It was late at night. The lanterns glowing around the house illuminated quite a large distance, if not the entire courtyard. Dada was still sleeping peacefully on the Gardener's only bed. As for the owner of the bed, he was sitting on a wooden crate nearby, his head leaning against the wooden wall of the hut, dozing off. Later, the servants went to greet the Padrone's car as it approached the yard. It was not unusual for the Padrone to return so late. Sometimes he stayed in the city overnight, but no matter what time he returned, the servants were always alert and ready to meet him. The m Padrone aster trusted them; he left Dada in the care of these loyal servants, and because of this, he was at peace. Out of fear or respect for him, no one could easily harm his ward. The sound of the car woke the Gardener. He spotted the Padrone's car through the small, warped window of the hut. Then, looking worried, he glanced at the sleeping Dada.
"What will they think if they see us here?..
Especially in the middle of the night...
And who will believe me that..."
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
"No! No! Dada cannot stay here any longer! I must do something immediately."
The Gardener sat down on the bed beside the sleeping girl and carefully tried to wake her. Dada, waking up in the dimly lit, wretched hut illuminated by the courtyard lamp, was struck by a sudden jolt of fear. She could not yet grasp where she was. She thought she was somewhere in a dark cellar; the light from outside barely reached the semi-dark hut...
A stranger...
In a strange place...
She barely managed a single shriek before the Gardener covered her mouth with his hand. Dada struggled, making horrible muffled noises. Ugo held her as tightly as he could, whispering in her ear:
- Shh! Shh!.. Quiet, please, be quiet, don't be afraid.
Dada did not calm down, ignoring the Gardener's pleas. The Gardener gripped her arms even tighter and said in a much harsher tone:
- If you don't be quiet, know that I won't let you go!
Dada came to her senses. She calmed down a little, but she was still trembling with fear.
- That’s it, calm down. Be quiet, don't be afraid. Calm down and I will let you go!
The girl complied. She was no longer making muffled noises, and her trembling gradually ceased. The Gardener took his hand off Dada's mouth, cupped her face in his hands, looked into her eyes, and said in the most convincing voice he could muster:
- Can you listen to me carefully?
Dada nodded.
- It’s late. It’s very late at night. You must enter the house without anyone seeing you. Do you understand what I mean?
Dada lowered her head.
The Gardener continued:
- They must not see you here! You know it's not allowed. They will accuse us of a thousand things. Then they might even kick me out of here, and I will never be able to see you again.
Dada raised her head and fixed her large green eyes on the Gardener.
- If Zeki finds out, not only will I be kicked out, but you know he won't spare me! - The Gardener was using every argument he could to make Dada understand why she couldn't be here at this hour.
At the mention of Zeki, Dada furrowed her brows. An expression of wrath appeared on her face, but then she looked at her companion with sorrowful eyes. She hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder.
The Gardener laughed, stroked her head, and said:
- Don’t be afraid, I will protect you from that terrible man, but right now, I must somehow get you back home! And as quickly as possible!
The gardener stood up. He poked his head outside. From a distance, the Padrone and the servants could be heard talking. It was still quite possible to sneak up to the house unnoticed. The gardener said to Dada without even looking back:
- Dada, we are leaving!
Dada appeared right behind his back instantly.
- Give me your hand!
They set off toward the house, taking the long way around. The yard dogs knew them both well, so they didn't bark; they just lifted their heads slightly and let out a soft whine, perhaps as a sign of greeting. They ran across one path, then another, and crossed a third, but the Padrone had already come toward the main entrance of the house. They could no longer sneak into the house unnoticed. Dada tugged at their joined hands once or twice. The gardener didn't pay attention; he kept pushing forward, pulling Dada along, but now he stopped. He hid behind the bushes at the edge of the garden and knelt down, pulling Dada's hand to signal for her to hide too, but Dada did not kneel; instead, she pulled even harder on his hand. The gardener turned around. Dada was pointing at something. She was gesturing toward a completely different direction. At first, the gardener thought she was asking to go back, but then he looked closer.
Dada seemed to be pointing toward a completely different place. Finally, realizing she couldn't make him understand, Dada let go of his hand and set off herself. Now the gardener followed, holding Dada's hand, looking back constantly; however, they were crawling from a side where no one could spot them. They mostly made their way through the trees, making them hard to notice. Especially since the dogs weren't barking, complete silence reigned all around. It wouldn't occur to anyone to inspect the mud-soaked yard in the middle of the night for no reason. Dada led the gardener toward the back corner of the house. Further away, the servants' quarters began. Even here, it seemed dangerous to be spotted. It was quite possible for one of the servants to step out, although it was freezing cold and the yard was wet. At the corner of the house, there was something like a slanted wooden ramp leaning against it. It looked more like something built into the wall.
