Life, Death, and Strange Encounters

Don’t you just love mornings? Especially the ones that shout in your ear.

“Wake up, Jo! We’re going to be late for work!” My best friend Lucy was yelling beside my bed, once again. When she noticed that I was conscious, she quickly ran away from me, knowing that payback was in order. I threw my pillow at her. It missed. Damn pillow.

“I’m up, I’m up, no reason to make a scene!” Sending her a dirty look, I sat up.

“Oh, I’m not making a scene, but I know that Cynthia will! We have to be at work in an hour and you’re not even out of bed yet!”

“Relax, the café is only ten minutes from here!” Rolling my eyes at her dramatics, I pushed away the blanket and jumped up from the bed. Cynthia, the woman who owned the café Lucy and I were currently using for earning relatively easy money, was very charming and down-to-earth. She would never make a scene. With a small growl, I grabbed some clean clothes and tip-toed towards the bathroom.

“Well, yes, but I’ve seen how much time you spend in the shower.” I noticed that Lucy had decided to be extra annoying this morning. I answered with a “Shut up!” and walked out of the room, intent on taking a long hot shower, regardless of what my best friend thought. I was not a morning person and wanted nothing more to just lock Lucy in her room in the apartment we shared and leave her there, so that I could have some peace and quiet for once.

When I was already shutting the bathroom door, “Whatever, just go!” was the best comeback she managed to throw at me. I didn’t even bother to answer, knowing that otherwise this bickering would never end.

Done with the shower, I quickly put on the clothes I had picked out. Checking the clock, I was impressed to find that I’d only taken twenty minutes. Probably a new record for me! Our shift started at 9:00 a.m. We liked to work in the mornings, because we got off at 3:00 p.m. and had the whole evening to ourselves. The pay was also very good, especially considering the tips given to us by tourists. That’s partly why we could afford a two-bedroom apartment in the Old Town, which is known for its expensive accommodation. My other occupation as a photographer and a part-time model helped considerably, too.

I applied dark eye make-up and decided to also use some lip gloss – dark was my usual style. I came out of the bathroom at 8:40, grabbed my bag and jacket and was ready to go. Lucy was already waiting by the door, impatient like always.

We locked the door behind us and ran down the stairs. The wind was blowing what seemed to be from every direction. I pulled the scarf tighter around my neck and quickened my pace. It was still dark outside, December had just started. The whole Old Town was glowing in lights. That’s one of the many reasons why I love the Old Town – the warmth of the lantern light and the smell of Middle Ages. It’s beautiful.

It’s funny, we go to work when it’s still dark outside and when we finish, it’s already twilight. That’s December in Estonia for you!

***

Our shift was almost over, we only had fifteen minutes left. It was already getting dark outside.
I was working behind the counter. Well, more like sleeping, because it was quite calm at that moment. All the customers had got what they wanted and no-one was currently ordering anything.

I lifted my head and then saw him. A guy with a long black coat, coming down the stairs. He was probably seeking shelter from the cold wind outside. He caught my eyes and the right corner of his mouth turned upwards in a small smile. From what I could see in the dimly lit room, he was gorgeous. He had dark brown hair that shone, high cheekbones and if I could see correctly, a silver nose ring, which was glimmering in the candlelight.

He came directly towards me. I quickly straightened myself up and tried to look decent. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of this amazing man. Assuming he was a foreigner as most of our customers, I greeted him in English.

“Hello.” He smiled again, this time with his whole mouth, and it was warm and welcoming.

“Hey.” I could feel a blush creeping on my cheeks. One thing I hated about myself – I got extremely nervous when someone attractive was around. Well, this guy was more than gorgeous, meaning I had more reason to panic.

“W-what can I get you?” I stuttered.

He chuckled in his velvety voice. “Well, you tell me. What is the best non-alcoholic drink here?”

My face lit up, as I knew my answer immediately. “Try the hot chocolate, it’s the best!”

The new customer winked and assured me that he trusted my judgment. I prepared the hot chocolate and handed it to him. He gave me money, but when I started giving him back his change, he refused. “Keep it as a tip,” he assured me with a beaming smile.

“I can’t take it, it’s too much.” I was confused. The amount of money he had just given me as a “tip” was about as much as my one day’s payment!

Again, he just smiled sweetly and shook his head. “I’m not taking it back. Besides, I think I can decide for myself if I give a beautiful girl a big tip or not.”

I blushed even deeper than before. I quickly tried to gather myself and put the money away, not looking at him for a few moments. When I looked up again, he was still there, his elbows resting on the counter. I was almost hypnotized by the way his pale face shone in the candlelight. Candles and one lamp on the counter were the only things lighting this place.

