Chapter 10: Stroll through Trujillo

23.04.2019

On Wednesday we had another phone call with Mrs Vernuschina. Lenya cried with joy when she told me what she had discussed with her mother and how much she was looking forward to meeting her on Saturday. Priya and Olivia prepared a room in the guesthouse. They covered both beds; perhaps Lenya would like to sleep with her mother from time to time. That evening I booked three rooms online for Friday in the very nice hotel in Trujillo where I had stayed last time. We were prepared for the visit, but there were so many other things to do.

Time flew for me. Early in the morning I had measured the windows in the casa and saloon in the Indio village, which had been destroyed by the tidal wave last year. I wanted to hire a construction team in Mersto to replace the windows, which had been temporarily repaired and nailed up, and to stabilise the doors of the huts. I quickly helped Enzo with the electrics for the new rooms. Despite the coolness of the morning, sweat was running down my back as I hurried back to the Palazzo. Suddenly, Esther approached me, uncertain. Zarina was not well. She was already in the hospital room. I ran to her. All she needed was a pat, I soon realised. Our dear Chinese lady had more mental than physical problems before her second birth. I had also taken too little time for the sometimes too tender-hearted young woman. In tears, Zarina confessed to me that she trembled every time I drove away. Because I’d been gone for days, she couldn’t sleep when I was away. I didn’t know she was so fixated on me, but it worried me. She begged me not to leave the valley again. If I went away for two days to get Lenya’s mother, many in the valley would be frightened. It would only bring us bad luck.

Finally, I lay beside her, caressing her and the kicking new life in her womb, and whispered to her, “Zarina, I have to go. No one else can come for Lenya’s mother. I promise it’ll be the last time before your birth. Nothing can happen to us with the big, strong car. Please don’t worry. Our baby needs a calm mummy. Have you ever sung to her?”

My diversion was successful. After a moment’s thought, she sang a Chinese nursery rhyme. I had finally got her thinking about something else. “We will organise some things differently in the future. My work here is getting more and more bogged down. I’m going to practice driving with Luca. In future, he will go to the village or do the shopping on his own. And one day you will drive the big car too, what do you think?” She kissed me tenderly, but more like a worried wife than a lover. A little later she fell asleep in my arms.

My thoughts turned to all sorts of things as I lay there so quietly. Also the fear that Alexander, who had been foaming with rage and threatening us, might attack at the very moment I was not there, made me very nervous. We had to try the surface-to-air missiles. It was our only chance if the attack came from helicopters. It was the only way to get into the valley, he must have heard from Kuklina. The bridge had been blown up and the other way was impassable at the time of the attack.

When Zarina turned slightly to the side, I was able to get away from her. I had to check the extra power lines with Enzo and connect them. The family were delighted to see me. Even five-year-old Carla took a piece of candy from me and stopped hiding behind her mother. When I tried to stroke her hair, she shrugged her shoulders and then gave in to my caress with a big smile on her face.

I had taken Olivia with me in the jeep. I wanted to know from Marta and Enzo what they desperately needed, but they did not dare to ask for anything. Eventually, I sent Olivia and Marta through the house, which was now much bigger. Olivia promised Marta bed linen and that she could take the laundry to Alejandra for cleaning. The family could only sit on their beds. There was no room for a chair or bench. Babette was to bring four plastic chairs from our warehouse and a table that could be set up outside.

Finally, Olivia informed me that there was a lack of soap, towels, and detergents. We still had some supplies in the warehouse. I wanted to buy twenty plastic buckets in Trujillo and provide one for each hut so that there would be no envy. Olivia had also told Marta that I couldn’t stand it if the stoves or sinks were as dirty as they were here in the kitchen. The woman started cleaning immediately.

Then I waved fifteen-year-old Marc over. He was a strong lad, but by European standards he was more like a twelve or thirteen year old, as far as I could judge. But one could only admire the mountain farmers, how they had raised their children in the barren mountain landscape. I didn’t see any signs of hunger or serious illness.

Marc’s clothes were terrible, all old and greasy. He also smelled of cattle and had probably been wearing the alpaca clothes for weeks. He had taken off his sun hat. He no longer needed it in the valley. Now you could see his beautiful, almost black hair, but it needed care too. His nine-year-old brother Dylan looked very much like him but was even more shy and reserved.

