Page 16 of Mysterious Teacher : Arrival
“Oh,” she gushed. “He went on and on about the beautiful architecture, the museums, the people. He absolutely loved it. What part of the city did you live in?”
Damn! Would she ever let up?
“Actually, it wasn’t in Vienna proper,” he said. “It was in a small town north of Vienna. A town that no one has ever heard of, so it’s just easier to say Vienna.”
“I understand,” April said as she picked up her fork and resumed eating. “What town?”
Seriously?
He knew he would have to invent a non-existent town to ensure that her father hadn’t been there, too. “Padlewitz.”
“Padlewitz?”April said, her brow furrowed. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“I told you,” he said with a pleased grin. “No one has heard of my tiny hometown.”
Sonya set her elbows on the edge of the table and leaned closer. “I’ve been listening to you and...”
Great. Now what?
“The way you say ‘one’. And the way you say ‘ever’...You sound a bit more Russian than Austrian.”
April gasped with surprise. “That’s right. I thought I had picked up on something that wasn’t quite right. Did you live in Austria all your life?”
These women were smart. Smarter than he’d assumed.
He nodded as he shoved another fork load into his mouth. “You’re both very good,” he said with an affable laugh. “Such good ears. If you must know, Iwasborn in Austria, in Padlewitz,” he said to cover up his attempted lie. “My family moved to Germany when I was about four years of age, but then I took Russian lessons since 10 years old.”
“How marvelous to grow up in Europe,” April gushed. “I’ve seen so many photos of those Bavarian castles. The majestic mountains and welcoming countryside...all so beautiful. It’s all so romantic.”
Now that the inquisition was over, Boris relaxed. They had bought his story, and he couldn’t help but smile. Looking at the two ladies before him, eating such a scrumptious meal, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so utterly and completely happy. It was amazing what good company and great food could do to a man. It was such a pleasant change of pace. While Igor was competent and determined, Boris had already grown tired of the constant criticism which often led to endless bickering.They were supposed to be equals, but Igor believed and acted like he was more equal than Boris.But if you questioned it, Igor would insist everyone was the same, everyone gets the same.But somehow, Boris wondered, would Igor distribute the wealth of finding Hitler’s gold, equally to everyone or would Igor keep more for himself?
“Hast du Geschwiser?”April said.
Boris smiled. “You know a bit of German. How unexpected.” She had no idea just how unexpected it really was.Good.Now she may think he was German, rather than Russian.Even better!Let her think he was from a country the polar opposite of each other.What a ruse when both countries actually are more similar than people expect.Boris laughed inwardly.How clever he was.But why would she ask if he had siblings?
“Hast du eine Freudin?”
“Nein. Nein. Ich habe keine Freudin. Nein.” He felt his cheeks warm up by the unexpected conversation. “I don’t really have time for a girlfriend.”
“I never thought that I would have the opportunity to practice my German here in California.”
“And your German is quite good,” Boris said, thoroughly enjoying his exchange with the young woman. “Where did you learn to speak it?”
“My tutor,” April said.“My father made sure I was well-educated, especially in languages.”
Boris shifted his gaze to Sonya who hadn’t spoken much since sitting down.
“Not me,” Sonya clarified. “Her previous tutor.”
“That’s right,” April said. “Hannah Horowitz was a good, if sometimes distant tutor. She was a little weak on math and science but was brilliant when it came to showing me a bit of German and French.”
“Oh,” Boris said. “You also speak French?”
“Bien sur que je parle français,” April said without faltering.
“Ah, et tu parle tres bien,” Boris said.
“Merci beaucoup,” she said, clearly pleased with herself. “Tell me, have you ever been to visit the Neuschwanstein castle?”