Dada gestured with her hand. The gardener knelt and tried to pull the board, but it wouldn't budge. He shook his head in dissatisfaction. Dada signaled something again. The gardener didn't understand anything, but he realized the girl knew something, so he gave way to her. Dada slid her fingers under the edge of the board and struggled for two or three minutes; something seemed to click. Meanwhile, the gardener was scanning the area, thinking about how to find another way, as he wasn't sure if Dada's plan would work, but he was wrong. Dada finally opened the latch installed from the inside and lifted the cellar hatch. The descent was dimly lit by a lantern standing near the house. The gardener climbed down carefully, trying to look around, but almost nothing was visible. He reached out his hand to Dada, and they began to descend slowly.
Dada tugged at his hand again. The gardener looked back; the girl was gesturing with her hand — she was asking him to close the entrance. The gardener whispered to her:
- Let it be for now, it's lighting our way at least a little. I will come back later and close it myself. But Dada shook her head in refusal. She brought a finger to her lips.
The gardener realized that no one was supposed to know about this passage. That was why Dada was so insistently demanding that the cellar be sealed. Finding the way in such darkness was not easy, but the girl prevailed here as well; she knew perfectly well that she had to follow the wall on the right side. Dada had learned about this secret passage only a few years ago. Once, returning home from a walk, she bumped into that man with the frightening eyes at the door. The man greeted the girl politely and with great deference, looking deep into her eyes as if trying to read something in them.
Dada was always frightened by his gaze; what urgent business could such a repulsive man have with her kind Padrone? Why was he visiting? What did he want? Why did he keep coming here? Or why did he observe Dada like that? All of this irritated the girl terribly, and she tried to read all the numerous answers in her Padrone's eyes.
From the open office door, a bottle of cognac and two glasses could be seen on the table. Dada stepped inside carefully. The ma Padrone ster was there, looking terribly sorrowful; he gave the girl a faint, lopsided smile. He poured and downed two glasses in a row. Dada realized that the Padrone was troubled and didn't know how to comfort him. She sat on the floor at his feet and rested her head on his knee. Tears welled up in the Padrone's eyes. He stroked the girl's head.
- In this world, you are the only person. The only kind one I can fully trust, but you... eh, you are still just a little girl... A little girl with a pure soul...
Dada looked up at the mas Padrone ter with furrowed brows. It was as if she were signaling that she wasn't just a little girl at all, and that he could always count on her. The Padrone stroked her affectionately:
- Eh, what can you really do? There is so much evil in this world, how could you ever cope with it?
Dada stood up with a courageous look and furrowed her brows so sternly that the Padrone laughed. Before him stood not a little girl, but a brave warrior. The teary-eyed Padrone cupped the girl's face in his hands:
- My loyal one. - he caressed her. - You and I are one family! We are one! And Zeki is a good boy too, he is one of our own, but he is still different, if only because he lives in another house! That is his home! Here is ours! Ours alone! Mine and yours!
Dada looked at him, surprised, and nodded. She didn't understand much, but she agreed nonetheless.
"We are one family, of course! And that wild Zeki? Yes, he is wild, but he is still one of ours!"
Dada thought. And the Padrone continued:
- Yes, it is true that servants live with us as well, and we are not completely alone, but they have their own homes and families, while we are only two! You and I!
Dada smiled at her foster father.
- We are two! You and I! - the Padrone repeated again and kissed her on the forehead. Then he took a large lantern from the bottom drawer of his desk and signaled for Dada to follow him. They went upstairs from the office. First, they passed the front rooms, then they went past the door of Dada's bedroom and entered the girl's art gallery. Dada thought the gallery had only one entrance, but she was wrong. It turned out that on the opposite side of the door, at the end of the gallery, behind the corner of the window and the wall, another way existed.
The Padrone pushed the wall with both hands at once, and a door, previously unknown to Dada, opened. They descended down a small, narrow staircase. This staircase went down invisibly between the gallery and the walls of the other side of the house, so that no one could see them. Even from the outside, it was impossible for anyone to notice the hidden passage located between the two walls.
Upon arriving in the cellar beneath the house, they found themselves in a small room. This room was also unnoticeable. One could enter the basement from a completely different side, but there was no other exit from there. This hidden room was concealed between the walls just like the staircase leading down here.
Dada glanced around the empty little room; the walls were built of red brick. In one corner, the Padrone pushed against the wall and opened a small, shutter-like door, revealing an iron door behind it.
The Padrone led Dada to the safe. He took her hand and used Dada's finger to enter the code:
- Memorize these numbers! Can you do it?
Dada nodded. The numbers were simple and easy to remember, but on the other hand, they would not be easy to guess at all. It wouldn't occur to anyone to break the code so simply; everyone would try to open it using birth years or some significant family date, but this way — 123... 321... 123... 321 — it was just repeated so simply and easily.
The safe door opened. Under the flashlight's beam, golden rays shimmered. Dada stared in surprise. The safe was full, with gold bars stacked like bricks.
The Padrone reached for one bar and weighed it heavily in his hand:
- Not even half of this is worth our entire fortune! This one bar alone would be enough for you, and if you handle it wisely, it will set you up for your entire life! Only if you use it truly intelligently!
