Eva wrapped Zoe in her arms, and they started laughing.
***
Zoe sat in the kitchen eating breakfast and reading The Woman’s Weekly, a magazine she had found one day while she was waiting for Eva’s shift to finish. English was a hard language for Zoe to learn, and she found that reading magazines helped her. One of the side effects of reading was that she was soon addicted to the serialized story that appeared every week. A Greek/English dictionary nearby, she would look up any word that she could not decipher or she would ask Eva for an explanation.
“Oh, no!” Zoe’s anguished cry rang out. Just coming in the front door, Eva dropped her handbag and rushed into the kitchen. Zoe paid her no real attention, absorbed as she was in the magazine.
“What’s the matter?” Eva asked a trifle breathless.
Zoe wailed, “Derek is leaving her!”
Eva rolled her eyes. She sat on the stool next to Zoe and looked at the magazine over her shoulder. “Who’s Derek?”
Zoe looked up and frowned. “Don’t you remember? Derek is Maggie’s boyfriend, and now he’s gone back to Jane, but he can’t decide if he wants Maggie or if he wants Jane,” she explained with exaggerated patience.
“So hasn’t he left already?” Eva asked, getting up to make herself a cup of tea.
“He did, but he came back and then he went again,” Zoe said, flapping the pages at Eva for emphasis.
“And now he’s gone for good?”
“Yeah,” Zoe said and went back to reading. “Sort of. He can’t decide who he wants.”
Eva left the kitchen to answer a knock at the door, while Zoe remained behind, still perched on her stool. She looked through the open door into the lounge as a grinning Earl came into the apartment. He was carrying a box under his arm. “G’day, my favorite interpreter!” he greeted Eva, giving her a kiss.
“You’re in a cheery mood,” Eva remarked as she directed him into the kitchen.
“Hey, Wiggy.” Zoe greeted Earl with a wave, and returned her attention to the magazine.
Earl grimaced. “Don’t tell me she’s still glued to that story,” he said to Eva.
“Yes. Derek left Maggie to be with Jane, but Derek loves both Maggie and Jane,” Eva said.
“I reckon Jane should dump that low life. Oh, hell, now you’re getting me involved!” Earl protested, and Eva chuckled.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your company this morning? Not that I’m not happy to see you,” Eva said, sipping her tea.
“You are in the presence of the newest factory supervisor!” Earl proudly proclaimed, which got him a whoop from Zoe and a hug from Eva. “I found out last night. I think Jack is going to get even madder than he already is when he finds out. I bring you gifts!” He opened the box to reveal seven large mangoes. Zoe grinned. He knew Eva loved them and he must have stopped by the fruit market and picked some up in celebration.
“Mangoes!” Eva said, picking up one of the ripe reddish-yellow fruits and sniffing it, her ecstasy obvious.
Zoe looked at her enraptured face. “She is so easy. Give her a little fruit, and she’s yours for life.”
Eva stuck her tongue out and went to the sink to peel the fruit. “Congratulations, Earl. You’ve worked hard. Which section are you going to be in?”
“Cookies.”
“Ah, my favorite.” Zoe waggled her eyebrows at Eva, which earned her a puzzled look from Earl. She did not give him a chance to comment. “Hey, how’s The Beast?”
“Good, why?” he asked, clearly bewildered by the sudden shift in topic.
“I’m going to get a car!” Zoe said brightly. A look of mock fear crossed Earl’s face.
“Oh, no! I’ll inform the traffic authority to remove all the light poles.”
Zoe snorted. “Cut that out! Can you teach me?”
“Me? Teach you how to drive?”
“Yes, you know, I get behind the wheel and you teach me to drive.”
Earl met Eva’s eyes over the top of Zoe’s head, and he grinned. “Sure, Stretch, I’ll teach you, but you must promise not to hit any old ladies or small animals or anything like that.”
“Promise. Thanks, Wiggy!” Zoe jumped off the stool, abandoning the magazine. She put her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek, delighted by his agreement.
