‘Yeah, he’s quite good.’ I daren’t tell him he is my absolute favourite and I have seen him in concert five times. At this rate, he’ll think I am trying to imitate everything he loves, like some kind of love-bombing chameleon.
‘So, do you live near here?’ I ask. That is one thing we won’t have in common.
‘I live quite close to my uncle. It’s easier to keep an eye on him. Generally, he’s quite strong, but he’s had a couple of falls.’
‘Oh no. That must be difficult. Do you have any other family that can help?’
‘No, I’m an only child. Albert is the last of the family. I’ve always been very close to him.’
‘No way! I’m an only child and very close to my aunt. Well, Iwasclose to her.’ I can’t believe that even a conversation about where he lives in Prague has shown us further similarities.
I see that he wears a ring, it’s patterned with a design. It doesn’t look like a wedding ring, although it makes me wonder if he has a wife who could help him out a bit. I don’t mention it though. Perhaps he feels that it isn’t her job to help with an ailing in-law.
‘Yes, I’m very sorry about your aunt.’
‘Thank you.’
Tomas appears to be thinking about something, and we fall into an awkward silence until we arrive at the apartment. I follow him through the main door that I remember from my last visit.
‘Lift or stairs?’ he asks.
I don’t want to fall in front of him or be out of breath by the time we reach the top, so this time, I choose the prehistoric lift and hope for the best.
The lift is tiny, and as it slowly rises through the floors, I am almost pressed against Tomas and can smell the musky aftershave he is wearing. I am almost touching his dark stubble at this point, and I notice once again what a fine-looking man he is. I imagine it is those family genes. Perhaps that is what attracted Aunt Grace to Marek.
I can’t help but stare at Tomas as the lift shudders and shifts, and I feel his breath practically on my face. Whilst it is a little uncomfortable, there is something nice about it too.
I concentrate on the buttons and the tiny screen on the lift as it lights up with the floor numbers. Tomas smiles at me as we reach the first floor. Why does he have to have such a cute smile? My cheeks start to burn, and I hope he can’t see how red they are from his attention. I tell myself there is just one more floor to go. Thank goodness Albert doesn’t live on a higher floor; I don’t think I could bear much more of this. It is a bit too close for comfort. I haven’t been this close to anyone since before Craig left, let alone a stranger in Prague. Although, the Christmas market was pretty packed. Perhaps I should get used to not having as much personal space as I am used to while I am here.
The lift finally dings and the doors open. Slowly. I almost leap out of them as soon as there is enough space for me to escape. It was getting quite hot and steamy in there.
Tomas opens the door of number twenty-five, and we walk in to be greeted by Albert, who is sitting on the sofa, just as he was the last time.
‘Good afternoon,’ says Albert.
‘Good afternoon, Albert.’ I smile at the old man, who has a kind face. He doesn’t look like a liar with some terrible secret. Then again, what does a liar look like? Craig was lying to me for goodness knows how long in our marriage.
‘Right, so I’ll make you a coffee? Then Albert can tell you exactly what he told me,’ says Tomas.
‘Sure, okay.’
I hear some banging about, and the kettle whistles in the kitchen. Albert stares at me again, and I don’t know where to look, so I keep smiling at him and then averting my eyes. Each time I look back at him, he is still staring at me, so I look towards the window once again and the view outside of someone walking a puppy. However, Tomas distracts me when he walks in with a big brown box and puts it down on the coffee table that separates Albert and me. There is no indication as to what the contents could be, apart from some writing in Czech on it that I don’t understand.
Albert looks at the box and points to it.
‘This,’ he says.
‘This?’ I repeat.
‘This is my secret.’
‘Okay, so you keep a secret cardboard box. I don’t quite follow, sorry.’
‘It’s what’s inside,’ smiles Tomas.
Dare I ask? Since I am here, I decide that I probably should.
‘Right. So, what’s inside?’
