304- The Last Wish of Zorvan Valerian
POV Seraphine Valerian:
“You told me he lives in Vila Rósia. I assume he’s Romani.”
I had never told him that I was Romani. But I didn’t want to hide it.
I was proud of my blood, of my culture.
“Yes, we are.”
“From what I understand, it’s your first time here. You speak Romanian well.”
“I studied a lot. Have you ever visited the village?”
“Once or twice. At one of the fairs and festivals, just passing through. The road from the cities in the Tharnak region runs right beside it.”
“Yes, I noticed.” I observed him more closely. “And where exactly do you live?”
Konrad smiled without answering immediately. Then he didn’t explain much.
“A small village. A little over an hour from here by car. Do you plan to stay or return to Germany?”
I grew distracted, full of doubts. I answered honestly.
“My father and my aunt want me to return, but...”
“But?”
“I’d like to spend more time here.”
“Why?”
“To get to know the clan better. Part of my Romanian history. To live a little as a Romani woman.”
The waiter returned with my coffee and quickly walked away without asking if we wanted anything else. I noticed but didn’t comment. I enjoyed the hot drink, adding a little sugar.
“Why didn’t you come before, Seraphine?”
Konrad barely blinked, genuinely interested in me. It felt good to notice that—the attraction between us, how easily we talked. Still, he was a stranger. I didn’t feel comfortable sharing too much information.
“As I said, my father prefers that I live in Germany. He believes I have more opportunities there.”
“That’s true. The quality of life is far superior there than here. You should think carefully about that.”
“I thought you’d want me to stay,” I joked, slightly tense.
“Of course I would!” His smile widened, revealing two dimples. “I admit it would be selfish, but it would make me happy.”
I relaxed and we began talking about the place and other trivial matters. I knew he owned land where he raised animals. So I connected that to the smell and asked:
“What kind of animals do you raise?”
“Sheep.”
I almost laughed because I had guessed correctly.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I noticed a hint of wool on you. Now I understand why.”
“Really? And I didn’t even get near them today! Your sense of smell is like a wolf’s!”
The joke caught me off guard and I shook my head, slightly irritated. It felt as if those creatures were chasing me everywhere.
“Did I say something wrong?” He was clearly attentive to my reactions.
“No, of course not!”
“Tell me more about yourself, Seraphine.”
“You already know everything. We talked a lot this past year.”
“In person it’s different.” He finished the coffee in his cup while I sipped mine. “Too bad you don’t have time, with your father in such a sad situation. I’d love to take you around the region. The Tharnak are beautiful.”
“And dangerous.”
“Why do you say that?”
His light eyes were fixed on mine. I shrugged. If I told him my entire story and what my father believed, Konrad would think we were insane.
“There are bears and other fierce animals.”
“Yes. Like wolves. Are you afraid of them?”
I swallowed hard because the subject had returned again. If I didn’t think that story about werewolves was absurd, I might have wondered whether he was one of those villagers who believed in it.
“No. Maybe I’ll stay longer. Then I’ll get to know more places.”
“I’d be glad to accompany you. But I still believe you’ll return to Germany. Your aunt and your friends are there. And I can visit you.”
His voice and smile were gentle, pleasant. Yet once again I had the feeling he preferred me far away from there. It had to be my imagination.
Konrad asked several questions. None of them personal or difficult. He wanted to know more about my father, our culture, what I believed. I kept my answers brief, without giving much more information than he already knew. I liked him, but there was still some reservation inside me.
Maybe I was simply uneasy and a little nervous because of my father’s warnings. When I left his house, I carried pepper spray and a small dagger in my bag. I kept glancing at the forest as if that supposed golden-eyed wolf might leap out of it at any moment and attack me. I was still tense.
I finished my coffee. I had been there for forty-five minutes. My urge to leave grew stronger.
“I wish I could stay longer...”
“We haven’t even been here an hour.” He smiled seductively. “I barely had time to appreciate your lovely company.”
“There will be other times.” I smiled too, picking up my bag to pay for the coffee.
“No. Leave it to me.”
The waiter came silently and accepted the money. He returned inside almost immediately, and I stood up, commenting softly:
“He’s strange, isn’t he?”
“He must be speechless in front of your beauty. Allow me.”
He pulled out my chair and accompanied me outside. His hand at my elbow had long, warm fingers. The touch was pleasant, gentle.
We reached the promenade under the sun.
“May I give you a ride? I’m driving home. It’s on the way.”
I looked into his sincere eyes and open smile. Once again I felt a little afraid—because of everything my father had said, because of that sense of danger, because it was the first time we had met in person.
“Seraphine?”
“I... uh... of course! Thank you.”
I walked beside him as he spoke about the history of that square. Discreetly I took out my phone and opened my messages. I quickly typed to my aunt Gretel that I would get a ride with my friend from the app, Konrad.
When we stopped beside a beautiful silver imported car, he helped me in and walked around to the driver’s side. I typed the car’s license plate, which I had noticed when we approached. Then I slipped the phone into my bag, more at ease.
Konrad was a gentleman, a sweet and polite man. I was the one being overly suspicious.
We talked only a little about trivial things, since the village was quite close. He didn’t drive all the way to my father’s door. Instead, he stopped at the roadside on the main road before the entrance to the village. I found it slightly strange but accepted it. It was enough. The houses were close anyway.
“Thank you, Konrad.”
“It was a pleasure. Don’t forget to call and tell me about your father. I hope he improves and that we can see each other soon.”
“Yes, I hope so too.”
Then he surprised me by pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back, a little excited because he was so handsome, though uncertain.
“Take care.” He kissed my cheek without being inappropriate or pushy.
I thanked him and stepped out of the car. He drove away.