Dada stared in amazement. To her, this pile of gold bars did not represent financial value at all; she was only captivated by its golden shimmer and surprised by the weight of the bar.
The Padrone then showed her the way out to the courtyard from there as well, and warned her categorically:
- No one must know about this! Under no circumstances should you reveal this to anyone!
Dada did not fully grasp the essence of why the Padrone was warning her so earnestly, but she nodded anyway.
- Not even Zeki knows anything, and he must never find out! Remember that well! - the Padrone kept explaining, and Dada nodded again in agreement.
Obviously, she understood everything perfectly. Zeki is also a member of their family, but he is untamable and could easily squander it all, which is why the Padrone entrusts everything to Dada and appoints her as the head of the property, even though she did not want much, it was necessary nonetheless.
«This is the family's property! And I must protect its dignity and value!»
The girl thought to herself, although deep down, she still did not fully understand the need for all of this.
- We already have enough property, and this should only be used if it becomes absolutely, very, very necessary!
Dada nodded once more and, by placing a finger to her lips, signaled that she would keep it quiet...
Right then, they found themselves in the gallery via that secret staircase. Dada had memorized the secret staircase perfectly. Even though she had only been there once, because the Padrone had warned her categorically that "Only you and I must know," she kept the secret strictly. Now, however, she was forced to break her promise, although she only revealed the exit to the gardener, hinting nothing about the safe hidden in the wall or the gold bars.
In the darkness, they made their way with great difficulty, feeling their way with their hands. The gardener realized that Dada knew the way and let her lead.
They found the light on in the gallery. Dada often left it like that. First Dada entered, then the gardener. Suddenly, Dada, whether willingly or unwillingly, locked the door behind her.
They had barely entered when the sound of the Padrone's footsteps was heard. The gardener wanted to turn back, but when he looked behind him, he could no longer understand where or how he could escape from there. The door behind them had locked in such a way that he could see nothing but the wall.
He managed to whisper just one thing:
- How do I get out of here?
Dada didn't even look his way. Her ears were pricked. She was staring at the door from which the Padrone was about to enter at any moment.
Time was running out; they had to do something. Suddenly, Dada sat the gardener on a cabinet standing in the middle of the room, grabbed an album herself, and the Padrone walked in.
The girl greeted him with a beaming smile. The Padrone cast a surprised glance at the gardener, who was bare-chested.
The gardener tried to stand up, but Dada tapped a thick pencil against the easel and, with that same pencil and a stern expression, signaled for him to stay seated. Then, she bowed her head and continued working with a serious face.
- Are you staying up all night again instead of sleeping? Were you waiting for me to arrive? - the Padrone smiled.
The girl nodded with a smile.
Given Dada's penchant for eccentricities, the Padrone was not particularly surprised by the gardener's visit, although it was quite late and he was not pleased nonetheless.
«Perhaps they were caught out by the night.»
He thought at first, but then he noticed that it was colder than necessary in the gallery. Even the fireplace looked as though it had been extinguished for a long time.
«Can it be that they are not cold? And him, sitting there bare-chested as she has placed him, is he not cold either?»
The Padrone looked at the gardener with different eyes now. It was as if he did not resemble at all the man he had initially hired to work. A man who had reached nearly forty years of age, he looked quite healthy, rather than the prematurely aged, frail, and exhausted beggar he had previously thought him to be.
The Padrone fell into thought. Now, he began to observe the gardener more carefully.
Dada noticed the concern on the Padrone's face, rubbed her eyes, and began to yawn. The gardener also understood Dada's cunning, quickly caught on, and imitated the girl in her yawning.
Dada stood up and propped the album against the wall as if she did not want anyone to see her unfinished work beforehand.
She signaled to the gardener that he was free. He rose lazily, as if tired, and prepared to leave, while also starting to make excuses:
- I got soaked in the rain, sir, and...
The Padrone understood that the gardener had no other clothes.
- Yes, but why then do you not ask for new clothes? - the Padrone asked him, almost reproachfully. - I never leave anyone like that, do I? The servants are always arguing over the clothes I distribute, yet you have been here for so long and have never come, nor have you ever asked for anything. Why?
The gardener bowed his head in embarrassment and hunched over even more. It seemed as if he was avoiding straightening his back; perhaps he did not want the Padrone to examine his strong body.
The Padrone prepared to leave the room, but turned at the door and told the gardener:
- Wait for me here! - and walked out of the room with quick steps.
Dada and the gardener sighed in relief; everything had been resolved so easily. Dada pointed again to the secret exit and placed a finger to her lips — telling him not to tell anyone.
The gardener repeated Dada's gesture and whispered to her:
- Shhh, shhhh!
The Padrone returned shortly after. He handed the gardener several shirts, a jacket, and trousers: - Come tomorrow morning, and I will find you some shoes as well!
The gardener was filled with gratitude. Dada even clapped her hands with joy and hugged the Padrone happily.
LEX. Friday, February 5, 2016
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