“Hey, now that I’m here, I’ll give you a ride in to work, check out your new job, if you want me to?” Earl suggested. He looked expectantly at Eva.
“I would love to show you around,” Eva said, handing him a cup of tea.
“Can you drop me off at work?” Zoe asked. She heard another knock on the door and went to answer it.
“Sure,” Earl agreed.
Zoe went to the door and let Elena into the apartment.
After Earl and Eva finished their tea, everyone headed out. Elena and Zoe were dropped off at the restaurant, while Eva traveled to the Interpreter Division with Earl. He filled her in on the latest news from the factory, making her laugh when they stopped at a traffic light and he took advantage of the moment to do an excellent imitation of Jack Stalk falling over a pallet of cookies.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“You should drop by more often,” the female elevator operator said as she stopped the elevator on Eva’s floor. It was clear that she was speaking solely to Earl, since he and Eva were the only ones on the elevator.
“Oh, I’ll be around, since my girl is working here,” Earl said. He put his arm around Eva’s waist, not noticing the crestfallen look on the operator’s face.
Eva poked Earl in the side when they got off the elevator and the door closed behind them. She shook her head at his shenanigans, taking his hand and leading him to the busy waiting area.
“Wow,” Earl exclaimed, looking around him. All the chairs were taken and more people were sitting on the floor or standing. Little children were running around and playing noisy games. “Is it this busy all the time?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard.
“Nah, they tell me this is the quiet period,” Eva replied, laughing at the horrified expression on Earl’s face. “Yeah, it’s the busy season. The Patris came in, and this is the latest batch of immigrants.”
Eva showed him to Debbie’s desk. There was no sign of the receptionist at first, and then Debbie’s head popped up from behind a filing cabinet.
“Debbie, this is Earl Wiggins,” Eva said. “Earl, this is Debbie, our overworked receptionist.”
Debbie gave Earl a huge grin of welcome. “Hi there, Earl.”
“Hi. You’re not working my girl too hard, are you?” Earl smiled in return, his arm still around Eva’s waist.
“You must be Eva’s boyfriend,” Debbie said.
“Guilty on all charges,” Earl replied and doffed his hat at her.
Debbie smiled. “Oh, no, she had an easy day yesterday. Today the fun begins,” she said, her eyes twinkling.
“Can’t wait,” Eva replied. “I’ll just show Earl around, and then I’ll come and pick up the files.”
They walked down the corridor together, Earl slipping his arm around Eva’s shoulders.
“Hey, nice office!” Earl said. He plunked himself down on the client’s chair that sat in front of her desk. “It needs some posters and stuff. I’ll get you a couple. And you need a photo too.”
Her arms folded across her chest, Eva grinned at him.
“What?” Earl asked.
“You know Debbie is going to spread the word that you’re my boyfriend.”
“Of course,” he said smugly.
“You are incredible.” She bent over and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
“I am, aren’t I?” Earl replied, puffing out his chest. “So many kisses from you and Zoe today. I think I could get used to this.”
“Hey, thanks for volunteering to teach Zoe to drive,” Eva said. She took off her sweater and sat down in her chair.
“As long as she doesn’t kill me or run over any animals, it’s going to be great.”
They laughed.
“I miss you at work.” Earl glanced at Eva. “Stalk is driving me crazy.”
“Stalk has been driving you crazy for years,” Eva reminded him, still grinning.
***
Eva kissed Earl goodbye at the elevator. She stood watching and he gave her a wink before the doors closed. She turned to find a grinning Debbie waiting behind her with a stack of files in her arms. “The fun begins!” Debbie repeated the statement from earlier. Shaking her head and smiling, Eva walked down the corridor and into her office.
She spent the morning interviewing clients, each one with their own concerns. She found she was enjoying the job even more than she had thought she would. After the fifth client had left, there was a subdued rap on the door and Debbie stuck her head in.