He stared back at me. I finally snapped out of my daze. “Don’t you want to go drink your hot chocolate? It’s getting cold.”

He seemed confused for a moment, but then graced me with another one of the beaming grins he seemed to have mastered, making me weak in the knees. “I would prefer drinking it here, with you. It’s far more interesting that way. And you don’t seem to have any customers at the moment.”

I felt the corners of my mouth bend upwards once again, for probably the millionth time that day. What was this guy doing to me? I was not usually all that giggly. I really started to think he used some spell on me. He leaned on the counter and sipped his hot chocolate. Then he looked at me, amused. “My god, this really might be the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

Smirking flirtatiously, I answered, “I know, I’m good at it.”

He returned my devious expression. “I bet you are.” Wait… Why was he flirting with me? And why was I responding!? Better yet, why had I started it in the first place? He was a foreigner, he would have probably gone back to his home country soon and left me here, heartbroken. This man seemed to be British. Or that’s what I dared to guess, deciding by his accent. But what was he doing in Estonia? I decided it would be better turn the conversation to more secure topics, to prevent me from getting hurt.

“So, what are you doing in Estonia, anyway?”

He looked deeply into my eyes, making me almost instantly forget the question I had asked. “Well, actually, I’m here with my brother. He’s a model and needed to come here for a shoot. We live in London.”

I had been right, he was British. Wait… What about his brother? “Your brother is a model?”

“My twin brother, actually, and yes, he’s a quite popular model in Europe.”

“He’s your twin!?”

“Yeah, we’re almost identical. Most people can’t tell which one is which. Well, one way of making sure is that I have a nose ring.”

I whistled in amazement. “Wow! That’s cool. I sometimes wish I had siblings. But I only have my parents… And Lucy, my best friend. Speaking of her, there she comes.”

Lucy had just finished her work, which probably consisted mostly of flirting with some customers, and was coming towards us, already pulling off her apron. She smiled at me but then stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted the guy I was with. She then took a deep breath and continued towards us.

When she made it to the counter, she announced “Our shift is over, Jo, let’s go home.”

I looked at my watch. “Oh my god, time really flies!”

My new friend chuckled and nodded in agreement. Then I remembered something. “Oh, by the way, this is my best friend Lucy. And I think we didn’t introduce ourselves?”

He started laughing. “Yes, I totally forgot to introduce myself, and yet here I am, chatting away with you for the last fifteen minutes. My name is Isaac. It’s nice to meet you, Lucy, by the way. And you’re Jo, right?”

“Actually, it’s Johanna,” I answered with a blush.

“You, have a very pretty name, Johanna. And it’s been a pleasure talking to you. But I understand you have to go. I should go too and get back to the hotel to see if I can find my brother. He has a photoshoot tomorrow.”

He grabbed his coat and jumped down from the counter where he had been sitting for quite some time. Kissing my cheek, he said, “I hope to see you again. I don’t know how long I will be staying in Estonia, probably for about three weeks or so, because I like it here and I am on vacation anyway. I don’t know about my brother, though, he may go away before me. But from now on, I promise I’ll come here every day, to see if you’re working.” He smiled and started walking towards the exit.

I called after him, “I work on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.”

He turned around and sent me another one of his playful grins that I had already started to adore. “I’ll be here. See you around, Johanna.” He opened the door and disappeared into the dark streets.

I stared after him. I didn’t know what to think about all this. I just met this Isaac guy, but he was just so… sweet. I hadn’t had a guy hitting on me for a long time, but I had enjoyed it immensely. It made me feel wanted. The last boyfriend I had was a jerk and he had dragged me almost to the brink of depression. But I felt alive again. And I felt another feeling in my stomach which I shouldn’t have felt. Butterflies.

Lucy snapped me out of my thoughts, handing me my coat and bag. We made it out into the cold December air. The lights were already on everywhere, making the Old Town almost magical. As we walked through the Town Square, I couldn’t help but dream of things I shouldn’t have been dreaming of.

Lucy noticed my strange behaviour and decided to interfere. “So, who was that Isaac guy? And I can’t help but point out that he looked extremely sexy.”

I grinned at my best friend. “I just met him. He’s British, here with his brother who’s a model.”

Lucy’s eyebrows rose. “Jo, you’re being weird. You’re acting… happier. Don’t tell me you’re already falling for him! You know you’ll be heartbroken.”

I sighed. “I know it’s not a good idea, Luce, but I feel alive again. Please don’t take it away from me.”

