chapter eight
"Pete, could you give Sophie salt?"
"Don't call me that!"
And then a long time of silence, that rang in Sophies' ears. She looked at Tina, who opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, the twelve year old boy stared with anger at his plate. Finally she looked at gloomy Swedish, who was sitting on the other side of a table.
"Peter…" She started, but Tina interrupted her.
"It is all right Su." She said quietly, she turned to the boy. "Could you be more polite, we have a guest."
"I don't care, she is not my guest, she is yours."
Susana shifted uncomfortably , but before she could say anything, Tina spoke.
"Peter, at this moment apologize Sophie." Her voice was cool and calm, but Sophie knew that she was nervous.
"Tina…" Sophie began. "It is all right, really."
"No, Peter, you should apologize."
"Stop command me!" Peter got up. "You are neither my father nor my mother!"
"Peter!" Susana raised her voice, but the boy didn't care.
"You are just my mother's girlfriend! For me you are nobody! Nobody!"
"Peter!" This time Susana got up. She gave him crushing glance, effectively quenching the defiant attitude. "Apologize!"
Peter was silent, clenching his hands on the table.
"Apologize!"
"Susana." Tina said, but tall blond woman didn't even look at her.
"I am sorry." Peter said through clenched teeth. Susana sat down, giving Peter one more sharp glance.
"Will you sit down?"
"I am not hungry." The boy said. "I will just go to my room."
They ate in silence. Forgotten salt still stood next to Peter's plate.
o
"Sophie, I am sorry, for…"
"It is all right, I don't care, really, it is me who should say sorry."
Both of them were sitting on a couch in a small livingroom
The young Fink looked at her quizzically.
"I didn't speak with you for a long time and suddenly I just appeared here. Peter was right, I shouldn't…"
"Sometimes you are really stupid. We are old friends and friends help each other, right?"
Sophie blinked, surprised by this unexpected confession. So far only one of her old friends wanted to help her. Bell, but now she was dead.
"Anyway, how did you find me?" Tina asked with curiosity. "I didn't give my address to anyone."
"Your mother told me."
"Tina frowned."
o
She was angry when she left the Swiss shop. She get money, but not enough. And Vash? He didn't even looked at her. Maybe that was better. After all their last fight was really big, she remembered that she was just running and running and crying. And she was lost in some other district. Funny, maybe if they didn't quarrel, she would have never met Sadik.
By accident she found herself next to Tina's parents' house. She thought that maybe Tina would help, after all they knew each other quite long time.
Hope faded as quickly as it came. When she knocked, the door was opened by somber man, who said her that he had no daughter
Resigned Sophie thought about asking neighbours, when the door opened one more time. This time she saw woman with small paper in her hand.
"It is her address, will…will you tell her, that she is still in my heart?" Sophie nodded and the door closed.
Address said Sophie nothing. She was afraid of the meeting, because of Tina's parents reaction.
"Tina, what happened to you." She wondered.
Sophie was expecting everything, a jail, a hospital… She was really surprised when she saw a lovely building in 10th district. Tina was living here with her girlfriend, who was a doctor and with her twelve year old son.
And now, they were talking like nothing changed.
"Tina, I don't want to be rude, but how…?Sophie felt uncomfortably.
"How it happened that I live with a woman?" Tina finished, smiling crookedly. "I don't know. I met her in the hospital where she was taking care of my father and it began. We lived together for a year, it was great until…"
"Until Peter arrival?" Sophie whispered. "I can see that you have problem with finding contact with him."
Tina sighed.
"Susana had a husband and Peter was born. Don't be surprised her parents couldn't understand that she prefers women. Just like my…"She paused for a moment. "They forced her into that marriage, but she divorced when Peter was still small and shortly after that she moved here from Sweden."
"And she met you."
"Yes, but six month ago, Peter's father died and Susana had to take care of him. As you had chance to see, we are not a happy family."
