozie Barre's profits.

  “Your father chose an ideal location,” said Alex when they were back outside. “With these narrow streets, most traffic will be on foot or two wheels. The four-wheel commercial transport will be early morning waste collection and morning deliveries to the restaurants and bars. The bar’s sheltered from the wind too.”

  “Did you catch what Rosa said?” asked Lydia. “He’s still upstairs in the apartment.”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions again,” said Alex.

  “Do I look alright?” asked Lydia. “I’m nervous. What if Chidozie thinks my skirt is too short?”

  “It looks fine from where I’m standing,” said Alex. “You’ve got great legs, Lydia. Even Gus Freeman couldn’t object to what you’re wearing tonight. It might be too much for the Crime Review Team office, but it’s perfect for an evening on the town.”

  Lydia tugged at her black leather skirt and tried to convince herself that it was decent. Her loose-fitting bright-orange, brown and yellow top drew most men’s attention away from her skirt in any case. Not for the first time, she was the only girl in the vicinity with corkscrew curls of ginger hair.

  Alex felt happy with Lydia’s choice of a pale blue shirt with a button-down collar. He was thankful she hadn’t opted for his white shirt. He would never have escaped the ‘Lady Eleanor’, although the tips from waiting on tables would have helped pay the eye-watering prices for two bottles of lager.

  There was a sudden hush on the pavement behind them. Something had caused the conversation level to drop. Lydia turned to look over her shoulder. It was her secret agent emerging from the bar’s interior. Chidozie left any Western suits he possessed in the wardrobe. His navy blue outfit was stylish and based on a traditional agbada. The top was wide-sleeved with elaborate gold embroidery that covered the shoulders. The undervest was a loose, round-neck, sleeveless smock, and his trousers were close-fitting, ankle-length, and narrow-bottomed.

  “He knows how to make an entrance,” said Alex.

  “I don’t think his regular customers have seen him in anything resembling his national dress before,” said Lydia.

  Chidozie Barre kissed Lydia on both cheeks and shook Alex by the hand.

  He stood back to admire his daughter’s outfit.

  “I can see now why I needed to adjust my kiss to land on your cheek,” he grinned.

  “Four-inch heels, Chidozie,” said Alex, “I need a step.”

  “My apologies for keeping you waiting,” said Chidozie. “Rosa will look after things here while we go to a favourite restaurant of mine. Our Uber Netherlands vehicle will be here in one minute.”

  “Rosa seems very efficient,” said Alex.

  “She was working for ‘The Hideaway’ when I bought the place. The previous owner advised me I wouldn’t find a more honest, hard-working employee in the city. So, I took her on. I wouldn’t be without her.”

  The taxi arrived, and Chidozie didn’t expand on the comment. After a delicious meal, they returned to find the ‘Lady Eleanor’ packed with customers.

  “Is it always this busy?” asked Lydia.

  “We offer value for money,” said Chidozie, “a wider selection of beers than most places in the area, plus our chef prepares the best fresh fish dishes in Rotterdam. In high summer, the tourists swell the numbers. Trade will drop off in the autumn, that’s when we take our annual holiday. Everyone needs to refresh themselves before the Christmas and New Year mayhem.”

  “Where do you spend your holidays?” asked Lydia.

  “Dubai,” said Chidozie. “It was my refuge after th
e shipwreck, and I return there every autumn to give thanks.”

  “I’m sorry if I asked a lot of questions of you this evening,” said Lydia.

  “It’s only natural,” her father replied. “Where’s Rosa? I want to tell her we’ll be upstairs in the apartment. There’s nowhere for us to have a quiet conversation here tonight. People will drift away in an hour, but we get a regular influx of late-night drinkers that finish work at nearby businesses and then drop in for a drink and a chat.”

  Alex and Lydia waited by a door marked ‘Privaat’ which was self-explanatory. Chidozie talked to customers at tables as he made his way towards the back of the bar.

  “He’s popular, isn’t he?” said Alex. “Half the people in the restaurant knew him too, not just the management.”

  “I learned superficial things this evening,” said Lydia, “and he steered the conversation in such a way that it was two-way traffic. I thought with the experience I’ve gained through working with experts such as Gus and the rest of you, he’d be putty in my hands.”

