The Red Box

by Laura Sgarella

  “You are striking a feeble cord. We have been planning to marry next year, so I do not know how much we need for the big day. Sorry sweetheart. I am so agitated. Of course I want to marry you and as soon as we can. I have to inform my mum first. She is still begging me not to marry too young, at least since I have realized my working ambitions. She doesn’t want me to end my life like her who has never worked. And now she lives on the alimony from my dad. I also give her half my wage every month. Do you want me to work at the museum even when we are married?” Rose said.

  “Of course you can, just for the sake of your happiness. You don’t need a lot of money since what I earn from my riding school is enough to keep you as well. I leave you free to decide if you want to work or not. I want see you happy. No tantrum will darken our life,” he said.

  “I’m going to change job very soon, I suppose. I get annoyed by my boss’ attitude towards me. He wanders every now and then in the foyer to make sure everybody is working properly. What a distress! I also believe that he didn’t believe my excuse of the other day when I asked him half a day off to come and visit you in prison. He is not stupid. Otherwise how could he get ahead so quickly? Actually you don’t need a big brain to understand what was concealed behind my lie to him: in the newspaper there was an article on you with a big picture of you. He must know you very well since you come to pick me up at work every day. Anyway, he apparently has decided not to penalize me for that reason. He has shown to be an understanding person and this is great. But the big issue is what job to do if I leave the one I’m doing here. I left school at nineteen with a senior school diploma. I don’t know if I have hidden talents,” Rose said.

  “Of course you have your hidden talents. You are a very creative person. On the other hand, you can do courses whatever. But if I were you I wouldn’t change job. Not now.”

  “I trust your advice. Sometimes I think that ignorance bites me strenuously. I was so embarrassed the other day when I saw for the first time The Women of Algiers by Picasso. A man of such intelligence has been foreign to my acquaintance. It is a majestic beauty. Who knows who will be the lucky one to get it at the auction. These things are not simply details. I feel so stupid and ignorant,” she said.

  “Don’t talk like this. You must be a bit distressed because of our situation. Shall we have a walk in the park? I’ll prepare a coffee for you while you change your clothes and we are ready to go,” he said.

  “Good idea. Walk and think of nothing. This is my perception of the park. It will be difficult to wrap ourselves in our feelings when things like the one which currently affect us happen,” she said.

  She went to wear a pink top with a jeans miniskirt. Mark was wearing the usual jeans and a dark singlet. He served the coffee with two sugars and a bit of milk when they heard the sirens of an ambulance blaring. To hear the ambulance just in the street outside was a routine thing. This time a guy went into an ethyl coma the other day. Today there must be similar trouble.

  “Are you ready to go out, honey?” said Mark

  “Yes, I am. Luckily the park is not far from here. They walked hand in hand until they placed their feet on the lawn. A squirrel passing by announced a good day.

  “Darling.”

  “Yes Rose?”

  “Do you think we are a weird couple? Everybody watches us as if we were coming from planet Mars.”

  “Don’t be cunning. You are very attractive and you always turn eyes. Both men and women admire your beauty,” he said.

  “You are too kind.”

  “It is the truth. You have no malice,” Mark said.

  Mark’s phone suddenly rang. “Hi Mark. It’s the police. Are you OK?”

  “Sure.”

  “ We are calling you because we have identified the place where the two felons live. It is in Jordan. We have the duty to inform you of every single new element in our investigation. I’m sure that we will catch them at the end of the day. We will keep you informed about the interrogation. We have nothing else to add. We will keep in touch. Bye for now.”

  Mark had not time to say that the policeman hung up the phone.

  “Darling,” he said to Rose. “It was the police. They informed me that they know where the two felons live. They will keep in touch concerning the interrogation at the police station.” he carried on. “I was sure that they would find a clue at the end of the day. Now keep calm and don’t be anxious about the police call. I feel foolish: when you talk to me about important things I need to be the refugee of the situation. This is the way my brain works. Now I see stars and heaven. I mean I would like to suggest you that we should go to have a trip to your riding school on Sunday afternoon. I’d like to teach you how to mount a horse.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “You will properly understand what freedom is when you are riding in the grass. I secretly desired that you would make me a proposal like that sooner or later. We match very well. I had a hellish time recently. I was living with the fear of losing you for good. Luckily, I have been released on bail after one day in custody. Now I’m focused on our marriage. I must have a lucky star which protects me. You are here at my side and I feel I have to propose to you properly. I have to pop the question: do you want to marry me ?”

  ” “Yes indeed. I am on the top of a happy pile. Your wife: I am too innocent to savour the beauty of this status. I have enjoyed my life as a single woman until the day I got a crush on you. Now let’s go on,” Rose said.

  They quietly passed the bridge and awaited so nicely the end of the afternoon. One heart split into two. What else could they wish for in their life?:

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Bad news struck Mark early in the morning. The newspaper read: pub walls desecrated by vandals. It said: L.A. U. R. A give us back your necklace or we will come in. Mark had to face the brute reality. The same person who wrote the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. on the wall with menses blood was now seeking revenge. Was it a coincidence with the allegations on the murderers of his horses? He was sure so. He thanked heaven not to be the only one to know about the acrostic on the pub wall.

