The green coat of luck

Chapter XXI, Momentum

We had wandered the streets of Gdansk to find any form of guidance to a cheap bed and breakfast. Yet, most of the places here are something called a «hotel» which are extremely expensive. We cannot afford 60€ a night that is far too much for our budget. That is about what I have managed to gather through work.

We got so tired and hungry that we sat under a large oak tree in an almost seemingly abandoned park near the city centrum. Suddenly, I spot a weak neon light-up sign not too far. Maybe a bar or a restaurant? We are quite hungry. It seems cheap from its horrible location. A small little brick building where half the paint has peeled off the wall. Så if a cat's claw attacked the wall. As well as a window that someone punched perhaps, that has been duck-taped together. It was magically intact with only two pieces of tape on the verge of peeling off just as the horrible paint layer. However, it is what our money can bring. It is better than the streets, I suppose.

I tried getting Bella to stand up, but she is too dehydrated, and her blood sugar levels seem to have dropped, since she cannot stand up. Her face has a grey tone washed over it, and her hands are weak.

I managed to get her to lay on my back, therefor piggy-back riding on my weak muscles down a preposterously steep valley that led to the horrible looking restaurant. I managed to read the sign, yet I cannot read polish. However, it read something among the lines of «nocleg i śniadanie.»

It was hot, so hot one could see the heat waves dance up from the asphalt. Yet, suddenly I felt a raindrop trickle down my forehead, so cold in fact in sent shivers down my spine. Before we knew it, the rain came hurtling down as if the rain had a big surprise promised for us. We were nowhere near the restaurant, and the valley was getting wetter and wetter with the second. I was out of options and decided to run for the prize, forget my problems, troubles, and ideas. It had turned into a time for survival. I have to take care of Bella and feed her before she dies on me. I had finally finished the absurdly steep valley, not slipping and falling face down with Bella on top of me, thankfully. We had reached the solid ground now. Not too far away from the place, I see a tall, buff, and bald man swearing loudly, seemingly mad. God, please be cheap. I cannot afford another restaurant with sky-high prices. We are too hungry to go hunting once more. I can't handle another round of which place seems cheap and has moderately not poisonous food.

It was as if my eyes were like a car light slowly but surely coming near the door handle with background music of my heavy breath and a Bella breathing softly in my ear like a fluffy and tired sloth.

I twisted the handle, hearing a soft bell sound in response over my head. The first thing I notice is that it is table-free. The floor has squeaky wood that has turned up from humidity, creating similar to a low u-form on most planks, making it easy to trip. Before us, was a rounded desk, a sofa with its back facing the window with the sign. To my left is a dusty brick fireplace, with books on top of books stacked over it as well as on the built-in bookshelves in the walls besides. They were a dark auburn and so dusty that one could probably find spider family generations in-between each book. How sad it is to see books badly treated. The sofa seemed like it could belong to a great grandmother. However, when I dropped Bella on the cushions, tons of white dust particles flew all over the reception. I tried to focus and gather all my strength to react with the receptionist. However, when I finally could tilt my head over at the reception, no one was there other than a bell, books, and a small calendar looking hook with many keys hung on it. Maybe this is a bed&breakfast?

2

There is a doorframe covered with an emerald green curtain beside the black marbled present table that had a large leather book with many names and dates on it. Is it a guestbook? I remember reading about one of those. I have never experienced one, of course.

Bella was dehydrated on the sofa with her head tilted back, sweat trickling down her esophagus and her throat not moving, which means it completely dry. I decided to go looking for water around. Maybe he or she had poured himself a glass of water around his or her desk.

Bingo! I struck gold a found the holy grail, a small glass with a clear liquid, however, this one had no water bubbles, and it seemed to have been sitting there for a while. The glass was quite filthy. He or she had sipped from it quite often from the looks of his or her chapstick.

I picked it up and walked over to the dire looking Bella. I planted myself down on the white linen-covered victorian couch that had only been there to collect dust. The cushions were quite soft and comfortable to sit on, to my surprise. Her hand was as shaky as a willow tree on a hard-hitting storm. In other words unstable. Unable to hold the glass herself, I held her head from behind and slowly secured it in a way that made it safe for her to drink it.

As the first drops had traveled their way down her throat, I see her begin to choke. «What the hell!? What's wrong with you?» she tried to mutter some words out, but all that she was able to do was to spill the water all over me.

«That is not water, Frank. That is vodka.»

What the hell? Is the receptionist drinking on daytime duty? That seems off.

Suddenly a head pops out of the curtains. A short platinum blonde woman with a black blazer on that did not fit her properly, too small to be exact, and was beginning to hug her entire body quite nicely, giving her a beautiful eight figure.

-Pozdrowienia, jak mogę ci pomóc?

Bella's head fell backward, and we were back in faze one. A dehydrated Bella and a Frank one step away from lathering his tongue with the bitter taste of death. My sweaty hair was falling on my forehead. I could smell my body odor from these unwashed clothes, and all I could think of was my tummy growling, screaming for dear life: «Feed me inconsiderate fool!»

-Ciao, non parlo la tua lingua

She looked back at me with a tilted head with a raised eyebrow.

-Me no polacco.

-Ahh, Włoski? Nono, Italiano?

-Sí, ho bisogno di acqua!

-Tak, przyniosę ci acqua

She went behind the curtain again and came back with two water bottles. I am so thankful for the Italians who have wandered these streets before me, causing these people to pick up some Italian. Or else I would have been helpless. I should pick up an Italian-polish translation handbook. It would be so useful. However, from where and how. I would end up getting lost probably.

She came back with two cold water bottles. I noticed from her warm handprints printing on the exterior of the cheap bottles.

-jeden zloty

-Che cosa?

She brought out one finger, «Jeden zloty.» For two water bottles! That is a lot of money. «No!» then she began talking on and on. I could not understand anything that she was saying for the life of me. It was like talking to a brick wall, impossible to understand anything. I felt useless, alone, and I began regretting this plan, to be frank with you. It seemed stupid. I am just a kid and to have to deal with all of this troublesome work and figure out how not to let Bella die in my hands was too much. I brought out here fucking zloty to shut her the hell up. I brought my hand to the back of her head and slowly pushed her head with my palm up to tilt it forward and helped her drink the water. I saw her face color began turning from grey and dull to a sensible color that seemed normal.

After she had sucked on the last drop of water, she dropped down on the couch arm and fell asleep. I got up while I was drinking the horrible salty water that Bella sadly drunk earlier before me. As I began drinking, I felt myself waking up, my senses functioning, and my eyes blinking substantially normal.

-Uno tavolo, vogliamo mangiare

Suddenly I see her duking down and bringing out a small book of the size of her palm with the title, «Włoski-Polskie.» It was a dark blue color with the paint rubbed off with drawings of the flags and children on it supposedly but, all I could manage to see was the ghost of those children dancing happily with the Italian and Polish flag in their hands.