by Alda Grand
“My father was a great man. I always looked up to him when I was a little girl. There was one currency in our house that he valued more than anything else and that was knowledge. He always had a book in his hand, was always scribbling notes into the margins, his mind never seemed to rest and was always pursuing more knowledge. If we came to him with a question and he didn't know it, this gave him an excuse to do research and find out the correct answer. He instilled in myself and my younger brother the drive and the thirst for learning. He filled our minds with books on art, classic literature, poetry and history. No subject was too dry for him and his enthusiasm filled us up with the same kind of insatiable curiosity. Unfortunately his insatiable appetite for knowledge was dwarfed by his appetite for younger women. He had or was having a string of affairs at the time of his dismissal. Three different woman some still medical students had contacted the board with accusations of sexual harassment. The whole thing got messy, litigation was a strong possibility. The hospital needed to squash the case before it got any further, my father claimed total innocence to the harassment claims. The evidence mounted against him and he lost his job and his medical license. Do you ever see those women on tv who stand by their politician husbands after they find out they had some sort of sordid affair?”
Einar said, “Yes.”
“My mother had no interest in being that kind of woman. She had believed him when he said the claims of harassment were false. She stopped believing him when an anonymous source sent her a text message about his multiple affairs. I was starting my first year of college at the time. My parents marriage imploded. It then came out that my father had run up huge amounts of debts and that my family was pretty much bankrupt. I was half way through my first year of college, totally absorbed in the process of learning when I got the call from my mother that she couldn't afford to pay for my college tuition anymore. At this stage my father had left the house and wasn't heard from too often as the divorce got processed. I remember the call so clearly, my stomach tightened into knots as she said I would have to quit after a year. I begged and cried over the phone to this poor woman who had already been through so much saying I couldn't leave college. All I did was upset my mother more, there was nothing she could do. My father had totally ripped our family to shreds. I pretty much vowed that night that I would do anything to stay in college,” Lana said stopping herself abruptly. She had been about to tell Einar all about being a high class escort, she was feeling so relaxed in his presence and it felt so good to unburden herself that she nearly said too much. You can never tell him that, she thought to herself, he would be disgusted with you.
“So what did you do to stay in college,” Einar prodded her.
Lana hesitated for a second she felt so close to simply opening up and telling him everything. She knew it was totally irrational as she had only meet him, and yet if she was going to unburden herself he felt like the right choice. “I got a job in a hotel,” she lied at the last moment. She couldn't tell him, she knew that now after her moment of weakness. She imagined his tone of voice changing from the warm lilting friendliness to something more cold and disgusted as she told him the truth, She couldn't face that and so lying was the only option for her. “I worked nights at the weekend and I’m making enough to scrape by and stay in college.”
“You’ve got to work hard for what you want,” Einar said with no hint in his voice that he knew he had been lied to.
“Enough about me,” Lana said eager to change the subject. She didn't feel right lying to him and didn't want to have to go into even more details to bolster her lie. “Did you go to college?”
“No, that wasn't much of an option here. I had two career paths when I finished school. Fisherman or farmer, if I wanted to do anything else I’d have to move to Reykjavik. Im not much into city living so that was never an option. After school I started working on my fathers boat with my younger brother. It was a total family run affair and some of the best years of my life. I gave up fishing after a few years and then switched to the farming life,” he said.
“Why did you give up fishing,” Lana asked.
Einar shuffled his feet and then cleared his throat and spoke with a slight croak in his voice, “My heart wasn't in it anymore. Once I quit I never returned to the sea. I took over the family farm and now I have a flock of sheep, some cows and horses. It's a very modest way of life and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I grow most of my own vegetables, raise my own meat and get to spend most of my days during the summer outdoors. It's a tough life and I cant imagine it any other way. I can show you around the farm when you’re back up on your feet.”
“I’d love that,” Lana said with enthusiasm, “will I get to see cute sheep?”
“Unfortunately not at this time of year. We let the sheep roam free in the mountains all through the summer. That way they get to eat the best food before they are put into shelter during the harsh winters. We round them up at the end of the summer. Its one of the most exciting days of they year in the town. Every able bodied man and woman rides up into the mountain range behind the town and we round all the sheep up and drive them back down in to large pens at the edge of town. There is drinking, lots of drinking, and we sing traditional songs while we ride. It's a hard day of work that starts as soon as the sun is up and usually doesn't end until nightfall. Once all the sheep have been counted and separated into smaller pens owned by the different farmers, the town holds a dance and the party can usually go on for a night or two. We Icelanders know how to party hard when the occasion calls for it.”
“Wow that sounds amazing,” Lana said imagining thousands of sheep being rounded up across a wide open plateau, the riders horses kicking up clouds of dust as they drive the sheep down a thin pass and towards the holding pens. Lana imagined riding beside Einar as the sound of booming voices sung a hearty traditional song and people hollered and cheered. She had never pictured herself as a country girl before but the image was certainly appealing to her, a new life and a new start unburdened from what had come before.