  Rose was already at the museum. Mark decided to open the riding school later that morning because for rational reasons. When he finally went to work everybody looked relaxed and quiet waiting for him. Poor guys: they were the victims of Mark’s trouble. He didn’t know what destiny had in store for him. At lunch break, he contacted Rose on the phone. “Hi sweetheart, you are free, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, just for fifteen minutes. Tell me.”

  “Rose have you read the newspaper article on the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. on the pub door? Apparently it has been desecrated.”

  “Oh yes. I guess you see a link between this act of vandalism and the killing of your horses. But there is a necklace involved. I think you have to keep calm and wait. You know the police have already caught the delinquents. Those felons will know from now on what freedom and joy means. They will be entirely in the dark about these heavenly gifts. Now my lunch break has ended. I have to go to deal with customers again. See you this evening. And don’t think too much of that fuss.”

  “See you darling. I will come to pick you up at the usual time.”

  Mark had just hung up when he heard some jockeys asking for help. One of the horses didn’t want to move. Laziness was not an issue when it came to talk about those animals. Mark considered all that a form of protest and intelligence from the horses. “Strange, isn’t it?” said Mark to set the jockey’s mind at rest. He told everybody that they could have a break with tea and biscuits. He had a greater treat instead. The usual sandwich and the Diet Coke can were not missing for his own enjoyment. That was his diet: he was unwilling to replace the Coke with water as his daily meal for the sake of a healthier way of life. He wanted to keep fit and handsome in the eyes of Rose. He would have a big dinner later on in the company of his partner.

  England was overrun by gossip. In the shop of the international press there was front line the news of th
e desecrated pub wall with the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. That was the name given by the girls to the boss’ wife. It was a strict circle of friendship Samantha had been joining in since years ago. Now, hopefully, he left for the sake of a purer life in London. Samantha was shocked by the news. She was fearing revenge. After having thought it over, she decided to contact Lucia and tell her everything. She got the phone number from her diary, dialled the number and waited patiently for an answer.

  “Hi Lucia. It’s Samantha speaking.”

  “Hi Samantha. What good news are you going to reveal to me?” Mary said.

  “I’m calling you for a frightening issue. Apparently our former mates are looking for revenge. They have desecrated the pub wall with the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. Give us back our necklace. What do you think of it?”

  “I think that you have to be tranquil. So let me know: are you in love?”

  “You want make me cry.”

  “Sorry Samantha. I confess I am driven by a vein of envy when I talked to you like that. You are free to do what you want to. I’m simply anguished because I have a small daughter and I have nobody to help me raise her. I wish you good luck. Sorry again,” said Lucia

  “Thank you. I’ll keep in touch. You will hear from me shortly.”

  “ So you are worried sweetheart?” said Philip coming slowly. You know that the man who desecrated the wall is the right arm of your former boss. He is the lover of your boss’ wife who pretends to know nothing about the missing jewels from their safe. She is confident that she will soon be free from that disgrace. They will fly somewhere far in the distance and they will not see the boss any more. They will have a lot of money in their pockets. They will lie to the boss… ”

  At that point Samantha smacked Philip violently. “Sorry darling. I simply feel oppressed by your presence,” she said. “I do not like you spy on me.”

  “I am not spying on you. I simply want to protect you. I think we had better spend a day free from our duty. We deserve it. I have to sell a yacht I don’t need your presence. But be careful: this time the smack is forgiven. Next time some punishment will follow,” he said.

  “Sorry again, love. You are right, I need a rest. I’ll let you go now otherwise you’ll be late for the appointment,” she said.

  Phil was as quick as a thunderbolt leaving Samantha with the enigma about how to spend the rest of the day. The beautician: what a good idea. Yes she would go to the beautician for a facial and a wax. She knew she didn’t need to book an appointment beforehand. She dressed herself up with a white top and some jeans and walked to the beauty shop. The entrance resembled a Renaissance part of a building. A lady soon welcomed her. “Good morning. What can I do for you?”

  “I am here for a wax and a facial,” Samantha answered.

  “There is a girl ready for you. Come in, follow me.”

  Samantha was secretly trembling at the thought of the glamour she was willing to show in front of Phil. She entered the room for the wax where a girl was smiling at her. “It won’t hurt,” she assured.

  “I would suggest you that you should undergo an electrocoagulation. Three sessions will be enough and you won’t be slave of the wax any more.”

  “I have to think about it,” answered Samantha. She was lying face upwards on the couch counting the minutes that were necessary to end that torture. Who knows what the electrocoagulation will be, she thought. Eventually the girl started working on Samantha’s legs. A last wrench and the pain was a memory of the past few minutes.

  She was accompanied to the room for the facial “ You are free from comedos,” the girl complimented her. “I’ll make you get rid of your bags under the eyes with the appropriate massages.”

  Samantha listened and kept silent. At the end of the treatment the girl suggested that Samantha should get another appointment for the following month. “This time everything is free.”

