Chapter 13: Trip to Mersto

Today was a very special day. For the first time, I was travelling with a larger group to a small town at the foot of the mighty Andes. Even I was excited. Travelling to a foreign city with a group of pretty European girls was an adventure, maybe even a risk. I had no idea how people would react to us. I also didn’t know how our 12 or 13-year-old girls would cope in this unfamiliar environment.

But the main reason for the trip was to take the young ladies to the dentist. I had been recommended an Indian dentist in Mersto. Almost all of the valley’s inhabitants needed their teeth checked and, if necessary, fixed. Many of the girls’ and young women’s newly grown canines were misaligned. This was very distressing for some of the girls.

Dr Arif Khan wanted to treat up to ten children on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. That was a good start. My car was only registered for nine people, but it wasn’t difficult to drive with eleven girls on Thursday. I took the ten girls who had just joined us. Zarina drove along instead of the pregnant Heidy. The young Chinese woman also had dental problems, but she was also there to help me keep the group together. The English-speaking dentist had his practice in Mersto, a small market town just outside Trujillo.

Somehow, the mood in the car was a little down. The girls were more or less terrified of the dentist, but the treatments went better than expected. Some fillings were necessary, four braces were fitted immediately and three special braces had to be made. The teeth were in good to very good condition, the kind dentist assured me. For some of the girls, he recommended a more thorough cleaning.

Unfortunately, there was more wrong with me. Two fillings had to be replaced and three more were needed. The dentist couldn’t understand why I didn’t have any pain with two big holes in my teeth. Then I noticed that in almost three years hardly anyone had complained of toothache, at first a few of the new girls, but then no one. Even from the village there had never been a word about toothache. Could this have something to do with the Coca tea?

As I said goodbye, I felt like saying, “Thank you so much, Dr Khan. I am so grateful to you. Tomorrow I am coming with a swarm of pregnant women. Unfortunately, one of the pregnant women is a girl of only thirteen. She was raped by a student from Lima. The police can’t do anything. They only know the man’s first name. I am sure you will be very careful”.

He agreed unreservedly and thanked me. I would get the bill tomorrow. He gratefully accepted my proposal to pay everything in dollars without an invoice. Yes, that was illegal again, but somehow, I wanted to get rid of a small part of the millions of dollars. In return, I made a firm decision to donate a considerable sum of money to a government institution to more than make up for the alleged tax evasion.

For lunch, all those who had just been treated were served ‘Pollo a la Brasa’, Peru’s most famous fast food, ‘Peruvian style chicken’ grilled over charcoal. It was a great meal. The girls loved it. Only I was not allowed to eat anything because of my new fillings.

I had planned an experiment for the next half hour. Each girl was given thirty SOL, about six dollars, in cash. They should learn to be a bit more self-reliant.

“Nobody leaves the market. You can buy whatever you want. We’ll meet back here in twenty minutes.”

Almost everyone had understood my few sentences. My immediate reward was shining eyes. Everyone set off determinedly in twos or threes.

It took less than ten minutes and everyone was back to show each other their achievements. Although none of them spoke Spanish or Quechua, they had mastered the task with flying colours.

We were, of course, the centre of attention, were surrounded by many local children, some well-dressed, others obviously poor and hungry.

A young man, I estimated in his mid-20s, spoke to me in English and asked who we were and where we were from. After I gave him an evasive answer, I sought his help. He asked the children present on my behalf: “Who of you hasn’t had lunch today?”

These children and young people were allowed to line up behind Pedro, the translator. Everyone received a dumpling with chicken, spaghetti, and vegetables from a street vendor. There were so many children hungry that we had to find a second place.

Our girls marvelled at the foreign children and teenagers like little wonders of the world, mostly boys, almost all of them slim, tanned, and just beautiful to look at despite their simple, sometimes dirty clothes. Yes, the group of hungry children was almost all boys. The Peruvian girls spent much less time outdoors. They mostly helped with the housework, looked after the children, or worked in their parents’ businesses. Of the nearly forty hungry children, there were only two girls.

The local boys were naturally interested in our blonde, blue-eyed, slender girls, who were perhaps feeling and enjoying their feminine charms for the first time. Gulla and Udine, on the other hand, felt very uncomfortable when two small children, amazed and admiring, grabbed their light blonde hair and tried to pull it. The children had never seen such unusual hair before.

On the way back I heard the girls whispering about some of the boys. The trip had broadened the young ladies’ horizons, just as I had hoped.

Early the next morning, I went to the dentist in Mersto with just seven pregnant women and the three girls who needed braces. He had told me by phone that the special braces had already been delivered, which was unimaginable at home. I handed Ronya, Qesra, and Udine, whose turn it was to get their braces in the afternoon, to Pedro, who was waiting for us outside the dentist’s house as we had arranged. Today they would continue to explore the town and gain new experiences. Pedro could help them in an emergency. Heidy and Willka accompanied them. They were to report back to the doctor’s house at noon. Shortly after noon, the pregnant women’s treatment was over. The group was back on time. Everything had gone perfectly again.

