No matter how long I take at breakfast though, I can no longer delay the task ahead. I have to get on with the mission that I am here for. Every time I go into my handbag to get something, the piece of paper that has Marek’s address on, given to me by Dewi, is a perpetual reminder.
I ask the helpful hotel staff where I can find a taxi, and five minutes later, I am on my way to the address that Dewi has given me. We start our drive, and I get to see some of the sights that I have been told to visit as we drive past them in the distance. The castle that is in the snow globe comes into sight, and I gasp out loud.
‘Wow, that’s beautiful.’
‘Yes, it’s our famous castle,’ says the taxi driver.
If I remember right, the castle was on the itinerary for day four. Although, looking at it from here, I really think that I should go there today if I have time after visiting Marek. Dewi definitely got that bit wrong.
But I try not to let myself get distracted by the views. I have to do what I am here for, first and foremost. Then, I can relax and know that I am a day closer to heading back home. Right now, the thought of knocking on a stranger’s door is making me a bag of nerves, let alone thinking about visiting any sights.
For the time it takes to get to the apartment block, I rehearse in my head what I will say when I arrive. When the taxi pulls up outside aVinohradyapartment block I am still unsure where to start with this conversation. I hesitantly jump out with no idea what I am about to say to a total stranger. I attempt to stall time by looking up at the tall apartment building with its little white wooden sash windows. Like much of Prague, the building looks ancient but so elegant.
The taxi drives off, leaving me standing there at the door of an apartment block, where I realise that I will need to be buzzed in. None of this had occurred to me. How can I possibly explain over a buzzer who I am and why I am here? This puts me off my tracks a little, and I walk up and down the path a few times before I can think about how I am going to approach this. Unfortunately, Dewi didn’t give me instructions for this part. This bit is all on me, and I need to think for myself.
Eventually, I decide that I have come all this way and that I can’t let the fear of a door buzzer deter me from my plan. Bravely, I press it with determination. I wait for a voice, not sure who to expect on the other side. The thought of Marek’s wife answering comes to mind once again. What will I say then? I rehearse the words I think I’ll say over and over, but there is no reply.
I am about to turn away when someone comes out of the main door and holds it open for me. They smile, and I thank them. I am not sure if there is much point going to the second floor if there was no response from the buzzer, but I figure since I am inside, I may as well knock on the door.
The building is old and the staircase a little uneven. I almost tumble as I reach the top step of the second level. I begin to wonder if the prehistoric lift I passed on the way in would have been safer. Surely, Marek doesn’t still live here? I guess he would be in his eighties by now, if not older. I assume he was around the same age as Aunt Grace, unless he was a toyboy. She didn’t mention anything about that. But, even at my age, I can hardly manage to make my way around the apartment block. Perhaps he is in a retirement home, and a young couple who are out at work live here now. I realise how silly this idea is. Why on earth would Aunt Grace think he still lived at the same address?
I reach the flat I am looking for, number twenty-five. Outside the front door is a plain brown woven doormat. At least it shows someone is definitely living here.
I question myself again about whether I should knock. It is obvious nobody is home, or they would have answered the buzzer.
Then I decide, after battling with those steep stairs, it is surely worth one knock on the door. But even worse than nobody answering, I pray that a sweet little old lady doesn’t answer and I will have to explain who I am. How are you supposed to tell an eighty-five-year-old that you’re her husband’s ex-girlfriend’s niece fulfilling her dying wish?
I knock loudly and hear a noise inside immediately. Perhaps they have a cat I have disturbed. But then I hear footsteps coming closer to the door. They are almost shuffling. Someone is definitely coming to the door.
I clear my throat and nervously pull down the zip of my jacket. I can feel heat surging through my body and up to my face. I really wish Dewi could have come and done this instead of it having to be me, particularly given the fact that he is so enthusiastic about everything.
The door slowly opens, and an older man pokes his head around.
‘Ano?’ he says.
‘Sorry, hello, English?’
‘Yes.’ The man looks at me confused, and I can’t blame him. I am sure it isn’t every day he has some British tourist turn up at his door.
‘I’m looking for Marek.’
I try to say it as clearly as I can and hope he understands me.
The man steps back and looks shocked. It is as though he has seen a ghost.
He blinks a few times and then shakes his head. His voice begins to crack as he tries to speak, and he looks at me with suspicious eyes.
‘Marek is dead.’
Then he closes the door in my face and it seems he has nothing more to say.
Chapter Eight
I stand outside the door of number twenty-five in shock. This definitely wasn’t part of the plan. The problem is that I can’t shake off the feeling that something isn’t right. My imagination goes into overdrive, and I start to think that he may have been Marek and he has lied to get me to leave.
I have no idea what Marek looked like, but this man had very piercing dark eyes, and I imagine he was a handsome man once upon a time. What if he recognised Aunt Grace in me? Perhaps, unlike Aunt Grace, he wants to leave the past where it is, and that is why he never wrote back. This is such a silly idea. If he had wanted to then he would have got in touch with her. I really shouldn’t have come here.
If Dewi were here, he would probably insist I knock on the door again and ask to find out more. But I am not that tenacious or nosy. I will just have to go home with the knowledge that I tried my best, but sadly, Marek has died. I am sure Dewi will understand. I have fulfilled my part of the bargain.
