Ivan looked sharply at Sonia and then relaxed. “Solveig will expect you to seek his permission.”
“I know. Now that you know, I will talk to him soon and ask him to let me go out of the business. No hard feelings.”
“Maybe he will. You are not so young Sonia. This is a young person business.”
Sonia laughed, “thanks for the flattery Ivan. I will talk to Solveig soon. When you brief him, tell him we have talked and soon I will be able to tell him my plans and seek his permission.”
“Good.” Ivan was satisfied.
“Please stop following me. Next time you have to know something, just ask me please.”
“O.K.”
Sonia was tense. She knew she should talk to Solveig before Ivan got in first. She resolved to talk to Solveig at the earliest possible moment.
“Sometime soon I will also go to Solveig and ask him if I can move on in the business,” Ivan confided, filling the silence.
“Where would you go Ivan?” Sonia asked, curious.
“Sonia, I only know this business. I hope some day to have my own string of girls, my cattle, and put them to work.”
“You want to be a pimp?” Sonia was horrified.
“No not just pimp. More Whoremaster. I will control my string and build a big business. I just need a few to start and then I will be building a successful enterprise. Solveig starts this way and is now respectable club owner. But he will understand I need to start.”
“Don’t you touch any of the girls in this house. I warn you.”
“Be relaxed. I not cross blades with Solveig. I find my own string. Some day it will happen. So I understand you Sonia, when you say you want to start up your own business.”
“Now to Sara,” Sonia pressed on. These were confidences that she did not wish to hear. They just confirmed her suspicions that Ivan had a very dark side and could not be trusted.
“Sara has met an Irish man who has been pursuing her. His name is Frank. I am concerned that he might be a stalker, but Sara says no. She is going to meet him for a date. I hope he is not a nut case. Can we check him out?”
“Sara, she going a long time. She knows men. If she thinks, not a stalker, maybe she is right?” Ivan said dismissively.
“He rang the club many times and then followed her to here and then met her in Stephens Green, having followed her into town.”
“Hmm” Ivan considered. “O.K. I check him out. To be sure. You have details?”
“He is a teacher. He is meeting Sara tonight. Sara and Frank are coming to meet me and Samuel, my man friend, the one you referred to earlier.”
“Where?”
“We meet in the Barclay Court hotel after eight o’clock.”
“I will be there and will follow him and check out his background. Don’t worry it will not be hard. Dublin is a small city.”
“Thank you Ivan. Be discreet, I am meeting the son of my friend tonight and I want it to go smoothly.”
“No problem. And this Ladies Maid, your second item on agenda?”
“Yes I have hired the traveller girl called Megan. She has been a caller to the house. Megan will come this morning. Do you know her?”
“Yes, I sometimes see her come to beg, and she is with a friend, another Traveller.”
“Just treat her in a friendly way,” Sonia suggested. “I am experimenting. I think she wants to stop being a Traveller and will train to be a good ladies maid.”
“Not for dancing at the club?” Ivan suggested, “I think she might have a good figure under all the clothes she wears?”
“Keep your eyes to yourself Ivan. I want no trouble. Any trouble and she goes immediately.”
“Her parents know she does this?” Ivan asked.
“I don’t know, probably not. I am arranging to get her a passport for the files. She has to get them to sign the application, otherwise no job.”
“If she runs from her home she is vulnerable,” Ivan offered.
“If we take her we have an obligation to look out for her welfare.”
“Understood,” Ivan said agreeably.
Immediately after Ivan had gone Sonia went to Solveig’s rooms. He was having breakfast with one of the dancing girls, his current favourite.
“Sonia,” he said surprised, “come in. Have breakfast with us.”
No thank you Solveig, I have had breakfast. I need to talk to you on a personal matter.”
Solveig waved a hand and the dancing girl went into the bedroom. “I shower,” she said.
Sonia took a deep breath and sat down opposite Solveig.
“Since my partner, your cousin, Sergie was killed, we have spoken a lot. I need now to ask your permission Solveig, to leave your employment and start out on my own.”
Sloveig looked surprised but raised an eyebrow encouragingly. Sonia decided to plunge in and tell Solveig all her plans. Initially he was doubtful but them he shrugged.
“Sonia, you are family. I will help in whatever you want. Just stay in touch and don’t go if you leave me in problems. You will need a successor.”
“Sara” Sonia suggested. “Sara is English so has no legal problems living in Ireland or bringing her family over. She needs to change soon. Offer her the job. She knows all the girls.”
“Good idea” Solveig agreed. “But she is good in the club.”
“Better to go out while she is ahead. In a year or two she will be older and there is a lot of competition.”
“You talk to her and then come to me. Just bring solutions, don’t bring problems. Then I give you your passport and you can start a new life with my blessing.”
“Thank you” Sonia said, and kissed him on both cheeks.
Solveig watched her go and shrugged again. She was good but if she wanted to go there was no point in holding on. It was time for his shower. Languidly he stretched his legs and then threw off his dressing gown. This is the life, he thought as he joined his friend in the shower.