First, it was Heidy’s turn and then the girls with crooked teeth had to wait for their braces. I was due to pick them up again in an hour. We discussed further treatment and regular dental check-ups. Luisa, Ramona, and Amira also needed to go to the dentist urgently, as did many of the Indios and perhaps the construction workers, too. The doctor should also have a look at our two-year-old’s teeth. I would have preferred to have the treatment at our home, but a special chair was hard to come by. Dr Khan agreed to come to us once a quarter with an assistant and the necessary materials, and said he would get us a dentist’s chair and the necessary equipment.

There were no tears or great lamentations among the young women treated in the morning. Everyone was happy with the treatment. We had plenty of time for a pizza, as we still had to wait for the other four. The owner of the ‘Pizzaria Mosta’ was happy to see us, set up a large table in the shade and laid out the menus. There was great excitement. Everyone wanted something different, but no one could really decide. So, I ordered four large family pizzas. The girls and young women grabbed at them almost greedily, but their appetite soon waned.

Qesra disappeared into the kitchen and let herself be shown and explained as far as her language skills allowed. Eventually, she called Mayari for help. Our new kitchen assistant wanted to organise a pizza night in the valley once a month if there was interest. Of course, she received a lot of praise for her suggestion. We ordered five huge family packs for our loved ones in paradise, plus whatever we had left over, told Luisa we were bringing dinner, and I gave the pregnant woman an hour off.

I was a little more generous with the teenagers than I had been with the younger ones yesterday. They were allowed to buy a few small things at the market or in a shop for fifty SOL. Unfortunately, there was an additional problem. Most of the girls had their banknotes out in the open. When I returned to the market, a boy of about thirteen was lying on the ground, crying. He had taken the money from Daja but had not got very far. Some of the boys we fed yesterday took the boy to Daja and returned the stolen money to her. I felt sorry for the little boy. He must have been hungry. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but for him and a few other children and young people I bought a simple meal from one of the vendors, just like yesterday.

For the first time, Willka scolded me. She was of the opinion that you should never do anything good for a thief. But I thought that those who help others in need often get something good in return. Our future kindergarten teacher shook her head vigorously. “A thief is a thief. You can’t change someone like that.”

“Willka, if the boys had caught the thief, wouldn’t we have given them food yesterday? We are strangers. They would have helped the boy and stolen more money from our girls.”

Willka had started to think about it, and I didn’t want anything more. Anyway, we were literally swimming in money, had little opportunity to spend it, and there was need everywhere we went. Maybe I was too generous at times, but I enjoyed helping the poor or needy. It was probably even better for me than for the recipients.

Pedro got a hundred SOL for his help. I invited him for a drink. Then I called Willka over. Maybe it was a crazy idea, but this young man could be her partner in the future. At first, Willka was shy and just looked into her glass. Then the conversation between the two of them picked up speed. I couldn’t follow their rapid Spanish. But suddenly Pedro said goodbye quickly.

“What was wrong, Willka?”

“I told him I was pregnant. He was horrified and didn’t want to know anything more about me.”

“Bad for you, Willka?”

“Not really. It was clear to me from the start that nobody wants a pregnant woman as a girlfriend, especially not a mestizo.”

I pulled our kindergarten teacher towards me, hugged her, and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sure it will work out. You’re so sweet, you’ll find a man.”

But Willka seemed to think otherwise. She pressed her body against mine and let me feel her warmth. Somehow, I felt that she was in love with me and wasn’t angry that Pedro had run away so quickly. I pushed her away a little and said with a smile, “Please, don’t seduce me. Everyone is looking at us, including our children.”

Willka blushed again and walked quickly towards our group who were waiting to leave.

The late dinner was a happy occasion for everyone at home. Of course, Luisa and her crew had always cooked and looked after us very well, but today it tasted completely different. The women and girls were happy. Only Lenya could hardly eat, although she had a big appetite. Her child was putting pressure on her stomach and digestive tract.

For the next four days, I was with Lenya several times a day. This pregnancy was even harder for her than the first. She wanted to be brave, but Esther whispered to me how often Lenya cried and needed to be comforted by her or her mother. When I told our doctor, we decided together to take our brave Russian to the Casa maternity room tomorrow and induce labour. Esther insisted on helping her friend give birth. Esther’s Oliver was only three weeks old, but our ‘midwife’ had recovered well from the birth. She was clearly suffering with Lenya. It was almost physical pain for her to see her friend suffer like that. I hope everything goes well, was all I could think.

In the middle of the night, Esther woke up our doctor and me. Sarah was already in the surgery with Lenya. My sister was the first to hear Lenya’s cries. Her water had broken and she was in light labour. Esther and Babette had helped her down the stairs. You could always count on the girls. Lenya smiled at me. “Sorry for the mess in my room, but that felt good. My pain is gone for now.”

