Chapter 45
Lost and Found


“…and I loved those cute little herring rolls. What do you call them again?” asked Annie Joy as she held up yet another scarf, folding and draping it over her shoulder to judge the effect.
Last night had been the end of Annie Joy’s second week of work and the girls had dressed up and gone out to dinner to celebrate. That’s when she had tried herring wrapped around a pickle as an appetizer.





“Rollmops,” supplied Angie making a face. She hated pickled herring but it seemed to be one of Annie Joy’s newest favorite things. She had to laugh. She’d never met someone quite like her, plunging headlong into life as if it were a daring adventure or nothing at all.

“You do realize we’ve created a monster don’t you Angie?” teased Gabi, refolding and replacing the scarves in the display almost as quickly as Annie Joy chose another one to try on.

“In case you’d forgotten, I wasn’t the one who brought home the pickled herring for her to try. You’d better not bring home any of that vile surstomming!” Angie warned.

“Marijan already told me about that stuff; pretty potent I hear, and that’s just the smell!” Annie Joy giggled as she took off the red print scarf, refolded it and put it back with a sigh. There were so many wonderful colors and designs it was hard to decide. Maybe she should pretend she was buying perfume: try on several and come back later after she’d thought about it.

“Where to next?” she asked as they stepped out into the throng of shoppers on the cold overcast Saturday afternoon.

“Lunch?” Gabi suggested as the light changed and they crossed the cobbled street.

“I thought you’d never ask,” joked Annie Joy and they all laughed. It had only taken a few days before Annie Joy had confessed to being something of a boa constrictor although she gave no details as to how she’d gotten that nickname.

“Kebabs? There’s a great place in the next block.”

“Sounds wonderful!” Annie Joy said enthusiastically. Angie and Gabi shared a look. They could feel another favorite coming on.

**********

Not only was Annie Joy acquiring many new favorites; she was fast becoming one herself. In the two weeks she’d been in training, her infectious sparkle and enthusiasm combined with her motivation and creativity fit hand in glove with the company’s expectations: work hard and be yourself. She seemed to come alive in the free, open environment and her people skills and team spirit made for an easy transition into the IKEA way of doing things.

In addition to working on her own project, she was receiving training in visual merchandising. Under the supervision of a specialist, she was learning how to plan and set up commercial displays in the different areas of the store to make shopping easier and more appealing. At the same time she was becoming familiar with their system for developing and maintaining detailed knowledge of the local market, their customers and their competition.

But to Annie Joy the delight was not in the detail but in the whole. She could indulge her passion for interior decorating and home furnishings and nourish her curiosity for how people live. She felt challenged and valued and she loved it. Ers had been right. She was a butterfly and she was spreading her wings. Too bad he’d never know.

**********

For the past two weeks Urs had tried to be a ‘both’ kind of person. He really had. He could not, would not, allow himself to choose between either hanging loose or letting go. So the two took turns. And it had gone well…the first week. If he was around people he was hanging loose, but when he was alone he was letting go. His only respite was when the music occupied his mind.

By the second week letting go had forgotten how to take turns and although his music didn’t suffer his friends did…right along with him. Urs found more excuses to be alone and his conversations though polite were brief bordering on brusque. Except for his music he was just going through the motions, even in the gym.

**********

Early Saturday morning Urs arrived at the gym unkempt, unshaven, and definitely hung over. If not for the water and aspirin he’d miraculously thought to take before he stumbled to bed and again this morning plus a carafe of black coffee he was certain he’d be dead. Now he only wished he was.

He glanced at the treadmill and shuddered. The mere thought of his feet pounding set the tom-toms in his head beating again in frenzied rhythm; as did the clank, clank of the weights. Instead, he decided on twenty laps of the pool and after that the sauna and a quick shower to help him rejoin the human race. It worked.

He brushed his still damp hair into a severe ponytail and eyed himself critically in the mirror. The wasn’t much he could do about the dark circles but at least his eyeballs no longer looked like they were hemorrhaging thanks to the drops. Damn the Swedish and their vodka! Look on the bright side, he told himself. You did have the good sense to go back to you room and drink.

