Page 22 of It Takes Three To Tango

“I still say it looks phallic though, and that red bulbous top, surely there must be another meaning.”

“Given that, as far as we know, he was never in a relationship with anyone, and there is no recurring theme that points to any more phallic symbols, I’d say probably not.” Rafe closes the guidebook and takes another drink, still gazing at the huge rounded tip of the tower of the building. “But you know I’ll never unsee it now.” He gives me a huge grin. “I shall forever refer to it as the penis house.”

“That’s odd.” Rafe stares at the sign outside Constantin’s very closed bar. We’d arranged to come round after our trip. I was hoping we could encourage him to come out to eat with us. He might know of a good restaurant in the area. But the closed door and the sign bring a knot of worry. Rafe knocks on the door, but it’s a few moments before someone answers.

A very dusty and grim-faced Constantin stands in front of us. His shoulders deflate when he sees us.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I completely forgot you were coming.” He allows us in through the door and I stare at the carnage that was once his bar, my senses assaulted by the smell of wet plaster. “I’ve been a bit busy,” he explains.

“Jesus Christ, what happened?” Rafe exclaims. Quickly followed by, “Are you all right?”

“No one was hurt. But yes, it appears the plumbing problem was a bit larger than I thought.”

“You don’t say,” I retort, and his lips form an even grimmer line. Sometimes, I really put my foot in it. “Can we do anything to help?”

“No.” He sighs resignedly. “The builder has been and had a quick assessment. He’s coming back tomorrow to go over it more thoroughly. At the moment, we’re not even allowed to clean up in case anything else is likely to fall.” He looks weary as he drags a hand through his dusty hair.

Alena comes over. “What about if we move the bottles out of the bar and into the storeroom? It’s clean in there, and will stop them getting dirty when we do get a chance to clear up.”

“Good idea,” he says. And then a belated, “Thank you, Alena. Not sure what I’d do without you.” He sinks into a chair and it doesn’t look like he has the energy to move anything right now.

“We can help with moving stuff. Can’t we?” Rafe says, looking to me for confirmation.

“Absolutely. Just put us to work,” I reply.

Two hours later, we’re all seated round a table, eating the pizza Constantin ordered. We’re all pretty tired. After moving the bottles, we also moved any more stock that could be put in the back room, as well as all the glasses, mixers, and anything else not nailed down. It’s full in there, but at least it will stay clean.

“What now?” Alena asks, taking a bite of pizza.

“You go home,” Constantin replies. “All of you. I’ve called the band. I’ve called all my suppliers and cancelled all the orders for the foreseeable future. The building is secure, so there’s nothing more we can do until tomorrow.”

When we’ve finished eating, Anton rises, looking quite pleased he’s got the afternoon off.

Alena is slower to follow him.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do?”

“You’ve done enough, thank you,” Constantin says.

“Okay. Well, call me when you’re ready to start cleaning up.”

“You don’t have to?—”

“I want to.” She gives his shoulder a squeeze before saying goodbye and leaving.

Constantin watches her go.

“You know, I was just thinking of making her the bar manager a few days ago. It’s long overdue. Now, I don’t have a bar left for her to manage.” He gives a little huff, one that’s meant to be humorous even though the situation definitely isn’t funny.

“How bad is it?” I ask and watch as he drops his head, taking a deep breath before raising it again.

“It’s bad. I have insurance, but I don’t think it will cover all of it. This is a big rebuild. Then there’s the loss of earnings while it’s shut, staff wages, or letting them go, which I don’t want to do. I have some savings, but it’s going to be tough for sure.”

He looks around as if he’s seeing the devastation for the first time.

“There’s a part of me that wants to just walk away. I don’t have the energy to start again.”

“Are you really considering that?” Rafe says quietly.

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