“What’s the matter with you today child?” she asked, hurrying back over to the bed. “You look pale, almost dead. Have you got a fever or something?”
She put a hand on Eda’s forehead.
“You feel normal enough.”
“I’m not sick,” Eda said. “At least not in that way.”
Lucia sat down on the bed beside Eda. She wiped her hands on the white apron that she was wearing over her clothes. Afterwards, she looked at her hands and sighed.
“My God,” she said. “I used to have such beautiful hands.”
“What’s wrong with them?” Eda asked. She looked at Lucia’s hands, which were dark brown and heavily wrinkled.
“They’re old,” Lucia said without missing a beat. “Never mind. What’s all this about child? What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I need to ask a favor,” Eda said. “It’s a big one. Real big.”
“Of course,” Lucia said. “What do you want me to do?”
Eda hesitated.
“Help me get out of here,” she said.
Lucia threw a sudden glance towards the door, as if somebody might be out in the hallway listening in on their conversation. But there was never anyone else in the apartment during cleanup time. Not even Linda.
Lucia reached out and took Eda’s hands in her own. Behind them, Frankie Boy rolled over in the hope of getting another belly rub.
“You’re having a bad day?” Lucia asked. “Right? You woke up feeling lousy, I get it. It happens.”
Eda shook her head. “It’s more than just a bad day Lucia,” she said.
She squeezed hard on the old woman’s hands. “I have to get out of here,” she said. “But I need your help to do it.”
Lucia’s eyes widened. She shrank back a little.
“You can’t be serious,” she said.
Eda nodded. “Will you help me?” she said. “I can’t do this anymore. Living in fear, waiting for the next man to come along, knowing that he’s going to be murdered in cold blood and maybe when he’s still inside my body for God’s sake. This isn’t right what’s going on here Lucia. Please help me.”
Lucia shook her head.
“Oh Eda,” she said. “The only way out of the Waldorf is when you’re with child. You agreed to this, remember? What would Shay think if she could hear you now.”
“Shay told me I wasn’t a prisoner,” Eda said. “But that’s not true is it? Otherwise I could just get up and walk out of here right now.”
“Of course you’re not a prisoner,” Lucia said. “But…”
“But what?”
Lucia hesitated, like she’d changed her mind about what she wanted to say next.
“Why do you want to escape from all this good easy living?” she said. “You have everything you’ll ever need here. They treat you like a queen and you should be enjoying every second of it while it lasts because you won’t be Helen of Troy forever.”
“A queen?” Eda said. “This is a prison cell Lucia.”
“Eda,” Lucia said, letting go of the younger woman’s hands. “I care for you very much dear child, but please don’t talk like this. It’s silly and dangerous. Don’t even think about this anymore, okay?”
Eda shifted closer to the distressed-looking cleaner.
“Look,” she said. “I’ve got an idea and no one will ever know you were involved. I promise.”
But Lucia kept shaking her head.
“Don’t do this to an old woman,” she said. “I’m begging you Eda, drop it now and we’ll just get on with our lives as normal. Please.”
“You take the dirty sheets downstairs, right?” Eda said. “You’ve got that huge laundry cart stashed somewhere on the first floor – I’ve seen how big it is. I could fit inside easily.”
“Eda…”
“Listen to me please,” Eda said. “If I can get out of the apartment and run downstairs without being seen by the guards, you could wheel me to the back door in the laundry cart. Nobody would look twice at you pushing that thing around, right? Get me to the Lexington Avenue exit and I’ll do the rest. Nobody will ever know you helped me.”
“I’ll know,” Lucia said. “Shay’s been good to me over the years and you’re asking me to stab her in the back.”
“Shay’s using you,” Eda said. “She’s using every single one of you and no one sees it.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucia asked.
“Look,” Eda said. “ I don’t have time to go into it now but let’s just say that Shay’s utopian dreams aren’t as noble as she likes to make out okay? Now will you help me or not? I’m begging you for God’s sake Lucia.”