He moved his mouth cautiously and formed a half smile as he thought of Seb, Carlos, and David’s attempt to cheer him up. “C’mon Urs it’s Friday. We’re just going to dinner for a couple of hours,” pleaded Seb.

“Man does not live by gym alone,” David had quipped with a crooked smile.

“Si, David is right, Urs. You’re suit will be getting too small for the muscles.” Carlos struck a he-man pose to demonstrate and even Urs had to smile. No one however had the heart to point out there was no suit since the next tour was yet to be planned.

Urs tried to beg off going but in the end they’d guilted him into it and paid the price. He didn’t even remember what he’d had to eat.
Gott knows he’d been wretched company, barely stringing a few sentences together. They didn’t deserve that, after all they were trying to help. Had he even remembered to thank them? Then right after dinner he bolted back to his room to drown his sorrows.

Urs was just heading toward the elevator when he heard Carlos boom, “Good morning, Urs. I am going for the breakfast. You will come with me for the coffee no?”

“Sure,” agreed Urs, not wanting coffee so much as a chance to thank him for his efforts last night.

Carlos was almost finished with his breakfast and Urs was on his third cup of coffee. He’d let Carlos do most of the talking. All he’d had to ask was, “How was Café Opera last night?” and Carlos was off and running with a blow by blow account of his visit there with Seb.

Urs idly played with his unused spoon as he talked. “I’m sorry I’ve been less than my sparkling self this week,” he paused with a lopsided grin, gave a sigh and continued,” I do appreciate all of you trying to cheer me up. It’s just….” He shrugged and left it at that.

But Carlos wouldn’t. Urs needed to hear this. “You must do the mope, si, but bastante, enough,” Carlos said as he took the spoon from Urs. “Annie Joy will write or no,” he shrugged, “but this we say in my country. If you hold the present so tight to your chest how will your arms,” he struggled for the word, “abrazar…embrace the future?” He handed the spoon back to Urs. “See you later, my friend,” he said as he stood and left.





Urs sat alone thinking at the table several minutes after Carlos left. Was he saying to stop hoping for a letter? That Urs should forget about Annie Joy and move on? Urs knew that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. No it seemed more like a gentle nudge, a reminder that he wasn’t doing himself or anyone around him any good wearing a long face and being a grump. What would happen would happen.

In the meantime there was no sense sitting around in his room. He’d been wanting to check out that antique shop Per had mentioned and it looked like today was his lucky day. It wasn’t even raining.

**********

One kebab, a gooey something or other Annie Joy couldn’t pronounce, and one shop later she’d made up her mind. She just had to have that red scarf she’d tried on before lunch.

“I’ll just dash back and get it. I remember exactly where the store was. I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Sure, go ahead. We’ll walk slow. If you don’t see us just look in the shops,” Angie said.

“We’ll meet you at the end of the block,” Gabi turned around and called as Annie Joy disappeared into the crowd. “So which one do you think she’ll try this time?” asked Gabi, betting Annie Joy would try out at least one of her two newest Swedish sentences. ‘Visa mig på kartan var jag är. Please show me on the map where I am!’ or ‘Var finns det en toalett? Where's the toilet?’

Angie smiled at the question. “The toilet definitely, but she may be awhile if she actually has to go and they give her directions back in Swedish.” Both girls dissolved in giggles.

They were still giggling when they saw Urs going into Halsokost, a health food store. After a debate lasting a whole 30 seconds: is it him, should we, shouldn’t we, go in, wait outside, they crossed the street.

Both girls were used to seeing the Divos around the city whenever they were there to record. Perhaps used to was a bit overstated but they had gotten beyond the squealing, screaming, sticking things to sign in their face, shutter bug stage. They respected their privacy if they weren’t alone otherwise they would stop them to say hello and maybe talk for a minute. The thrill never seemed to wear off.

