The Red Box

by Laura Sgarella

  “A bonfire with this weather?”

  “Yes, it’s part of my ritual that allows me to start my day free from prejudices.” She felt relieved by the fact that her customer accepted her telling the truth and didn’t burden her with further questions. He held her tight and breathed deeply. It was an exciting experience.

  He left Rose giving her one thousand euros. Rose was thrilled and, for the joy of her boss, she had even given Charlie a receipt of his payment. The second customer arrived, soon arousing the envy of her colleagues who hadn’t started working yet. He was a man in his sixties. He immediately told Rose that he was not there for sex but for having a chat clandestinely. “Are you always so busy?” he asked Rose, to break the ice.

  “Yes, I am usually very busy. But you didn’t tell me your name.”

  “I am Sebastian. I am an Englishman who has decided to live the rest of life in Amsterdam far from his family. You know I am not concerned with sex on the contrary to most men of my age. When I approached the window of this brothel I was been struck by your outstanding beauty. You literally took my breath away. I so decided to spend some time with you. I need to give vent to my anger with somebody and I choose your charm as the best way to do it. There have been deep troubles in my life recently. My wife didn’t want to respect the woes of marriage any more. Luckily there are no children involved in this situation. You know I have worked as a painter all my life and my wife felt very jealous of the huge number of nudes I have done. So to calm down I decided to come here. Amsterdam is such a transgressing city and I absolutely love it. But tell me something about you now. You look so young. What prompted you to do this job?”

  “Actually, I have been unemployed for a long time. I tried to leave this job one month ago when I fell in love with a stranger but lately something went wrong and I had to start this life again. There is an aunt of mine who is very concerned with my choice. She keeps on repeating to whoever, that I lead a humiliating life and she doesn’t know how to help me stop it. Sometimes we have arguments but, hopefully, she doesn’t come here very often. I do not know what my future will be. I always dream of meeting somebody who takes me away from here and makes me live the dignity of marriage. I know I am a dreamer. I dream too much. If you don’t mind, I’ll accompany you outside now. I cannot stay with a customer for more than one hour.”

  Sebastian didn’t hesitate to leave and to give Rose two thousand pounds. She was delirious, at least she thought, she was making good money. She asked her boss if she could retire to rest for a while and he nodded. No strain no pain. Rose had to learn a lot yet. And she could live with cheerfulness the rest of that spring day.

  Jill was preparing some fritters as a good start for Araon early in the morning. But he was not there. He had left the flat late in the night. “Now,” Jill thought, “Araon has exceeded the limit of common sense. Why isn’t he here already?” She was still fuming when she saw him out of the window near the doorstep. Hence, he was going to ring the bell. She didn’t welcome him with sweet words as usual. “Where have you been, donkey?” In the same moment the cat went to grab a piece of the fritters from the pan spreading the oil all over. Another reason for Jill to be angrier than needed.

  “I’m sorry sweetheart. I was out all night because I couldn’t sleep. I went out at four o’clock until I reached Plaza Dam. I believed to find you still in bed at my arrival that’s why I didn’t tell you I would be out all night. Anyway, you were fast asleep and I didn’t want to spoil that moment. But what is this pleasant smell?” he said.

  “It was a kind thought for you. I know you are fond of fritters and I wanted to prepare them for your breakfast. But you haven’t told me why you could not sleep,” said Jill appeased.

  “Well, I had a terrible stomach ache. But there is more. I have heard that a prostitute is missing from the brothel. She left it three months ago saying that she had found another job abroad and that she would contact her relatives shortly. But nobody has heard from her. I do not know why this story has fussed me so much. The major of the city is concerned with the taxes those women pay and he doesn’t care if they get in trouble. But he has started an investigation by asking all the latest customers of that woman to speak. It’s a difficult task since unfaithful husbands would never confess an occasional affair. I don’t know why this fact hurts me so much,” said Araon with a desolate look.

