Time to Say Goodbye
by J.

 

Part One: This is it!

"Vad sade du? Jag förstår inte...", the gentleman politely said and folded his newspaper with care as he listened to the tall woman in front of him. She was a sight to behold, for sure! Six feet tall approx, he thought, measuring her from top til toe. She held up a finger and told him in english to wait while she skimmed through her dictionary. Yes, a sight to behold, indeed! That was probably the ninth variation of that thought so far, he reckoned. Arne was in his late sixties and had travelled Europe every now and then through the years, but he had never seen that shade of blue in a pair of eyes. They were mesmerizing, to say the least. Coupled with the black hair that would make a midnight seem pale, she was a knock-out. His eyes traced the long legs that went on forever and he secretly wished he was thirty years younger and taller by now... and then he was caught off guard by his wife Märta, who chose that particular moment to return from Pressbyrån. She gave him that glance and shook her head. Then she adressed the tall stranger.

"Jahaja, vart ska lilla fröken någonstans?" Märta smiled with a genuine warmth that the woman acknowledged and answered with a dazzling smile of her own that turned Märta's husband's legs into jello. The woman then gestured at the dictionary and scratched her cheek.

"Sorry, I don't understand. Uhm..." She'd better try this slower... She took the older womans hand and presented herself. "Hi. I'm Jo Summers. I'm here on weekend business in Stockholm... the city is kinda new for me... and I can't seem to find my way... to-to...eh...wait-a-minute-..." Joey looked through her papers, and then she practically tore the little red dictionary up to find the right pronounciation of the place's name. She looked up with a flustered expression only to find the older woman patiently smiling back, waiting for her to finish her search for the right letter. The silver-haired woman tugged her glasses and nodded. Joey lowered her gaze to the little book yet again. And suddenly; -there it was! She attacked the first thick letter in the column and traced every single word until she stumbled upon the one she was looking for. She blinked and pouted her lips to speak the unknown street name.

"Ko-..- Kou-ngs-traad-gaards-gaten?" She smiled, proud of herself beyond belief. The woman prompted her husband to carry her bags and gestured towards the dictionary with a questioning look.

"This is the 1985 Swedish-English tourist dictionary from Nordstedts in pocket format, I see. Try to buy the 'Svenska for dummies' in that bookstore on Vasagatan...I'm not certain of what the place is called, but they've got this big, red swiss army knife that moves it's arms in the window. I believe they make a good living selling books about the city and country in general there. In several different languages. It may sound stupid to buy a '...for dummies'-book, but it actually helped my granddaughter's husband Rudi to catch up when they were here last fall. The author explains the pronounciation of the umlaut rather well, I've heard." The old woman paused to see if the american was still with her. That she was. So Märta continued.

"But that is not what you asked me for. You wanted to know the fastest way to get to Kungsträdgårdsgatan, if I assumed everything correct?"

Joey nodded and pulled out her notebook to write down the address to the bookstore as well as the directions to 'koungstraadgaardsgaten'. The older woman again waited for her to finish her preparations before the directions started. The woman, whom she learned was called Märta, gave her an easy description of how she should walk to get there in time. It involved a lot of pointing on the tourist map the american had available, not to mention the occational 'just-go-on-ahead-you-can't-miss-it'-waving that took place outside the map. Finally, she bid Märta and her husband farewell and headed down the street. It really was quite easy. She just needed to remember that the white street signs could be found on every building where each block ended. And hey; -who could get lost in Stockholm? It was such a small city, after all! Now...; -which way was Sergel's Torg?

=============================================================================

"Damn-fucketi-fuck-damn-damn-DAMN-shit!" The short blonde swore and almost tripped over her heels when she zipped her skirt in action, racing through the crowds on her way to work. That damn desk waited patiently for her; that she knew. But her boss most certainly did not know about their little deal that it would stand there whether she was on time or not. The mighty honorable mr. Lars-Erik Leijonborg probably went through the roof right now. "Ooooh, but it was worth it!" She decided, with a grin spreading all over her face. "Oh yeah...definitely worth it."