Sonia returned to her rooms with a skip in her step. Solveig had always been understanding and helpful. Now she would have to move her plans ahead. She longed to bring her son Sergie to Ireland.
She busied herself to get clear so she could meet Samuel in the afternoon. Once the girl Megan turned up she would pass her to Ellen and then she would be in the clear.
Chapter sixteen
They had arranged for an afternoon stroll and Sonia and Samuel walked slowly around Fitzwilliam square.
“I have told Solveig that I need to move on.” Sonia explained as they walked.
“Good move” Samuel said supportively, “you have to follow through. I will help if I can.”
“Thank you Samuel, but I think I have it in hand.”
“What will you do?”
“As I mentioned to you, perhaps a café franchise, for example, ‘O’Brien’s Sandwich bars are looking for franchise holders. They require about sixty thousand-euro minimum. I have fifty thousand in savings and I can borrow the rest. I have not yet fixed what, but when I have my business, I can become resident in Ireland and then bring Sergie over from Russia. I am so scared and so excited.”
“Let us sit,” Samuel suggested and led Sonia to one of the park benches. A couple of pigeons swooped down and pecked around their feet.
“What do you think of love?” Samuel asked.
Sonia looked gently at him. She sensed Samuel was in a serious mood. Samuel had dressed well for this date she noted. Good shirt, sports jacket and fawn twill trousers. Shoe of good leather and well polished. She liked the clean look with which he always turned himself out.
She replied after a moment of serious reflection.
“Love is a place of dignity, a place where we clearly expose ourselves and our true nature. Maybe it is a glimpse of eternity.”
“Or is it just a reflection of what we love about ourselves in somebody else?” he asked, developing the conversation.
“Samuel, you are a cynic, did you not love your dear departed wife?”
&nbs
p; “Yes Sonia, with all my heart and I still do. Time has killed all the unhappy bits. I only have the good memories. I keep remembering how she laughed. She was so full of life.”
“When Sergie was alive I loved him and I feared him. He was a gangster, but never with me.”
“Do you still have him in your heart Sonia?”
“Yes, of course, but life goes on. His place in my heart is secure and in my memory. I fell apart when he died, but I think I am whole again now.”
“Sonia do you remember, or did you ever read the poem which had a line ‘one moment in annihilations waste, one moment the well of life to taste.”
“Samuel I don’t think so, after all the poems I read are by Russians in Russian.”
“I think love can vanquish time,” Samuel offered.
“If love is real then it is light and easy to carry, I don’t think the passage of time affects it.”
“I think I am in love with you Sonia.”
“Samuel, that is the most wonderful thing a man can say to a woman. But are you sure?”
“I’m too old for certainties. You are a beautiful and kind woman. I am just a man. My heart never grew old and it knows what it feels”
“Not so old Samuel, they say today’s sixties are as yesterday’s fifties. You are young enough to live another thirty years.”
“In thirty years I should be pretty doddery.”
“In thirty years Samuel, I will be your age. “
“So, am I mad to love you?”
“Love is never mad Samuel, and a woman is a fool if she rejects love.”
“Will you accept my love?”
“Will you accept me for what I am, for what I have been? I have told you my history.”
“Love can burn through doubt and pain. I would always be there for you Sonia. You have also told me your hopes and I understand. Life for us is in the future. The past is a place where we will never be again.”
“Oh Samuel, I know I could always rely on you. And I am very fond of you, but I don’t love you the way I loved Sergie, my fierce gangster. You are a decent man Samuel and I respect you. And truth be known I do find you attractive. I have always had softness for an older man. It makes me feel safe. You make me feel at peace Samuel.”
“I may be decent Sonia, but love is not decent, not between a man and a woman. I desire you naked and willing in my arms. My love is unashamed.”
“Do you really want me Samuel, or is it just for a night?”
‘Sonia, for a night, I’d die tomorrow, but you just said that I am a decent man. So there is more to it than that. I would like to make you my wife.”
Sonia looked at him. They were on a bench in the middle of the small park. Around them the pigeons made noises in their throats and birds were whistling in the background and the grass was green and the flowers were in bloom and the shrubs were looking full and sheltering them from the breeze.
Samuel was smiling and holding her hand. “If you go down on one knee I will give you a kick” she said with a smile.
Samuel looked back at her, too tense to smile. His eyes clear in the honesty of his intent. Truly he loved her.
Sonia felt her feelings having been long repressed by the busy order of her life begin to bubble up into her heart. She looked at Samuel without worry, or concern. She felt hope and acceptance. If Samuel were to honour her with his love then she would not refuse.
“What of your family Samuel. How would we live? Life is full of practical matters.”
“Love is not about such things. First you must commit Sonia. If you can commit then we can together work to solve all the rest.”
“Samuel, we have not been physical, we are not lovers.”
“You said I am attractive to you. This is beyond my wildest hope. I am astonished, even though I have sensed it. I am sorry if I rush you. I know how I feel. I have to say what is in my heart.”