  “This is an interesting fact. I have never told you about a fat old lady I met accidentally twice and talked about her bummer over her favourite niece’s commitment to the low life. A prostitute of bad fame who threatened once to leave the brothel. I don’t know if she is still there. I only know that when I was asked an opinion on the matter, I said that the young prostitute is a gold-digger and that she would marry only for money. I know I have disappointed the lady but I felt I had to say the truth. But now forget this and have your breakfast,” she said.

  Araon listened to his wife very carefully and decided to sweeten his palate with the taste of the fritters. How much love did Jill put in what she made for Araon! A fritter over a fritter and he kept on yawning. He was so tired. He felt just now he had to go to sleep. Once alone in his bed he would meditate over the situation. He still felt ashamed by the fuss that story had brought to him. He tried to relax and think of something else. He now saw himself in on an exotic island with Jill with a big tummy. It didn’t take him too much to enter the realm of dreams.

  Jill went to watch him sleeping and made sure that no ray of the sun would shine through the window. She hoped that he would sleep at least until lunch time. She had to dedicate herself to the housekeeping but first she took her notebook and started to write the positive things in her life and, above all, in her relationship with Araon. She took note of the finding of the blood analysis in the cellar which were the result of Araon concern for his fertility. She took note of the candor of Araon eyes when he watched her forlorn early that morning. She could spend all day writing sweet memories. At the end of the day she had a different vision of her arguments with Araon. They were a simple way to provoke strong emotions alternating with joy of their marriage. Then she went to wash the floor. She was in a rush with her housekeeping. She gave a quickly clean to the toilet and dusted the furniture in the sitting room. She left the rest of the cleaning to another day. She dressed herself nicely and went to go shopping. She went first to the baker’s as usual. It was incredibly busy. Jill closed her eyes for a moment and saw the fat old lady ready to complain about her niece’s job as a prostitute. Jill had been knocked strongly by Araon’s confession.. “It’s your turn,” a young lady shouted making her tremble a bit.

  “Do you have some focaccia?” she said to the seller.

  “We have just one. Here it is for you. Do you need anything else?”

  “No, thanks. How much is it?”

  “Two euros and fifty.”

  “Here it is. Goodbye.”.

  So Jill went to the greengrocer’s where she picked just some apples. She had already in mind what she would cook for lunch. Now she was free to go for a walk and breath some fresh air. She knew how to tempt Araon with his back to the wall. Everything would be ready by twelve o’ clock. She made a bizarre gesture before she went to grab her wallet from her purse when she realized some money was missing. She was sure that the baker had given her the right change and so did the greengrocer. She was also sure that she hadn’t left any money at home. It was a sign that her absent-mindedness was still strongly present to penalize her that way. In front of her there were two boys playing soccer. They wouldn’t be a big burden to stop her prolong her walk until Plaza Dam. She wanted to see closely the embarrassment of the prostitutes nearby trying not to appear to be a meddler. She had been totally overwhelmed by what Araon told her earlier that morning.

  For no reason she started to cry in the middle of the crowd. A young man stopped, incredulous, to ask her if everything was OK. Jill considered it a cosy affair, changed direction and left the man alone in the middle of the squa
re. Now it was time to deal with Araon again. But in a few seconds, she changed her mind. She was sure he was still sleeping so, now, it was her turn of so-called revenge. She would act on her own to obey to her caprice. She grabbed a sandwich with chicken wings and salad and sporting her tight jeans, with a pink shirt she went in search of the fat old lady who bewitched her with her stories about her prostitute niece. She had mastered Araon’s close involvement into low life stories that she was seriously frightened something bad could happen to him. Why was he so overwhelmed over the story of the disappeared prostitute? He had never been a lover of low life stories and what happened to him recently was not just accidental. He must be concerned with the fact that the relatives of the lavish woman had accepted their own lot. Now she had to focus on how to get to the fat old lad’s house. Unfortunately, she wasn’t endowed with a photographic memory and she had to work a lot with her own brain to remember it.

