“Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into Sodankylä. Please turn off all portable electronic devices….”
The announcement in the aircraft cabin woke me up. I peered outside to get a first glimpse of Lapland. The snow-capped villages looked breathtaking from above between intervals of breaking clouds. My thoughts wandered to the circumstances leading to this solo enigmatic winter escapade.
***
I was at breakfast in our home at Clapham, Southwest London when Clara was doing a voice-over on a video of her recent travel to Scandinavia. From a nondescript blogger, Clara went on to become a paid travel influencer. On her lip-ribbon microphone, she was detailing the features in sync with the visuals from Lapland playing on the screen. Lapland is an Artic paradise with its natural phenomena, Midnight Sun, Polar Nights, Northern Lights, food culture, and exotic street Cafés.
In the video, I could see her entering a street cafe called ‘Coffee Chapters Café’. The frames moved at a slow speed with panoramic views of the Café’s interiors, highlighting the decor. Bread Cheese with Cloudberry Jam, Fried Vendace, Meat Pies and their signature Cinnamon Rolls were artistically laid on display.
“And friends, let us not miss an opportunity to talk to the wonder woman who runs this iconic Café. Meet Anja Virtanen, the celebrated Restaurateur of the year, voted by none other than Glorian Ruoka & viini, the leading Food and Life magazine in Finland.” I froze looking at the image on the screen.
Anja! Anja Virtanen.
The name brought back memories. I remembered the chaotic Christmas celebrations at Oxford Street in London where we spent the entire night in revelry, almost getting arrested for tailgating through the tube station gates. Anja was an integral part of our squad. She had introduced her new friend Marge to me at her birthday bash.
In a few reckless moments, hiding behind the façade of youthful exuberance, I had indulged in two-timing both Marge and Anja. One fine morning, Anja barged into my studio finding a half-naked Marge with me.
“You are a bitch, Marge, filthy fucking bitch! And you Mr Casanova David…” Anja tore into us and disappeared from our lives. That was twenty-eight years ago!
Despite that ugly confrontation, Marge was deeply in love with me. A few years later we got married in a silent ceremony at Kent. We soon welcomed Clara into our lives. We had just returned from our Silver Jubilee Wedding Anniversary when Marge fell sick. What we hoped and believed to be an illness picked up during our vacation, turned out to be the worst nightmare in our lives. Marge passed away this summer after her short battle with cancer.
I missed Marge, specifically our New Year’s nights together. She was superstitious about spending the New Year at home together. She believed that starting the New Year by locking lips meant more love in the twelve months to come. After all, one wants to start the year strong with the person you love the most. This would be the first New Year without Marge and I was feeling devastated as we drew nearer to the year-end.
Clara, sensing my state, suggested staying away from home this New Year. “Take a Break, Dad. Go somewhere far and exotic. I know a hundred such places for that. Please!” she used to plead.
Rediscovering Anja gave my life a new perspective. It wasn’t a tough job at all to track her. She was all over social media.
“Adventurous, Affable, Ambitious, Anja”, a headline screamed as she posed with one of her many awards!
I called Clara. “Sweetie, I am considering your proposal to take a Winter break. Your Lapland video looked quite inviting and a fantastic place to relax.”
“Oh, that’s quite an abrupt decision, Dad, but wonderful! I am glad you finally decided on this!”
She began to work immediately on the itinerary and when I got home all the draft plans were already in place.
Amidst the excitement rose a flurry of uncertainties. Would she recognize me? Forgive me? Agree to meet me? What if Anja already had someone? An article spoke about her troubled relationships, depression, a history of drug abuse, rehab, etc. before she rose from the ashes to become an inspiration. It gave me hope.
***
I checked into the exotic Santa’s Hotel and Igloo at Sodankylä.
The Coffee Chapters Café was, indeed a popular joint. I found a seat straight across the counter. This wooden cozy Café had a warm and gorgeous ambiance, with dim lights and pleasant music. The soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee had a calming effect.
Anja looked resplendent in a jaunty, red sequin flowing gown under a red-sheared mink coat. It was Christmas after all. The Café was lit with subtle lanterns and George Michael was crooning ‘Last Christmas’ from an antique vinyl player. Coffee Chapters Café showcased a stylish aura that reflected the modernity and glamorous style of Elite Finns, the folks with an unmatched taste for grandeur.
The Café was her second life, leaving behind a wretched past chequered with betrayals, a failed marriage, and a near brush with death due to a substance overdose. She started Coffee Chapters Café five years ago, coming out of rehab, as a modest corner street Café and she grew in stature to make it to the cover of Glorian Ruoka & viini, the leading Food and Life magazine in Finland as Restaurateur of the Year.
Anja waltzed around the aisles of the Café with remarkable agility and grace, stopping now and then to engage in exchanging pleasantries with the guests, mostly tourists, like a perfect host.
***
I had never intended to be obscure, and it didn’t take long for Anja’s pale blue eyes to spot me just across the counter. She stood frozen and took a step back. She allowed a few moments to sink in the reality, recoiled her poise, and walked in my direction with an unassuming panache and verve.