Natalie had no intentions of staying with the firm when she boarded it. The everyday Svensson-life had just happened. [Riiiing-up-eat breakfast-go to work-lunch-even more work-overtime-late dinner-after work quality time at the appropriate bar-taxi home-sleep-riiiiing...] Her routine and life was all staked out, like a running course or a gifted kid's school years. She had her whole department wrapped around her fingers, literally. The men thought they could get their chance with her eventually and the women gossiped about exactly how she had advanced so fast in the firm hierarchy. And secretly, most of them wanted to sleep with her. Natalie usually just shrugged and shut them all out of her system. She was more concerned with getting her work done both right and well. But knowing them she used them when work accquired it. And nobody ever complained, because who was able to say no to the cute blonde with the soulful eyes?

"Allright, where am I?" The green eyes scanned the current area and took in the information. The quick glance told her that she was on Regeringsgatan, which made her way to the office even more complicated. Her mind went into mapping mode; she thought her way through different streets and alleys to find the fastest shortcut possible to get to her location. While doing that a second thought entered her mind; that she sooner or later would be caught for speeding with the running she did. She laughed and avoided a young City Mailer. "All it takes is someone yelling 'THIEF!' and I'll be the prime suspect. Heheheh. So what? It might give me an alibi for being late for work! ... -I'd better run faster!" She thought and practically flew by a confused shopkeeper.

"Kom igen, kom igen..." If looks could kill, the short little blonde's attitude surely would have caused a shortcircuit to happen by the stop lights. The red little man told the crowd to wait for the cars to go by, before the ligts could change into the little green one. Natalie was an impatient soul when it came to being a law abiding citizen and an unemployed citizen. She chose to cheat the system and walk anyway. She danced over the street, avoiding cars and warnings from an older woman with a walker. Many others followed her example and ran across. She shrugged her shoulders and turned for the next crossing. "I might just be five more minutes late if I cross the square."

The lights changed and she walked. Hurried, rather. At the top of the stairs ledaing down to the square, a dirty and miserable man sat with a box and played the harmonica. The tune was old and she recognized it from somewhere long ago, she could not remember it's origin. But the sight of the lonely man made her stop and reach for her wallet. These men and women could be found here and there in a corner, the visual scraps of society's mistakes. Maybe this man had been a banker, with an ok paycheck and a beautiful family. Maybe he was a drunk and a slughead. What did she know?

She knew that he was lonely, and that he bared his soul that very moment with those notes that reached the sky one by one. She knew that he went to Stadsmissionen, the shelters, from the ink writing on his little box. He wanted a change, but couldn't get the break he so desperately seeked. So many of us never do. She pulled out a fifty kronor note and pressed it between his hand and the harmonica. She bent forward and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Their eyes met and she smiled.

The man returned her smile with a look of simple joy. His lips curled behind the gray beard and he looked at the folded note in his hand as he heard the footsteps of his benefactor, whom he thought was an angel personified. Those green, understanding eyes and the soft, caring features...she had to be one, right? But fairytale time was over and done with. He sat in a staircase outdoors, begging for money so he could get his soup and a bed for the night in a shelter. But maybe, just maybe, one should believe in something bigger than the turnpike of a once celebrated success. And forget the fall. The faces. And the neglecting authorities that made him give up and lose faith in humanity. Maybe there was such a thing as hope. Maybe.

And the melody carried itself brighter up into the air, while the still smile lasted.

=============================================================================

Natalie reached the bottom of the stairs and hurried out on the square. She only saw the white and black triangle slabs that cluttered the ground before she ran into someone and almost knocked them both over. She swore and reached for the tall woman, who looked confused, to say the least. Blue eyes locked with hers and she instinctively knew she was more than sorry. The bright and thoughtful eyes were lost and held a captivating depth beyond anything Natalie ever had experienced. She gathered herself from the moment and began;

"Ja, förlåt... jag -jag såg mig inte för. Det gick för snabbt, ena stunden är jag på väg till jobbet och springer nedför trapporna, och den andra så springer jag rakt in i dig! Pang, bara! BAM! Allt är ok, inga brutna ben eller så?"

She babbled on with an embarrassed smile, without even noticing the growing frustration in the taller womans eyes and that she threw out the little red dictionary and desperately tried to keep track on what Natalie was saying. She held up a finger, signalling the young woman to wait. Natalie blinked and frowned. What on eart was the woman doing? She tilted her head and focused on the title of that little book the dark-haired woman searched with a febrile speed. Blond brows raised in understanding. "Aaaah."