So today they waited patiently outside the shop, fending off an overzealous Green Peace advocate passing out leaflets and wishing he’d move a bit farther down the block. They didn’t have long to wait.

Urs stepped out onto the sidewalk with his chocolate bar. It may have sold health food but it also had his favorite kind of chocolate. He saw the two girls and hurriedly stuffed the candy into the pocket of his leather jacket and went into Divo mode. They came toward him, he smiled. No cameras, no papers, they looked familiar. Yes, he’d seen them before. Respectful as he recalled. He took a deep breath and felt himself relax.

“Hi Urs,” they said almost in unison.

“Hello ladies, how are you today?”

**********

Annie Joy washed her hands and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Why not, she thought and slipped her new scarf under the collar of her jacket, admiring how it matched her beret perfectly. Angie and Gabi would be so proud that she’d asked for the bathroom in Swedish and the salesclerk had understood. Of course her accent had given her away so she’d received directions back in English. Maybe my next lesson should be, ‘Speak to me in Swedish please because I need all the practice I can get.’ The woman laughing back in the mirror looked very convincing except for her eyes. Hmmm, she’d have to start working on that soon…just as soon as she could go a whole day without sneaking a peek at Urs’ picture.

She stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked up the sloping street toward the corner. The crowds seemed to have thinned as the late afternoon temperature dropped and the gray clouds threatened rain. The girls had probably stopped to look in one of the shops, either purses or shoes if it was Angie or jewelry if it was Gabi.

Annie Joy was almost to the middle of the block when she glanced across the street and saw Urs and he was talking to Angie and Gabi! Did they know him? Caught unawares, the butterflies were too stunned to react. Instead she felt a very peculiar sensation rather like jumping up in an elevator that is going down and suddenly all your insides collide in the middle.

Her first impulse was to call or wave or do something so he would notice her but then it clicked. The girls must be fans, Divas. He’d probably seen them at the concerts. Was Il Divo doing a concert here in Stockholm? Wouldn’t it be something if it happened when she was here?

But how should she approach him? He was obviously in his Divo persona. She watched fascinated as he threw his head back and laughed. There go his hands talking again. Was that? It sure was, he’s blinky winking right here on the street, in broad daylight! Oh those poor girls don’t have a chance. Wait till I tease him about that.

Which brought her back to her dilemma. How could she be Annie Joy aka Petit Papillon if he was Urs Buhler, one-fourth of Il Divo? What would his fans think? And if they pretended not to know each other how could they meet again? In a few minutes he’d be gone. She had to do something so she stepped off the curb and began to cross the street.

Gabi saw her first and waved, “Annie Joy over here!”

Urs jerked his head to look and literally couldn’t breathe. It seemed unreal, some trick his mind was playing, but it was her. Her hair, her dimples, wearing one of her trademark scarves and a red beret…the red beret he’d given her. He expelled his breath in a rush and filled his lungs again but still he felt giddy. Giddy with happiness at seeing her here half a world away.

Annie Joy clenched her hands deep in the pockets of her jacket in an effort not to dash across the street and into his arms, Cecile or no Cecile. Her jaw ached from setting her face in a pleasant expression when her mouth begged to stretch in a smile out to her ears.

Urs nervously touched the sides of his head to be sure his hair was still tucked back into his short, neat ponytail. And Annie Joy’s heart fluttered at his endearing habit.

Then she was on the sidewalk beside him and even before Angie started to introduce her he was reaching for Annie Joy’s hand with both of his, remembering how soft it felt and how it fit perfectly into his.

“Annie Joy, what a pleasure to meet you.” His words rolled gently off his tongue like a musical scale.

“I’m very glad to meet you Urs,” Annie Joy replied softly, and watched his eyes widen at hearing his name pronounced perfectly. He seemed to have forgotten he was holding her hand. She smiled and took it back gently.

It was at that moment Urs realized he had a problem. He couldn’t just stand here looking at her. He had to say something. But what in the world could he say in front of his fans that would not give him away? He couldn’t lose her again.