In kerta park (1)

Zuzana was smoking provocatively on the balcony and the secretary was clearing her table from unnecessary papers. This boring yet at least peaceful work day without the boss hanging around was certainly not bad. This high-strung person always made so much fuss, at least more than was necessary. This Wednesday in May everyone in the company was doing work the way they wanted. When the boss was around no one could even smoke a cigarette on the balcony because he was a strict non-smoker. Our office is not exceptional in any way, it is ordinary just like all the others. The only decoration is a large framed photograph of New York on the wall. Sometimes we get a little something from our clients for a swift and fair handling. But today it’s empty. It’s one of those peaceful days when a person can relax at work. Zuzana returned from the balcony and began to shred papers that our secretary scraped.

“Branko, look how many useless papers are lying about on the tables.”

Even I was sorting the papers in my drawers and I also scraped about thirty sheets of paper which were no longer relevant. This is how the day dragged on but overall no one complained. Outside the weather was nice and warm. I considered that after work I wouldn't go straight home but somewhere down town. When it was a little before two in the afternoon I began putting all my things in order. Today I only had to deal with one client. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, just the flooding of neighbours in a block of flats. The client was satisfied with our services and therefore I was satisfied as well. Now Zuzana was also digging through her purse and the secretary was on her way to leave. I left the office next-to-last and Zuzana locked the door. Slowly I headed down the pavement next to hotel Družba. I crossed on the other side of the road and decided that I would go for a walk in Kerta Park.

It was my favourite park during my childhood. In the past whole families met up there and played games. Nowadays the park was empty. Sometimes when I wanted to clear my head I went there for a walk. You can find peace there from everything and everyone. One could say that a person is alone there with his thoughts. It’s a kind of sought-out loneliness. I will never forget all the foolish things that we did as little kids and after we crossed the boundaries we were punished by our parents. Jork, my best friend from this park sometimes managed to do things which made all the people laugh. One time when we were playing on the shore of Laborec all out of a sudden Jork jumped into the water and disappeared. We were all running around in distress on the shore and shouting that Jork was drowning. He was nowhere to be seen. Even one older man jumped into the water and tried to look for him underwater. Then suddenly Jork appeared on the other shore and was singing an unknown song in a strange language. His tricks were truly incredible. I only envied the fact that his parents never punished him for what he did. Jork could do whatever he wanted. I like to think back on these experiences and when I walk past these places I feel as if my childhood had returned. But nowadays everything has passed and with these memories Jork is gone as well. It’s all just in the past. Whilst I was on my way I didn’t meet a single person. I slowly passed our church and entered Kerta. It was shadowy there and a spring breeze was flowing around. So, I went out and about the park and tried to sort the thoughts in my head. There was no one to be seen. I stopped at a large old tree and recalled how we had tried to climb it in our childhood but never managed to do it. Only Jork managed to do it, as always. Nowadays this tree was half dried up. I walked down the steps to the shore of Laborec and sat on the last step. I looked at the river and thought about the past. After a while I returned to the park and once again went down the old path. I noticed that in the centre of the park there was someone sitting on a bench, but I didn’t put too much thought into it. When I approached the bench, someone stood up and headed towards me. I stopped. He stopped as well. I made a step forward and he did that as well.

“What’s the meaning of this charade?” I asked surprised.

“It will be that which you want it to be,” answered the said person and once again approached me. When he was just three steps away from me and I focused on the figure and couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Jork. He was still the same height as during our childhood and hadn’t changed at all. This month I would celebrate my fortieth birthday but Jork still looked the same.

“All these years I kept coming here, expecting that some of you would appear here but nobody came. Or maybe I just didn’t recognize anyone. Maybe all of you changed a lot. But I recognized you from the way you walk.”

I stared at Jork in disbelief and sat on the bench. Jork also sat down.

“I would have never thought that I would see you again Jork. Tell me everything, how’s life and how did you get to Kerta. You see, it’s not what it once was. Everything is abandoned. People don’t come here like they used to when we were kids.”

Jork stood up and he began to tell his story, accompanied by comical movements like a circus artist. When he finished he said: “And now the one who runs first to the end of the park will be the winner.”

This is exactly how we used to play when we were still boys.

“No way Jork, I’m not as fast as I once was, and you’ll definitely beat me. And imagine if someone saw how we’re running across the park, what on earth would they think.”

Jork looked around and stated that currently there was no one around and therefore we could race each other. Eventually I agreed, and we ran to the opposite side of Kerta. I looked around whilst running but I could no longer see Jork. When I arrived at the end of the park I saw Jork lying in the grass laughing at me: “You’re such a lazy person, didn’t they teach you how to run? Ha, ha, ha!”

I slowly tried to catch my breath and looked at how he was rolling on the grass from laughter. It was just like when we were having fun in our childhood.

“Jork, Jork you haven’t change at all, you’re still the same. How the hell were you so quick, I didn’t even see you when I was running.”

Jork stood up and pointed to the bench again.

“I’m just a bit faster than you and it’s only a few movements which your eyes can’t notice. It’s nothing unusual.”

