Fresh tears sprung out and, between sobs, Meredith poured out the story. “It was all in my pack and I—I—have nothing,” she gasped. “No credit card—no traveler’s checks—no train pass—no passport—nothing!”
“You need to sit down.” The blonde removed the tray, which was about to spill anyway, setting it on a table then pulling out a stool. “Everything was in their car?” she asked Meredith. “Everything?”
Meredith used one of the napkins to wipe her face.
“Haven’t you ever heard of a money belt?”
“I have one,” Meredith confessed. “In—in my backpack!” Now she was crying again.
“Oh, man. I’ve heard of that happening. In fact, a lot lately. But I never can figure out how anyone could be so stupid as to let a stranger take all their stuff like that.”
“I know. So stupid. I feel like the village idiot—but I believed her. The woman—seemed so—so nice.”
“I bet she did. Scammers are always nice…and smooth.” The barista laid a hand on Meredith’s arm. “And you’re not stupid. I shouldn’t have said that.” She smiled and pointed to her name tag. “I’m Faith Reynolds. Who are you?”
“Meredith…Cardwell.” She blew her nose. “I’m from the West Coast too. Oregon.”
“Well then,welcometo Vienna.” Faith’s tone was laced with cynicism as she grimly shook her head. “Sorry about that. It’s really an amazing city. With a lot of good people. You just got seriously unlucky.”
“What do I do now?”
“Go to the US Consulate.” Faith frowned. “The bad news is the consulate closes at four on Friday and won’t open again until Monday at eight.”
“Does that mean there’s good news?”
Faith grinned. “There is. My aunt works at the consulate.”
“Well, that sounds helpful…but not until Monday morning.” Meredith slowly shook her head then pointed to the tray of coffee and pastries. “I’ll have to survive on that…and the streets…until then.”
“There’s more good news,” Faith told her. “I live with my aunt. And I’m sure she won’t mind having you stay with us until Monday. Her flat’s pretty small, though, and you may have to sleep on the floor. I have the pullout sofa in the living room.”
“That’s okay,” Meredith told her. “Better than the streets.”
“Right, unless Aunt Carrie can come up with another plan.” Faith glanced back at the counter. “I still need to close out the till, but then we can go. The owner is in back, and he’ll finish closing.” She tapped the little white bag. “May as well eat those. We’re known for our strudel.”
“So I’ve heard.”
While Faith finished with the till and wiping down the counters, Meredith munched on the strudel. It was probably better than it tasted, but in her present state, she couldn’t say. When it was time to go, Meredith felt like she’d been run over by a truck and was still numb from shock. Faith took it in stride as she guided Meredith onto the crowded tram, handled her fare, and led her to a seat in the back.
“Thanks,” Meredith mumbled. “I feel like a zombie right now.” She explained a bit about teaching first grade in a rural country for the past couple years, her recent long flights and layovers, and general lack of sleep. “I think I have brain fog.”
“You’re probably in shock. Why not lean back and try to relax.”
“Uh-huh.” A small part of her wanted to look out the window and witness the city sights passing by, but mostly she was exhausted and wasn’t sure she even cared. This entire trip seemed like a giant mistake. A catastrophic mess that wouldn’t easily clean up. But what was the point of obsessing? She took a few calming breaths, shut her eyes, and tried to block it all out.
Maybe she’d been asleep, or maybe she was in a shocked stupor, but when she opened her eyes, she was being nudged and urged to stand up. “This is our stop,” the woman next to her said.
“Oh?” Meredith stood, still groggy from her nap. She stared at the blonde who was headed for the door then remembered Faith, the barista. She jumped to attention and followed her just as the tram stopped and the door slid open. Following Faith out, she looked around, trying to get her bearings and wondering how long they’d been on the tram. They were still in the city, but it looked more modern with what appeared to be tall apartment buildings.
Faith hitched a strap of a bag over her shoulder. Meredith hadn’t even noticed it before. “It’s about a mile from here, give or take,” she said.
“Okay.” Meredith fell into step with her.
They walked a good while in silence before Faith looked over at her again. “How are you doing?”
“I’m still kinda numb. This is all pretty surreal.”
“Yeah, I bet. Well, Carrie should be home by now. She usually gets there before me. We take turns cooking. It’s mine tonight.” She patted the bulging canvas bag. “Provisions here.”