“There are always guards on the first floor,” Lucia said. She was still shaking her head, as if denying this conversation was taking place. “Warriors – not anyone I’d want to mess with, even in my prime. You know the guards are always down there because Shay doesn’t want any of the other women in the Complex sniffing around here. You’ll be caught. I’ll be caught.”
“You won’t,” Eda said. “Look, the apartment doors aren’t usually locked are they?”
“Of course not,” Lucia said. “There’s no need to lock them. Nobody gets to the thirty-fifth floor unless they’re meant to be here. That’s what the guards are standing downstairs for.”
“Right,” Eda said. “So I sneak out and run downstairs. I’m a fast runner, I can do it in good time and I’ll make sure the guards don’t see me. As long as I don’t bump into anyone on the stairs it’s a walk in the park. Right? All you have to do is park the laundry cart at the bottom of the stairs and wait for me and Frankie Boy to jump into it.”
“Frankie Boy?” Lucia hissed.
The dog tilted his head at the sound of his name.
“You’re taking the dog with you?” Lucia said. “What are you trying to do to me? Get me killed?”
Eda grabbed Lucia’s hands again and squeezed down.
“He’ll be quiet,” she said. “I guarantee it. Please Lucia, don’t leave me in here like this. If I don’t go crazy first I swear to God I’m going to end up killing myself or something.”
“Don’t say that,” Lucia said, looking both angry and hurt. “Don’t ever say that. One of my boys, Erik, he…”
Lucia shook her head and fell silent.
“I’m sorry,” Eda said.
“I know child.”
“I just mean that one way or another I’m getting out of here,” Eda said. “I’m not going to be Helen of Troy anymore. Not for them, not for anyone.”
Lucia made a strange noise – a quiet, exasperated shriek that sounded like someone was letting the air out of her for a split second.
“Nobody’s ever asked for anything like this of me before,” she said. “The other Helens were good girls who got on with the job. Querido Dios! I knew you were going to be trouble the first time I set eyes on you Eda. You’ve got that look in your eye, I’ve seen it before.”
Lucia looked long and hard at Eda. It felt like a lifetime passed before the old woman spoke again.
“I’ll push the cart to the back door,” she said. “After that Eda Becker, you’re on your own. And let me give you a friendly piece of advice – when you get out, don’t ever look back. Don’t ever come back because they’ll skin you alive for this. I feel like skinning you alive myself!”
Eda threw her arms around Lucia and then she jumped off the bed and did a happy dance. Frankie Boy stood up on all fours and started to bark, his tail wagging furiously.
Lucia’s eyes lit up.
“You see?” she said. “What if he does that when he’s in the laundry cart?”
Eda clicked her fingers until the dog piped down.
“Quiet Frankie,” she said. “Now!”
Frankie Boy stopped barking and lay down. His brown eyes were locked onto Eda.
Lucia shook her head as if she was caught in an anxious trance.
“Oh child,” she said. “Why?”
“Don’t wor
ry about it,” Eda said, stroking Frankie Boy’s ear gently. The dog rolled over once again, looking for belly rubs.
“He’ll be quiet,” she said. “I swear.”
11
The escape plan was simple.
In terms of detail and preparation it wasn’t going to take much effort to get things moving. Eda had to get downstairs, jump in the laundry cart with Frankie Boy and after that, Lucia would push her through the hotel to the Lexington Avenue door. After that, Eda and Frankie Boy would get out of the cart and run like hell before ‘Helen’s’ absence was discovered. And in a building full of women whose lives revolved around Helen, it wouldn’t take long before someone noticed she was missing.
It wasn’t complicated. But it required a lot of nerve on Eda and Lucia’s part –something that Lucia constantly referred to as ‘balls’.