“Great, Lenya. Should I get your mom from the Casa?”

“Better not. The birth will definitely be too much for my mother. Esther, Babette, and Mrs Liebknecht, that’s a good fit.”

She was the sober, clear-thinking woman again. When I kissed her, she pulled a face. She had just been hit by a contraction, but she was brave.

Sarah pulled me out of the room. “Should I do something? Maybe clean the room upstairs?”

We went upstairs. There was some commotion, a few children were crying or whimpering. Lenya’s room was a hive of activity. Priya and Kira were cleaning the bed and floor; Zarina was holding Wadim and comforting him. Fahsai and Mayari were looking after the damp mattress. Sarah gave me a big hug. “Your girls are fantastic. How did you manage so well?”

“Just tell everyone how you feel about them, Sarah. Your praise is her greatest motivation and best reward.”

The helpers waved her off modestly, but their eyes shone with pride and gratitude.

We met the younger girls in the corridor. They were a little disappointed because they had been turned away when they wanted to help. Heidy hugged me and spoke loudly so that everyone could hear, “My friends from class can help me give birth, OK?”

I promised, but only experienced people should help with the actual birth. Heidy disagreed: “Inka has already been assisting through two births. I really want her to help me. Not only do I trust her, but I also want her to be as good as Esther.”

We sealed the deal immediately and Inka kissed Heidy’s cheeks. For the first time, I was aware of the tasks that the twelve-year-old girls in the first group had to do on their own from the start, but we didn’t trust the new girls to do the same. I had to change that.

Sarah confirmed my decision. “Yes, let the younger ones work with the same confidence. That’s probably why you got such a great team. Your girls have had to do a lot right from the start. When I saw the photo of little twelve-year-old Sula handling the submachine gun, I couldn’t believe how you let her do it. But it was right. That’s why she was able to save our lives in the mountains.”

Lenya’s cries of pain echoed through the house. Babette calmed us down. The woman in labour would have been through in a few minutes. The Inca powder would have helped again.

A little later, the newborn squealed. A little Pyotor, or simply Peter, had been born. It was five in the morning when the house became quiet again. I wanted to call Lenya’s mother to come to us after, but someone had informed her by radio. She was beaming like the happiest person on earth after seeing her daughter and second grandchild. She threw her arms around me. “Congratulations to the father too. I’m so proud of my daughter.”

I held her tightly in my arms. I almost reminded her of her behaviour towards Lenya at the airport, but I could not. Their relationship had developed so positively that I wanted her to forget about their failed new beginning.

Now Sarah really got going. She pulled me towards her. “Yes, Michael, congratulations on your thirty-second child, your twenty-fifth son. You’re crazy, but you make me happy.”

She tossed me around in her embrace.

“Thank you, sis. How do you know that for sure?”

“I asked Ramona and Esther yesterday. The congratulations have to be in order.”

We laughed from the bottom of our hearts. I don’t think I had ever been closer to my sister than at that moment. It would have been so nice if Sarah could have stayed with us, but five days later she had to go back to her husband and her job. I wanted to fly to Amsterdam with her, visit my mother and then look after little Michael’s inheritance. That wasn’t really my job. But my aim was to ensure that as little of Rus’ vast fortune as possible fell into the wrong hands. After all, it was worth at least two billion dollars. Daryna had even put the Rus wealth at more than six billion.

After my maths lesson on Wednesday, I stopped Babette. “Beth, you did well in maths again today. It’s not as easy for you as it is for Fahsai, for example, but your performance is just as good.”

“Thank you, Mitch. Yes, I’m trying, but Lenya and Fahsai are much better than me.”

“You’re very good. That’s all that matters. I want to discuss something with you. It’ll take at least an hour. Is that okay or do you have to go to your son Felix?”

Beth nodded and walked into the study with me. On the way, she called Sula. Su had promised to look after Felix after nursery. First, I praised my assistant for her daily commitment and thoughtfulness in many matters. “Babette, you are my most important confidante. You are and will remain a very important member of staff, perhaps my best. You are appreciated and respected by everyone. From today, things are going to change. Shall we take a walk together?”

She seemed a little perplexed when I told her this and stammered a few uncertain words. As so often, she was doubting herself, but I wanted to show her how much I liked her and how much I trusted her.

“Babette, you are the only one who will learn our biggest secret today. I have unlimited trust in you. I know that I can always rely on you. You will never let me or the others down, no matter what happens.”

We sat down in a wicker beach chair. I held her for a long time. Her eyes were shining, but also showing certain insecurity.

“Beth, I need you more than ever. I want you to be in charge of our valley when I fly to Europe. I will appoint you my deputy and give you command in my absence. Are you ready, my Commandant Babette?”