The Malthus Pandemic

by Terry Morgan

CHAPTER 5

  "Can we eat now? You make me very hungry, Mr Luke Lapp." Anna emerged from the bathroom for the second time that morning, this time wrapped in a white towel.

  I was still naked except for the bed sheet and put down the new mobile phone I had been checking. Breakfast was not something I was planning. The unscheduled interruption to my timetable had lasted longer than anticipated and my ten o'clock appointment with Virex International looked in danger of being missed if I didn't hurry. I switched the mobile phone off and looked up wondering what excuse to give now.

  "You had a phone call just now?"

  What was it about women? Eyes, ears everywhere.

  "A text," I said as, to my horror, I now watched Anna rummaging in my own, very private, black bag. No-one ever ventured inside there, except me. I watched her open it and peer inside. Then her hand disappeared and came out with a comb.

  "OK?" she asked, "Can I? Mine is no good."

  "Yes," I said. A comb seemed to pose no real threat.

  I then sat watching her comb her hair with my comb and then, as the towel dropped away, I watched her recover her clothes and then dress. I also needed to shower and change urgently if I was to eat breakfast and then make my ten o'clock client. But, something seemed to be stop me rushing.

  "So you do your business today? Not stay with me?" she asked, and turned away now fully dressed. I watched her in the mirror. As usual I wasn’t sure how to respond. To be honest, I hate mixing business with private intimacy, particularly if it needs an explanation of what I do. With others it's easy. You lie or, at least, you create plausible stories. But that's business. So, how to respond was troubling me and she was now looking at me in the reflection in the mirror, waiting for an answer.

  "Some," I said at last. "I have to meet someone at a hotel. I don't know how long it will take. Maybe an hour, maybe longer. It depends. When do you need to go to the bar?"

  "At five," she said and then, hunger apparently forgotten, went on, "I think I'll go to my apartment now and eat later. When will I see you? Will you come to the bar tonight? Can I be with you tonight?"

  "Yes, I'll see you in the bar," I said, but my stomach churned and not with a need for breakfast. Things might not be so easy tonight. "I want to see you," I said and I meant it.

  Thankfully, she seemed to detect my genuine sincerity but, possibly, also the doubt. She came over to me and looked up. I put my arms around her but looked out of the window behind. Through the tinted hotel windows, I think I remember it looked cloudy but that the sun was making its way up behind blocks of skyscrapers opposite.

  "I'll see you later," I said and put my lips onto the still damp hair hanging over her shoulders.

  "OK. I'll make special for when you come tonight." She said it with a clear tinge of doubt and finished her words by looking up at me for a sign of something or other. But instead I turned away and looked out of the window again.

  "Mister Luke-Lapp?" I heard her say as if she wanted to ask or say something more.

  "Yes," I replied and turned to look at her. Her face was a mixture of sadness and frustration, of patience and perhaps of hopeful tolerance. And, seeing it I then planted both feet stood on the slippery slope and felt myself sliding totally out of control. Whatever it was she might have been going to say, I will never know because words started to form in my head, or in my heart or somewhere.

  "Thank you, Anna,“ I said. “I'm glad I came to see you. Even when I walked out of the hotel last night I was not sure where I was going. But something seemed to take me there. And I know I say sorry too much, Anna, but……it’s difficult, you see.”

  Yes, it was a pretty useless statement but probably significant. And I had used her preferred name, Anna, twice. Anna was the name she had told me she especially liked because it was the name her father had always called her. I normally try very hard not to use familiar names with women if I can possibly help it.

  "I'll go now," she said, "I'll see you later".

  I followed her to the door and slid the lock.

  "My name is Daniel," I said and smiled.

  "I know," she said. Then she pushed past me in exactly the way I remembered from the last time. She walked down the corridor without so much as a wave or a backward look. I stood and watched from the doorway as she turned the corner towards the lift. I even stood watching the corner in case she returned. But it was pointless. Instead it was the hotel maid who appeared.

  "You check out?" she asked.

  "Twenty minutes," I said.

  "OK," she replied and wheeled her trolley on past my door.

  I turned back into the room, showered, quickly re-packed the few things I had taken out of my case the night before. I replaced the comb that Anna had used, exchanged the jeans I had worn the night before for a pair of light casual trousers, put on a clean, white, short sleeved shirt and a blue tie. Then I returned to the bed, re-read the phone text message from Colin and deleted it. Then I left the room and walked out into the mid-morning heat, hailed a taxi and took off into the Bangkok traffic.