Chapter 3
Chapter Three
T heo’s first night in a Minnie Winnie had been a surprising delight. The bed’s mattress was just right and he would have slept through his phone’s alarm if Matteo hadn’t called.
“Where the hell are you?” he demanded as soon as Theo answered.
“Moagn, Teo. I’m putting myself first and thinking about my future,” he said groggily, stretching and yawning loudly. “Like you said I should.”
“I didn’t mean—!” Matteo bit back a curse. “Where are you, Theo? I just returned to Muriel’s and your room is empty and all of your things are gone. Do you have any idea of how freaked out I am?”
“First of all, stop freaking out,” Theo said calmly. “I’m aging quickly, as you so kindly noted, and you and Eli don’t need me. I’m on a new adventure and I’m hoping I’ll find myself.”
“Fine! Have lots of adventures. That’s what I wanted, but you didn’t have to move out,” Matteo complained.
“I had to leave Manhattan so I?—”
“You left Manhattan?”
“Please, relax,” Theo said with a wry smirk. He was glad that Matteo was shocked. It would wake him up as well and teach him a lesson about taking people and his comfort for granted. “I wanted to go someplace where our name wouldn’t be recognized and I might have a chance of blending in.”
“Das ist doch bescheuert. Where would that be?”
Theo opened his mouth to tell Matteo, but paused. His instincts warned that telling Matteo would blow his cover with Dewey Brooks. It would only be a matter of days—maybe hours—before Matteo came to check out Oslo for himself and see how his older brother was being treated.
“It’s better if you didn’t know,” Theo said as he moved an invisible chess piece into place.
“What does that mean?”
“For plausible deniability,” Theo returned, causing Matteo to gasp.
“I see what you did there and I do not like it. Not one bit!”
A wide grin spread across Theo’s face. “I’d apologize but I’m enjoying myself too much. I never get to be the mysterious one.”
“What if you get into trouble? How will I help you or tell Leo how to find you?”
Theo snorted and shrugged. “What kind of trouble could I possibly get into and why do you assume I couldn’t handle it on my own?”
“Look, Theo… You’re the wisest and the kindest person I know. But sometimes, you’re a little too trusting and see too much good in people.”
“I refuse to believe that’s a bad thing,” Theo said firmly, then grimaced when he saw the clock on the microwave. “I have to go or I’ll be late.”
“Late for what? Where are you going?” Matteo asked quickly.
Theo shushed him while sitting up and rising, careful to keep his head low as he stood. “It’s the first day of my future, if I’m lucky,” he said before Matteo let out an anguished shriek.
“You took everything! You monster!”
“You’ve looked in your bathroom,” Theo guessed. “I wasn’t sure if there would be a Sephora here and how long the shipping would take so I…took everything,” he said with a shrug. He was in the wild unknown—and aging rapidly—while Matteo was still safely ensconced in luxury and privilege in the Olympia.
“I hope someone kidnaps you,” Matteo muttered. “I’ll tell Leo not to pay the ransom and to let you rot.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“We’ll see how long it takes to reorder everything you’ve stolen, Theo . Please check in soon.”
“Ciao!” Theo said brightly, then hung up so he could dress for work.
He had spent the prior evening unpacking his four suitcases and various bags. Both Dewey and the Greyhound driver had been taken aback by Theo’s luggage, but he had assured them that it was all vital. He was packed and prepared for any situation and Theo’s wardrobe would be the key to his success.
While he might not have many technical skills, Theo was confident he could dress for any part and learn everything he needed along the way. His optimism and luck had carried him in the past and Theo intended to impress Dewey by looking sharp and perfectly refreshed when he reported for his first morning at the bowling alley.
He quickly cleansed and slathered a black rose mask onto his face before considering his wardrobe. It was stuffed into the Winnie’s narrow closet and folded into its cabinets where food and other necessities probably went. Even the microwave was filled with Theo’s ties and pocket squares and most of the gels, serums, and creams he had stockpiled had gone into the refrigerator.
For his first day ensemble, Theo had selected a crisp, white Hermés shirt, navy Prada trousers, and leather Oxfords. His paisley Holderson tie and socks had hot pink roses that would match the bowling alley’s logo perfectly. Theo couldn’t wait to show them to Dewey. He was humming excitedly as he started the hot water, filling the narrow bathroom with steam while he whipped his shaving soap into a lather for after his shower.
Theo stepped into the stall with his body wash and had just scrubbed it into his pits when the water turned ice-cold. “Schei?e!” he yelped and leaped back, knocking the shower door open and sending him crashing through the bathroom door.
He fell back against the microwave and hit his head as he stumbled and swatted, flinging water and bubbles around him. Theo slipped and skated on the fake tile floor, but managed to remain upright by hanging onto the RV’s passenger seat.
It took him a moment to make his way back to the closet and find his robe and Theo was flustered and breathless when he finally turned off the shower. He went to the sink to rinse the mask off his face to stop it from sliding into his eyes and swore at the frigid water coming from the tap.
There was a knock on the Winnie’s door, causing Theo to jump and slip. He skated on the wet floor again, tripping into the counter as he went to answer it.
He pushed the door open and grabbed the jamb before he fell out. “Yes?” he asked and greeted Dewey with a brave smile.
“Everything alright? I heard some shouting and banging,” he said, his mustache and beard twisting into a concerned grimace.
“Everything’s fine! Hot water seems to have stopped working, though,” Theo said as he gestured behind him.
Dewey nodded slowly. “It’s a pretty small tank so you’ve got about five minute’s worth of hot water.”