She took my hand. “Fine. But honey, please don’t tell me I didn’t warn you, when things end badly.”

“I won’t. They won’t.”

***

We reached home at 3:15 p.m. and decided to eat something. I let Lucy do the cooking and made my way to my room to change into more comfortable clothes. I put on a black flowing skirt and T-shirt. I lay down on my bed and started daydreaming.

I suppose I fell asleep, because I was awakened by the ringing of my cellphone. Grabbing it from the bedside table, I flipped it open. “Yes?”

“Hello, Jo!” I heard the voice of my modeling manager, Chris.

“Oh, it’s you, Chris. So what have you got for me?”

“It’s a photoshoot for a clothing line… I’m sorry, I forgot for whom. I have to check it. But you won’t be doing it alone, we got you a partner. He’s British, but will be staying here in Tallinn for a while. He’s quite a star in the United Kingdom, you know, so you just can’t say no.”

“What’s his name?” I enquired, interested to see if I had heard of him before.

“I don’t know his first name, but his last name is Mort.”

I raised my eyebrows at the strange name. “Mort… doesn’t it stand for ‘Death’ or something like that? I’m almost positive I’ve heard the word before.”

“Oh, you’re so funny, Jo!” was his only answer. I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, I have to go,” my manager continued, “come into my office tomorrow at 3 p.m, I’ll accompany you on your way to the studio. Bye!” He hung up before I could say anything.

Mort? What kind of a name was that? I was sure it stood for ‘Death’ or at least for something connected to it. I had to ask Lucy!

I went to our living room to find that Lucy was watching TV, already finished with the meal she had prepared. I jumped on the couch and landed next to her. “Hey Luce!”

“What?” She turned her eyes from the TV to stare at me expectantly.

“Doesn’t ‘Mort’ stand for ‘Death’?”

“God, you have weird questions sometimes… But yes, I think it does. I believe that I’ve even read a book with the same title. One of the characters there was Death’s apprentice and Mort was his name.”

“Funny, this dude I’m going to be modeling partners with for tomorrow’s shoot… It’s his last name!”

Lucy looked at me strangely and then started laughing. “Well, I’m sure you can tell if he’s Death. He’ll be running around with a black cloak and a scythe!”

I slapped her on the back of her head. “Not funny, Luce!”

She went back to watching television. “What ever! At least it sounded funny in my head!”

I sighed and just continued to watch TV with her. At 10:00 p.m. I decided to go to bed, since I had modeling work tomorrow and I couldn’t look tired, especially if I would have to make a good impression to my partner.

I woke up next morning to my alarm clock going off. It was already 11:00 a.m. I jumped out of bed, decided what to wear, gathered the clothes and went to the bathroom. I took a long shower, also washing my hair, to make sure I looked my best at the photoshoot.

After putting on the clothes and brushing my hair, I wandered into the living room to see Lucy asleep on the couch with the TV still on. She had probably fallen asleep there when I had left her to go to bed. I poked her, just to get a reaction. She slapped my hand away and opened her eyes sleepily.

“What time is it?”

“It’s… 12:05 pm.” I said, looking at the clock.

“Well, so what, I have a free day today.” She closed her eyes again.

“Yes, but I thought I should wake you up before I go to the studio.”

“Do you have to go already?” she asked without opening her eyes.

“Not right away, I have to leave in 2 hours, but I wanted to make breakfast before that.”

Lucy yawned. “Then I have time to sleep. Go ahead and make breakfast, I’ll get up when you’re finished.”

I rolled my eyes and went to the kitchen. Since pancakes seemed like the best option for a good breakfast, I decided to make some. I was finished at one o’clock and set the plates on the table, then went to wake Lucy.

“Hey, Luce, pancakes are ready!”

She got up in a flash. “Pancakes! Where?”

I rolled my eyes. “On the table, stupid.”

She pouted. “I’m not stupid, just hungry!”

“Yes, yes, whatever, now let’s go eat.”

When we were finished eating, we washed the dishes. Lucy then went to take a shower and I started to gather the things I would take with me. I found my wallet, cellphone and keys and threw them into my bag. Then I grabbed a jacket and yelled to Lucy, “I’m leaving!”

She yelled a muffled “Okay!” from the shower.

I shut the door and made my way outside, trying to outrun the probable snowstorm that was looming in the distance, with dark clouds suggesting that soon the streets would be white, slippery and even colder than before. Yet, my heart was warm and a smile was securely in place. Isaac’s face wouldn’t leave my mind even if I tried.