14 Meeting in the Morning

Philip smiled mysteriously but shook his head disapprovingly.

"Let's deal with your topic first, shall we? Berenice was at the disco with some boy, remember?"

"I remember," he admitted resignedly. How could he forget such shocking news?

"You must confess your feelings to her as soon as possible, otherwise you could lose her forever."

Forever! David's heart turned into a heavy lump of ice. If he didn't tell Berenice now that he loved her, she would never know. That would be... quite ok, added the coward in his heart. Since he had no chance with her anyway, why should he ridicule himself and confess his love to her? She might feel embarrassed. She wouldn't know how to behave around him and they would probably never be able to talk normally again.

David cast his gaze to a sky as blue and bright as if it had been painted with the brush of the finest artist. At least that's what Berenice would have thought, because to David it was simply serene.

"Do you really think I should confess to her that I love her?" he said.

"Think about it, what will you regret more in ten years, the fact that you told her, or the fact that you didn't tell her?"

"In ten years, you say? How do I know what I'll regret at thirty years old?"

"Use your imagination, dumbass."

"Ok, ok, but I can't just go to her at her parents' house and announce that I love her."

"Right. Hm..." Philip began to seriously consider the problem. "I know! It's Seb's birthday in two weeks. We'll organize an outdoor party, a barbecue, and invite Berenice. I think it will be a good occasion, don't you?"

David felt a little strange.

"Well... actually, yes..." At this point, however, he preferred that his cousin not be so damn smart and find a good opportunity for David to confess his feelings, because he was starting to dread this moment like hell. For fourteen years he hadn't gotten around to confessing his love to Berenice and now he was going to do it in two weeks? It was quite terrifying.

David just remembered how a panic attack feels.

***

David's head was preoccupied with his pending declaration of love, but he was professional enough not to forget his work. So every day he dropped by the palace grounds for a while to check that everything was in order and then tended to the plants in the greenhouse and in the field. His father was going to have his leg in a cast for two more weeks, so it was up to David to be the host now.

In addition, there had been hot weather combined with a lack of rain for a week, and David was a bit worried about the plants planted around the palace. True, they had been broadcasting fleeting rainfall for a last few days, but their area had been steadily passing by. So he thought it would be a good idea to water the flowers and young trees he had so carefully planted in the spring. It would be a terrible shame if they couldn't withstand the scorching weather.

Then there was the matter of the lawn. Watered with sprinklers, the grass was growing nicely and needed mowing every week. So he decided that as early as this Thursday, to avoid the worst of the scorching weather, he would go to the site and take care of his work.

Since Saturday morning, when he left Gustav Meiden in his office and Felix Krauze in the kitchen, he hadn't spoken to either of them. He hasn't even seen any of them. True, his father called Krauze and the attorney came with some papers to sign, but David was not at home at the time. He later read the contract in which Mr. Meiden contracted his father's company to take care of the greenery of his property, but there wasn't much detail there. It seemed that the Norwegian was actually not interested in much. There was only a provision that either party could break the contract at any time without cause and without financial sanctions.

What puzzled David most, however, was why a set of spare keys had been left with them. He even asked his father about it, but the latter gave the impression of evading an answer. He just said that when Meiden starts working, he can forget the whole world and it's better not to disturb him then, so it will be more convenient for everyone to have their own keys and free access to the palace grounds.

If that's the case, that's fine, stated David, and every time he appeared on the property he let himself in using this set. Just why do they need keys to the house? And I wonder what this guy might be working on in a place like this?

David liked his quiet, peaceful countryside and was only occasionally tempted to leave for the big city. He wasn't drawn to art galleries, theaters or philharmonics, so the city had little to offer him. He had a movie theater in a nearby small town, likewise a shopping mall where he could buy all the things he needed, he had a job locally, most of his buddies too, so why leave?

Meiden should also have some friends there at home. It was strange that he abandoned them and came to a country on the other side of the Baltic Sea. If he wanted to get to know Polish culture, he should have stayed in a place like Krakow, Lublin or Warsaw, for example. If he wanted to live in a quiet but historically beautiful place he should choose Sandomierz or Zamosc. Their village had virtually nothing but this old palace from the 18th century and a neglected park. Maybe Meiden actually had a fondness for the place because of his grandmother, but that didn't change the fact that there was practically nothing to do in this hole.

Well, unless Meiden works via the Internet. That way it doesn't matter where he lives, all that matters is that he has access to the net, and they've had it for a long time.

David rode his bike onto the property and set it up next to a small tool shed. The spacing of the sprinklers was such that they covered the lawn, not reaching under the very wall of the house so as not to soak the plaster, or into the park, which was just too big. However, David had some precious young plants just in the park, so he took a watering can, filled it with water and went there first. He course three times, but didn't miss any of the young and drought-sensitive seedlings.

He then set about watering the flowers under the house.

The smell of the lilies was stunning and reminded David of his elementary school years, when he was still a good boy and served mass as an altar boy. Lilies often adorned the altar and their intense fragrance spread throughout the church. Sometimes it was too intense, but the open window allowed him to breathe in the fresh air, so he had no unpleasant memories from these experiences. On the contrary, he smiled as he recalled how he and his colleagues fulfilled altar boy duties.

Having watered the flowers, he took the lawnmower out of the crib. He was already about to turn it on when he realized that the owner of the house might still be sleeping. Common decency forbade waking him with the loud growl of the engine, so David stood undecided. In the end, he decided that all of this would take an unknown amount of time, since he didn't know Meiden's daytime mode, so he hopped on his bike and rode to the store to buy himself some snacks. When he returned, he noticed that the office window was wide open. Behind him, a little stray, the host was wandering around.

"Good morning," greeted David cheerfully. Meiden turned slowly toward him showing a ghostly-like face. "Eeeee... I'd like to mow the lawn. I won't disturb you?"

The Norwegian tightened his lips. He looked at the gardener as if he wanted to pierce him with his eyes.

"Maven," he said without taking his eyes off him.

David was so moved by this strange look, nay, by Meiden's entire appearance, that he mumbled something in response and decided that he would nevertheless start his work from the farthest corner of the property. The landlord had apparently had a rough morning, and he didn't want to run into him when he was in a bad mood. Why provoke conflict when you can avoid it?

The work was moving fast, but the sun was taking dominance in the sky even faster, and soon David felt that he was sticky from sweat all over. It was getting hot, even very hot. He didn't have much left to mow, but decided he needed a moment's rest. He was glad that he had started his work from an open space, because now he had closer to the bushes, where he could look for a bit of shade. So he sat down under one of the trees supporting himself with his hands and, looking up at the bright blue sky, breathed deeply.

He twitched as he heard something hit the ground next to him. He looked and saw a bottle of mineral water. Had someone thrown it? But who? He looked around.

Meiden was standing outside the house with that grim expression of his, but his green eyes were not so hostile at all. Maybe rather... alert. And lonely.