CHAPTER 4
The sun hung higher than he was accustomed to at this time of the evening. Warm still, the air hinted at a chill before the night was over. Already the trees were changing colour, while all was green back in England. It was a pretty place, David admitted to himself. The lake looked as though it had been placed especially for the benefit of the inhabitants, curling round in a comma like shape, tailing off to what appeared to be a fairly broad river, around which many red or yellow painted, wooden houses were clustered. It reminded him rather of Sweden in many ways, yet the distinctions were clear and obvious.
It wasn’t certain yet whether or not this would be a good place to expand into. It had possibilities, but those possibilities would have to be developed by some local staff at least, and what he had seen so far did not dispose him to consider that they were up to the job. He had been warned about the people already. Finns, he was told, are hard workers, honest and efficient in whatever they do, but serious, very serious indeed. A quiet people, having little to say for themselves.
That much was true, he had found out at first hand. He had been met at the local airport, driven to the company flat and left there. Hardly a dozen sentences had been spoken on the way. All he really knew was that he would be called for in the morning at eight o’ clock. No hotel, or rather, a small one which happened to be full, and that he had known before flying out to Finland. No meal offered, and no indication as to where he might get one. No key to the flat. It had even been unlocked when he arrived. Well, he was not unaccustomed to fending for himself.
Wearily he picked up his laptop computer, his constant travelling companion nowadays. It wasn’t as pretty as Stella perhaps, but it was a good deal more faithful. At that, even the question of good looks could be argued. The machine in itself didn’t matter, of course, but the information it contained was irreplaceable. He had no intention of leaving that inside an unlocked flat, however honest Finns might be. Walking along the road, he wondered where to find a restaurant. There seemed to be only houses on this side of the water. Helplessly, he looked around. Nothing in sight, except... yes, almost directly opposite, on the other bank, was an illuminated sign, a familiar one. There were two languages in use in this part of the country and he didn’t know a word of either of them, but this one he recognised. He chuckled to himself. It had been years since he ate a hamburger, not since he was a student, in fact. Perhaps there would be other restaurants nearby. If not, well, a hamburger would do. If nothing else, he would have some idea of what he was eating.
To his dismay, the road straightened, displaying a view of the river, if such was the correct term for the narrow stretch of water before him. What it was called didn’t matter. What did matter was that he could see no way across it, no bridge, and apparently no end to the water. Narrow it may be, but too wide to jump over, even with a following wind. How did people cross, he wondered? He shrugged mentally, turned and walked back in the opposite direction. He would simply have to go all around the lake, a stiffish walk, but none the less welcome after sitting all day. It was a pleasant walk, marred only by the apparently increasing weight of the laptop. Three kilos wasn’t much, but it mounted up after half an hour. Luckily the lake wasn’t such a big one. In some parts of the country, he understood, they were more like inland seas.
Slightly footsore, and sweating, he reached his destination. As it happened, there was another restaurant close by, but a glance at the menu displayed outside verified his suspicions that he would understand nothing. At least, he assumed it was a menu. It looked like a menu, but even that was by no means certain. Anyway, he had promised himself a hamburger and a hamburger he would have, if only out of sheer bloody mindedness.
The place was clean, like everything else he had seen in Finland since his arrival that morning. He approached the counter, where an attractive, fair haired young woman was waiting. She wore a name tag on her sweater, an unusual and striking knitted design. He could see that Laura was the first name, but the other seemed to consist of most of the rest of the alphabet and was clearly unpronounceable, though he supposed it was straightforward to a Finn.
’Er, do you speak English?’
She tilted her head to look up and gave a smile that seemed to be friendly rather than simply professional.
’Yes.’
Just like everyone else in this benighted place, not very talkative, thought David. He noticed subconsciously that her eyes matched the case of his laptop. He placed his order, collected it and sat down near a window as far from the counter as possible, sprinkling the food liberally with ketchup in an effort to disguise the lack of taste. Clearly, Finns went in for food that might best be described as healthy, and taste was presumably fattening or something. At a nearby table were the only two others in the restaurant, and they were on the point of leaving.
Suddenly, David felt unaccountably lonely. He looked through the window at the lake beyond, a lake framed by what he supposed might be birches, mixed with trees of darker hue, some sort of conifers perhaps. He had no idea what they were. The evening sun glittered and flashed over the ripples as a boat sped past. Almost absent mindedly, David ate his frugal meal, mind working on the business problems of the day to come. Would this town really be suitable? There seemed to be expertise and even goodwill available, but none of it was of much use if people couldn’t explain what they were doing. After all, his business was concerned with communication. If people couldn’t do that, they were not likely to be a great deal of use to him.