  She went along Rokin, Amstel until she arrived to Waterloo Plin to catch the underground. The place was bleak and stinking. A rat appeared suddenly in the train track, which scared Jill a lot. It was not unusual to see all those horrible animals in the underground station but Jill felt she had to play the lot. She caught the first train not knowing where to stop. She saw something enchanting about the speed of the train. She found little time to imagine the lodging of the lady she was willing to see. Here she came in the outskirts of the city. She stopped at Nnìiewnmark. From there she got on a bus and tried to reach her destination. A flash of genius helped her. “Here it is,” she shouted unconcerned with the bystander’s reaction. She quickly reached the ravaged lane. In fact, she recognized the house. She approached the doorstep and read on the wall:’ I’m out. I’ll come back soon’. Jill’s heart was beating fast. She was suffering dreadful pains at the thought of a bad affair Araon would be involved in.

  The lady arrived early with a punnet of strawberries in her right hand. She was surprised and happy to see Jill there. She arrived just in time for a refreshing chat. “Hi Jill, how are you? I was thinking a lot of you lately and now you are here for me. What drove you here?” She was so excited she found it hard to unlock the door. “Come in and have a cup of tea.”

  Jill was bewildered like a snake but she followed the lady. “Well I came here because I’m afraid I have bad news. My husband didn’t sleep last night because he was thinking and re-thinking of a bad affair about a prostitute in the brothel near Plaza Dam. Apparently one of those angels disappeared three months ago without leaving a note for her relatives who are now desperate. She left the brothel telling she had found a good job abroad but nobody heard of her hereafter. I was thinking of your niece and the danger she faces every day in such a dreadful place like the brothel. Have you heard anything about this story yet?”

  “Well, my niece went back to work as a prostitute. Apparently, she hasn’t found Prince Charming yet. I have stopped worrying about her. After all brothels are safe but miserable places. I know the boss of the brothel is devastating her with questions but she keeps on saying she knows nothing about her former room-mate. In fact, she is lying. She knows that her colleague went for an elopement. She knows she has her tubes ligated and she has the name of the doctor who did it: Van der Baast. He was not the one who did the operation but a woman, a colleague of his. That’s all. My niece is not worried about her colleague because she knows she is not a daredevil. Simply she has no news of her any more but she thinks it is normal because it’s the fate that separated the two of them. I am happy I have helped you but I ask you sincerely to keep everything confidential. My niece never wants to talk. If I were you, I wouldn’t bombard your husband with questions. There is no way he falls in trouble over such a fuss. He will find the right way by himself.”

  “You speak nicely but I’m still so worried. I know my husband is too nosey to stop his investigation right now. I do not know if he is still sleeping. I left him in the realm of his dreams a few hours ago. I didn’t leave any note because we are playing arm-wrestling. We had an argument early today but we made peace quite soon. I hope I haven’t annoyed you too much with all my questions.”

  “Not at all. But you are free to tell your husband everything you know to stop him poking his nose into other people’s affairs. I am very relaxed now. Can I have another cup of tea?”

  “Sure.” The lady seemed to be a bit intrigued by her fate. She was not pushing her niece out of the low life any more. Maybe she was aware that Prince Charming does not exist, above all, for a woman who has lost her reputation. She transmitted a certain candor in handling the cup of tea. The two ladies stopped gossiping for a while when they were enjoying the joy that the good weather was bringing along. For a moment it seemed they had nothing else to say any more. They simply watched each other painstakingly.

  The house Jill once saw was not the same any more. Part of the furniture had been replaced by pieces of modern art. She was considering that even her flat needed refurbishing but that was not the right moment to do it. After her second cup of tea she decided to go back home. She departed the lady with a huge hug wishing good luck to her and to her infamous niece.

  When she arrived back home Araon had just got up. “Hi, sweetheart. You were fast asleep as I can see!”

  “Well it is a long time since I’ve slept so divinely. What have you done all this time?”

  “Nothing special. I had a sandwich for lunch and I did some housekeeping waiting for you to wake up.”