Without further ado, I took the two boys to the Palazzo for a haircut. For Enzo’s girls, I made an appointment for next week. I took five pictures of the boys with our camera. Shortly afterwards, the same spectacle as with Luca was about to happen. When it was time for the boys to shower and bathe, I finally had to ask Luca for help. He stood at the door and explained in Quechua what was going to happen to the boys. In the meantime, I asked Priya for underpants, shirts, and jeans for the boys. We had smaller, used items of clothing for the children, but no larger ones. When we had everything together, the two boys sat in the bathtub and were obviously comfortable. I also showed them how to wash their hair with shampoo and then rinse it thoroughly.

“Well, every beginning is hard.” I said in my native language. Then I got first Dylan, then Marc out of the tub, helped them dry off. When Dylan saw his new clothes, he was completely turned on. He danced in front of the mirror like a teeny girl. Marc also felt visibly comfortable. They both got a glass of coke, while I had Kira and Daja brought to the hair salon.

At first the boys refused, but then they took a seat in the barber’s chairs and had their hair cut. Kira and Daja had a great time. Luca and Diego watched from the doorway, Luca perhaps already jealous of the slightly taller Marc. I had to set clear rules for the future, otherwise some people would lose their heads here. Only now did I realise that my situation here seemed to have been divinely ordained. So far there had only been one man here who was serious about having a relationship with every girl and had no rivals.

During the five follow-up photos, I also photographed Luca and Diego, who had developed beautifully. When I gave Kira and Daja the order to cut Luca and Diego’s hair after the quarantine on Saturday, I heard the argument about which of the hairdressers would be allowed to do Luca’s hair. I sorted it out straight away. I put my lighter behind my back and asked Daja: “Left or right?” She found the hand holding the lighter.

“Luca or Diego?”

“Luca, please.”

I smiled at Kira and said, “Next time, please.” Kira was a little upset, but it was a fair solution.

I didn’t know if it was too early, but I wanted to clarify Marc’s partnership right away. Babette and Sula were quickly found. I gave Babette a light kiss on the lips and said, “Thank you, thank you, my dear.”

She looked at me questioningly. “Your support yesterday with the other girls was great. You are a kind-hearted person.”

She turned bright red and looked down uncertainly. Sula also immediately took a kiss from me. Marc watched with some interest. I introduced the now great-looking Peruvian teen to my two assistants. “You will take care of him. He should learn some English quickly and be able to help us soon. And one more thing...” I still doubted my idea, but I went ahead with it. “Who loves you two the most?”

As if from the same mouth, they both shouted, “You!”

“But I can’t do it all anymore. I’m already forgetting my children’s birthdays and the last time I caressed each of my women. It would be a great pleasure for me, you will remain my best friends, but you will have your Marc in the future”.

The two teenagers looked at each other in amazement, and Sula burst out laughing. Babette showed me the difference in height and expressed her doubts.

“First of all, you are still pregnant and it will be a while before you give birth. Marc will have grown a lot by then. He will also have to get used to us and to you, but time is on your side.”

While Babette was still in doubt, Sula could already imagine. I took Babette in my arms. She had really grown the most, almost matching my 1.85 metres. “Do you remember how big you were when I kissed you for the first time?”

Uncertain, but revelling in the memory, she looked at me. I showed her that she had not even gone to my breast. Then we all three laughed. The deal was done, I hoped.

Now I went back to Zarina, who was lying awake on her bed. I explained to her again that I would have to drive myself tomorrow. I was also the only one with a valid passport, I added as an argument. “You have the important task of being optimistic. Bad moods are bad for our child,” I said as I gently stroked her plump belly. This time I also received a love kiss from the Chinese woman, who had long since attained the physique of an adult woman.

By chance, Daja and Kira ran into me. They still seemed to be arguing.

“I am sad. When I was the only man for seventeen women, you didn’t fight over me. Now you have to share one man for two, and you’re scratching your eyes out.” They hadn’t seen it like that before. We drank tea together on the terrace.

“From my point of view there are two options for you. First of all, Luca has to be sure that you are the right ones. The first possibility is that Daja tries it with Luca first. I don’t mean sex, I mean being together, taking care of your son Onno together and being happy about every progress. And the second possibility is that you share your husband, start a family with a man, two women and your children. You could be the perfect example for all other women. Great, right?”

Kira and Daja nodded at each other and walked away, talking. I was curious to see what the two friends would agree on and if Luca would like Kira too.

