Page 38 of Night and Day
“Actually,” Izzy nodded at the rack of weights in the corner. “I need to work out. I usually just warm up here, but we could go for a run?”
Mia smiled at the thought. “I’d never keep up with you. I don’t even have running shoes.”
“Ah, yeah.” He looked around the room, as if he might spot running shoes in her size lying around somewhere.
“That’s okay. You do your thing. I’ll go for a walk or something.” She lifted her hand, silencing his protests. “I’ll just circle the block. I won’t get lost.”
Izzy bounced up from his seat. “That reminds me... I have an old phone somewhere...” he started opening and closing drawers and eventually dug through a large container on his desk, pulling out cables and hard drives. “Here!” He held up a scratched Samsung. “I’ll charge this, and you’ll have a temporary phone. We can get a local SIM card for it from the supermarket. Sorry, I should have thought of that last night.”
“Thank you!” Mia joined him, watching in anticipation as he plugged the phone into a charger and a progress bar lit up on the screen. “It’s working!”
Izzy leapt up to search another box. “In fact, I might even have a SIM card. My brother brought one over when I didn’t text back in a week or two... a month...” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. “It was a bit of dig, to be honest. Like, here you go, you obviously don’t have a working phone number.”
“Wow.” Mia accepted the plastic card, still in its wrapper. She opened the package and, with shaking fingers, negotiated the tiny SIM card inside the phone, which already showed 10% charge. “Can I turn it on?” She asked, and Izzy nodded.
“I can buy you more credit from my phone. It’s the same carrier.”
A few minutes later, she sat in her favourite armchair, holding a working phone. It was morning in Finland. Time to check the newsletter site to see if Mikko had replied. Her fingers trembling, Mia navigated to the message she’d left him. To her shock, there was a reply right under it, saved within the same draft.
If you see this, I’ve received your message. Not sure how to help you, but I await further instructions.
Mia stared at the abrupt words, trying to shake the sense of disappointment. What had she expected? She hadn’t given him an address, email, or a phone number. Mikko’s response was entirely logical, just like he was. Besides, she was fine.
Izzy appeared from his bedroom in a sleeveless shirt, joggers and running shoes and Mia swallowed air. Those arms. They looked like they should lift cars and wrestle lions, not click a mouse in an empty basement. The way he looked made no sense.
Ignoring the rhythmic whip of the skipping rope hitting the floor, Mia got to work, creating a new Gmail address, something she probably should have done yesterday, had she not been so distracted by... well, him.
“What’s your address?” she asked Izzy, allowing herself one miniscule glance at the man who was now doing bench presses, muscles bulging. Dear God. This wasn’t fair.
He gave her the address between sharp exhales and grunts, spelling out the road name. Mia wrote it down and sent Mikko an email from her new address, including all her new contact details. Now, the ball was in his court. If he wanted to help, he could send her money. Mia looked up her airline’s contact details and emailed them from her new address, explaining the situation and asking for her flight details. If they took pity on her, they might at least try to call the phone number she’d provided and investigate the situation.
The online errands taken care of, Mia finally wrote an email to her sister.
Dear Kati! I’m in New Zealand and first of all, don’t worry. I got robbed on arrival, but I found a friend who’s helping. I have a place to stay and I’m well looked after. I’m not sure how I can get a new passport sorted before the flights, but I’ll try. I don’t want to miss the birth of the lil’ human. I swear.
She paused, fingers hovering above the screen. There was so much more she wanted to say, but no way of putting it into words, at least not without raising alarm. Mia dropped the phone in her lap and exhaled, sinking into the chair.
It was still light outside. She could go for a walk – get some fresh air and escape the gun show (Izzy was still flexing his biceps, with the mix of iron, chalk and sweat lingering in her nose).
Checking that her new phone had enough charge, Mia grabbed her backpack and headed for the stairs. “I’m going for a walk. I have the phone.”
Izzy dropped two massive weights, making the floor vibrate. She heard his parting words as she entered the dark stairway. Something about staying safe. Well, that’s what she was trying to do.
