24
I was awakened by a female voice a few inches from my head. A lady in her seventies placed a breakfast tray on the metal shelf that served as a bedside table with such strength that half the attic shook. Then she picked up Max”s dirty uniform from the floor and put it in a basket. The cleaning lady? How could Max afford one? I pretended to be asleep, but I peeked under the sheet and listened to the brief conversation in German she exchanged with Max.
I didn”t understand anything except for the word ‘Mama’.
So she wasn’t the cleaning lady.
Muttering under her breath, the woman disappeared nimbly down the staircase, laden with the laundry basket.
“Was that your mother?” I asked Max, opening one eye.
He nodded with a sigh.
“I”m sorry. I always tell her not to come upstairs when I bring a girl, but she never listens to me.”
I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be shocked.
“Do you bring many?”
“Uh... well... no, not at all!” he stammered, and his cheeks flushed. “It”s just that she doesn”t like me bringing any, to be honest.”
I reached out my hand to the tray, on which was a single glass: clearly, my presence wasn’t welcome. Undeterred, I took a bun. It was round, with star-shaped cutouts, and covered with black poppy seeds.
“At least she”s nice and brings you food,” I said with my mouth full.
Max let out a bitter laugh.
“Yeah, I guess she does keep me well-fed.” He took another bun and bit into it, resigned. “Do you like these? They”re called Kaisersemmel. TheEmperor”s buns.”
“Why doesn”t she like it when you meet women? Doesn”t she want you to rebuild your life after... Lana? Was it Lana?”
Max inhaled sharply when he heard the name, and I immediately regretted saying it.
“It”s complicated,” was all he said.
He got out of bed, clad only in boxer shorts. I admired his toned torso and the lovely golden fuzz that covered it for the last time.
“I”m going downstairs to take a shower,” he informed me, pulling a T-shirt over his head. “Are you staying here?”
“Yes, if you don”t mind. We’re going to Bled today, remember?”
“To Bled?”
“Yes! We have to find a house ten minutes away from the lake, with a mural of Saint Cecilia by the door...”
“When did you discover all that?” he asked in amazement, rummaging through the shelves until he came across a pair of jeans.
“It was in my grandma’s diary.”
“Fantastic,” he said, and then, squinting, he added: “As for what I said last night about giving up the reward...”
“Relax. I didn”t take it seriously. I know your interest in me is purely professional. As is mine in you.”
Max exhaled with relief and laughed.
“Phew. Thank you.”
“All good. We’ll leave at eleven o”clock. Is that okay?”
“At your service, Frau Kommandantin! I”ll be right back up, but in the meantime, help yourself to breakfast. There’s some muesli by the kettle,” he said, disappearing down the ladder.
I put back on the same clothes from the previous day and looked for an outlet to charge my cell phone. Then I drank some orange juice and nibbled on another bun while dialing Indira”s number. She answered instantly, albeit in a weary voice.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Eh… yes, yes, hi Vesna. I”ve just had several shifts in a row, and I”m dead. I’ve just got home.”
“Oh no... I”m sorry to bother you. I didn”t know you worked last night.”
“How are you doing? Have you found your missing inheritance yet?”
“No, but yesterday I found a clue in the diary, and it looks interesting. That”s why I was calling you. The scanned file you sent me ends rather abruptly. Are you sure there weren’t any more pages?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you! I”ve been working nonstop on it. Yes, that notebook was missing pages. But then I found two more journals. The diary continues a few years later, and you won’t believe the secrets good old Carmencita kept...”
“What do you mean?” I asked, setting the glass of juice down on the linoleum floor.
“I’ll send it over right away before I go to sleep. I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Talk tomorrow.”