Marc and Dylan were busy playing table tennis. Cara had shown them how to play the game. I talked to Ramona for a while and introduced her to the two new boys. “Guess how old they are.”

“Thirteen, the little one maybe seven.”

I corrected her estimate. “Marc is fifteen and Dylan is nine. And I have planned Marc for Sula and Babette for a long-term partnership or marriage. Do you mind?”

She kissed me and said with a laugh that hopefully I would have more time for her.

Back in the village, Marta and Enzo couldn’t believe how well-groomed their boys looked and smelled. Their mother loved her sons and gave me grateful looks. The three girls were full of excitement. They two wanted to be so chic too. Carmen helped me out again. “Enzo and Marta have their hair cut on Monday and Adriana, Ana, and Carla on Tuesday evening.”

There was peace at once. Eighteen-year-old Adriana sniffed at Marc and felt his exposed, smooth neck. She had never seen her brother like that before. The young Peruvian was not a beauty in my eyes, but a strong young woman who would be able to take care of a child or two. We would have to find out later. Who knew who else might join us from the village? There was no way I was going to get my turn again. My turn was over. Triana’s eldest son was a big, strong boy. Perhaps he could become the future partner for Adriana.

I gave Enzo’s family another box of clothes, six nightgowns of different sizes for the mother and her five children, and two pyjamas from the architect’s suitcase for Enzo. I didn’t know if they had understood my explanation that it was for nightwear, but if they hadn’t, it would be the same as before.

Now I needed a bag of sleep. But first I wrote down what I had to do tomorrow.

1. Emergency repair under washing of the road

2. Short visit to a mountain village with Ana to persuade grandparents to move

3. Visiting the eleven new girls - buying small gifts on the way

4. Talking to Claudio about his future

5. Shopping by list - I added 20 plastic buckets

6. Hiring a window company in Mersto or Trujillo

7. Buy fashion jewellery and hair accessories for all the women

8. Finally matching dresses for Olivia, Zarina, and Babette

9. Strolling through the town for shared enjoyment

10. Dining at one of the great restaurants near the Pacific

We had prepared three reports to the police, which I just wanted to drop in the hopefully available mailbox.

1. Helicopter crash report 03.08.2016

2. Notification of death in a crash 04.08.2016

3. Notification of death of the architect and the site manager

I drafted the text in such a way that the police could also come to the conclusion that the construction managers had also died in the helicopter crash. I didn’t want the police or even the homicide squad in the valley. For the authorities, Esther had burned a CD with the relevant photos, the reports we had made in 2016 in PDF format and the death certificates drawn up by Dr Liebknecht. We had given them our coordinates where they could view the original documents and other photos, as well as the graves, if necessary.

I also wanted to personally apply to the Trujillo City Council for a death certificate and several certified copies for the father of Olivia’s son Michael, Mr Aleksey Vladimirovich Boguruskiy. We would need these documents to apply for a certificate of inheritance. I had decided to put as much energy as possible into this matter. Little Mikhail, the son of a billionaire, was certainly entitled to a fair share of the inheritance.

But the main reason for our trip to the big city by the sea, the visit of Lenya’s mother, moved me deeply. I hoped that she loved her fifteen-year-old daughter so much that the unexpected pregnancy of her only child would not burden the reunion. Maybe we should have told her before. It was a vicious circle of thoughts and feelings.

Friday 25.04.2019

We left for Trujillo just before nine o’clock in the morning. Ana was wearing only jeans and a t-shirt. She felt very comfortable in the new clothes Kira had given her. Little Ana was just too lightly dressed for our trip to the mountains. I quickly sent her back to Marta. She needed her warm cape and sturdy shoes, not flip-flops.

My aim was to further improve relations with the mountain people and increase our prestige among the men of the mountain village, so I packed two boxes with surplus tools such as an axe, various saws, hammers, large nails, and screws and much more. This was mainly to thank them for their help in cutting down trees and clearing the road of bushes and cacti so that we could get the jeep into the valley. Of course, it was my wish to get more families to move in with us. So, I didn’t want to give them so much as a gift, but just to give you an idea of how much better it would be for you with us.

Although I drove a little more carefully today, we made good progress. After all, I had two pregnant women on board, Lenya and Esther, and my dear Olivia, who was still a bit under the weather after giving birth a good two months ago. Ramona looked after Olivia’s son Nicolas. Ramona’s son Martin was now four months old. His mother still had enough milk for him. There would be enough for the two boys for a while.

