Andreea

Silence.

Time to be alone again, time to wait, time to consider the night just passed and the previous day, time to consider.


Went to town, went to see Lea, dragged her from her workshop. Made her sit, civilized in the arcade, at the coffee table. Time passed, bought myself a watch to watch the time passing… waiting for Andreea to ring. My thoughts too impatient, too congested, too congealed. Decided to go to Cynthia’s factory, work on her computer, to write my thoughts, to straighten my thoughts out, to see where I was.

Cynthia rushed off, to do the shopping, buy the food. Sat down, the intricacies of that particular computer, hardly believing my thoughts would flow out, into it - being so unused to such an instrument. Started writing, surprised, the words flowing in such surroundings, such strange surroundings, pleased with my own progress.

One o’clock came, already starting to shake. Two thirty, mobile rang. Oh yes, she had been out of bed midday, parents away, she could escape for an hour or so, to the manicurist, she would take a leisurely stroll towards Peter, would meet at three o’clock. Asked if she would come to the flat. Initially demurring, but I insisted. Three o’clock. Impatient. Cynthia ignored my impatience, ignored my, attitude, ignored my mood… knew my thoughts, aware in which direction my thoughts were..


She calmly prepared the steak, the food, the salad, the wine, as if, as if my mother was coming or my granny or my aunt was coming round to visit us, not my mistress. Then Cynthia has always been like that.

Too impatient to wait inside. Went out, in the distance could see this tiny figure, skirt swirling behind her, stepping very delicately along, arms at her side.

Walked towards each other. The whole length of the long street. Strangely, nobody else about, no people, no dogs, no cars. Perhaps they were there, perhaps I simply never saw them. All I had eyes for was her, stood in front of each other. All I could say was “Andreea you are incredibly beautiful!” Her reply “Thank you!”. Held hands, then we could have been alone on this planet, only when actually in the building did she let go .

Cynthia greeted her as if a daughter, “Would she like some wine?” She would like some juice. We did not have any orange juice. Andreea almost stamped her foot
“I want some orange juice! I want some juice!”

Suddenly her voice raised, assertive, arrogant.

We looked at each other, Cynthia and I, a shadow thrown by the young woman’s sharp attitude. Gave Andreea the money. “Are you going to come with me?” I said “Yes” Cynthia called out that we should buy some butter.

As so many times in my existence, always feeling there was so much to say… when it came to actually saying it, finding there was nothing to say.


Felt quite tired, the whole Andreea affair becoming extremely top heavy. On the way back she said “You know, I have to go home quite quickly, quite soon” I said “well, you have only been here for half an hour and lunch is ready”. We sat down to lunch. The upheaval she was apparently having at home had in no way affected her appetite.

Started off gently enough, after attempting to feed her with a glass of Gin and Orange…

“Perhaps you would like to explain your position, your now position to Cynthia, maybe she could throw fresh lights on the situation”. Andreea decided she did not like Gin and Orange, after sipping it, a sparrow, so I gave her an Anadin. Tears suddenly forming in her eyes again, obviously it was going to be a very long afternoon, a very difficult afternoon.

“My parents” she started, “have decided to keep me in the house, to not let me out, if I wish to go buy a cookie, I have to send my brother. I am not allowed to answer the telephone, to see my friends. I am to remove everything Peter gave me from the house, before the 1st of September. If I do not comply with these terms, they will send me to a convent”.

Cynthia looked at me, I looked at Cynthia, looked at Andreea. I said. “Well, supposing you ring them now and say you are not going to return home until eight o’clock, which is not unreasonable, as most young women are going OUT at eight o’clock.”

“No.” more tears. “I could not ring, I am frightened of them… if I go home late, then tomorrow it would be worse, the situation would be compounded. Suggested she did have rights.

“People cannot imprison you like this, legally they cannot destroy your property, take your letters and read them, taking letters is possibly a criminal offense. It is in England.. as your mother is in the Justice Department surely you have a lever on her, if you like, blackmail. If she does not stop interfering unreasonably in your life you could conceivably, quietly call the Police, the very last thing your mother, being respectable and naturally of high moral tone, would want, would be the thought of a scandal.”

Andreea looked at me, at this ploy, I looked at Cynthia.

Obviously, Andreea had other ideas. An alternative to this would be to stay here, with us now, not to go back.

“That would be no good whatsoever” very firmly, very quickly “You are going home on Tuesday, were would that leave me?”

Asked her to drink more of the Gin, she sipped, a gesture only.

“Andreea, you will have to drink more than that, you are in too much of a state, have some more mother’s ruin”.

Quite plainly, Andreea had her own ideas, ideas she was not apparently prepared to reveal to me. She knew something we did not. Her cards very close to the chest. More to this whole situation that she was to tell.

Were the parents so adamant ? Obviously they were against me.. what parents would not be. Everybody sees their point. They, having problems with their daughter, a daughter that run off to England with a strange man half a century older than herself, so far as they were concerned, their daughter had disappeared off the face of the Earth for two months. For those two months, for those fifty three days, the girl had an experience with which there will be no comparison for the rest of her life. So what were the parents really complaining about?

It was about their respectability, it was this they were concerned with, not even so much the daughter. This façade they have created had been badly damaged.

Again I asked myself, what was the real story… the truth.. what was that?! Any other girl you would expect under such extreme pressure, would have jumped at the opportunity to escape. If she felt as she said she felt about me, what was her problem? If she was in such a terrible turmoil in her own home, if she was threatened as she said she was threatened, cajoled, abused, treated as a prisoner… the situation starting to slightly smell in my nostrils.. this started to sound like a very elaborate story coming from a sobbing Thai young lady, and I knew all their stories. Invariably the sobbing was stopped by placing the right amount of money in their tiny, so delicate, soft hands.

Certain there was a piece missing, a big piece missing. I could not think what that piece might be.

Took a breath, again started quietly.

“What your parents require is that you go out and find a man, any man other than myself, Romanian, one who preferably has a Mercedes, a house, all the accouterments, five, six, seven hundred dollars a week, one who could look after you in the manner you are accustomed to be looked after, one who will treat you as you wish to be treated, to cater for you every whim, every desire, your every fancy, your every need. Of course, you have the qualifications, the attributes, you are highly intelligent, beautiful, nothing at all wrong with you, you are, in my eyes, an almost perfect woman, other to the fact that you and your parents have placed a very high price upon your being”.

Whether or not I said those last few words I do not know, but if I did not say them she knew what I was getting at. Put the mobile phone in her hand. She threw it down. I said “You are going to have to ring them. If you do not ring them now, you are going to be a prisoner for the rest of your life”… starting to push it.. “You have to escape now! .. this moment! this Saturday afternoon, at five o’clock, you have to ring your parents now.”

Suddenly she rushed out into the other room. I said to Cynthia “You better go and see if you could sort her out”. Cynthia came back after about ten minutes “I cannot do a thing with her, you better go”.. went in. Andreea lying on the floor, knees up, head down, sobbing. Found her handbag, her shoes, put them beside her.

“Andreea, I cannot do any more, anything more for you.. have tried, do not wish to be Sir Galahad again. I have been Sir Galahad too many times, too many damsels in distress. There is more than you are willing to tell me and I am tired”.

She picked up the phone, a decision, rang the house, her brother answered. Her parents would be home within the hour, she crying openly now. Tearfully. She said “We have one hour. I would like to walk by the lake.