“I am a mood driven spirit,” Sonia said, “I may be such a person who prefers unhappiness to domestic bliss.”
“I can be a father to your son Sergie. I can care for you Sonia. You will be safe with me. I think you have a hunger for a safe harbour, you have had such a stormy life.”
“Samuel, I want my own business. I want to run an orderly life. I don’t know how to cope with a commitment.”
“Sonia you don’t commit alone. We commit together. We have empathy. We can cherish each other and respect each the others individuality. Together we will combine our strengths.”
Samuel spoke with certainty and passion all his energies focused on the moment. He had not intended to say all he had but had seized the moment when it came upon him. Now he wished with all his heart that Sonia would accept him.
Sonia looked at Samuel, her face soft and vulnerable. He was a handsome older man. He seemed to have financial means. He seemed to love her. Marriage would make it so easy for her to bring her son Sergie to Ireland. They could have a new life away from the sordid world of Clubs and gangsters.
“Kiss Me,” she said.
In the afternoon light he was big and strong with a mane of white hair and a lived in face. His touch was firm yet soft and gentle as her drew her towards him. His kiss was strong and searching, lingering a moment, an extra second of pressure, taking ownership, promising fulfilment.
Sonia felt herself surrender and melt in towards his embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“I like the way you kiss,” she said.
They sat for a while in silence. Across the park a number of young school girls were led along by their teacher, who stopped now and then, presumably as part of a nature walk, to point out trees and shrubs to her young charges.
Samuel stirred and kissed her on the side of the nose and then again on the full of the lips. Sonia felt passions that had been ignored or dormant for years stir and rouse her heartbeat and she longed to be taken, to be naked and willing in his arms, to cry out and be alive. Shaken by the power of her response she pushed Samuel back and found herself looking in strong confident eyes that embraced and covered her with a feeling of being loved.
“Marry me Sonia,” he said, voice a little hoarse.
“If I commit to you Samuel Bercovich, you better not let me down.”
“I’ll die first, be mine. I am already yours.”
“Then I will be yours Samuel. And I will marry you and you will have me.”
A feeling of reckless happiness overcame Samuel. He knelt at her feet and kissed her hands.
“I told you I would kick you,” she threatened.
“Marry me, my love,” Samuel said out loud in a clear confident voice.
“Yes love,” Sonia replied, “but get up off your knees.”
Samuel stood up and Sonia stood opposite him. They embraced and kissed with a confident possession of one another, under-laid with the promise of passion.
Then they continued their walk. Samuel was quiet for a while and then he began.
“Sonia let me explain. I have a house that is let. I also own a number of apartments. In addition I have a pension and also a salary as Chairman of my son’s business. So financially I am independent. In fact I am well off in Irish terms.”
“I understand Samuel, I too am independent. I have a nest egg for to set up my business and I will continue to work.”
“I will move out of Sunnyside homes.”
“That would be a good idea Samuel, especially if you intend sharing my bed” Sonia replied with a laugh.
“Will we take an apartment together?” Samuel suggested. “I don’t think I should bring you into my old house. And as I said, it is let out at the moment.”
“First I have to unwind from my role in Morehampton road. Let us pick the apartment together. It does not have to be one you own. We can rent or buy.”
“When can we marry?” Samuel asked.
“When can you tell your son we are engaged?” Sonia countered.
They had reached the edge of the park.
“Trust that I love yo
u” Samuel said his eyes holding hers in love and acceptance. “Sonia, how much do you love me?” he asked as she smiled back at him.
“Samuel in time you will know how much I love you. You must trust in me and let my love reveal itself, as it will in our lives together.”
“I will Sonia” Samuel replied, and then led her through the park gates back into the world.
“We meet my son tonight,” Samuel reminded her. “But I think that is a bit soon to tell him of our plans. Let us buy an engagement ring Sonia. And then I will announce our engagement to the world. We can even put an announcement in the Irish Times.”
“First you sit down with your son and tell him what you are doing Samuel. You must ask him for his blessing.”
“He is my son.”
“He loves you Samuel. You must always be careful with those you love. Ask him to bless our union. Let him be the best man. Please Samuel, don’t be afraid not to order him. Let him have a say in your life.”
“What if he refuses his blessing?”
“Samuel, then you must decide. But you must ask him. Promise me.”
“I promise Sonia. But I will marry you, so long as you will have me.”
‘We will marry Samuel. We are not children and we do not make this sort of commitment lightly. You know I will never betray you Samuel.”
“Tell me you love me.”
“I love you Samuel.”
“I love you Sonia.”
“I’m glad that’s’ settled,” Sonia said with a grin.
“Then we can conquer the world.”
“Lets just find ourselves a place in the world Samuel. We can offer each other our hearts and our happiness and our hopes. That is world enough to conquer.”
“I think I am going to learn a lot from you Sonia.”
They linked arms and strode together up towards Grafton Street. They had a few hours yet before they met Peter in the Barclay court and Samuel decided that they would have time to look at a few engagement rings and then have a bite to eat.
Love on the Dark Side of the City Page 17