  Samantha was a bit perplexed but she whispered a feeble thank you with the pledge that she would come again the following month. She was bored and feeling blue. She was waiting for the moment Phil would take her out that evening. And so she used her flat as a place for illusion.

  In Amsterdam, Mark reached Rose at the museum. She was not as joyful as usual. She figured out a better way to say to Mark what she was going to say. “Well, my mother has cancer of the bones and she has little time to live,” she said trying to hide her emotions. “I wish to marry before she dies. This is my mea culpa. I hope you understand me.”

  Mark was taken by surprise but he didn’t hesitate to assure Rose that he would marry her as soon as possible. “Now let’s go. I have told you whatever came from my heart,” she said.

  Mark was suffering. He addressed his attention from the desecrated pub door to the painful situation Rose was facing. He kept Rose tight and spent lovely moments with her bringing all the solace he was able to present her. They were wrapped around each other all the evening. Rose threatened to cry and Mark was absorbed by his selfish thoughts. In an instant, Rose pushed herself out of Mark’s arms and pretended a solar burst of emotions. They didn’t stay long out in the city. Rose preferred to go home to cry over spilt milk. Mark was more reflective once at home. Sure he would have managed to organize a wedding in two months well on time to have Rose’s mum alive. He was caught at a certain unawareness. Hopefully he had the right amount of money to spend for the ceremony. The honeymoon was his latest thought. He was more focused on the conversation with the priest and the place to offer a healthy lunch to the guests. He would invite to the ceremony all his friends from the hospital and Rose had to choose to get all her relatives at due time. It was a matter of twelve thousand euros, not more. He only hoped that Rose didn’t want to conceive a child too early before the death of her mum. He would make this point very clear to her.

  He went to his bedroom drawer and got five hundred euros. He was devising a lunch with her mum and a few acquaintances to toast the happy event. The Seagull was the right place for them. He was so nervous. He picked a pack of tarot cards and he did some reading. Love was the final answer. It was half past eleven after all. No sooner than reaching bedroom than the phone rang. “Hi Mark. It’s the police. There is good news for you. We have caught the delinquents. They are the two Dutch who live in a house in ruins. They working illegally and moonlight. Sometimes they fill their pockets with stolen money. They confessed that they killed your horses on grounds of envy. They know that you have been living on the street before your life changed as in a fairy tale. They said that they have not allies and that they acted on their own. They are so pitiless. They said that it is better to sleep in a prison than in a house in ruin. Now you have nothing to be worried about. We will protect you, preventing any further problems. We wish you a good night. You must be tired now. We’ll keep in touch,” they said.

  Mark watched the clock. It was midnight. He seemed to have taken the odour of his thought driven by a defeating humming. The news of the desecrated pub wall was always in his mind. He had witnessed the previous barbarism of writing the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. on the pub door with blood, probably menses blood. Hopefully nobody else saw it. He could be accused of concealment of evidence. How many troubles! But the police were his best friends now. He understood that somebody was looking for revenge for stolen jewels. They must have some secrets that they wanted to disclose to the world in case of what? He remembered very well an article on a prostitute arrested over a jewel theft. Clue, what clue. He was too tired to carry on with his investigating mind. “Good night,” he said to himself and,”Good night,” to an absent Rose.

  Meanwhile, Araon and Jill were near the end of their stay in Miami. The sun was so hot that they wished to bring it with them to Amsterdam. Jill had a blemish to complain about: Bill and his wife had gone to say hello because of their departure, nor to promise to keep in touch. Jill had so much coveted to meet some enduring friendship but she resigned herself to her fate. “Sweetheart.”

  “Yes Araon.”

  “We mus
t remember to send a postcard to Albert and Sylvanus and to Van der Baast.”

  “Sure and we must be quick. I also think it would be nice to buy some little presents for them. Come with me to the dolphins swimming pool. We can buy a singlet for Van der Baast and a painting for Albert and Sylvanus.”

  “Every little wish of you is a command to me,” said Araon.

  They hurried up to buy the postcards and the stamps.

  Jill was enchanted by the dolphins. They were somehow frightening beasts but so friendly to men. Jill wanted to enjoy herself as much as she could in those two remaining days. She saw a boat going straight to the ocean from the hotel port. She relied on Araon’s common sense which made her turn the wish to have a trip on the boat in a still decision not to go. It would be very exhausting for a pregnant woman. They went to their deckchairs to suntan a bit. “Araon.”

  “Yes Jill?”

  “I need some massage to my backbone. The baby is kicking and kicking in my belly. You cannot imagine the feeling.”

  “I obey as somebody like Garibaldi said to the king. Just joking, you know. We must prepare ourselves for the end of our stay here. You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I was thinking of joining the Mensa club when we get back to Amsterdam. It’s a club for very clever people. After all your IQ is 160 and mine is 140. We will enjoy ourselves a lot. I’m afraid you cannot go to the tip tap lesson until you give birth. Meanwhile you’ll enjoy other hobbies. Think well of my proposal.”