“What are you doing here?” I say, glaring at Bird. “I wanted to know how you were.” Birds brown eyes are watery. “Can I come in?” “No, family matters. Can’t have friends over.” I say with the least amount of emotion I can muster. “Gwen, please?” Bird says pleading. “You’ve been avoiding me for almost a month. I wasn’t even allowed to talk to you at prom, Julia wouldn’t let me come close to you.” “I-” Then I notice a car pull up on the driveway. “I got to go.” I walk outside, and close the door behind me. “Guinevere! Salut!” Masha smiles. “Salut, Masha! Comment s'est passé le voyage?” “Ton français-” Then Masha notices Bird. “Pourquoi est-il ici?” “Il va bientôt s’en aller.” I reply to her, and then turn to Bird. “Who is she?” He asks shocked. “Goodbye, Bird.” I say, walking to the back of the house. Masha talks non-stop as I lead her to the kitchen. “PAPA!” She yells when she notices Amos. “Auch! Standing right next to you!” I yell at her. Masha ignores me as she talks to her father in Farsi. Emanuel offers me a cup of coffee. “Thanks.” I say to him, while I take a sip. “Why is Masha here?” He askes me while taking a sip of his own cup. We both pull disgusted faces, and switch cups. “I had a linguistic problem.” I say, taking another sip. I start walking out of the kitchen. “Masha? You coming?” ** “So you’re saying that they’re broke?” I ask Masha. “Not yet.” Masha replies in accented English. It still amazes me that she can speak 24 languages, but has an accent when speaking English. “But Mr Collins’ company is fighting lawsuits in half of Europe, Asia and South America.” “What for?” “From what I can gather it’s mostly child labour. Some health violations, but yeah, mostly child labour.” “So these bank records…?” “Go check it yourself.” Masha says as she points to my computer. I’m in after two and a half minutes. “Which bank account do you have there? The 285 or the 463?” Masha looks at the records. “463.” I type some more things. “Can you hand me that copy? … Thanks. … Masha, take a look at this.” I show her the bank account online. “This can’t be correct. This paper shows 36 million dollars, and it is a month old, tops. But if I look here, the only transfer in the last month is 12K for something called ABOD, and yet this account is empty.” “What do you mean, it’s empty? “I mean that there is 35 million dollars missing from this account.” “Guinevere, I hate to tell you…” Masha starts “But?” “But you have to talk to Frederique.”
“I wanted to know how you were.” Birds brown eyes are watery. “Can I come in?”
“No, family matters. Can’t have friends over.” I say with the least amount of emotion I can muster.
“Gwen, please?” Bird says pleading. “You’ve been avoiding me for almost a month. I wasn’t even allowed to talk to you at prom, Julia wouldn’t let me come close to you.”
“I-” Then I notice a car pull up on the driveway. “I got to go.”
I walk outside, and close the door behind me.
“Guinevere! Salut!” Masha smiles.
“Salut, Masha! Comment s'est passé le voyage?”
“Ton français-” Then Masha notices Bird. “Pourquoi est-il ici?”
“Il va bientôt s’en aller.” I reply to her, and then turn to Bird.
“Who is she?” He asks shocked.
“Goodbye, Bird.” I say, walking to the back of the house.
Masha talks non-stop as I lead her to the kitchen.
“PAPA!” She yells when she notices Amos.
“Auch! Standing right next to you!” I yell at her.
Masha ignores me as she talks to her father in Farsi. Emanuel offers me a cup of coffee.
“Thanks.” I say to him, while I take a sip.
“Why is Masha here?” He askes me while taking a sip of his own cup. We both pull disgusted faces, and switch cups.
“I had a linguistic problem.” I say, taking another sip. I start walking out of the kitchen. “Masha? You coming?”
**
“So you’re saying that they’re broke?” I ask Masha.
“Not yet.” Masha replies in accented English. It still amazes me that she can speak 24 languages, but has an accent when speaking English. “But Mr Collins’ company is fighting lawsuits in half of Europe, Asia and South America.”
“What for?”
“From what I can gather it’s mostly child labour. Some health violations, but yeah, mostly child labour.”
“So these bank records…?”
“Go check it yourself.” Masha says as she points to my computer.
I’m in after two and a half minutes. “Which bank account do you have there? The 285 or the 463?”
Masha looks at the records. “463.”
I type some more things. “Can you hand me that copy? … Thanks. … Masha, take a look at this.” I show her the bank account online. “This can’t be correct. This paper shows 36 million dollars, and it is a month old, tops. But if I look here, the only transfer in the last month is 12K for something called ABOD, and yet this account is empty.”
“What do you mean, it’s empty?
“I mean that there is 35 million dollars missing from this account.”
“Guinevere, I hate to tell you…” Masha starts
“But?”
“But you have to talk to Frederique.”