For a while, there is no words spoken. They just hold hands above the table with both tears in their eyes. They could not deny it, they both really love each other.
"Luisa, Schat, please will you marry me?" Herman was asking Luisa to marry him.
Luisa did not answer. She thought about her situation, that she was married with Karel and that she has two daughters. For Luisa it was clear that Herman was the father of Lindsey and Norma but legally the father is Karel. Yes, the marriage with Karel was a deal but legally Karel is her husband.
"Luisa?" the voice of Herman stop the thoughts of Luisa. "I am begging you, please marry me!"
Luisa could not understand herself. Herman was begging her to marry him but why seems she was not glad or happy? Why she keeps thinking about her marriage with Karel?
"You're not answering me, you are still angry to me." Herman said it with sadness in her voice.
"Herman, I had forgiven you. How could I say this, you know, my love for you was so strong that all the mistakes, all the wrong doings you had done were all long gone." Luisa at last answered Herman.
"Thank you, Luisa. You will marry me then?" Herman was glad to know that Luisa had already forgiven him.
"But there are things that you must..." Luisa stop and did not finished what she was trying to say. Outside, she saw a man pushing a twin baby cart. Her eyes made no mistake. It was Karel strolling in the street with Lindsey and Norma. Luisa suddenly stood up.
"Luisa?" Herman was surprised and wondered.
"Moment!" Luisa rushed outside. She saw the back of Karel pushing the cart. "Karel!"
The man turned around to look, it was indeed Karel. "Luisa?"
Luisa was paralyzed for a moment when at the time that she called Karel, Herman was approaching her. Herman did not understand why Luisa suddenly rushed out when they were still talking.
"Luisa, Schat, what happened?" Herman asked Luisa.
Luisa was rattled. She could not understand why Karel was with the babies when Thelma was the one babysitting in the apartment. Why Karel was where she and Herman were meeting each other.
Karel seeing Herman just stood where he was. He did not move.
"Herman, please go back inside." Luisa asked Herman to go back inside the Coffee Shop. Herman although did not understand why, reluctantly went back inside the Coffee Shop.
Luisa walked toward where Karel was standing.
"Why are you here. Why do you have the babies? Where is Thelma?" Luisa was firing Karel with questions.
Karel before answering Luisa heaved a deep sigh. He looked Luisa straight into the eyes and said, "I know you are meeting here with Herman!"
Luisa was surprised what she heard. Karel knew she was meeting Karel.
"Thelma told you?"
"Nobody told me. You know that I had an extension line of the telephone inside my room. I heard everything you and Herman were talking about." there's a sadness in Karel's voice but it did not yet penetrated Luisa.
"We have a deal! No minding each other business!" Luisa was bit angry.
"And I am honoring our deal, Luisa, although I had hope that maybe, maybe something will develop between us, yes, I had hope." Karel opened his heart to Luisa. "But my hope was blushed out, Herman was back and you two could be happy to each other."
Luisa did not know what to say. She already had suspected or felt that Karel had affection to her but hearing it gave her still a little shock.
"What are you doing with the babies?"
"Oh, I thought I will bring them to you and Herman. Herman has the right to know that he is the real father, although I had taken already to myself these little angels as my own children. But I also know that I had no right, no right at all." Karel voice was broken, and verge of tears were on his eyes. "I can't wait for you to come home because I am leaving tonight!"
"Leaving tonight?"
"Yes. There is no problem anymore for you. To stop our deal could do no harm to you because you will marry Herman and this time for you it is the real thing. You can file a divorce and marry Herman, and everything will be alright with you and the twins."
"Where are you going? Leaving tonight so sudden!"
"You know upon hearing you and Herman in the telephone, I realized to myself that there's no more hope between you and me. This morning I did not went to my work. I managed many things, bought a ticket and I am lucky I can fly tonight." Karel as he says it, handed Luisa an envelope. "For you."
"What is this?" Luisa asked.
"The twenty thousand guilders! And your bankcard, you forgotten it." Karel was returning the twenty thousand guilders. Luisa did forget her bankcard indeed because she knew there is no more money in the bank, and Karel now was giving it back to her.
"You had money? Why are you returning it? It's yours, the payment of our deal?" Luisa was surprised.
"It's a long story, Luisa but it's not important. You don't have to worry about me, you have to focus your life with Herman and be happy!" Karel answered Luisa.
"Wait!" Luisa walked away and went inside the Coffee Shop. She saw Herman, still sitting in the same table. Upon seeing her, Herman's face was lighted.
"Herman, I have things to sort out first, will you please wait for a little moment?" Luisa asked Herman to just wait for her inside the Coffee Shop.
"Something wrong?" Herman could not understand what was happening with Luisa.
"No, nothing is wrong! Just wait here!" and Luisa hurried out again not hearing what Herman said that he will wait and that he will just order one more coffee while waiting.
Luisa came back to where Karel was.
"Karel, I cannot stop you from what you are doing because we have a deal, but you cannot just leave without letting me know why is this happening? I want to know if you are angry to me."
"I am not angry to you. Luisa." Karel replied Luisa.
"It's not my business but may I know, where did you take the twenty thousand guilders?"
Karel looked at Luisa. With the time that they were together platonic with no minding each other business, he knew the many moods of Luisa that sometimes he could not put to what any senses. Luisa could switch herself from one mood to another mood, from happy to sad, from lovable to irritant, nonchalant to curious, could be for some men unbearable but he found it charming that made Luisa attractive. Now, Luisa said it is not her business but wanted to know where he got the twenty thousand guilders, he gave her back.
"Okay, I will tell you. You know that I am a gambler, right?"
"You already stopped gambling?"
"Yes, but not before I won a big amount, a jackpot in the casino!"
"A jackpot?"
"Yes, remember when I stole your money that Thelma had given you. I lost it all in just a moment. I felt terrible, I am afraid to go home. I do not know then what to do. I was so ashamed of myself, of what I did."
Yes, Luisa remembered that at that time, Karel was away for more than a week, that she for few days had nothing to eat, that she used the deposits of the empty bottles just to buy two kilos of broken rice and 3 pieces of instant noodles.
"Then I realized I have your bankcard with the piece of paper where you wrote the pin code. I take all the money in your account and gambled in the casino with a slot machine that promised a big jackpot. One hundred guilders was left, and I am very desperate, but I continued playing and I struck luck. I hit the jackpot; I could not believe it. More than four million guilders!"
Luisa said no words. She just looked at Karel.
"I was happy. Imagine never in my life I thought I will be a millionaire! But then I also realized that it is your money that won the jackpot. I then did what I thought right to both of us. I deposited the amount of three million guilders to your account. It is your money. The rest I kept it to myself. I paid all the debts I had and promised to support you within the seven years of our deal until all done."
Luisa could hardly believe what Karel was telling her. If it is true, why did Karel did not let her know? Why did he kept it secret from her? She was a millionaire and did not knew it?
"Are you drunk? You are talking nonsense!" and Luisa burst into laughter. "You are telling me a fairy tale!"
"I am not telling you a fairy tale. You had back your bankcard, you can check the balance of your account. And I am not drunk! I had stopped all my vices! And I am not joking, I am telling you the truth." Karel was serious. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio