Concern for anyone but herself and Jessika was so out of character for Mrs. Golonko that for all Emil knew, he might have accidentally stepped into another dimension. Mrs. Luty smiled and put another generous piece of cake in front of him—the same cake she’d claimed she no longer had. Were they trying to fatten him up for slaughter or something?
“Thank you, that’s too kind. I will definitely give it thought.” Not.
“Definitely do, Emil. It’s a really good opportunity for you.”
This kind of back-and-forth small talk continued for a couple more minutes before Emil managed to politely end the conversation and put the phone down. “Could I take the cake home? I promised you to sweep the whole yard, and I’m not leaving without paying up,” he said and left before Mrs. Luty managed to once again demand that he rethinks his future plans.
Unbelievable.
Things went from weird to wild when no one other than Mr. Nowak drove into the yard and parked his car with a screech of tires.
“Where’s the fire?” Emil laughed, fully expecting for Nowak to pass him and head to see Mrs. Luty, but he came closer, walking to the languid rhythm of the sleep-inducing hymn sung inside the church.
“Ah, no fire. Why would you say that?” Nowak asked, wiping his forehead with a tissue.
Emil frowned, unsure to what he owed the dubious pleasure of so many nasty people suddenly showing interest in his plight.
Nowak stared at him. “So, anyway. It’s funny you’re here, because I was just going to talk to Father Marek about a good deed I’m intending to do. But I saw you, and I thought—hell, enough is enough—we need to bury the hatchet.”
Emil discreetly scanned the room for cameras in this crazy show of his life, but there was no one to witness this strange scene. “How so?”
Nowak clapped his hands, which were small in relation to his size, and with stubby fingers. Looking at him made Emil wonder if Radek was really his kid, but at the end of the day, it was none of his business.
“My son spoke to me recently, and it made me think that maybe I’d been too harsh on you,” Nowak said. “Your parents and grandmother died young, and your grandfather did his best raising you.” But instead of concluding that Emil’s rotten nature was due to a lack of discipline or some other shit like that, the village head segued straight to a topic so far out of the norm it had Emil staring. “I want to gift you Radek’s old car, since I’m getting him a new one anyway.”
When Emil’s mind was too blank to come up with anything in response, Nowak continued.
“Must be hard for a guy your age without one in such an area. I talked to Mrs. Golonko, and I’m really glad you’re going to work for us at the farm. Getting there would have been ninety minutes on foot, but a breeze in the car. And you’ll be able to even visit Radek in Cracow once in a while. I know you two are good friends.”
Emil swallowed. After speaking about this with the Golonkos, Nowak must have assumed Emil would be over the moon to be offered a job at their farm. He wanted to tell him the truth, but, damn, he wanted that car. He would not look a gift horse in the mouth, and if Nowak found out Emil had turned down the job, he might change his mind. “Wow, Mr. Nowak, that is very kind of you.”
Nowak nodded, and rushed past Emil, toward the parsonage. “Pop by after the weekend, so we can deal with all the paperwork.”
Emil studied Nowak’s Range Rover and thought back to Radek’s little Peugeot. It wasn’t a glamorous vehicle, and it still had some scratches from the time Radek was learning to drive, but it was a functioning and well-maintained car. Once it was his, he and Adam could travel to Warsaw in comfort.
Nowak didn’t stay at the parsonage for long, and offered Emil a rare smile on his way out. After suffering constant misfortune for most of his life, Emil didn’t know how to accept so much luck in a single day, but he concluded that maybe motivational speakers were right? Maybe all you needed was to believe in yourself, and the universe would eventually shine at you?
That, or maybe the universe was testing his resolve to change his life. But he was committed. More than ever.
He was done sweeping by the time the mass attendees emerged from the church, and waited for Adam at the back door, only to startle him as he left for the parsonage. His playfulness made Adam smile, even though he did scold Emil. Soon after, once they both rejected Mrs. Luty’s offer to stay for supper, the two of them went for a walk, with some food packed for later.
It was one of those rare days when Emil’s entire body buzzed with excitement. He had a lot to tell Adam, and since the wind had died down, they chose a longer route through the forest instead of their usual shortcut.
The damp air smelled of the colorful leaves piling under their feet. Many of the trees growing on either side of the path were nearly bare, but with the forest stretching on both sides, the path still felt private as the sun descended, turning the sky dusky.
“And then Nowak offered me Radek’s old car. It’s like someone put a spell on all of them. You won’t see me complaining. Maybe it’s the magic of the fern flower at work?”
Adam grinned and, after a quick look around, pushed his fingers between Emil’s. “Or maybe it’s because you got rid of the figurine?”
Emil stilled, hit by this possibility. “How wild would it be if, after a lifetime of bad luck, things finally turned around for me like this? Because of something I could have done a long time ago at that.”
Adam smiled and leaned into him as they continued down the path. He seemed more relaxed now, as if the presence of a little piece of wood and hair had really put a strain on him. And now they were both free.
“I’ll ask my parents if you could stay in my old room first, before you find a place of your own. It’s always easier that way.”
Emil beamed at him and picked a dry leaf out of Adam’s hair. “This day is just getting better and better. You would really do that for me? I promise not to wear any Satanic T-shirts for your Mom’s sake, but I do only have black ones. And I’m not cutting my hair.”
Adam’s squeezed Emil’s hand, as if they were a normal couple just enjoying the last of the sun on a warmish day at the end of October. “It would have been a shame if you did.”
A faint scent of smoke blew their way, but Emil dismissed it, angry that one of the villagers was likely burning something they shouldn’t and sending toxic fumes into the air, but he was too focused on Adam’s sweet promises to pay much attention to it.
“You love my long hair, don’t you?” Emil teased, feeling like he’d grown a couple of inches.
Soon enough, they’d be treated to the view of the sun setting behind Emil’s house, and his day would be complete.
Adam gave a nervous laugh and reddened, as if it were the first time Emil teased him. “You’re embarrassing me,” he said and nudged Emil with his elbow as they neared the edge of the woods. The fields were ablaze with the orange glow that would transform Adam’s blue eyes into two beacons. Emil couldn’t wait to see it.
They turned behind a giant oak after which they’d have a steady downhill trek in the light of the setting sun, but the sight in the valley blinded Emil with its unimaginable nature.
The sun was indeed setting behind his house, but its glow extended, as if it were devouring his home. Instead of the sunshine, his house raged with fire, spitting dark smoke into the air.