likely in no state to say she had been held against her will. Zig was cunning and had all the answers. We sat in silence. I was about to ask if she wanted another coffee, when she sprung to her feet.
‘Come with me.’
I paid the bill and we were off.
‘Where are we going?’
‘I know someone who may help. His name is Aldo he used to know Zig. Don’t worry he’s OK. Maybe he could help us he’s a real gentle giant, the exact opposite of Zig. We arrived at a side entrance of a restaurant called Loka. A kitchen worker was smoking outside. Anna asked if Aldo was working.
‘When is he not?’
‘Can you ask if he has five minutes for Anna?’
He disappeared inside and came back with:
‘Aldo says hi, he’d love to see you Anna, but we are busy and he’s not free. Could you meet him for breakfast at 9am at Specker’s? I’ll give you his mobile just in case.’ ‘Good, thanks, tell him there are two of us.’
We met as arranged and after the introduction Anna quickly explained in her native tongue what she wanted from Aldo. I noticed a change of facial expression at the mention of the name Zig. In short the idea was to lure him off the boat and let us have a chance to see if Anna was inside.
Aldo said hadn’t been in contact with Zig for some while, not since he’d managed to get help and kick his habit. He didn’t know Michaela personally, but did know of her and was perturbed to hear Zig may have his claws into her. He wanted to help.
‘Will he think it odd you getting in contact? I mean from what you’ve told me...’ Aldo interrupted: ‘He will be overjoyed to hear from me.’
‘How do you see it working, getting him off the boat?’ I asked.
‘Let’s give him a ring now. I’ll tell him I need some Coke.’
A short conversation.
Aldo looked at us questioningly when he said ‘yes tomorrow at four is good.’
Anna and I nodded in unison. So the arrangement had been made. Now we had to do our part.
Anna excused herself, as her mother had been poorly that morning and she felt she should check on her. We confirmed a meeting point and I stayed on briefly with Aldo. He regaled me with his kicking the drug habit and finding work story.
Presumably thinking there must have been more to Anna and I, he said:
‘Have you seen Anna’s mother’s place? It’s a beautiful old narrow house, but in terrible condition. I think Anna has moved back in with her now?’
I said I didn’t really know Anna as such, so going to the house wasn’t something that would have happened. I tried to give him some money for the Coke, but he refused seeing the whole thing as karma and a phrase I had not heard before “paying it forward.”
The next day Anna and I met and exchanged a continental greeting on both cheeks. It was very pleasant I noticed, I also detected a scent and for a second deluded myself thinking it might have been for my benefit as well as hers.
Anna and I set off for the canal boat and saw Zig leave from across the other side of the waterway. He carefully locked the door behind him giving it a bang with his fist to make sure it was secure. He looked at his watch and then took a phone call as he strode away to meet Aldo.
We were about to set foot on the boat when a man got up from behind some stowage. It was an awkward moment. I thought that with Zig out of the way, the coast was clear. Whilst it looked like we were about to board, we had not.
He turned to look at us. For a second I’d no idea what to do, in a moment of impetuosity, I pulled Anna towards me and into a passionate embrace. I was taking a chance here for sure and was obviously concerned at the reception I might get. I hadn’t envisaged it would be a long drawn out affair, just long enough to get us off the hook, but the embrace wasn’t a quick thing at all. Pretty full on in fact. When we eventually “broke” we both felt a little embarrassed as we returned to the more sober world we had just left. We were both carefully studying the cobbles. I lifted my headfirst and as she raised her head I took her hand. Out of my left eye I could see matey was now wrestling with the door. Anna started to board the boat and intoxicated by the passionate embrace, I followed.
Obviously the man was now aware of our presence and looked unhappy we had invaded his space. He snarled:
‘Wat wil je?’
This situation would have to resolve itself quickly and of course we weren’t one hundred per cent certain she was on the vessel.
