Vanished Without A Trace Read online

  "What happened?" She asked anxiously.

  "Not hungry."

  "No, I mean why do you look so depressed?"

  "Just tired."

  "Come, sit. Tell me what happened."

  He went into his room and Sultana went after him. "Sultana, this is my private territory!"

  "Do not forget this is my house." She sat at the edge of the bed. "How's it going with sales?" she asked.

  Daniel thought this was not the first time Sultana had read his thoughts. He rubbed his forehead. "It's going pretty well, for four months I haven’t sold even one apartment."

  "You are in the learning period. You will use all this in the future, use your appearance, it will do you good."

  "Very encouraging!" he replied sarcastically. "Shut the door behind you. I want to sleep."

  9

  "For the next few days, Daniel worked mostly at the maintenance job. He accepted the fact he should feel lucky to have this job - aspirations and reality were two different things. He didn’t go to the sales office that same day. Instead, he went to the beach. The weather was quite pleasant on summer mornings and he enjoyed looking at the yachts moored in the marina, though not a single day went by when watching them without him remembering the meeting with his grandfather. He felt the same emotion of overflowing revenge filling him day by day. One day an idea flashed in his mind. During the summer many yachts would leave the dock while others arrived. This meant many of the people who were coming here were potential home buyers. He went to his room, changed his clothes and went back to the dock with the sales paraphernalia. First, he went onto the dock where a group of adults were sitting at the back of the boat.

  "Can I interest you in something?" He asked in English without an accent.

  "We don’t want to buy anything." Someone said politely, as he looked at the papers in his hands.

  "Why not? Let’s see what he has to offer." Another one said. "We don’t have anything special to do today." Daniel did not wait for another invitation. He stepped off the dock to the boat. He sat down next to them, pulled out a diagram of houses and began to explain the viability of investing in Romania, especially the specific building that was on the market located near the marina. He deliberately used the term investment and not buying, while he noted the value of the apartment. He knew the value was low compared to the costs of the apartments in Europe. For two hours he answered and explained every question they raised. When they finished with their queries, he saw they were looking at each other and he knew he had made it.

  In that same week, he easily sold two apartments to two tourists. By the end of summer, he was able to sell enough apartments to leave his maintenance job and find an apartment for himself overlooking the sea. He decided at this point not to tell Sultana about this yet. He knew he would have a serious problem telling her the news. She would take it with anger, and scold him for not knowing how to appreciate the things she did for him. He decided to wait for the right moment.

  On the same day he rented the apartment, he stood and looked at the ten acres of land surrounding Sultana’s house. He smiled to himself, thinking of the plan forming in his mind. Although it was a bit far from the tourist center, there was a great potential. He came home and found Sultana sitting angrily in the kitchen.

  "You are late today!"

  Daniel was worried. If she was angry about him being late for a meal, how much more angry would she be when the time came to tell her he had to leave? Could he even find an opportunity to do so?

  "Your dominance makes me afraid of women", he replied and kissed her cheek.

  "Your magic will not work on me today."

  "Even if I listen to your stories about the time you worked in a circus again?"

  These lines acted on her like a magic wand. She focused on herself, staring at the wall and found herself telling him the same stories she told him so many times, about her life when she was young, and how she read people’s future through their palms or through cards. After a while, she seemed to be back to reality, took a deep breath and continued eating.

  He looked at her smiling, wondering if she really had such capability.

  "What are you smiling for?" she asked angrily.

  "Nothing, I just thought it requires a talent for someone to predict people’s future. It requires creativity I didn’t know you were blessed with."

  "You're a man with such little faith," she said angrily, and motioned him to follow her. For the first time, Daniel visited her room. He stood at the entrance. There was a two-door cabinet with yellow stripes across the doors that were slightly opened because the cabinet contained more than it could accommodate. On top were large bags and to the side of the room was a very high double bed. Daniel wondered if Sultana ever shared the bed with a man. He gave her a quick look and quickly ruled out the possibility. White wool carpets somehow found their place between the bed and the closet, and still left a space for the table. There rested a crystal ball and some strange accessories such as cards, beads and stones. She picked up the marbles and held them for some time then let him hold them.