Sophie felt sorry for Peter. He lost the closest person and soon after he moved to strange, giant city. Foreign country and language. And he lived with strange woman who was his mother. And it was not helpful that Susana lived with other woman and that she was rather cold. So, because of these things Peter felt useless.
"I had never said this to Susana, but…" Tina paused. "But I am not sure if I…"
"Love her?"
"I don't know, probably I've never known. Even before Peter arrived I had doubts."
"Tina…"
"No, that is all right, so tell me what where you doing when you disappeared?"
So, Sophie told her everything. Tina's smile disappeared immediately.
"Bastard. Fucking bastard."
"I can't call a police. It had been three months since I ran away, but he is looking for me, I am sure and worse some other people that I had never seen before are looking for me also. It will be better if I leave the city. Now it is impossible Sadik and probably that second guy are watching all ways which I can run from this city.
Tina frowned. Sadik's gang had ambition to be the largest group in the city, but they were not large enough to afforded themselves to spy police and had people in all districts. So it had to be someone else. Someone more dangerous.
Who was he? And what did he want from Sophie?
"I need the money. I heard about someone who can help me with escape."
"Since I came here I have problems with money, but I can ask Su, but…" And suddenly she smiled. "Yes, Su!"
"A few weeks ago an old Su's friend came. They knew each other from university. He is not here legally and he needs papers to work here. So if you marry him…"
"Wait. Wait, stop. I would marry him?"
"It is only paper marriage. You both will have benefits. He will be a full citizen and you will get money and a knew identity. If you want, you can keep your surname. It is important that he will help you leave this city."
Sophie felt confused. She really was that desperate?
"Tina, I appreciate that you want to help, but… I don't even know that guy. Who he is?"
"I saw him once, shortly after he arrived. He came to Su to talk about papers. He was studying medicine for one year, but he resigned."
"And what Susana said?"
"Well,… Su is very right." She had her hand tied.
"I don't understand."
Tina sighed.
"Su not only works as a doctor, she also consults the case for a police. You know sections and other…"
Sophie held her breath. Damn! She had to avoid police.
o
Sclerosis didn't hurt. But you had to sacrifice your time.
Alfred F. Jones thought after he forget his glasses and cell from his office for a 10th time in this week. And then he realized that sclerosis may hurt and it started from his feet.
It was late in the evening when he returned to the police building. Only a few men were sitting in a janitor. He waved to them and went to his office.
When he went to 4th floor he felt anxiety. There should be only one lamp switch on. But it was more.
Someone was in the archive and he realized that he forget his weapon. Fucking sclerosis.
Slowly he crept to the door still thinking that he needed weapon. But then he calmed down.
Someone cursed in Swedish.
Alfred entered the archive without knocking. He saw Susana bent over scattered papers and drawers.
"If you are so willing to organize documents, I could phone you, instead of making it by myself."
Susana looked at him and returned to the papers, muttering under her breath. Alfred sighed.
"You know you shouldn't be here at this hour? What am I talking in general you shouldn't be here. Do you know that only policemen can be here?"
This time Swedish didn't even lift her head. Jones began to irritate.
"Listen, Susana, I know I should be grateful for saving my life. And I am, but you can't just walk here and read secret documents. If someone find out, I will be not able to help you. Do you hear me?"
No reaction. Susana was still looking for something.
"Fuck, I didn't think that my life is so much worth. All right. Tell me what you want. After all I was cleaning here not so long time ago."
"The case from month ago. Murder in 6th district. Young prostitute was killed."
For a moment Alfred was opening different drawers. Finally he pulled out a big envelope.
"Why do you need this. This case was closed. They caught that murderer. And you were the one who did section." Alfred pointed Su's signature. Finally the doctor found what she was looking for.
"The testimony of witnesses?"
"This description…" Susana muttered.
"The girl who was living with victim? We don't know who she is. She didn't commit any criminals or she has never been caught"
Susana didn't say a word. She stared at the paper and said nothing.
"Susana, do you know that girl?
"Yes." She said hiding documents to the envelope. "Yes I met her".