"I just told you that I'm terribly sorry for my careless approach. As you can tell, I was not looking... well, not for anyone to run into, that is." She smiled. "I was just on my way to work, which I am, by the way, late for... that was why I decided to cross the square; -to make up for some time lost in a bit too much sleep. I overslept. Heh. Hrmf! Well. You are ok, I didn't give you a bump or a broken arm or anything?"

Joey turned her head up to the switch in language and smiled. The blonde was a talkative little thing with green eyes that sparkled when she waved her arms to describe and emphasize the words while she spoke. The older woman found it to be endearing and nodded when she was asked if she was okay. Her nod was greeted by a big, bright and sunny smile that made her own grow bigger.

"Yeah, I'm ok. No need to worry! Hey, you wouldn't know how to get to the Sergel square, by any chance?" The blonde just laughed and pointed to the ground. Joey's eyes followed the gesture.

"You're standing on it." The small woman explained and threw out her arms in the air to include the whole area. She raised her hand to point out the big house on Joey's right side. It was big with a red entrance and probably was some building of importance. "That is Kulturhuset; the house of culture. It's a landmark if you want to navigate Stockholm. I hope you don't mind me asking this, but you seem a little lost and I just happen to be a stockholmer, so... where are you headed?"

Joey drew the small woman in for a big, warm, grateful hug.
"I love you. Will you marry me?"

Natalie laughed out loud. "You really are lost, aren't you?"

The taller woman stepped out of the embrace and sighed. "Yeah." She showed the blonde her fabulous tourist map, recommended and bought at the City terminal. It probably made sense for somebody, but not for her. The blonde shook her head and made a dismissing gesture with her hand.

"That has to go."

"Why?" Joey curiously wondered. She was given a very meaning look and a matching snort.

"Look, the streets on this map are named in english. I can buy the thought the manufacturer had with that, but if you want to recognize the names on the street signs, it would be smarter to have an identical name to couple the text on those with, right?" The tall woman nodded. "Are you with me?" Another nod. "The best thing you can do is to walk into a bookstore and ask for a map, if you desperately need one. My guess is that you'd learn to find your way in Stockholm anyway. By asking for directions from people passing by and stopping at the official orientation maps on display here and there. It's a small city compared to any other capital, and I assume that you, judging by your accent, are used to bigger ones as well. Any questions?" She paused to breathe.

"Wow." The tall woman considered the information given to her and folded the damned map. She offered the woman her hand. The moment it was accepted she just said; "Joey Summers."

The blonde smiled. "Natalie Forsberg." A raised black eyebrow. "No connections to the hockey player." A smile.

"Well, ms Forsberg... I believe you were running late?" Joey asked politely. Natalie's eyes widened and she muttered curses that must be quite juicy in swedish, since people started to shoot them pretty strange looks from everywhere. The stressed blonde shook Joey's hand. "Get her number, idiot! Get her number!" Joey opened her mouth.

"Nice to meet you, Joey! I gotta run! Have a great vacation or whatever you are here for! Bye!"

And she was gone. The tall american looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes tried to catch a glimpse of the small swede. The sight that met her was people that walked in different directions. Redheads, darker brown ones, black, punk rockers, youngsters, mums with their kids and business men on their cellphones. She swore and handed her map to the closest person passing by, who just looked at it and frowned. When the guy turned around, the tall woman had left; -in pursuit of a certain blonde.

=============================================================================

"Du skämtar med mig, Lasse! Efter all tid och energi som jag har lagt ner i den här firman, så avskedar du mig för en försening!?!" Natalie was furious. Her boss tried to calm her down, but all he got for that was more arguments on why he had no right to fire her. "Jag skiter i vad du säger! Ett par förseningar? So, big deal! Jag jobbar hårdare och bättre än någon av dina så kallade anställda! Jag var på god väg att få delägarskap och ännu en löneförhöjning! Det vet du! Vi får se hur bra du klarar dig utan mig. Lycka till med slutdeklarationen!" She hit the fist against his desk. "Det lär du behöva!" She turned around, walked away from her former employer and slammed the door on her way out. Lars-Erik later swore that it took the walls ten minutes to stop quivering efter that. Yes, he knew he took a great risk when he decided to let one of his best associates go. She did most of the paperwork and was sharp. Too sharp for her own good.