Jork began to question me about my life and everything that had happened to me. We talked for maybe even over three hours. During that time, he constantly kept asking me what I wanted to change in my life. What angered me the most and what I would like to improve. I didn’t quite understand why he asked me about it since it seems as if he was the eternal child. But I tried to explain everything, picture it in the most realistic scenarios so that his child-like soul could understand it. Then I began to question him instead.

“Where do you even live? How are your parents? I think that in a weird way you found out that I was going to come here today. How do you even do that?”

To every question that I asked, Jork only responded by saying-“It’s a secret, it’s a secret, it’s a secret…”

“Damn it Jork, you really are an eternal child, one can’t talk to you in a normal way.”

“Then he began to ask me again what I wanted to change in my life. I explained to him that I have been working for a long time in an insurance company and that I hadn’t gotten promoted anywhere. I would have liked to finally get to a higher position and eventually I would have perhaps also liked to be the head of it. Jork only smiled and when I revealed to him what I desired he asked me: “And are you confident enough that you really want that? Would you be able to be a boss? It certainly requires a lot of responsibility. I would rather remain an eternal child. Nobody expects anything from me and they don’t ask for anything either. If you want to be a boss, you need to be strong enough for it.”

“Oh Jork, why are you even asking me about this, there’s nothing you can do about it anyway.”

We talked for a while after that and when the evening drew closer then we started to arrange when we’d see each other again.

“Listen Jork, when I’m free I’ll come here again. I think that I don’t even need to tell you in advance when I’ll stop by. The way I know you, you’ll know it anyway.”

“You’re right, we don’t have to arrange anything, I’ll be here and when you come by we’ll have another race. I’ll think of something.”

“Okay, I’ll be on my way because it’s starting to get late. Take care.”

On the way home, I thought about where Jork lived and how it was possible that he waited for me in Kerta when even I didn’t know that I’d go there today. Jork was always a mysterious comedian. I envied his carefree thinking. Mine was all about concerns and sorrows. It was morning, a rainy Thursday and I was in no mood to spend the day in the boring office. I got ready and went to work by car due to the bad weather. From downstairs I could see Zuzana smoking on the balcony and this is how every morning at work began. I arrived at the office and there were papers already waiting for me on the desk. There were some questionnaires there and I had to fill them in. I had no idea where they came from.

“Zuzana, where did these papers come from? Who sent them to me?”

“Well who do you think, our peaceful boss of course,” said Zuzana with a smile.

“That doesn’t mean anything good. Well I’m going to fill everything in and I hope that it won’t be too busy so that I have enough time for everything.”

The secretary was buried deep in her work, the stamp was being constantly hit and Zuzana was taking care of a family whose flat on the third floor got flooded. Most of the cases in our insurance company dealt with flooded flats and similar matters. I filled in the questionnaires that were also of a psychological character. I didn’t have a good feeling about all of this since I was the only person filling them in. Maybe he just wanted to test me or my behaviour towards clients and that’s why he used psychology. The minute I finished the last questionnaire a client appeared at my table with a helpless look. After a while of discussing the matter I understood that this was an insoluble situation. The said person had forgotten to pay three consecutive insurance payments and meanwhile his new-build property burned down, apparently due to bad wiring. It was really a complicated case and I felt bad for the person. I reached to the bottom of my options and even incorporated my boss into the case but overall, I dealt with the process all by myself. My boss only nodded and added signatures onto the forms. Eventually I finished handling the case. My client was suddenly the most satisfied client in our company. The whole tragic accident would be paid back by our insurance company even though he didn’t pay the last insurance payments. It was a successful and educative case for both parties. In the afternoon I went shopping and finally came back home at about half past three in the afternoon. It was about half past five in the evening when suddenly my phone rang. The boss.

“Branko, don’t come to work tomorrow, take a day off. Just come on Monday morning at eight. Then I’ll explain everything.”

I placed the phone on the table and began to have experience a choking feeling- a lump began to form in my throat. I knew there was something sinister behind those papers. I have a feeling that I can start looking for a new job. Ah, well. I had to live with these unpleasant worries the entire weekend. Maybe they wanted someone new in my place. Therefore, I began to think how I would spend this weekend. Every moment I’d be plagued by these thoughts and I wouldn’t get rid of them until Monday. In the weekend we went to visit acquaintances at a cottage in Zemplínska Šírava and those were pleasant days. The weather was good, and we took a ride on a motor boat which Peter had bought only recently, and he wanted to show it off. Sunday evening, I was struck again with restlessness and my head began to hurt. I wanted it to be Monday already and to have everything over with. I hated these kinds of uncertain situations when one doesn’t know what to think or expect. On Monday morning I arrived at work, and a young lady was sitting behind my desk. I approached her and asked her what she was doing sitting in my place. Immediately after that I heard my boss.

“Branko, meet Diana. She has just graduated. I want you to train her in your work in the coming week- show her the whole system. Don’t ask anything just cooperate.”

After these words I understood. This was the end. I could train this young woman and then I could start looking for a new job. Life really didn’t play games with people. On Wednesday I couldn’t even breathe properly because of the whole situation and so I began questioning Diana.