He went to the counter and ordered more food, and another drink.
’Sit,’ said the girl. ’I will bring.’
That was rather like the way Stella used to order him to do things, he thought with some amusement. And yet not quite the same. There was no imperiosity in her voice. While waiting, he opened his laptop computer and began writing an idea which had being ripening all day. He wanted to get down the basic framework while it was fresh in his mind.
A movement just behind him distracted his attention. He looked up and saw a pair of computer coloured eyes gazing with frank interest at what he had written. It was with a feeling of sudden anger that he closed the lid with rather more force than necessary and slid the computer on to the chair on his left. Inwardly he was fuming, but masked his mood as he thanked her for the food. Rapidly he ate, then left.
’That does it,’ he muttered as he strode rapidly along the road, letting off steam as he went. ’Tomorrow, I suppose I have to talk to the people I’ve come to see, but I’ll tell them I’m not interested. The business would be all right, but the people! It was an error to have come here in the first place. I’ll not make that mistake again. I’ll stick to Scandinavia in future.’
Slowly, gradually, his pace slackened. He realised that he must have been walking for quite some time, if the ache in his legs was anything to go by. The light gave no clue. Night it may be, yet it was almost as bright as noon. The flat must be close by. Yes, he recognised the street by the church at one end of it. The flat was at the other end. Wearily, he dragged his feet onwards.
He stopped, cursing volubly, ignoring the incurious look of a passer by. His laptop. He’d left his laptop in the restaurant. Of all the stupid things to do. Well, there was nothing for it, but to go back. Hopefully, the place was still open.
It was a hope that was unfulfilled. Limping slightly, he approached the window through which he had been looking while eating his meal, and peered inside. As he expected, there was nothing to be seen. That is, nothing that couldn’t be expected. Chairs, tables, cloths, but no computer. Definitely no computer. Damn!
There came a rustling sound beside him. He turned and found the girl, Laura, he remembered with an effort, standing beside him and holding his precious laptop.
’You left this inside,’ she said. ’I came after you, but you had gone already. I thought you would come back.’
’You waited?’ David asked. ’That was very kind of you.’
’I waited,’ she said simply. ’There must be a lot of work on it you wouldn’t wish to lose.’
’There is,’ he said warmly. ’I hope you haven’t been waiting long.’
’Not long, no. I tried phoning the hotel, but they said you weren’t staying there, and I couldn’t think where else you might be, so I thought I had better wait. Nobody leaves a computer for long.’
’It was very kind of you,’ repeated David, looking at the card on the door giving details of opening times, and realising she had very likely been waiting for a lot longer than she had admitted to. ’In fact, the hotel was full, so I’m staying in a flat. It belongs to this man here.’
He produced a card with a name on it.
’I’m sorry I can’t pronounce it. I’m sure you can manage better.’
’But the house belongs to his company. He’s selling it, I know. You must be the Englishman who’s going to buy it. Is that right?’
David hesitated, then relaxed, thinking he owed her that much at least. If the deal was a secret, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. In fact, the chances were that the locals knew more about his plans than he did himself.
’Well, I don’t really know yet. I came across to have a look, to see if it would be worthwhile. Nothing has been decided. I haven’t actually talked to anyone about it. That’s a job for tomorrow. Anyway, I’ve kept you long enough. You must have had a long day and want to get home. I hope you live a bit closer than I do.’
’We’re in the same street, in fact. It’s very close.’
’Is it?’ said David, vastly amused. ’I seem to have been walking for half the night between here and my bed. I don’t mind exercise, but that’s a bit excessive after a long journey to get here.’
The girl laughed. It was like spring water trickling over pebbles. ’But of course, you wouldn’t know how to cross the lake. You are closer than you think. Look there, you can just see the church from here. That’s between your house and mine. And there is where you live, to the right of the big fir.’
’Um, I’m sorry to say I haven’t the faintest idea of what a fir looks like, apart from the fact it probably has branches,’ confessed David. ‘And leaves, too, I suppose, though I’m not too certain even about that.’
’No? Well, you can see the row of houses built of brick. There is one in the middle without lights.’
’That’s mine?’
’Yes.’
There was indeed one without lights. It looked rather like a closed eyelid compared to the life that emanated from the others.
’It’s close, as you say, but it’s a long time since I was in a church and I’m afraid I can’t walk on water,’ said David.
’Neither can I, but I do know how to row. I have a boat nearby. Would you like a lift? It only takes five minutes to get across.’
’Would I like a lift? Young lady, you have just restored my faith in human nature. Yes please, I would like a lift very much indeed. I always thought I was fit, but I’ve walked further than I wanted tonight.’
He stood for a moment by the edge of the lake while Laura untied her fibre glass rowing boat, enjoying the sight of a perfectly flat, calm surface, reflecting the very veins of what he still supposed might be birch leaves. In response to her gesture, he stepped into the boat, and she set off, hitching up her skirt to just above her knees and rowing with easy, yet remarkably efficient strokes. About half way across, she stopped, letting the boat come to rest. He looked at her enquiringly.
’We’re not sinking, I hope? You did assure me you know how to row.’
’I do. Don’t worry. May I tell you something?’
’Of course.’
’I think you work too hard, Mr. Englishman.’
’I have to. My boss gets annoyed if I don’t.’ He smiled. ’I work for myself.’
’A man should slow down sometimes. Slow down and think. He shouldn’t be working while he is eating.’
’Oh, well I don’t quite know what to say about that.’
’You don’t need to say anything. Just look around you. I always like to stop in the middle of the lake and look at the scenery. It reminds me of the important things in life.’
David looked around. Pretty, of course, but he had already noted that.
’Yes, I see what you mean.’
’No you don’t. You don’t see anything yet. You look without seeing. Are you going to buy that business?’
The abrupt change of topic startled him.
’You asked me that already. I’ve got my own ideas about it, but I still don’t know, and can’t begin to guess before I’ve met the people I’ve come to see.’
’I hope you do. People have been talking about it. Some are rather worried about letting a foreigner take over, others see it as an opportunity.’
David coughed delicately. ’It seems to me that people have been talking a lot about my affairs.’
’But of course.’ She stared at him with innocent eyes. ’After all, if you do come here, it means work for someone, perhaps for several people. That is very important to us. You would be doing a good thing if you provided that work.’
’There’s work provided now.’
’If it is not sold, the work will disappear.’
’Ah, will it now? That, I didn’t know,’ said David, thoughtfully.
Laura picked up the oars and continued the journey, coming to rest a short while later, grounding the prow on the sandy beach. She jumped out lightly and held the boat steady while David joined her on the shore. She tied the boat securely to a nearby tree, then walked in silence alongside David to the entrance of his flat.
’Many thanks for your help,’ David said. ’Goodnight.’
’Goodnight, Mr. Englishman,’ she said.
’Howard,’ he said. ’David Howard. Or just David to my friends.’
’And I’m just Laura to mine,’ she said, before turning away to go home.
David walked into the flat, deep in thought. He looked at his watch. Almost midnight. Strangely, he didn’t feel sleepy in the slightest. Tired yes, but not sleepy. Even more strangely, he didn’t feel like working. Idly, he wandered around the flat, investigating its possibilities. Small it was, yet adequate for the occasional visitor, simply, yet well furnished. There was even a piano, assuming it was really part of the furnishings, and not the property of whoever normally rented the flat. If he bought the firm, he assumed the flat would come with it. Now what was he thinking of? Hadn’t he already made the decision not to waste his time here? And yet, there was one person in the town who seemed to care what happened. He wondered what she meant by her statement that the work would disappear if the business wasn’t sold. Interesting.
He lifted the lid of the piano and caressed the keys. Half remembered tunes came to his mind. He picked out what he could recall, but gave up in frustration. It was so long ago that he had studied music, he had forgotten the repertoire he once had. Perhaps the girl was right, he should slow down a bit now and again. He looked around further. The bookshelf offered a variety of prose and what appeared to be works of poetry, none of which he could understand, but there was one shelf containing a number of music scores. With a feeling of pleasure, he took one at random and began playing. It was soft music, gentle and melancholic, sounding much like the natural surroundings he only looked at but apparently didn’t see properly.
He found another piece, then another, until knowledge of the passage of time reminded him that the neighbours may not be as appreciative. Slowly he undressed and settled into bed, an unaccustomed sense of relaxation upon him. He stared out of the window at a sky that was still light enough to drown all but two or three stars. Or maybe they were planets. He didn’t know much about that either. One, brighter than the rest, shone low down in the sky, slowly disappearing below the horizon. As he watched, the sky grew brighter again with the return of the sun. He slept, mind more at rest than it had been earlier in the day.