“Oh, so there you are. We thought maybe we lost you between Mrs. Rosenthal and Mr. Hermann,” Debbie said. “Morning tea is at ten o’clock and we didn’t see you come out, so I thought I would come in and rescue you.” She entered the office with a cup of tea and placed it in front of Eva.
“Oh, no, I’m still here,” Eva replied. Giving Debbie a sidelong glance, she picked up the teacup and took a sip. “Thank you, that’s nice. Did you want to ask me something?”
“Well...yes and no. I’m on my tea break, so I thought I would come in and see how you were getting along, you know.”
“I see,” Eva said. She continued working, marking the file with her notes about the client and the actions she had taken to get them accommodation.
After a moment, Debbie said, “I think Mr. Hermann was quite taken with you. He wanted to know if you are married, and could he send flowers.”
Eva smiled. Mr. Hermann had been her fifth client of the day. He was Jewish, a concentration camp survivor, and quite charming and gracious. She had enjoyed talking to him. They had spent a bit of time talking about Berlin University, where he had lectured in History before Hitler forbade Jews to teach.
Debbie sat down in the chair opposite her desk, gazing at Eva with an expectant look on her face.
“So, I guess you drew the short straw?” Eva asked, knowing the whole office wanted to find out all about the new girl. She had been expecting it. When she had started working at the biscuit factory, one of the girls had cornered her and asked her personal questions. Eva had not been forthcoming with her answers, and soon developed a reputation for being aloof and cold. It was not until the incident in the storeroom, when she and Earl became a “couple,” that she had become aware of the interrogation that all new staffers were subjected to as a matter of course.
“Yeah, and since I’m a natural born busybody, it was a good choice,” Debbie said with a smile. “Mr. Hermann really does want to send you flowers. He told me you should expect some later today.”
Eva laughed. She liked Debbie and her easy-going manner. “What would you like to know about me?”
“Oh good, you’re going to play the game! I’ve had to play question and answer games with all the new people. You’re easy.”
“Didn’t say I’ll answer them,” Eva responded. She laughed at Debbie’s crestfallen look.
Debbie groaned in frustration. “Why can’t things be simpler? Oh, all right. Let’s start with the easy bits. What’s your full name?”
“This sounds like an interrogation!” Eva said with a mock frown.
She got a snort in reply. “Ve haf vays of makink you talk,” Debbie said in a very bad German accent, which only made Eva laugh even more. She put down her pen and folded her hands on the desk, giving Debbie her full attention.
“So much for my interrogation skills,” Debbie said. “So are you going to answer?”
“What was the question?” Eva asked, although she knew full well what Debbie had asked.
Debbie rolled her eyes. “We know your first name. Do you have a middle name?”
“Oh, that’s the question,” Eva responded. She sat back and said smugly, “Eva Theresa.”
“Hmm, nice names.”
“I think so.”
“Moving right along, Eva Theresa. Okay, how old are you, what’s your date of birth, and where were you born?”
“I’m twenty-seven. I was born on the 20th of January, 1920, in Vienna, Austria.”
“Vienna, what a beautiful city!
“Yes, it is.”
“Siblings?”
Eva smiled. She and Zoe had discussed not giving people the sister story. “None.”
“So tell me, Miss Haralambos...by the way, that is a very difficult name to get my tongue around. It doesn’t sound German. That’s Greek, isn’t it?”
Eva nodded.
“And are you going to tell me how you got the name?”
“My father gave it to me,” Eva said drolly and watched as Debbie rolled her eyes again.
“So where does the Muller name fit into this? Everyone is really curious to find out.”
“Everyone?” Eva asked, a little perplexed why anyone would be interested.
“We’re all a bunch of busybodies,” Debbie replied and smiled broadly. “You’ll get used to that.”
“Muller was my stepfather,” Eva answered honestly.
Debbie seemed about to ask another question when she paused. “There was something on the wireless about a Nazi that was caught here in Sydney whose surname was Muller...”
Eva sighed. “That was my stepfather.” She was not surprised that Debbie would remember, since it was such big news.