Anna launched into some spiel I hadn’t a chance of understanding. Whatever it was, did not go down well with the short arsed greasy haired ingrate that was the recipient. Time was ticking on. We all heard movement inside. Short arse looked nervous. I withdrew a short handled crowbar I had found lying on the street near the hotel. Matey made a move for me. Violence seemed to be following me around these days. Or I was following it? Anyway, I caught him with my shoulder and unintentionally barged him off the boat and into the canal. I looked over the side. It appeared he was unable to swim. Was I going to jump in? Not a chance, there was a red and white rubber life saving ring on the side of the wall. I grabbed it and threw it to him, well at him as it turned out catching him on his head. Lots of coughing and spluttering ensued and I turned my attention to the job in hand, made for the door and placed the thin end of the bar into the hinge, giving it a firm twist. It not so much sprang open, as fell to bits. We found Michaela on the other side, pretty much out of it. We helped her off the boat and onto the quayside, receiving a few strange looks from passersby. I asked Anna where we were taking her.
‘Mother’s. She’s in hospital, so its OK.’
We saw a couple of taxis nearby; I thought maybe not such a good idea. We supported Michaela half the journey, for the other half she managed a few unaided steps. Other than general encouragements on our part, no conversation took place. It took a half-hour to reach our destination. It was just as Aldo described, a typical narrow canal house with five floors. If the old lady lived in this massive property on her own, had Anna lived with her? Something told me not.
‘I think we should get a doctor to look her over.’ I suggested. Anna settled her in a front room and telephoned her doctor. As we waited for his arrival, it occurred to me to raise the subject of the earlier intimacy.
‘Hope you didn’t mind the kiss.’
‘Did it seem like I minded?’
‘No. It was a pretty good kiss.’
‘Pretty good? That was my best.’
The doctor arrived, made an examination and wanted Michaela moved somewhere with appropriate care. We brought some food in and passed a quiet and reflective evening. There was a lot to think about. The whole money situation, my future back in UK, a possible budding romance and making sure that Michaela was all right. There were more reasons to stay than return home.
I went to see Aldo the next morning. His meeting with Zig was ok, nothing untoward. Aldo didn’t even seem worried that two and two may be put together with the attendant risk of reprisal from Zig. On the face of things it seemed like we had a good outcome. I had determined to give half of the money to Michaela; I could live with myself then. Once able to fend for herself, Michaela found a tiny flat to buy and said she would seek respectable work.
I was offered and accepted a job working in the kitchen at Aldo’s place of work. There was even a vacant flat over the business premises at a peppercorn rent. I also signed up at evening classes for language lessons.
The first couple of weeks of my new life were a bit strange, but I didn’t mind the menial job at all, it came with no stress and I made some new friends. The pay covered the rent and a bit left over. I ate for free. Living frugally was a necessity but I got used to it. I was in fact much happier without all the trappings; a simpler life I found suited me well. The other good news was that Anna and I became close. When my little rental flat was due for renewal, at her suggestion I moved in with her at her mother’s house.
Just before Christmas of the following year, I had a call from the hospital to say Michaela
had a stroke. She'd been down on the floor for twenty-four hours before she was discovered. We went to visit, it was a distressing experience, she could not communicate. Her left side had been paralysed. She lived a year after that and we laid her to rest in the same cemetery as her mother. Shortly after the funeral we had a call from her lawyer as we’d both been named in her will.
The lawyer read the will and a short message from her at the end:
“ James, thank you for what you did for me. Knowing that I had at long last made a connection with a part of my family meant so much more than words on paper could describe. ”
When I look back to the event that started me on my course to a new life it hardly all seemed possible.
Uncle Guy came to visit, loved the city, bought himself a canal boat and spent half the year in the Damm.
I proposed to Anna and we were married in a civil ceremony; in the same building that I had started my investigation.
When I look back to the event that started me on my course to a new life it hardly all seemed possible. I married Anna in a civil ceremony; in the same building that I had started my investigation.
I never went back home, just didn’t see the point.
The End
Other books by Sam Sparks.
Heroes and Villains.
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