We landed safe and sound. Well except my left hand which had deep nail indentations that would last for several more days. The surprising thing was I didn’t mind. I liked being her rock. I liked that she could be vulnerable with me.
As everyone jostled to be the first off the plane I stayed calm and told Elly to do the same. I’d spotted the buses that would ferry us from the plane to the part of the airport where we needed to be. Last on, first off and then we’d be first in line at passport control. It worked but I couldn’t help but be appalled at how all the other passengers were pushing each other needlessly. Where had we landed?
We breezed through passport control. Me with my purplish passport and her with a red and white ID card that not only worked as a passport but a driving licence as well, then we located the luggage pick up point. I stood back as nothing was rotating and we chatted a little. She seemed more nervous than on the plane. I wondered if she was planning on making a run for it. If a husband or boyfriend was coming to meet her but before I could figure anything out the belt started up.
Once again old people pushed past with no regard for manners. Others rammed their empty luggage trolleys in your heels until you ceded position. I was less than an hour on Polish soil and I had begun to dislike them as a breed. In England I had only met a few and by and large I liked them. The builders had a cheeky chappy appeal and the waitresses were all attractive and attentive. As a group they generally smiled and seemed happy. I hadn’t seen one smile yet inside the airport and while it wasn’t the most modern terminal in the World it wasn’t the grey communist blocks I was expecting.
I packed our cases onto the trolley and we wheeled away. As soon as we got through the doors to the waiting families we began searching for the woman who was set to pick us up. We were swamped by old men offering us taxi rides that Elly insisted weren’t real taxi drivers.
“I saw show about them.” She said.
“What do they do, pick up unexpectant foreigners drive them around in circles then rob them?” I joked.
I shouldn’t have joked apparently. We saw the sign that I guessed was for me Jomes Wallminsons. The women holding it was about five foot tall, short black hair, glasses that made me think of Mr. Magoo and barrel-esque around the mid section. Surprisingly her ankles and calves could have belonged to a supermodel.
“Hallo.” She said as I approached her. “Mr. Val-im-son?”
“Er, I guess so but just call me James.” I said. “This is Elly.”
“Hallo Jam-s and Elly. I am Monika.”
She started to walk away so I began to push my trolley and Elly followed in silence. She seemed to be taking it all in and actually for both of us it was our first visit to Chopin Airport. It wouldn’t be our last and very soon it was more familiar to us than the dentist or doctor’s office, well dentists at least.
Monika drove a little Nissan and though she and it were small, she drove like a bat out of hell. She weaved between traffic on three lane roads as if it was an intricate ballet and all the other drivers obliged in taking part as well. There was no slowing down for red lights, only screeching halts. Then up to top speed as quickly as possible.
I noticed trams running parallel to most main roads. I had seen them before but much older ones and more as tourist attractions rather than a genuine means of transport. As we flew along the bumpy roads Monika said that we’d been booked into Grandma Towers which didn’t sound very good and it was next to a mall.
A mall? Was I in America.
Grandma Towers was actually fabulous. The lighting in the foyer was more nightclub than apartment block and there was a guard and receptionist. I felt like I was checking into a hotel. We rode the lift to the 23rd floor. Everything was clean, everything felt modern and when she opened our door to a spacious apartment the opposite wall was completely made of glass and it gave a view which I imagined would be spectacular in the day. I was wrong though. I could only see a graveyard and a few of the many building sites. Actually Warsaw was like one big building site.
She gave us a quicker tour. The bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi, radiators on the wall to keep your towel warm and heated tiles for the winter months, a small bedroom with a massive bed, a fully equipped kitchen that could have done with less appliances and more space and finally the living room or saloon as she called it with a wall mounted flat screen TV, surround sound and wi-fi internet access to complement its leather couch.
“There isn’t any food in but the mall across the road has a Carrefour and some nice restaurants.”
“Thanks. I think we will just take a shower and get to bed.” I said.
“Ok. I will come and pick you up at nine a m tomorrow then.”
I walked her to the door and we said our goodbyes. She shouted through to Elly but she was already in the shower.
I unpacked my stuff and was getting a glass of water from the tap.
“Don’t!” Elly shouted.
I turned around and there she was again, looking more beautiful than I had remembered. Wet hair, towel covering breasts to ass and dripping all over my new hard wood floor.
“Bottled is safer.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you want to try the Jacuzzi with me?”
What an offer.
I sure did.
So we did.
For the first time, when she didn’t really need me, when she was back home, away from the terrors of England and she could have returned safely to her family, we made love. We made love in the Jacuzzi, in the bedroom and on the leather couch.
I was beginning to get hungry and I was damn sure thirsty.
“Do you want to eat?” I asked.
“Sure.” She said. “There will be a kebab place open somewhere.”
“You have kebabs.” I chuckled.
“Better than in England. In England kebab is drunk food, in Poland we eat for pleasure.”
Sure enough there was a kebab place nearby and we got a Fanta to share as well. As we walked around and I took in my new home we spotted several more kebab shops and a funny little run of huts where it went kebab, sex shop, kebab, sex shop for about twelve little huts or shops.
“I see what you do for fun.” I said pointing them out.
“Urrgh. So disgusting.” Her reaction surprised me.
We made a loop back around and nodded to the guard as we took the lift back to the 23rd floor and flopped into bed. I slept fully dressed.
I was awoken by Monika banging on the door and when I answered fully dressed she seemed glad. Elly was still asleep as was her norm and I needed to talk to her. To ask if she would be there when I returned, to ask what last night meant but Monika handed me a coffee and we were off to work.