A couple of days before the planned departure, Eda began cramming supplies into her backpack. She went into the kitchen and took as much as she could – leftovers, fruit, vegetables – anything that fit comfortably into the bag but not too much that it would look like someone had stripped the apartment clean of food. She also took two large stainless steel water bottles out of the pantry and filled them up from the water tub.
On her way back to the bedroom, Eda stopped by the bookcase and put a couple of books in the bag too. History books.
As she packed the books, Eda saw herself running down Lexington Avenue, putting miles between herself and the Complex. She could feel the raindrops on her head again.
It felt glorious.
The following morning, Lucia walked into the apartment early as usual. She went into the bedroom where Eda was recovering after her workout and pressed her back up tight against the door as if she was trying to stop an intruder from breaking in. The old woman was breathing heavy, like she’d been working out alongside Eda in Central Park that morning.
“Are you sure about this?” Lucia said. “You’ve only got one day left to change your mind child. I suggest you think this over again very carefully.”
“Lucia,” Eda said, sitting up in bed. “It’s happening and for the millionth time, it’s going to be okay. If you keep your mouth shut after I’m gone you’ll be fine.”
“I’m not thinking about me,” Lucia said. “I’m thinking about you Eda. You have no idea what’s out there do you? We’re all gathered here together in Manhattan for a reason – safety in numbers, survival and companionship. Have you thought about what your life’s going to be like once you’re out there?”
“I’m thinking about tomorrow morning,” Eda said. “That’s all.”
Lucia clasped her hands together and sighed. She might have been saying a silent prayer but her eyes were open and still focused on Eda.
“Okay then,” Lucia said. “I tried but you’re a stubborn creature. It’s like talking to a brick wall except I’d get more sense out of one of those.”
“Tomorrow then?” Eda said.
“Tomorrow,” Lucia said, shaking her head sadly. She lowered her voice to a whisper and crept closer to the bed. “You’ve definitely got a day off from working out?”
“Yeah,” Eda said. “Lex says I’ve earned it.”
“Right then,” Lucia said. “I’ll knock three times on the door first thing. That’s my signal, telling you I’m on my way downstairs to get the cart. And I can do those stairs pretty fast for an old woman so you’d better get moving. When you’re about to leave the apartment, triple check that no one else is in the hallway. When you’re on the stairs, if you hear someone coming up, turn around and run back here as fast as you can. We can always try again later. Got it?”
“Got it,” Eda said. “Thanks Lucia.”
The next morning Eda woke up early.
She’d slept surprisingly well considering how nervous she’d been before going to bed for the last time as Helen of Troy. Pulling open the drapes, Eda looked out onto a dull and gray morning, one that was hovering on the brink of heavy rain.
It was perfect.
The tight knot in her stomach was gone. She felt light on her feet, lightheaded even; it was as if her body was spilling over with energy.
As she’d done many times, Eda sat on the bed and visualized the journey out of New York. In her mind, she saw herself walking along that long, empty road, surrounded on either side by old cars and empty buildings. She could feel the rain on her face and it was cold.
The vision felt so real that the nerves kicked in all over again.
“You’ll be okay,” she said, opening her eyes and looking at Frankie Boy. “You’ll be fine. Nobody will see us.”
Frankie Boy was fast asleep on a thick pile of blankets on the floor. When Eda spoke to him, he lifted his head briefly and then went back to sleep.
Eda pulled her backpack out from under the bed. She checked the things she’d packed over the past couple of days, making sure that everything was still there. When she was satisfied, she slid the bag back under the bed, knowing that she’d check it at least another five times before Lucia finally knocked on the door.
She went into the kitchen. There was a basin of cold water sitting in the sink and Eda scooped some of the icy liquid up, throwing a handful over her face to shake off any lingering grogginess. After that, she picked at a little leftover vegetable stew sitting on a tray on the countertop, eating slowly and mechanically. The food was cold and unappealing but it was no time to be fussy. She had to put something in her stomach ahead of the journey and as well as that, she didn’t know when she’d be eating again.