“It’s one of the highlights of the year. Do you know how to ride?”
“I’ve never been on a horse, to be honest I’ve always been a bit afraid of them since I was a child. I was at a state fair with my parents, I was probably around ten or eleven. The fair had horse rides for children, I’d never been on one before and when I saw the sign I begged and begged my parents to let me try it. So we queued up in the hot midday sun and as I got closer and closer to the front I got more and more excited. There were two horses taking the children on short circuits around a paddock. The horses reins were held by a handler and all the kid had to do was hold onto the saddle and be lead around in a circle. The horses were both beautiful, one was as black as soot and the other was a deep chestnut brown. My turn came and the black horse was lead over to me, all my father had to do was lift me up and put me into the saddle and I’d be off. I never even made it that far. When the horse was lead up to me it turned and looked down at me, its big dark globe of an eye blinking and looking down at this small african american girl. There was something alien about it when I was so close up. The horse let out a snort and shook his head. I don't know what happened to me, I felt judged somehow. Before I knew what was happening I started crying, tears running down my cheeks as I tried to get away from the beast before me. I started to back away and my father looked down at me with a confused look on his face. I started saying no,no, no over and over again. I was making a scene. My father picked me up in his arms and we got out of there, my father apologising profusely as we made our way back through the crowd,” Lana said.
“What happened to you?” he asked, “What made you freak out so much?”
“I’m not sure. I think it might of been the size of the horse once it was up close and looming over me. Then when it looked at me, something about how I couldn't discern what it was thinking really freaked me out. In that moment I thought it was going to bend down and eat me,” she said with a nervous laugh, “It
's totally irrational now as an adult. That first encounter has always stuck with me.”
“You might have better luck with an Icelandic horse. They are very small, some people compare them to ponies. The vikings originally brought them over and they were bred to be small and sturdy to survive the harsh conditions. They have a very relaxed temperament and are easy to ride. I have a horse called Kreppa that I think you could get along with. She is very calm and a dream for first time riders. Ive never seen a horse so patient with people in all my years. If you come to my farm I’ll have to introduce you to her, I think she might help you to get over your childhood fear,” he said.
He said it again Lana thought to herself, thats the second time he has invited me over to his place. Underneath the dull pain she felt in her chest and legs she felt something else, a growing and blossoming warmth the longer she spent with Einar. Someone knocked lightly on the door and started to talk to Einar. Lana recognised the other voice as that of the doctor.
“He wants to change your bandages and check how your bruising is doing,” Einar said. “
Lana heard the swish of a curtain as the doctor pulled it around the bed. “Are you still here Einar?” Lana asked.
“I can wait in the room to translate. Im standing outside the curtain to give you some privacy,” he said.
“Please stay,” Lana said, she felt safer with Einar close by. The doctor unwrapped her bandages and applied a fresh set. He tapped her on the underside of her arms signalling her to raise them and she tried to lift them up and groaned in pain at the effort. The doctor lifted her cotton hospital shirt and gently pressed his fingers into the sides of her body. After a few seconds of checking her he spoke to Einar again.
“The doc says he thinks its best if you stay another night or two. He said you are going to be very sore for a few days from the extensive bruising and he expects your vision to return in a few days. Right now all you can do is rest and recover,” Einar said.
Lana moved stiffly in the bed and propped herself upright as it was the least painful position to sit in. “Ask him how soon until I can go horse riding,” she said.
Einar spoke to the doc and he chuckled. “The doc says if you really want to and can put up with some discomfort you should be able to ride a horse within a week.”
The doctor squeezed Lana’s shoulder, spoke a few more words to Einar and then left.
“What did he say on the way out?” Lana asked.
Einar hesitated and then said, “The doc said you are in good hands and that your lucky to have such a fine man taking care of you. My family and the doctors family go way back, I'm sure that is what he meant,” he said sounding embarrassed.
“He's right. You are a good man, you don't need to hang around looking after me. My friend should be the one here and she is nowhere to be seen. You can take a break for a while and come back later if you want,” she said not really wanting Einar to go. She didn't want him being there out of pity, she hoped he actually wanted to spend the time with her.
“I’ve enjoyed our afternoon together. I can come back tomorrow morning if you want? I have some jobs to do around the farm and cant come back later,” Einar said.
Lana tried not to sound disappointed and said, “I’d love that. See you tomorrow then.”
Einar said his goodbyes and left Lana alone in her room. She sank into her bed and pulled the sheets up under her chin and smiled. As the tendrils of sleep began to take hold she imagined Einar showing her around his farm as he pointed out various things of interest to her. As the sun shone above them in an azure blue sky he would wrap his powerful arms around her waist and pull her towards him, as she imagined their lips touching for the first time Lana drifted off into a deep and happy sleep.
