章 2: Chapter 2
She approaches the young woman, who seems to recognize Naomi right away. Of course, photos were included in the application materials. Naomi holds out a tentative hand to the woman, who shakes it firmly.
“I am Kreistvieg. Welcome. I think you must be Naomi?”
“Yes, that’s right. Pleased to meet you. This is awfully nice of you to fetch us from Helsinki. I admit I was a bit concerned about how to get to Hameenkyro from here…”
“No worries. We now wait for—she consulted the back of her placard—Lianna from New Jersey, and Marcel from Belgium.”
No sooner have these words been spoken but a tall, slender young man with wavy dark hair and a stylish goatee approaches from the direction of the incoming trains. He totes only two small bags—another light-packer.
“Bonjour—hello. You are perhaps watching for me? I am Marcel Bertrand. So glad to have the train ride behind me! You are?” And he holds his hand out to Kreistvieg.
She responds with a grin and shakes his hand. “Kreistvieg—from Arteles. Welcome to Helsinki.”
Naomi smiles at the young man—he seems pleasant enough—and he returns the smile. “I’m Naomi Bowers. From the US. West Virginia.”
Maybe it’s her own self-consciousness, but Naomi could swear that Marcel is suppressing a laugh. Well, she’s used to that. WV has a widespread reputation as hillbilly country that it usually takes her a week or so to dispel. She sighs in frustration.
* * * *
Lianna Rubio from New Jersey turns out to be a woman in her mid-forties with short-cropped blue hair and dangly earrings, dressed in a flowing cotton dress. Interesting. Naomi pegs her as a possible kindred spirit.
Kreistvieg leads the group to the waiting car, an ancient-looking Audi parked in the visitors’ lot. The three residents pile their luggage in the back and climb in for the trek to Hameenkyro. Naomi, sitting in the back with Lianna while Marcel and Kreistvieg chat away, feels like this might be off to a good start. No hassle with finding Kreistvieg, pleasant fellow-residents, and the promise of a single room in the center. She has vodka and wine with her from the time in Helsinki, and a stop at a food store is part of the current trip. Once she has a chance to call Cat and touch base, Naomi expects to feel quite comfortable. And the information was right—everyone does indeed speak English.
The drive north takes about forty-five minutes, during which time Naomi gets a better impression of the Finnish landscape. Trees are abundant but bare of leaves, looking ready to greet the winter snow. As they move further out of the city, buildings are fewer and more rustic. Naomi finds this pleasant and comforting. Glancing over at Lianna, her new colleague seems equally intrigued by the passing scenery.
When they pull up to the Arteles Center, Naomi sees two wooden buildings painted blue, nestled in a landscape of thin trees and shrubs. As they unload their baggage, Kreistvieg points out the communal sauna. Naomi cringes inwardly at the very idea of sitting in a cubicle with strangers, naked. No thanks!
She’s pleased, though, to find that her assigned room is half of a separate wing of the main building. She will share a kitchen and a bathroom with only one person—a woman from Australia who seems quiet and non-intrusive. Naomi relaxes just a bit, feeling that this project might go smoothly. 2: Local Pub Break
Naomi soon settles in to making an outline for her film project with the help of Kreistvieg’s suggestions of locations to include. Her concept is taking a clearer shape now, and Naomi is getting excited about the project’s possibilities. Before the first week has passed, she has a list of twelve locations, all within driving distance in the old Audi, which is there for the residents’ use. The only spot missing, which seems pretty elusive in this part of Finland, is a local pub.
Naomi persuades Lianna to put on trousers and explore with her, and they walk all over the area around the center, and then take a drive into Hameenkyro. Still no pub.
“How can there be nopub? I don’t get that. I mean, I know they make drinking as difficult as possible, but surely some thirsty Finn opened a pub somewhere?”
Naomi laughs. “Lianna, that makes sense to me. But where the fuck isthis one lone pub?”
Lianna shrugs her shoulders with a grin. “Okay, let’s go back and ask every single person at the center for a suggestion. Marcel’s been hiking all over the place, maybe he has an idea.”
* * * *
This night is the weekly communal dinner—the perfect time to pick everyone’s brain. Naomi plunges right in as soon as the entrée is served.
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