The Winner Stands Alone (33 page)

I hope you got my
messages, says Igor. I received three. Perhaps the telephone network here is worse than the one you developed. Im not talking about telephones. Then I dont know what you are
talking about, she says, but what she wants to say is: I know youre not. Just as Igor must know that, during the first year
she was with Hamid, she waited for a phone call or a message, for some mutual friend to tell her how
much Igor was missing her. She didnt want him near her, but she knew that hurting him
would be the worst thing she could do; she needed to placate her own personal Fury and
pretend that one day, they would be good friends. One afternoon, when shed had a bit to
drink and finally summoned up the nerve to call him, she found that hed changed his mobile
number. When she phoned him at the office, she was told he was in a meeting. When she rang
on subsequent occasionsalways with the help of a little Dutch courageshe was told that Igor was
traveling or would phone her back at once, which, of course, he never did.

And she began to see ghosts everywhere, to feel that she was being watched, that soon she
would suffer the same fate as the beggar and the others whose promotions to a better life
Igor had hinted at. Mean- while, Hamid never asked her about her past, alleging that
everyone has a right to keep his or her life locked up and private in the subter- ranean
tunnels of memory. He did all he could to make her happy and to help her feel safe and
protected; he even told her that his life had only begun to make any sense since meeting
her.

Then one day, Absolute Evil rang the doorbell of their apartment building in London. Hamid
was at home and sent him away. Nothing else happened in the months that followed.

Gradually, she succeeded in deceiving herself. Yes, she had made the right choice; the
moment we choose a path, all other paths disap- pear. It was childish of her to think that
she could be married to one man and friends with her ex-husband, that was only possible
between well-balanced people, and Igor was not well-balanced. It was best to believe that
an invisible hand had saved her from Absolute Evil. She was enough of a woman to make the
new man at her side feel depen- dent on her and to help him as much as she could, as
lover, advisor, wife, and sister, and she channeled all her energy into doing just that.

During this period, she had only one real friend, who disappeared as suddenly as she had
appeared. She was Russian too, but unlike her, had been abandoned by her husband and didnt
really know what she was doing in England. They spoke almost every day.

I left it all behind, Ewa told her once. And I dont regret it one bit. I would have done
the same even if Hamidagainst my wishes hadnt bought a beautiful estate in Spain and put
it in my name. I would have made the same decision if Igor, my ex-husband, had offered me
half his fortune, because I need to live without fear. And if one of the most desirable
men in the world wants to be by my side, then Im obvi- ously a better person than I
thought.

It was all lies. She wasnt trying to convince her only confidante, but herself. It was all a front. Inside the strong woman sitting at that table with two
powerful and important men was a little girl afraid of being left alone and poor, never
having experienced what it was to be a mother. Had she simply got used to all the luxury
and the glamour? No. She was always preparing herself to lose everything from one day to
the next, when her present companion finally found out that she wasnt what he thought and
was incapable of meeting others expectations.

Did she know how to manipulate men? Yes. They all thought she was strong and confident,
mistress of her own destiny, that she was capable of leaving any man, however important or
eligible. And the worst thing was that men believed it. Men like Igor and like Hamid.
Because she knew how to pretend, because she never said exactly what she was thinking,
because she was the best actress in the world and knew better than anyone how to hide her
vulnerable side.

What do you want? he asks in Russian. More wine. He sounded as if he didnt much care what
answer she gave; he had already said what he wanted. Before you left, I said something to you, but I think you
must have forgotten. He had said so many things: I promise that Ill change and start working less, Youre the only woman I love, If you leave, it will destroy me, words
familiar to everyone and which are utterly devoid of meaning.

I said: If you leave me, Ill destroy a world.

She couldnt remember him saying this, but it was perfectly pos- sible. Igor had always
been a very bad loser.