Chapter 14
Brad parked his car in the garage across from the airport and dry swallowed another pill to try to beat back the raging swell of pain. He tapped his jacket pocket reflexively to make sure he had his badge on him. He straightened his tie and looked at his bloodshot eyes in the rear view mirror. Its game time, he thought to himself and headed towards the departures area.
Inside the air was cool and crisp and a low indistinct muzak played over the intercom system, was that some sort of bastardisation of Jazz, Brad though to himself. He did a complete circuit of the area before he formulated his plan of attack. There were three ticket desks on this floor and hopefully the girls used one of those. The longer Brad stayed here asking questions the higher the chance that an over zealous security guard might call in to check his credentials.
He approached the first desk and flashed his badge at the over weight guy manning it. He looked stressed out and barely eyed the badge in his haste to get finished with Brad and get back to dealing with the endless queue of customers.
“Have these two women come through here in the last few hours?”, Brad said sliding two photos across the desk.
The man gave them a cursory glance and said, “No.”
“I need you to give those pictures a proper look. The quicker you answer my questions, the quicker you can get back to work,” Brad said.
The man picked up the pictures and examined them more carefully. “No, I still don’t recognise them. Security should have video from the camera up above the desk. Do you want me to call them?” the man asked.
“I’m heading there next, no need to call. One last question how long have you been on shift?”
“This is my last hour of a ten hour shift, I’m covering for someone out sick,” the man said sighing.
“Thanks for your time,” Brad said and headed towards the next booking desk.
At the following desk a blonde haired woman with bright pink shiny nail polish was serving an elderly couple. Brad hung back until she was finished and then approached.
He flashed her the badge and said, “I’m detective Johnson, do you have a couple of minutes for a few questions?”
“Sure thing,” she said, “What can I do for you officer?”
Brad had noticed over the years that some women seemed to get very perky and flirty in the presence of a police officer. This badge opens more than doors his first partner had told him with a chuckle. It was always better to be meet with a woman who had a fantasy of being with a cop then stony faced indifference or hostility.
“Have you seen either of those two women today?” Brad asked.
The blonde woman picked up the photos and looked at them closely. She held them both at arms length and then placed them back on the desk.
“Oh yes I served them both earlier today. The black girl bought the tickets and her friend hung back. I remember thinking that they both looked like they had rough nights. Probably from partying. I was impressed with their spontaneity, they wanted the first flight out of here. It would be nice to be young and adventurous again. I hope they're not in trouble,” she said.
“No, not at all, a family member is sick. They do this sort of thing all the time, hit up an airport and take the first flight out for a crazy random holiday. They usually go off the grid, try to get away from social media, the internet all that kind of stuff. Im a friend of the family so I’m helping them to get in contact with the two girls as quickly as possible. So where did they book tickets to?”
“I remember without even having to check the computer, I was kind of jealous as I’d never been to their choice and I admired their get up and go kind of spirit. They booked two flights to Iceland. It left hours ago. Let me check something,” she said typing into her computer, “Yes they would have landed by now and be on their way to a new adventure I suppose.”
“Thank you for your time. This has been very helpful, I and the girls family thank you,” Brad said and walked away.
Back in his car Brad rained down punches on his steering wheel and let out a groan of anguish. “Fuck,” he shouted as he felt the pressure begin to mount in his head. He dialled the phone and spoke, “They have left the country. They have gone to Iceland. They left a few hours ago and the plane has alrea
dy touched down on the other side. How do you want me to proceed?”
“Get your ass to Iceland and end this as quickly as possible,” Gus said on the other end of the line. “I spoke to my computer guy and he hasn't been able to access Lana's online storage password. Make sure you get her password before you do anything. We need to control all copies of the video in question. Once you have that proceed as instructed. One more thing,” he said pausing.
“What?” Brad answered.
“Do not fuck this up. You better build yourself an igloo and start living with the eskimos in Iceland if you don't get this sorted,” he said hanging up.
“Fuck you Gus, there are no eskimos in Iceland you dumb glorified pimp,” Brad said to the phone in his hand. Brad reached under his seat and pulled back the velcro flap under it. He pulled out a heavy envelope and dumped the contents onto the chair next to him. Four passports each with a credit card held on by an elastic band, a roll of dollar bills and a small ziploc bag of pills were before him. He flipped through the passports and selected one and pocketed the roll of bills. He would now be Pete Stanton for the rest of this trip. He looked at himself in the mirror and said, “I guess I’m off to Iceland,” and got out of the car and headed on his way.
Chapter 15
The next day as promised Einar came knocking on her door after she had her breakfast and the doctor had changed her bandages and checked on her progress. He walked into her room and Lana felt a warm surge in her core as he pulled a chair close to the side of her bed.
“I have a surprise for you. I spoke to the doctor this morning and he said it would be ok for you to go outside for a few minutes to stretch your legs,” he said sounding excited.
Lana sat up in her bed and gave an exploratory twist of her torso. She winced at the dull pain and said, “I’d love to go outside. I was going a bit crazy being cooped up inside and hearing the beautiful sound of the birds outside my window. Where are we going?”