My fellow passengers were surprised when I stopped after carefully driving over the difficult, partially repaired spot. Everyone got out. I needed no help with the planned repair; only Ana had to fetch water several times with a bucket from the stream in the sink. I mixed some bags of ready-made mortar in the mortar bucket I had brought. I spread the mixture from the first three bags relatively thinly over the stones so that the mortar could flow between the stacked stones. This was not a masterpiece of engineering, but the simplest solution given the time constraints.

I mixed the other four sacks into a firmer mixture, only letting the cement mature for a cigarette, because we were short of time. I spread it all over the most important points of the breakthrough. Again I took my time for a cigarette, and then I pressed the mortar deeper and harder into the gaping cracks. This would certainly hold. I had done it, I thought. Ana also helped to clear away a few branches in front of the stream. Unfortunately, she came up on the wrong side of the street and got into the fresh mortar. While I smoothed everything over, Olivia helped her to roughly clean her shoes and trousers, but too bad about the time. And our beautiful car got some dirt too.

Arriving in the mountain village, I handed Ana over to her big sister, Valentina. The little girl was bubbling with the need to communicate. Valentina took her in her arms and led her to the house where she lived with her grandparents.

Now we were on our way to San Huano. I gave Raul, the petrol station owner, twenty empty, rinsed jars for his honey. Olivia had to ask him if he was going to sell any beehives. That would be possible in August, Olivia translated. We filled up the car and bought biscuits and waffles along the way. At first I wanted to go straight to the hotel, but then I decided to take my three young companions to Claudio’s grandmother. I was sure they were also looking forward to the new group of girls.

On the way to Grandma Isabelle we stopped at a supermarket to buy sweets and chocolate milk. We did not want to arrive empty-handed. A few packets of spaghetti, five kilos of rice, and a few kilos of vegetables would be a small contribution to the girls’ diet. In our car we had also brought a bag of potatoes of our best variety with a slightly reddish skin, a bag of onions, and two baskets of tomatoes and carrots.

The girls sat in the shade with Claudio and practised reading English texts. They jumped up in amazement when we entered the courtyard. They were all much healthier, but still much too thin. My companions distributed the gifts and milk. I sat down in the house with Claudio. We discussed what help he would need for the next two weeks. As agreed with me on the phone, he had hired a young woman to help his mother. But Martha was out shopping. It was a pity. I would have liked to meet her in person.

My three companions talked to the girls here and there. Two wanted to stroke Esther’s plump pregnant belly. Only Lenya was sitting in a corner, having an intense conversation with four girls. Then she came to me. A Heidy would try to run everything here. She had beaten the girls in the first home and taken away their food.

I immediately called the Dutch child to me. Astonished, Lenya noticed that I spoke Heidy’s language. I wanted to discipline the little girl. “Do you want to go back to the harbour or to the other home?” She shook her head. “But I want you to go back there.”

Silence fell. I grabbed her by the mane, gave her a quick shake and pulled her towards me, only managing to stand on her toes with the last of her strength. “Do you see what it’s like when someone is stronger?”

She nodded and the first tears began to fall. “You get one last chance. You apologise to everyone you hit and everyone you stole food from.”

With a strong tug, I pulled her over to the first girl. “Did you hit her?” She nodded silently. “I don’t hear anything.”

She replied in Dutch. “Yes, ... I did.”

“Did you keep taking food from her?” I shook her so she could barely speak.

“Yes, I have.”

“Apologise!” She held out her hand to the little one and apologised in Dutch.

“Can you do that in English?” She shook her head.

Heidy had disrupted the lesson and always had a big mouth, Lenya shouted at me. ‘Sorry’, she finally understood, after I had said three words of apology to her. The other girl trembled with fear. She was probably afraid that Heidy would take revenge. I dragged the Dutch girl brutally over to the next girl in the line. Heidy had bullied all ten girls and cheated them out of their food, as she herself admitted, crying profusely. I was relentless until she apologised to everyone. Then I hit her on a chair, almost knocking her over.

Now came the hopefully last lesson, as I was still thinking. “Did you disrupt Claudio’s lesson?”

She looked at me in horror. Claudio had not said anything, but she had to believe it. She did not dare to approach him. That’s why I blamed him. After all, she told me, everything was boring here and she had no desire to learn a meaningless language.