  "It’s hot, isn’t it?"

  "Yes, and so?" he hid his smile.

  "Don’t be so cynical. Through the heat, I can predict your future."

  He stifled a laugh at the thought that marbles could predict the future. He also noticed tennis balls.

  "One whole playground you have here."

  "Okay, okay, sit down. Sometimes I miss your shyness when you first came here."

  Daniel sat in front of her and she apologized for not dressing just like the way she had in her time.

  "This has an effect on people. This makes it easier for them to connect with their subconscious mind, but with you I will give up because I know you don’t believe it anyway." She said angrily.

  He didn’t believe in these kinds of things, but he knew if Sultana decided something, no one could stop her. In his experience, it was better to give in at the beginning than to argue because it would only end up with the same result.

  Her forehead crumpled. The beam of light was directed to his palms. Her face was contorted. She looked alternately to his face as if she was verifying what her eyes had just seen.

  "There's a tough story here." She patted his hand with tenderness in her eyes. "The month you were born, November," she said, "three people met in a high mountain. Pain and heroism trapped them." She lifted her eyes and looked at him. "Your destiny will put their friendship to the test. Your fate is in their hands."

  Daniel listened to her confusing words. Now he was really sure she was babbling. She was maybe a little bit unusual, he thought, but she was a good woman. He continued to listen to her.

  "Your father is a rich man. He is suffering a lot. There is something separating the two of you, but he can’t stop thinking about you. He is very unhappy." The tenderness in her eyes suddenly turned to anger, "You're lucky I see the suffering in your life, otherwise I wouldn’t ignore the other things I see here. You can get out!" She rubbed her forehead in pain.

  "Is everything okay?" Daniel asked worried.

  "Yes, yes, you can leave," she said in a solemn whisper.

  He left the room confused and sat down in front of the TV, thinking about what she said about his father. 'Your father is very rich ... ' This is true,’ he thought. She also said he was suffering a lot. Could it be his father still wanted to get in touch with him but he couldn’t do it?

  Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted when Sultana came out of her room. She did not exchange a word with him and he did not understand why. Did she see something she didn’t like? He was angry at himself that he began to think about those things and started to believe she was capable of seeing things through his palms. After all, her words were quite strange. Three people met... Their fate intersects with his destiny... His father suffers... Well, what had been said predicted his future? He continued to think about it a few more minutes, then he concentrated on the TV. "Well, I'm going to sleep," he said and got
up. She did not react to his words.

  "I hope you did not see anything that made you so quiet," he said with a half-smile.

  "Oh I saw!" She said angrily. "Why did you not tell me that you're leaving?"

  Daniel rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "That's why you’re mad?"

  "No." Her voice was softer now. It was evident she was sad. "I saw painful things about me. I do not want to be alone in this house."

  Daniel leaned over her. "You'll be fine, Solly. You are a strong woman. You must not believe too much about these things. Come, let’s drink a beer and forget about your sadness."

  She smiled. "I've never been called Solly. I already feel twenty years younger. You always succeed to do me good. You can live here for free."

  "Be careful, I'll remember that, and I’ll come back when I'm broke."

  "You will not be."

  He kissed her cheek. "I'll go get some beer."

  "No, sit down. I'm doing something now and I want you to know I'm doing it with a clear head. You can take my land and do whatever you want." She handed him an envelope with thousands of dollars inside. "Take it. Do your plans."

  Daniel looked at the money. "Where did you get this amount of money Solly?"

  "One day I'll tell you."

  "I can’t take it. I can’t pay you back."