“Five minutes?”
“Did you think you’d be able to take a normal shower in there?” Dewey asked, sounding slightly incredulous so Theo made a pffft! sound and waved it off.
“Of course, not! I just didn’t realize it would be that short. Kein Problem. I’m sure I can manage just fine,” he said.
“Are you sure because you’re…dripping,” Dewey said as he flailed in Theo’s direction.
“Kein Problem!”
“Okay… If you’re sure.” Dewey nodded and checked his watch. “We open in an hour and I’m usually oiling the lanes right about now.”
“Schei?e! Don’t let me keep you. I’ll be right along!” Theo promised before promptly swinging the door shut so Dewey wouldn’t see him panicking.
Theo wasn’t as prompt as he would have liked, unfortunately. It took half an hour for the hot water to be replenished and it ran out again before Theo could rinse his body and wash his hair. He had to complete the rest of his routine with cold water and arrived for work with several cuts on his chin and jaw and wearing wrinkled trousers.
“I am dreadfully sorry and promise I’ll have all my pants pressed again,” Theo reassured Dewey. “Once I have located a dry cleaner,” he added sheepishly.
Dewey was seated on one of the alley’s ten pink fiberglass benches, reading a paper. He frowned up at Theo, his long legs extended and his work boots crossed. “I canceled the board meeting so you can lose the tie.”
“Oh?” Theo pressed a hand against it protectively, his smile fading as Dewey scanned his ensemble with open disapproval. “I wasn’t sure what would be appropriate but I wanted to make a good impression with our guests,” he explained.
“Our guests?” That earned a bemused snort from Dewey as he heaved himself up and gestured for Theo to follow as he stalked past the first lane and around the wall. “Behold: the workshop,” he informed Theo with a dramatic wave. “Nobody cares about what you look like back here.”
The workshop reminded Theo of the engine room of a cruise ship, with its wall of tools and spare parts and ten hulking red pinsetter units. Each unit housed a table that lowered the pins onto the lanes. Theo was mesmerized as he watched the chains and pulleys sweeping up pins and loading them into racks while glistening bowling balls were wiped down and rolled back along the lanes to waiting bowlers.
“Ach so!” Theo had declared several times as Dewey named and explained the many different parts and their functions.
Dewey threw an arm out, blocking Theo when he leaned over the machine on lane 10 for a closer look. “That’ll get ripped off and break something expensive or you’ll choke yourself to death.” He gave Theo’s tie a hard tug and flipped it over his shoulder. “Lose it or learn to tuck it in your shirt before you touch anything back here.”
“Right!” Theo quickly removed his tie, rolled it up, then slipped it into his pocket.
“What is it you did while you were in the Austrian Army?” Dewey asked skeptically.
“Mostly administrative work. Why?”
Dewey blinked at Theo. “No reason. See that towel up there?” he said and pointed at a towel hanging over a metal track at the top of the pinsetter. “Balls pass through there and that towel wipes off the excess oil. You can help me switch out the dirty towels for clean ones.”
“Klaro…” Theo said as he eyed the clips holding the towel and nodded. “That looks pretty simple.”
“Because it is,” Dewey said with a shooing gesture.
He stepped back so Theo could scramble over the side and pull himself up and reach for the dirty towel. It took some fiddling to get it unclipped and the clean one installed, but Theo finally did it and hopped down.
“How was that?” he asked while rubbing his hands together, then swore when he noticed the oil and grime on the cuffs and sleeves of his shirt. “My trousers!” he said when he spotted the streaks on his right leg.
Dewey chuckled and gave Theo’s shoulder a hearty slap. “I’m sure you’ll still make a good impression. This is a lane machine,” Dewey had explained as he hunkered down next to a rectangular machine and rested a hand on the neatly wound power cord, giving it a fond pat. He had thick, hairy forearms and Theo was momentarily distracted by the many tattoos and how strong Dewey’s hands looked as he pointed out various buttons and dials. “I already did the lanes while I was waiting for you to make yourself presentable, but we clean and oil them twice a day.”
“I didn’t know that the lanes were oiled,” Theo said, earning a terse grunt and a nod from Dewey as he rose.
“The balls won’t spin well and they’ll run right into the gutters if we don’t oil the lanes. Not much fun if you can’t get the ball to the pins.”
“I see…”
Bowling alleys were utterly fascinating and a lot of work, Theo was discovering. He had incorrectly assumed the job would be simple and that there was little to do beyond handing out rental shoes and assigning lanes.
It was also dirty work. He was a frazzled mess by the end of his tour of the workshop. As they were returning to the front, Dewey pointed out that Theo’s Oxfords had left little black scuffs and he was handed a rag to buff them out. Thankfully, Theo was also given a T-shirt with the bowling alley’s logo to replace his ruined shirt and Dewey loaned him a pair of work boots.
“Now, do I look the part?” Theo asked while modeling his updated work outfit.
“Sure,” Dewey said without looking up. He was leaning on the front counter and reading the paper. “If the part you’re trying out for is ‘man who sanitizes shoes before lunchtime.’”
Theo laughed at Dewey’s dry humor. “This, I believe I can manage and is closer to what I was expecting,” he said, earning another terse grunt.
“Because that’s what you saw in some American movies and TV shows?” Dewey guessed and Theo bit his lip guiltily.
“Bowling alleys are not as common in Austria and I didn’t have as much time before.”
Dewey stepped back and pulled a plastic bin from under the counter, letting it land on the floor with a thud . “Alrighty, then. Let’s see if reality lives up to the movies.”