But what does that mean? she asks in Russian. At least be polite enough to speak in
English, says Hamid. Igor turns to face him. I will speak English, not out of politeness,
but because I want you to understand. And turning back to Ewa, he says: I said I would destroy a whole world to
get you back. I started doing that, but was saved by an angel. I realized that you didnt deserve it. Youre a selfish, implacable woman, interested only in acquiring more fame and more
money. You refused all the good things I offered you because a house deep in the Russian
countryside didnt fit in with your dream world, a world, by the way, to which you dont
belong and never will.

I sacrificed myself and others for your sake, and thats not right. I need to go to the
very end, so that I can return to the world of the living with a sense of duty done and
mission completed. Now, as we speak, Im in the world of the dead.

This mans eyes are filled
with a look of Absolute Evil, thinks Hamid, as he listens to this absurd conversation,
full of long silences. Fine, hell let things go to the very end, as Igor suggests, as long
as that doesnt mean him losing the woman he loves. Even better for him, Ewas ex-husband
has not only turned up accompanied by some vulgar woman, he has insulted Ewa to her face.
Hell allow him to go on a little longer and will know when to bring the conversation to a
halt, when its too late for Igor to apologize or to beg forgiveness.

Ewa must be seeing the same thing: a blind hatred for everything and everyone, simply
because one person didnt do as he wished. He wonders what he would have done were he that
man who is now appar- ently fighting for the woman he loves.

He would, he thinks, be capable of killing for her. The waiter reappears and notices that
the plates are all untouched. Is anything wrong with the food? he asks. No one answers.
The waiter understands: the husband must have caught his wife in flagrante with her lover in Cannes, and this is the final
confrontation. Hes seen it all before, and it usually ends in a fight or a row.

Another bottle of wine, says one of the men.

You dont deserve anything, says the other man, his eyes fixed on the woman. You used me
just as youre using that idiot beside you. You were the biggest mistake of my life.

The waiter decides to check with the host before bringing them that other bottle of wine,
but one of the men has just got to his feet, saying to the woman:

Thats enough. Were leaving.

Yes, lets all leave, lets go outside, says the other man. I want to see how far you would
go to defend a person who doesnt know the meaning of the words honor and dignity.

Two males fighting over a female. The woman asks them not to go outside, but to return to
the table. The man with her, however, seems ready to respond to the insult. The waiter
considers warning the se- curity guards that a fight might ensue, but the head waiter is
already complaining that the service is too slow, so what is he doing hanging around
there? He has other tables to serve. Hes right, of course. What happens outside isnt his
problem. And if he admits to listening in on a conversation, hell get told off. Hes being
paid to wait at tables, not to save the world.

The three of them cross
the garden where the cocktails had been served and which is now undergoing a rapid
transformation. When the guests come down from supper, theyll find a dance floor lit with
special lights, a seating area furnished with armchairs, and sev- eral small bars all
serving free drinks.

Igor walks ahead in silence. Ewa follows, and Hamid brings up the rear. There is a small
metal gate at the top of the steps down to the beach. Igor opens it and asks them to go
first. Ewa refuses, but he seems not to mind and goes down the many flights of steps that
lead to the sea below. He knows that Hamid will not prove to be a coward. Until he met him
at the party, he had considered him to be nothing but an unscrupulous couturier, a seducer
of married women, and a manipu- lator of other peoples vanity. Now, however, he secretly
admires him. Hes a real man, capable of fighting to the end for someone he believes to be
important, even though Igor knows that Ewa hasnt one iota of the talent of the young
actress he met tonight. She cant disguise her feelings at all; he can sense her fear, he knows that shes sweating, won-

dering whom to call, how to ask for help.

When they reach the sand,
Igor walks right to the end of the beach and sits down close to some rocks. He asks the
others to do the same. He knows that despite her terror, Ewa is also thinking: Im going to
spoil my dress. Im going to get my shoes dirty. But she sits down beside him. The other
man asks her to move over a little, so that he can sit there, but she wont budge.