On the two days following, David sprang into action, his brain working at full speed once again. His irritation of the first day having all but disappeared, he spent many hectic hours in consultations with a variety of people, looking at documents and having them explained in seemingly adequate, but far from perfect English. At last the second day drew to a close. Really, he thought, these people are friendlier than they seemed to be at first. There is an urge to do things right, to do what is best for everyone. Well, there were a couple of more days to come before any firm decision needed to be made, but already he thought he knew what that decision might be. Once again he played the piano, safe in the knowledge that it was still early evening, and he wasn’t likely to disturb anyone, even though he had opened the door to the balcony. Looking up, he caught sight of a familiar patterned sweater passing the flat. He ceased playing and hurried to the balcony.
’Hello there,’ he said. ’It’s a nice evening.’
The sweater stopped and its owner looked up at the balcony. ’Hello, Mr. Howard. Was that you playing the piano?’
’Yes. Did you like it?’
’You play Merikanto like an Englishman,’ she said diplomatically.
David laughed. ’I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not. Are you just going to work, or have you finished already?’
Laura’s computer coloured eyes stared at him blankly and her mouth fell open slightly.
’It’s Sunday today,’ she said. ’We don’t open on a Sunday.’
David cursed silently, and mentally kicked himself. Sunday, of course. He had forgotten. No-one had reminded him. On the contrary, he realised, everybody concerned had been at pains to work throughout the day just because he had demanded it. A thought crossed his mind.
’I’d like to ask you something,’ he said.
’Of course.’
’Wait there, I’ll come down.’
Swiftly, David made his way to the street, and joined a patiently waiting Laura. Glancing around, he took notice of a large boulder by the water’s edge, and led the girl to it. Sitting on the rock, he looked out across the lake into the calm and placid evening.
’You said the other day that if this computer firm I’ve been looking at isn’t sold, then jobs will be lost.’
’That’s right,’ she said. ’It’s common knowledge.’
’Not to me, it wasn’t, and still isn’t. There’s something about it I don’t know, and I think I should. I don’t say anyone is hiding the information, at least not deliberately, but the level of English is not of the highest, and it may be I wouldn’t understand if I was told. Your English seems first rate. Won’t you tell me what it is? I mean, why would jobs disappear if I choose not to take over the business?’
She looked at him gravely. ’Will you buy, if I tell you?’
’I don’t know. Much depends on what you say.’ He hesitated. ’I’m quite keen on the idea, rather keener than I was a couple of days ago, but I don’t want to buy a pig in a poke - do you know that expression? I mean, if there happens to be something wrong with the business, and I felt cheated, I would simply close it down and leave. I would not feel myself to be under any obligation.’
’Yes,’ Laura said thoughtfully. ’Yes, I can see that. But you may rest assured. You will not be cheated. The only reason the owner is selling is because he is ill. He has worked too hard, you see, and didn’t know how to stop, not even on Sundays. Now the doctors have told him he can work, or he can live. He can’t do both.’
’I see. And I had him working today. Thank you for telling me.’
’And it is the truth. I don’t tell lies.’
’That thought hadn’t occurred to me,’ said David, shaking his head. ’It explains a lot that has been puzzling me. Things sort of fit together rather better now. One more question. Why is this so important to you? I mean, there are only a handful of jobs involved, after all. I wouldn’t anticipate expanding very much, if at all.’
’This is a small town, Mr. Howard. The loss of a handful of jobs increases the unemployment percentage quite a lot. Even that isn’t so important, not in itself, but for the man who has no work, his unemployment figure is one hundred percent, and Finnish men don’t take kindly to being idle. Work is all too often the meaning of life.’ She paused. ’But perhaps you know this yourself.’
David winced internally. This girl knew how to hit below the belt. She was right, of course. When he couldn’t keep track of the days of the week, then she was certainly right.
’I like this town, Mr. Howard. It’s my home. It’s not much of a place in many ways, but it’s mine. There’s no real history to it, at least nothing of importance except to the people who live here. I don’t say I never want to go somewhere else, but I would always want to come back. This is where I belong, you see. Everybody needs somewhere to belong to. It isn’t good if you have to leave because there is no work.’
The man’s mind wandered to another, earlier episode in his life, to a time when he was with a young woman, walking beside a stretch of water, talking of things he had long forgotten. He wouldn’t forget the words of this young woman, of that he was certain. His mind was made up.
’I think I can say that I will be buying,’ he said. ’I was beginning to have doubts about it, but you’ve helped to clear those away.’
She glanced at him sharply. ’I’m happy to hear that. I expect you would not wish me to talk about it just yet.’
He smiled ruefully. ’It doubt if it matters, since everyone seems to be more aware of my business than I am. Just the same, I would prefer it if you kept it to yourself for a while. You’ll know soon enough, officially.’