  "Give it back to me when you have it", she said, leaving him to wonder if she did have special powers. He was tempted to ask her if she knew whether his plans would come true, whether it would be a success or a failure, but he did not dare to admit he believed in this. Daniel preferred to check things out with Mikhail than to consult with a seventy-year-old woman. Damn, he thought, why did it seem to be logical for him to do this? He must have lost all hope if he was looking for the accompaniment of strange power. He quickly picked up the phone to call Mikhail before he went out of his mind seeking solutions in the cards.

  "Mikhail, I thought of quitting my job as the director of sales," he decided to start the conversation like this.

  "I thought you were getting along well with the job."

  "Yes, but the woman who I rented the apartment offered me her land to construct houses on it. I have a little bit of money and I thought..." Daniel paused for a moment. He knew Mikhail couldn’t even imagine the things he was about to say. "I was thinking you know how to build and I know how to sell, so we can combine the two."

  There was silence on the other line.

  Daniel went on talking. He said there was no point in working for others and earning less, so they could both hit the jackpot. He presented his plan until he heard Mikhail's voice interrupt him. "Why do you talk so much? You do not need to convince the convinced."

  Daniel sat back with a big smile on his face, listening to Mikhail’s excitement about the idea and talking about the nature of the building and the profiles of the tenants and then concluded the project should start immediately without unnecessary delays.

  Two weeks later, bulldozers were already on the grounds. Daniel, with much delight, followed every step of the construction. He was happy to see the foundations, the pillars, the roofs, the frames, the walls… a four story building with four apartments on each floor was standing in front of him the glory of his first creation. Even before they finished the construction, he had already found buyers and began the construction of another thirty-two apartments.

  10

  Daniel made his way Mikhail’s house. It was Christmas and Mikhail invited him to stay with him in Brashov. He drove slowly, enjoying looking at the tall snowy mountains kissing the gray skies. Big white clouds glided down slowly like angel wings seeking to land softly on the ground. The whites embedded within the gray clouds, were, in his eyes, a masterpiece of nature where land meets the universe. He pulled over at Mikhail’s house and looked at the mountain ranges again. So many mountains, so much snow, but no people. He wanted to give life to this place, to see a city at the top of a mountain; a resort town.

  Throughout the holiday, he looked at the mountains again and again. It did not go unnoticed by Mikhail who couldn’t understand what was so exciting about the snowy mountains. Everyone else would get up every morning and barely even notice them.

  "Why are you looking at the mountains and at the snow all the time?"

  "How come nobody thought to put a bungalow here?" Daniel asked, his eyes still fixed on the mountains.

  "Maybe because it's a bad idea?" Mikhail replied.

  "I am very happy so far no one thinks like me."

  Two weeks later, Daniel went to Mikhail’s office. He was busy. "I need to visit Brasov again."

  "What have you got there?"

  "Bungalows!"

  You're crazy. Let's move forward slowly." Mikhail was appalled by Daniel's fast pace.

  "We'll take the money intended for the apartment houses and invest in a resort. Believe me, many tourists will come to ski."

  "There are enough ski resorts in Romania. Other than that, we don’t have enough money to advertise. How will we bring in tourists?" Mikhail asked with disbelief.

  "Of course they will not come immediately. It’s a process, if the place is good, the residents are the first to come, after that the place will become attractive in the eyes of the locals, and the tourists will be enticed to come. We are talking about a zero investment here. It’s not a lot of money.

  Mikhail sighed slightly, "Do what you want, I'm against it."

  "That's why I want to do it, because no one sees the potential. Why do we wait for more people to think about it? If we wait, we won’t be able to get it at a good price."

  "I assure you nobody will think about it because it’s the craziest thing I've ever heard. There are enough sites for skiing, there’s nothing special in your plan except the fact that it’s risky… risky for you and for those who paid us the apartment money in advance."

  "We're talking about a bungalow. It's not a lot of money."

  "Money that you don’t have. Do what you want, I think you are putting the money we received at risk and it’s not right."

  "I won’t use their money. I will just use the profit intended for us."

  "Okay, then wait until you have the money."