Debbie’s eyes went wide. “Wow. So did you help in capturing him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to go into another question?” Debbie asked. “I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable about your stepfather.”
“Moving on would be a good idea,” Eva replied, grateful she did not have to talk about Muller or the circumstances of the capture.
“How tall are you?” Debbie asked. Eva visibly relaxed as the questioning moved away from her name and her stepfather’s activities. Debbie continued, “Please, tell me you’re over six feet because I’ve got a pound riding on the answer.”
“You bet a pound on how tall I am?” Eva was astonished.
Debbie laughed. “Most Aussies will bet on which of two flies on a wall will get up the wall quicker! So naturally we took an office betting pool to find out how tall you are. Deirdre thinks you are five feet ten. Alexander thinks you’re five feet eleven. Edith thinks you’re five feet nine. We didn’t have time to poll everyone else.”
Eva laughed. “And you?”
“I think you’re six feet because my brother is about your height.”
“Close. I’m six feet two inches.”
“Wow. That’s tall. Yes! I win that round!” Debbie exclaimed. “Moving right along here, so are you and Earl engaged?”
Eva grinned. “He hasn’t proposed yet.”
“Well, if I know my men, I would say the guy is head over heels in love with you.”
Eva smiled and leaned back in her chair. “You think so?”
“Oh, yeah. He had the ‘she’s my woman’ look about him.”
“Earl is a sweetheart.”
Debbie sighed. “Yes, he looks the part. Does he have a brother?”
“A sister,” Eva replied.
Debbie took a sip from her own teacup. “That’s too bad. Next question. You like jazz music, don’t you?”
“How do you know that?”
“You have the radio on when you don’t have a client.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not loud, but I can hear it when it’s quiet outside and the music travels. I love jazz myself so it’s nice.”
“I love jazz and opera.”
“Great taste in music. So do you live with family or by yourself?”
Eva was not sure how to answer that question or whether to leave it alone. She liked Debbie, and she was sure Zoe was going to come into the office later in the week. She and Zoe now introduced each other as apartment mates, which satisfied most people’s inquisiti
ve natures and made concealing their true relationship somewhat easier than having to pretend to be sisters.
“No, I live with Zoe. She’s my apartment mate. You’ll probably see her up here at some point. She’s about five feet five with short red hair and green eyes.”
“I look forward to meeting her.” Debbie stood and went to the door. “Thanks, Eva, you’re a good sport. I think that’s enough interrogating for today.”
Eva watched the door close and shook her head slowly before taking the next file off the pile. It perplexed her why people were interested in her. While it was true there was always an element of getting to know someone new in the workplace, she found it a little unsettling. She was also somewhat bemused by all the questions.
She opened the file, picked up her pen, and went back to work.
***
“Eva, can you please take Mrs. Marangos?” Debbie asked, sticking her head through Eva’s open office door. “Sorry about this. We’re trying to get her seen quickly, and Alexander has a difficult couple.”
“Sure. Have you got her file?”
Debbie grimaced. “We sent it down to Filing and they’ve misplaced it.”
Eva blinked. She was so used to Debbie being on top of everything, even in the two days she had been there, that she found this mix-up disconcerting, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and nodded. Getting up from her chair, she followed Debbie to the front desk, where an old woman stood waiting patiently. Her back was hunched, and she supported herself with a cane.
Eva introduced herself and escorted Mrs. Marangos to her office and into her client chair. “How are you today, Mrs. Marangos?” Eva asked in Greek.
“Ah, not so good, my child,” she responded in the same language, shaking her head. “My little red box is missing.”
“Little red box?”
“Yes, my little red box. It was outside my house, and now it’s gone, and I don’t know where it’s gone to!” Mrs. Marangos wailed.
Eva was at a loss as to what this little red box could be. She went around her desk, and knelt down beside the chair and held Mrs. Marangos as she started to sob. “Don’t worry, we’ll find your little red box,” she said. “Can you tell me a little about it?”
Where Shadows Linger (Intertwined Souls Series Book 2) Page 30