When she’d had enough, Eda went back to the bedroom and got dressed. She dug deep in the closet and found her old clothes – Eda’s clothes – at the back. With a smile, she put on the khaki pants, a black sweater and wrapped the old maroon rain cloak around her, zipping it up tight to the neck. It had been a long time since she’d worn these clothes. Now that she had them on, Eda was beginning to feel like herself again.
Frankie Boy jumped onto the bed, came over and licked Eda on the face.
“Hey,” Eda said. “Remember me now? Do these clothes remind you of the day we met?”
She patted Frankie Boy on the head, then dropped to her knees and grabbed the backpack from under the bed. She checked the contents once more and then threw the bag over her shoulder.
“C’mon boy,” she said. “We’re all set. Let’s go stand at the door. Lucia will be here any minute now and I don’t want to be somewhere else when she knocks.”
She walked towards the front door of the Presidential Suite. Frankie Boy followed close behind.
Eda’s heart was racing as she stood in the living room waiting for Lucia to show up. She was leaning up against the double doors, fists clenched at her sides. Doubt after doubt crept into her mind. Doubt about the sanity of this undertaking. Doubt about Lucia – what if she didn’t show up?
Frankie Boy sat next to Eda, mouth open and with his tongue hanging out.
“C’mon Lucia,” Eda said, gently pounding on the door with the side of her fist. She needed to use the bathroom again but couldn’t leave the door in case the old woman showed up and she missed the signal.
The bathroom.
That was another thing Eda would have to get used to out there. No fancy bathroom anymore. No water pots for taking a shit in, no lid to cover up the nasty smell and definitely no assistants to come along and dispose of her waste in the East River.
She wasn’t a queen anymore.
“What if she’s had second thoughts?” Eda said, looking at Frankie Boy. She felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Lightheadedness washed over her. If this delay went on for much longer there was a good chance she might pass out on the floor.
“What if Shay found out?” she said. “What if she got to Lucia? Do I run? Do we make a run for it now Frankie Boy?”
Eda pictured Lucia in her hotel room further down the corridor, handcuffed to the sink and being grilled for details about their escape plan. In Eda’s mind, a terrified Lu
cia was begging Shay for mercy, blaming everything on that disobedient and ungrateful Helen of Troy, the little bitch who’d forced a frightened old woman into betraying the Complex.
Eda leaned up against the wall.
“Oh shit,” she said.
It didn’t matter. She could make a run for it anyway. To hell with Lucia’s help. To hell with the laundry cart. She could do it – take her chances downstairs, try to slip past the guards and make a run for the back door.
The dagger was in the front pocket of her bag, within easy reach.
But you’re too scared to use it, remember?
There was a noise outside in the corridor.
Eda almost jumped out of her skin. She heard a door closing somewhere in the distance. It was a quiet noise, like whoever had closed the door was trying their best to be as discreet as possible.
She heard light footsteps coming closer.
Frankie Boy’s ears were up. He stood on all fours, staring at the door.
Eda held up her hand. “Quiet Frankie Boy,” she said. “Remember our deal, okay?”
The gentle knocking, when it came, was followed by a whisper on the other side of the door.
“Eda.”
“Lucia! Thank God.”
Eda almost yanked the door off its hinges but that would surely have alerted everyone else on the thirty-fifth floor. Fortunately she managed to regain control of herself and taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and pulled the door open gently.
Lucia was standing in the hallway. There was a blank expression on her face.
“Okay,” Eda said, with a curt nod. “Twenty minutes. I’ll be down in twenty minutes. Just make sure the cart is easy to access from the stairs. Alright?”
But Lucia shook her head.
Without saying anything, the old woman walked through the gap in the doorway, past Eda and into the apartment. When she turned around, her brown skin looked pale yellow and there was a haunted look in her eyes.
“Lucia!” Eda said. “Say something for God’s sake, you’re scaring me.”
Lucia was staring at the floor.
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