He doesnt insist. There they are, the three of them, as if they were old acquaintances in
search of a moments peace in which to contem- plate the rising of the full moon before
they go back up the steps to listen to the infernal racket of the discotheque.

Hamid promises himself that he
willgiveIgortenminutes, time enough for him to say everything thats on his mind, to vent
his rage and then go back where he came from. If he turns violent, hell be the loser
because Hamid is physically stronger and, as a Bedouin, trained to respond swiftly and
precisely to any attack. He doesnt want to cause a scene at the party, but the Russian
should be under no illu- sion: he is prepared for anything.

When they go back up, hell apologize to their host and explain that the situation has been
resolved. He knows he can speak openly to him. Hell tell him that his wifes ex-husband had
turned up without warning and that hed felt it best to remove him before he caused any
trouble. If the man doesnt leave as soon as they return to the party, hell summon one of
his own bodyguards to expel him. Igor may well be rich and own one of the largest mobile
phone companies in Russia, but hes being a nuisance.

You betrayed me, not just during the two years youve spent with this man, but during all
the years we spent together.

Ewa says nothing.

What would you be capable of doing in order to keep her? he asks Hamid.

Hamid wonders whether he should answer or not. Ewa isnt a piece of merchandise to be
haggled over.

Can you rephrase the question? OK. Would you give your life for the woman beside you?
There is pure evil in the mans eyes. Even if Igor had managed to steal a knife from the restaurant (Hamid hadnt noticed him doing so, but he must consider
all possibilities), he will have no problem disarm- ing him. No, he wouldnt give his life
for anyone, except God and the chief of his tribe, but he must say something.

I would fight for her and, if it came to it, I think I would be capable of killing for her.

Ewa can stand the pressure no longer; she would like to say ev- erything she knows about
the man on her right. She is sure that he murdered the actor and destroyed her new
companions long-cherished dream of becoming a film producer.

Lets go back up.

What she really wants to say is: Please, lets get out of here now. Youre talking to a
psychopath.

Igor appears not to hear what she said.

Youd be capable of killing for her, so that means youd be capable of dying for her too.

If I fought and lost, yes, I think I would. But lets not start a fight here on the beach.

I want to go back up to the party, says Ewa again.

Hamid, however, feels his male pride is in question. He cant leave there like a coward.
The ancient dance performed by maleshumans and animalsin order to impress the female is
just beginning.

When you left, I somehow couldnt be myself, says Igor, as if he were alone on the beach.
My business was prospering, and I could keep control of myself during the day, but at
night, I would plunge into black depression. I had lost a part of myself I could never
recover. I thought I might be able to do that by coming here to Cannes, but when I arrived, I realized that the part of me that had died couldnt and shouldnt be
resuscitated. Ill never take you back, not even if you came to me on bended knee, begging
forgiveness and threaten- ing suicide.

Ewa breathed easier; at least there wouldnt be a fight.

You didnt understand my messages. I said I would be capable of destroying whole worlds,
and you didnt get it. Or if you did, you couldnt believe it. What does it mean to destroy
a world?

He puts his hand in his trouser pocket and takes out a small gun. He doesnt point it at
anyone, though; his eyes remain fixed on the sea and the moon. The blood starts to flow
faster in Hamids veins. Igor either wants to frighten and humiliate them or this really is
a fight to the death. But will he kill them there, at the party, knowing that hell be
arrested as soon as he goes back up the steps? He cant be that mad; if he were, he could
never have achieved all he has achieved in life.

Enough distractions. He is a warrior trained to defend himself and to attack. He must stay
absolutely still because, although the other man isnt looking directly at him, he knows
that his senses will be alert to any gesture.

The only part of his body he can safely move is his eyes, and he can see that there is no
one else on the beach. Up above, the band is just beginning to tune their instruments,
preparing for the most enjoyable segment of the party. Hamid isnt thinking, his instincts
are now fo- cused on acting without the interference of his brain.