It had only been a matter of time until she found out about the internal affairs and black money that rolled through the company system. He had been informed by an 'anonymous' source that Natalie finally had stumbled upon some evidence and that she didn't like it a bit. With no hope of winning the young woman over, he was forced to take actions. And if it meant to lose one of his most trusted employees, so be it. A bitter woman who snarled and complained about her former boss would make her eventual leak seem like a desperate rant. Damn, this caused for a cigarr... Lars-Erik Leijonborg leaned back in his office chair and sighed. Two hours to lunch. The cigarr break came in handy.

Natalie stepped into her office and emptied her desk. It didn't take much time at all. It felt so strange, like she just packed all her feelings and brought them with her. The job wasn't important, she realized. It was what it had meant to her in a symbolic sense. And that could be replaced by any activity, as long as she felt happy doing whatever she now decided to do. When she walked into the elevator and pushed the button, she felt the weight of the box in her hands. It wasn't heavy. The doors slid close and a small beep announced her departure as the elevator began it's journey down.

=============================================================================

"Damn! Where did she go?" Joey scanned the area quickly and swore again. "For a short woman she sure moves fast!" Suddenly she came to a halt and took a good look around. "Shit. I'm lost. I don't know where the hell I am! Smooth, Summers! Smooooooth!" She turned to a man nearby. He put up his hand, making it perfectly clear that he couldn't lend her some of his time. The tall woman's eyes swept through the crowds and she noticed a young woman who sat on the ground, painting pictures with an airbrush. A small crowd had gathered around her and she spoke to them in english, explaining her technique. Joey strolled over to the woman and patted her shoulder. Brown eyes met hers. "Ja?"

"Could you tell me the name of this street?" Joey asked her. Goodlooking girl, too bad she had to colour her hair neon pink.

"Yeah... I can if you say please, honey." She smirked.

Joey sighed and delivered the wanted phrase. "Could you please tell me the name of this street?"

The girl winked. "Good woman. This is Drottninggatan, the tourist patch part of it. Need to go somewhere?" Another wink.

"No, just wanted to know the name." She shrugged and turned away from the flirting disaster. "My God; pink hair! I bet she's got safety pins and piercings all over the place. She definitely looks like the type." If she was on Drottninggatan, she could follow it to the water and then cross the bridge that led to the castle of Stockholm. And when she got there, she was sure she'd find at least some guide who could advise her on the fastest way to get to Kungsträdgårdsgatan. But that would take some time, and time was not a thing she had. Joey did what she always did when in trouble; she put her faith in technology. Her cellphone was soon drawn and she punched the speed dial number eight.

She waited. And waited... And waited. Why didn't the damn man pick up the phone? The seconds felt longer than usual and she built up a panic. "Answer the god-damn phone!!!" No answer. She hung up and lowered her hand. Damn. SMS. Yes. Click-clicketi-click-click-click-click...

"We meet again." "YES!!!" She turned around with a dazzling smile and to find a happy blonde in the middle of the moving crowds.

Joey stepped forward and pointed a finger at the box in Natalie's arms. "Can I help you with that?"

The blonde nodded and handed her the box. "Sure, it's not even heavy, but if you want to carry it, I won't mind or object." She grinned and Joey was struck by how cute the little woman was.

She got a good feel of the box's weight and smiled. "Let's see... Two pictures, three little dolphins and a pen? What is this?"

"My office." Natalie sighed. "Three years of my life. It seems like nothing, doesn't it?"

"I'm so sorry, Natalie. I truly am." Joey apologized. "I shouldn't have been there for you to run into in the first place, if I had read the map right."

Natalie laughed. "Nah, I was up for ye olde boot anyway! I guess they just needed a final excuse. I was mad then, but right now I just can't feel anything but relief."

"No hard feelings, then?" Was the question.

"No, not since it led me back to you." Was the answer.

Joey looked down. "I'm leaving."

"When?"

"The day after tomorrow."

Silence.

"Well. We'd better get acquainted then."

"I'd like that."

to be continued in part 2...