“David! No fucking way,” she startled me and the other guests with the unexpected profanity which was in stark contrast to her demeanor.
“What brings you to Sodankylä and… how did you even find me?”
“Well, it is not easy to hide in Finland for the Cover Girl of Glorian Ruoka & viini, my dear Anja. I am on vacation here.”
“But this is quite incredible, David. I am delighted to see you again. You look the same, except for the greying sideburns.”
I rose to hug her briefly. “Good to see you too, Anja. You look gorgeous and young too!”
“Will be right back, don’t go away,” she smiled.
And I stayed right there even beyond closing time, filling each other on the years lost in oblivion.
“Unbelievable, David, it is unbelievable. It’s been so long, so much water passed under the Thames as you Londoners say. David, I am happy to see you here! I am sure Sodankylä will give you the breather you truly deserve.
“I am genuinely sorry about what happened to Marge. You were wonderful together and am sure you would have had a wonderful life together. And I do remember the petite Clara when she did the vlog in this very Café. Heavens save me! I had no clue it would be your and Marge’s little one.”
***
They say in Lapland that ‘Love is like a campfire’. You need to feed it after the first spark to keep the fire burning. Anja closed the Café late past midnight after Christmas Day festivities.
Sitting together by the bench on the sidewalk, snuggling up to a warm campfire, and hearing the comforting sounds of crackling logs, was pure bliss. The wavy flame produced a tranquil atmosphere, allowing us to unwind in our secure confinement, and daring us to conceal the past and shed reticence.
I helped Anja up from the bench. I held her from behind and shifted her tresses to one side to expose her neck. She let out a tiny gasp as soon as my lips touched her neck. I broke away and looked into her eyes. My right hand went down her leg as my palm curved over her butt and felt the back of her thigh. She turned and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips passionately. She pressed her slim frame closer and tighter, kissing harder. I felt her teeth brush my lip and pulled away as I felt the taste of blood. We fell together on the icy grass of the park and made love with gay abandon like we used to do several years back.
In the serene corollary of the carnival, hand in hand, Anja and I embraced our newfound love. Amidst the wintry landscape, we embarked on a new journey, cherishing the second chance that fate had granted each of us.
The quiet days between Christmas and New Year provided us with more time together. We were skinny dipping in the sauna, knees touching knees. All that steam, sweat, and stolen glances led to a long night of unbridled passion. It had been ages since I found such a heightened sensation. Anja opened unabashedly to the sweet sensuality of the spectrum of pleasure.
The night was still young. We were racing each other on snowmobiles and heading into the pink heart of the polar night, scaling up fells, spinning through dark forests, and letting loose on the long straight frozen river trails.
***
Come New Year’s Eve, the town woke up again from its slumber. The Café was getting busier by evening. Outside, Anja could see a kid dressed as Santa Claus engaging David in a fortune-telling game. He asked David to buy a tin horseshoe for a Euro and hand it back. The little Santa dropped it into a pan covered with burning coal. He carefully removed the red-hot molten tin using tongs and dropped it into a bucket containing ice-cold water. The molten tin re-solidified into random shapes and this kid seemed to look at it, analyzing the shape and spelling a verdict.
“Hurray, Mister! Next year, you’re gonna get kissed a lot.” Little Santa proclaimed and the crowd made an impromptu circle around Anja and David and clapped in unison as they kissed.
***
Late that evening, we gathered at the Town Square for the New Year Eve Celebrations. No one seemed to listen to the listless speeches by the dignitaries. We sat stealing kisses and sipping warm wine. The countdown had begun for a new beginning, a New Year.
At the stroke of midnight, struggling to be heard amidst deafening pyrotechnics that lit up Sodankylä skies, people greeted the New Year with chants of “Hyvää uutta vuotta!”
I held Anja close and locked my lips with her. I reached for my handy as it buzzed incessantly. It was Clara on FaceTime.
“Happy New Year Dad, you beat me to it. London is still in the old year.”
I turned the camera to face Anja and introduced, “Clara, this is…”
Clara gasped, “Anja Virtanen! Oh, my God! I am not able to believe what I am seeing!” She looked shell-shocked.
She regained her composure and spoke. “Anja Virtanen is the same Anja, mom’s university friend. How did I ever fail to recognize you when we met? Urghhhhhh…. Dad, you clever old man, that was a smart move. I am so embarrassed to admit that I didn’t see this coming when you suddenly planned this Lapland winter vacation.”
The floodlights of the Town Square suddenly breathed a bright life. We snuggled and kissed again on camera. Happy tears were running down Clara’s freckled cheeks. She was barely audible with the cacophony around us. Letting us live the moment, she waved us goodbyes and disconnected.
***
Coffee Chapters Café opened its London outlet the same year. Anja moved in with David.
************
-Co-Authored with Ranjit Narayanan
Pic Credit: Pixabay-Terri C
Glossary:
Hyvää uutta vuotta!- Finnish for “Happy New Year!”
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