Carlos’s age and life experience saved him from a spectacular collapse. Especially not in front of an audience. From the corner of his eye, he noticed his neighbor standing with raised eyebrows and hands in his pockets. Though he nearly fainted, he maintained a stoic expression and continued the supposed conversation.
“Don’t worry, my dear friend, I’ll jump in the car right away and head to your house. Do you have any message for the others?” His imaginary conversation partner suddenly changed both residence and age. “We’re waiting for you at the retirees’ club, you old rascal!”
Then he stepped toward Bernard, gesturing at his phone to indicate he was in the middle of a call. He gave the young man a quick pat on the back, waved at Noud, and hurried off toward the other side of the courtyard, in the direction of María José’s house.
“What an actor!”
Bernard shook his head in disbelief. Noud just waved dismissively. He didn’t care about Carlos’s humiliation. He just wanted to sit on the terrace with his favorite mug and watch the kids playing in the pool.
Ted would have loved to rush out into the courtyard to greet his neighbors. No one was happier about their return than him—after all, among the residents, observing the two Dutch men was the most exciting pastime. As for Carlos, he preferred to make his life difficult, though he never took his eyes off him for long. With a smug grin, he watched the elderly man retreating, acting as if he were rushing to his long-time lover.
“Look what I found,” Bernard said from behind Noud once they were finally relaxing on their own terrace.
He placed a small object on the garden table.
“Is this what I think it is?” Noud asked, eyes widening.
His companion nodded instead of answering.
“Did we get it from the gigolo or the man with the Coke bottle glasses?”
Bernard shrugged.
“One has never set foot in our house, and the other has a favorite glass here.”
“Bernard, Noud!” Carlos called out in an unnaturally cheerful tone, as if nothing had happened.
He embraced both men.
“Have a seat, dear friend,” Bernard gestured to the chair beside him.
“It’s so good to see you both. However—” The old man’s voice turned accusatory. “You really should have given some sign of life. All kinds of rumors were spreading about you.”
“Like that we traveled to the United States?”
“For example.” Carlos’s face remained unmoved. “Now, tell me, what happened? Where have you been all this time?”
“We had to fix our relationship,” Noud suddenly spoke up.
Bernard’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t have come up with a better response himself. It wasn’t exactly what they had agreed on, but this explanation sounded far more plausible than the one he had prepared.
“Then I understand why you kept it quiet.”
“Shall I bring you a gofio mousse? I just made some.”
“Forgive me, dear friend, but I just came from María José’s, and you know I can’t resist her macarons.”
“I’ll only forgive you if you take a portion for me. It’ll be perfect for breakfast. Just don’t forget to put it in the fridge.”
The excitement of the day wouldn’t let the old man sleep. After tossing and turning for hours, he got up and poured himself a glass of wine, hoping it would make him drowsy. Since he was already in the kitchen, he grabbed the sweet treat he had received from the Dutch couple.
He settled comfortably on the terrace, spooning the thick, sweet, creamy dessert into his mouth. Everything was fine—until something crunched between his teeth.
“What the hell…?”
He held his palm up toward the moonlight to get a better look at what he had bitten into. He had expected many things, but certainly not this. It was the very bugging device he had installed in his neighbors’ home—now retrieved from his own mouth.