  Of course Araon knew she was lying but that was part of their game. A very tangled one.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Albert and Sylvanus were two committed wholesalers. Their activity was going like a bomb. They had managed to run it with great zeal. They had created a big business in a very little time. They were dealing with the segment of the population according to the person’s status. Each customer had always seen their expectation to be delivered. That Thursday, they were arguing over trivial fuss. “This song is candy,” Albert said listening to the radio that was always on for the enjoyment of the customers.

  “The radio? I cannot bear your annoyance any more,” said Sylvanus vexed. “Look at my apron. It’s all dirty with blood. This disgusts me. It reminds me of women’s menses or a newborn baby not washed yet. I cannot carry on that way. Why should I be focused on disturbing things? These images tarnish my mental health. It makes me go back to the past when my mum died giving birth to my youngest sister. Now my sister is an independent teen but we don’t meet a lot,” carried on Sylvanus.

  “Wait a moment: you are speaking of a giving birth death. Have you ever considered the amount of love a person needs to lay down his life for another person? There is no greater love than laying down our life for somebody else. And now these things disgust you. Think of the animal rights supporters and the vegetarians who threaten us with their menaces. Our business is still a successful one. I’m glad we have started this job. Now be quiet. I see from the distance our best customer arriving. Try to be gentle. Here is the meat of the day I have saved for her,” said Albert.

  The lady, who was a happy granny, arrived early at the shop as usual. She was exigent as the thunder but her words of praise for the meat of the shop were a blessing for Albert and Sylvanus. “Good morning guys,” she said tempered as usual.

  “What can we do for you?” said Albert with gentle manners.

  “I’m here for the usual purchases. I need some fillet, some horse meat and a piece of pork – to be precise, pork chops.”

  “Here is for you. We have everything. A kilos of pork chops, half a kilo of fillet and horse meat if I am not wrong.”

  “It’s O. K. How much is it?”

  “Ten euros, just for you. You are a special customer, you know it,” said Sylvanus cunningly.

  “Here you are,” answered the lady and she went away in a rush from the shop.

  Albert didn’t hesitate to speak of his concern for the customer. “Why did you lie to the lady? What we gave her is not first quality me
at. The price was fair enough though.”

  Sylvanus didn’t want to listen to his friend’s comments. He managed to go back to their previous discussion. “Stink, what stink? You smell blood similar to women menses. This is just a shop and we have freshly arrived meat.” And suddenly Albert changed subject. “You know, I think I fell in love. Do you see the blonde girl who passes by our shop every day? The one with long blonde hair who always wears patterned-print dresses When I see her my heart beats quick and fast.”

  “Who are you talking about? The daughter of the so-called Falconer? She is half your age and she is not that big beauty at all. She has a bad hooked nose and very small dark eyes.”

  “Yes, but she has a very huge breast and a very firm rear.”

  “I couldn’t imagine such piggishness from you. Anyway, are you sure you want a love relationship with her? Have you considered the troubles? Think of Araon and Jill. Now they are desperately looking for a child. But I see they live their life as if in a vice. Sure you don’t want this. I felt shocked when you said your heart beats quick and fast. How many wishes you’ll see unfulfilled if you establish a bond with her.”

  “I think these are choices of life. But those were only words. I won’t disappoint you. Now look, I see another customer arriving. He is the smart fellow of the zone.”

  “Good morning. Nice day, isn’t it? The guy whispered softly his words to the butchers.

  “What can we do for you?” said Albert.

  “The usual chicken wings. They are fantastic. My wife wants me buy them at least once a week. They are also very cheap,” said the funny man.

  “Here you are. Half a kilo is all right if I’m not wrong,” said Albert kindly.

  “Yes, that’s fine. How much is it?”

  “Five euros.”

  “Here you are. See you soon.”

  Another customer gave a swift glance at the shop and went away telling that he would come back later on. “The day is quite busy, isn’t it?” said Albert trying to provoke Sylvanus’ nerves.