  "We are here on this land for a limited time. If I want to do it right, I need to do things in parallel."

  "Do enough?" Mikhail asked angrily, "You don’t have the time to make enough money like your grandfather, admit it!"

  Mikhail walked out furiously, leaving Daniel in the chair with a sense of defeat. Suddenly, his dreams seemed so small. Yes, Mikhail was right. He succeeded with building just two buildings in Constanza. In Romanian terms, it was not impressive and certainly not an international standard. Now he wanted to make the mistake of his life just to get even with someone who will always be in a higher class. Despite the logic of Mikhail’s words, Daniel was angry he brought up a subject that was so heavy for him. He looked at the clock, shocked to see he had been busy thinking for over an hour. It had always been like this when he thought about revenge toward his grandfather, but at the end he was always filled with tremendous energy to move forward and succeed. This time, he was totally drained. This time he felt his grandfather had won.

  He went to Sultana and found her eating watermelon in front of the TV. "Believe me, this watermelon has more seeds than flesh."

  Daniel laughed.

  "How's work?" she asked while removing the seeds.

  "A bit tired of it."

  "Why?"

  "Suddenly I realized I am just a small man with big dreams. Mikhail brought me back to earth a little bit."

  Sultana went back to taking out the seeds from the watermelon. "Believe me, Daniel, I have been through a lot in life. There were lots of times when I had no place to protect myself from the rain and cold. There were times I had nothing to eat and those did not kill me. But these seeds, I’m telling you, they will kill me in the end."

  "You're not serious. I am talking to you about serious things and yet you are busy with yourself and w
ith your nonsense."

  She raised her head. "Daniel, to whom did I give my money?"

  He was silent.

  "To whom did I give my land?"

  "To me."

  "Do you want the watermelon too?" she asked while passing the plate to him.

  He ate the watermelon. "There are some things you can’t eat at your age."

  "There are things I have no patience for at any age."

  In the morning, Daniel found himself trying to recruit all kinds of investors in order to move forward with his plan. After the conversation with Sultana, he wanted more. If yesterday he dreamed of a Surfer’s Club, now he wanted "the club" – a club that could offer high level pampering services. He drew a sketch on paper and went to the architect, Gustavo. He was aware of the fact this time he went to Gustavo’s without setting a prior appointment, though he had been instructed more than once not to do it. The secretary smiled and let him enter the office without informing Gustavo.

  ‘Good’ Daniel thought, ‘At last they are getting used to my habits.’

  After two days, Gustavo sent a beautiful upgraded plan to Daniel’s office. It showed big changes, but didn’t exceed the budget too much. The enhanced plan demonstrated an achievable dream for Daniel.

  He knew he had to start the project with or without Mikhail. If he wanted investors, he should show them tangible things rather than paper, show them a project in the making, and actually show them the cabins so they would be impressed.

  Land cost was ridiculous and insignificant. There was no need for permits or special procedures, probably because there were nice ski sites in Romania and no one thought land was a big deal. After arranging the land ownership, all that was left was to build infrastructure quickly and put the cabins in place. Daniel needed the money to buy the cabins. One way was to wait for the housing construction to finish then invest it in the bungalows, or take the money intended for the construction of the apartments and go on with the construction of the bungalows with it. True, if something unusual and unexpected happened, then he was risking the project with the Romanian investors, but if everything went well and he was be able to find investors for the resort, then there would be no problem. He bought twenty-five cabins and put them as described in step A of the plan. After that, he contacted several travel agencies and received permission from them to assign sales personnel in order to entice the tourists to purchase cabins. He went to the dock where he first succeeded in selling houses. He distributed to some papers to the yacht owners some papers in English. Attached was the dream plan, but this time it was written at the bottom that a bus would be waiting for them on a specific day to take them to see the site in Brasov, where a lunch would be served. Everything would be at his expense. ‘They won’t turn down a free lunch trip,’ he thought. ‘After all, they are looking for attractions.’