  “Now there’s something we’ve discovered without asking questions,” said Alex, nodding to the other side of the bar.

  Rosa and Chidozie were deep in conversation. Her hand rested casually on his upper arm, and the look that passed between them suggested their relationship was a million miles from employer and employee.

  Chidozie leaned forward to kiss Rosa on the lips and then started back across the room.

  “I’ve promised Rosa we will return when the rush is over,” he said, “I will introduce you properly then.”

  When they reached Chidozie’s apartment, Lydia could tell from the living room and kitchenette that this wasn’t a bachelor pad. The furnishings and the overall ambience confirmed what they’d seen downstairs. Chidozie and Rosa were a couple.

  “I have never been a hermit,” said Chidozie. He had spotted the way Lydia analysed the set up within seconds of entering the room.

  “I hope that doesn’t shock you, Lydia. Rosa isn’t the first woman I lived with over the years. It’s true that I never married and that I have never forgotten Eleanor. I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”

  “You don’t need to apologise,” said Lydia. “We’re still strangers. If we continue meeting and talking, then we will learn more and more about each other. My first few conversations with Eleanor were the same. Nothing we disclosed ever displeased or upset us enough to stop meeting. We came out the other side as friends. You and I have taken the first tentative steps on the same journey. So far, there’s nothing to make me wish I hadn’t come here this weekend.”

  “I’m glad you did,” said Chidozie. “It was a shock for me, and Rosa too. She understood that I had lovers in my past; she was no innocent when married as a young woman. After her divorce, she moved from Amsterdam to work at ‘The Hideaway’, and she was alone when I arrived. We hit it off within a month of me opening the ‘Lady Eleanor’, and we’ve lived together ever since. Rosa will need time to adjust to the fact that I have a daughter too. Now, let me get you a drink. What will it be?”

  “We heard that a jenever was popular,” said Lydia.

  Chidozie laughed.

  “We serve it straight from the freezer downstairs. Some prefer it straight from the bottle, like drinking vodka, but most of our customers mix it with vermouth and other ingredients to make it less lethal.”

  “Perhaps we should have a coffee instead,” said Alex. “You don’t drink alcohol, Chidozie, and Lydia and I already had several glasses of wine with our meal.”

  “I understand,” said Chidozie, “you’ve had a long day. No doubt you want to return to your hotel before this place closes.”

  “I’m only twenty-five,” said Lydia, “and although Alex is ten years older, we can still stand the pace. We intend to be here when the shutters close. I’ve waited a long time for this weekend.”

  “Rosa enjoys a quality brandy,” said Chidozie, checking the drinks cabinet, “so, two Coffee Royale’s it shall be, and an Americano for me.”

  Chidozie prepared the drinks, and Lydia and Alex relaxed on the large sofa as Chidozie told them how he had learned his trade in the cocktails bar in New York. He had an unlimited supply of funny stories, and Lydia wasn’t sure after the second drink, whether it was the memories that made her giggle or the generous measures of brandy that Chidozie added.

  “It’s after midnight,” said Alex. “We should get downstairs, or Rosa will think you’ve abandoned her.”

  “There should be more room now,” said Chidozie, “the mad rush is at an end.”

  When they got downstairs, Rosa was behind the bar. The waiting staff had gone home, and the chef sat at the end of the bar reading a newspaper. His empty glass suggested he would soon be on his way.

  There were no customers sat outside, despite the warm night, but the bar still contained a healthy number of people enjoying a late-night drink. Alex and Lydia sat on stools by the bar as Chidozie joined Rosa.

  “Did you both enjoy your meal?” asked Rosa.

  “It was excellent,” said Alex. “I’m sure you know the restaurant well?”

  “It’s our favourite here in Rotterdam,” said Rosa, looking at Chidozie. “Although, he would say the restaurant in Dubai is a touch better.”

  “When you eat at a five-star restaurant, it not worth making a comparison,” laughed Chidozie. “They each have their minor differences, but why split hairs trying to choose which one is better than the other?”

  The chef folded his newspaper and eased himself off his stool.

