Heaven Tastes Like Peaches

"Mr. Tadeusz talked about Poland, but never about his life" he continued. "It was only a few days before his death that he confessed to me that he had once had a very dear friend, but their paths diverged. Nevertheless, he still thinks about him and would love to say his last words to him. In case his friend was already in another world, I was to pass them on to his family."

"Grandfather had only one son," said Sławek. "Dad died when I was little. Mom a few years later. My grandfather's sister left for Germany and I have no contact with her descendants. I know she herself died before I was born."

"We do not need to look for sidelines if there is a child in the mainline. The message is: 'I have always remembered my friend and missed his handiwork.'"

Such simple words might not be worth traveling thousands of kilometers to convey them, but for Yussuf it was never an effort that was wasted. And the warm smile on the boy's face told him how much it was worth delivering these words.

"They kept it until Mr. Sławoj got married," explained the prince.

"Then why not later?" The surprised boy asked.

"I think their friendship was very special. Otherwise why should they be silent about her?"

"Very... special...?"

Slawek suddenly turned all red. The blush was so clear and so extensive that there was no way to hide it.

"My teacher never married," the prince continued, amused by the boy's violent reaction. However, he saved all his life. Everyone thought that he had left a woman in the country and that she at one point married another. Despite this, he scrupulously accumulated his fortune. His last will is that he wishes to convey the whole thing to his friend or, in the event of his death, to the closest relative in a straight line."

The boys looked at each other again, not fully understanding what was going on.

"I wanted to tell you this news earlier, Mr. Sławek" continued the prince "I did not do it for purely selfish reasons. I was afraid that information about the inheritance would make you stop working on your pieta, and I really wanted to have that one."

"How do you know about my pieta?"

"From Mr. Kowalski. I am his regular customer."

"WHAT?" Both boys exclaimed simultaneously.

The prince laughed sharply. The boys' reaction to his words was delightful!

"I am the recipient of the pieta and other sculptures by Mr. Sławek" he explained warmly. "When I found out that my teacher's friend's grandson and a young, promising sculptor, whose works captivated me, are the same person, I thought it was an unbelievable coincidence. Now I think that your works have reached me more easily thanks to Tadeusz's sensitivity. He was a lover of your grandfather's works all his life, so it is no wonder that he instilled in me a certain sentiment towards them. You have a different style, of course, but the same deep sensitivity that speaks through your works."

It was too much for the boy. He sat with his mouth open, looking from one man to the other. Well, the existence of such coincidences is really hard to believe.

"I think it's too much for one time, right?" The prince got up. "Here is my business card, here are the documents confirming your inheritance rights." Amir placed the briefcase with the said papers on the table. "You can confirm my identity with Mr. Kowalski. This is our first meeting, but I know it will not be the last. I will say goodbye for today. Salam alejkum!"

***

The bomb that fell on Sławek caused such havoc in his head that he did not say goodbye to unexpected guests. Well, he did not even notice that they were leaving. It was all like a strange, totally unrealistic dream.

How is it even possible that a grandfather all his life had a friend that his grandson had never heard of?

Suddenly Sławek dawned. He jumped to his feet and ran to get the can of letters found in the attic. He took out one of them, with trembling hands he took out a piece of paper yellowed with age and looked at the signature. "Twój T." Not "twoja", "twój"[1]! So those were letters from a man! From THIS man!

"What the hell" he heard Konrad returning. Only now did he realize that the boy had gone to see the guests off. "Could you expect a visit from a real Arab? Because I would never in life."

"Look!" Sławek excitedly handed over the letter to Skalski. "It is true! Grandpa had a friend I didn't know anything about. Look at the signature!"

"And you really didn't know anything about him?" Konrad asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Do you think ... that was really a 'special' friend?"

The word 'special' was underlined by him both in tone and in a dark, extensive blush. Thinking of Grandpa that way was… brrrr.

"I do not know. Maybe. But maybe not. I mean ... Would that be very bad?"

Sławek felt confused. He and Konrad now had something special in common, not entirely decent, but very special - at least for the two of them. If you did something yourself, how could you forbid others to do the same? Wouldn't that be hypocrisy?

"I don't know," he admitted, embarrassed. "Thinking like that about Grandpa... You know, he was an old man..."

"Not always. He used to be the same age as us."

Yes, it is true, Sławek admitted to himself and sighed.

"I'm a hypocrite, huh?"

"Just a little," Skalski smiled. "If I found out that my father has a lover, I would probably have a heart attack."

They laughed, half merrily, half nervously. Suddenly Domejczuk had an unpleasant thought:

"And your father won't have a heart attack if he finds out about us? And your mother?"

"They don't need to know. At least for now."

Yes, they don't have to, for now, but then?

Sławek felt weak at the thought that one day their sweet secret would come out. Apparently he showed it with an expression on his face as Konrad walked up to him and took his hand.

"Do not worry about it. My mom… I think she would be very surprised now, but we'll get her ready. She liked you a lot and she is glad we spend time together, so when I say that I have fallen in love with someone as wonderful as you, she should put up with it."

"Stop" Domejczuk was ashamed and wanted to withdraw his hand. He felt a blush pouring through him.

"Why?" Skalski did not let him. Instead, he moved closer, so that their torsos almost touched. "I'm telling the truth."

Butterflies rattled in Sławek's heart. The closeness of Konrad, the warmth of his body and his breath made a pleasant shiver run through his body. He smiled shyly, but from the bottom of his heart.

[1] In Polish, unlike in English, adjectives change by gender, that is, they have a different form when they refer to masculine, feminine, neuter, masculine and non-masculine things and persons. "Yours" in English will always sound the same, but in Polish a man will say "twój" and a woman will say "twoja". Sławek has just noticed this difference. The letter was signed by a man, not a woman.