  “I’m away to my bed, boss,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Lucas,” said Chidozie. “You put in a good shift today: thankyou, my friend. I got great feedback from the tables as I walked through this evening. The seafood platter was a firm favourite.”

  Lucas nodded and left the bar.

  “Perhaps we can taste how good his food is tomorrow,” said Lydia.

  “We’re lucky to have him,” said Rosa. “I don’t think we’ll be able to match the salary that a bigger outfit could offer Lucas.”

  “Let’s not discuss our chef, Rosa,” said Chidozie, “Lucas Romeijn will leave us when he’s ready. I’ll not stand in his way. Let me make the introductions. Rosa de Vries, I have the pleasure to introduce Lydia Logan Barre, my daughter. Her gentleman friend is Alex Hardy. They are with the English police, but we have nothing to fear.”

  “You idiot,” said Rosa. “What will they think of us? Welcome, Lydia. It stunned me when Chidozie came home from the Museum to tell me the news. Stunned, but happy for him. I hope you will continue to visit us. You are both welcome in our home, any time.”

  “I didn’t think this weekend could get any better,” said Lydia, leaning over the bar to hug Rosa. “Thank you. It means the world to me.”

  “What will you do tomorrow?” asked Rosa.

  “We planned to continue sightseeing before lunch,” said Alex.

  “Then we’re coming here to eat,” said Lydia. “If it’s okay with you, we’ll spend our last few hours in Rotterdam with you both until it’s time to drive to the Hook to catch the car ferry.”

  “That’s settled then,” said Chidozie. “Only one thing to do before you finally take your leave. You must tell us when you’ll be back.”

  “We’ll exchange contact details tomorrow,” said Lydia. “We’ve used up several days holiday trying to find you, but we’ll be able to take time off before Christmas.”

  “When we’ve closed this place for a fortnight, why not fly to Dubai and I’ll collect you from the airport,” said Chidozie. “You can stay with us. We’ll visit that restaurant that Rosa was so keen to tell you about.”

  “It sounds exciting,” said Lydia. “Of course, we’d love to come, if it’s possible.”

  “You will make it happen,” said Chidozie, “I know I can rely on you.”

  “Where do you stay when you’re out there?” asked Alex.

  “Chidozie bought a
n apartment by the Marina when he was there in 2007,” said Rosa. “It was a wonderful investment.”

  “I recuperated in a small place nearby after the shipwreck and decided I’d had enough danger at sea for two lifetimes. So, I contacted the shipping company and collected my outstanding wages, holiday pay, and long service gratuity. I could buy an apartment in a new build that would set me back half a million euros today.”

  “Wow,” said Lydia, “that’s amazing.”

  An hour later, Alex and Lydia made their way unsteadily back to the hotel. Chidozie was right. It had been a long day. They both slept well.

  They just about made the check-out time of eleven o’clock from the floating hotel. It cut short the sightseeing tour, and Alex elected for water taxi trips to avoid adding to the ache he felt in his leg from the exercise yesterday.

  Sunday afternoon was a pleasant, relaxed affair, just the way Sunday afternoons with friends should be. After the lunch Lucas prepared for them, Lydia hoped that her father could somehow hang on to the talented chef for a little while longer.

  It was difficult saying goodbyes to Chidozie and Rosa and leaving the ‘Lady Eleanor’ to return to the port to catch the ferry. It had to be done if they were going to get back to Harwich in time to arrive in the Crime Review Team office at nine. Alex planned to catch up on sleep on Monday night if Lydia kept him awake on the ferry because she was too excited to sleep. When they arrived back in Chippenham early this morning, there was only one matter to get sorted.

  Lydia knew that she had to tell Eleanor that they had met Chidozie.

  Should they mention the name of the bar? What if Eleanor searched online and found it for herself? How would she react?

  Alex had noticed Chidozie’s slight frown when they had exchanged contact details. Had he hoped Lydia would give him those for Eleanor Scott too? Rosa and Chidozie were an item, that’s for sure, Alex had to watch that Lydia’s romantic notions didn’t drive a wedge between the couple. Eleanor and Chidozie had moved on with their lives over the past quarter of a century. There was no turning back the clock.