The Red Car - Part 1

by Remedios Dorio

THAT day, Marie came early to Anneke’s house, she will babysitting her baby. Anneke applied for a work and had an interview today. Marie worked but she was on holiday. If Anneke would have the job, then a creche for her baby was an option. Marcus, the man of Anneke, worked as an international truck driver, and always away from house. Marie and Anneke were cousins.

Anneke still eating her breakfast when Marie came. Marie made coffee for herself and sat down by the dining table.

While eating, Anneke told Marie about her dream of a red car.

“A red car?”

“Yes, a nice, expensive red sports car,” Anneke answered Marie while still chewing the foods in her mouth. She was so excited telling about her dream.

“Maybe your future car. You wanted it very much to have a car, and now that you had a chance to have a work, it would not take long you can buy one.” Marie said.

“Maybe, but it was a strange dream,” Anneke seemed worried about her dream.

“Why strange?” Marie asked.

“I am standing in the waiting shed, waiting for a bus; suddenly this red car stopped in front of me. The driver of the red car opened the door at the passenger seat next him and invited me to get in. I was so enchanted with the car; I walked around it but when I touched, it was very cold liked ice. The man came out his car and walked toward me with a big smile,” Anneke as she told Marie about her dream liked she was in trance. “ He asked me if I like his car and I said yes. He is a good-looking man, neatly dressed and looked very respectable.”

“It’s just a dream,” Marie commented.

“I accepted his invitation. I get in his car with no hesitation. Then he handed me a piece of paper. When I looked at, I saw what was written on it. A plate number of a car. I looked at him askingly, and he answered me that it was the plate number of his car, the red car,” Anneke continued telling to Marie about her strange dream.

“And then?” Marie became curious about the dream of Anneke.

“I asked him, why did he’s giving me the plate number of his car; his answer puzzled me.”

“Why, what is his answer?”

“He answered me that maybe knowing the plate number of his car, would give justice to me.”

“What does he mean?”

“I do not know.”

“You did not ask him?”

“The alarm clock went on, I wake up.”

“Well, it’s just a dream,” after a while said but in herself, Marie seemed not contented why the man in Anneke’s dream gave the plate number of his car to Anneke.

“It was very clear, look,” Anneke handed to Marie a piece of paper. Marie looked at the piece of paper in which was written the plate number Anneke was talking about.

“Is this the piece of paper that man in your dream given to you?” Marie asked.

“Of course not, you silly. I could not produce a piece of paper from my dream? What I noted in there, that was the plate number. Most of the time I forget my dreams when I wake-up, but this one just stayed hanging in my mind.”

“Okay,” Marie laughingly said. “I thought this was precisely the piece of paper from your dream then I could say it’s bizarre.”

Anneke also laughed with Marie who always in whatever circumstances find humor.

“From the interview, I will buy a lotto at the store in the corner. I will use the number I noted from my dream.” Anneke said.

“Again? For many years you played Lotto but never win,” Marie commented on what Anneke said.

“This time, maybe I win, but I guess you’re right. Anyway, I could not form six numbers from this,” and Anneke scrambled the piece of paper and threw it away into the garbage can.

TEN o’clock, Marie had just bathed and clothed little Errol when the telephone rang. It was from the office of which Anneke must be. Anneke had a friend that work in there and it was her who introduced Anneke for the work. Janet, the friend, was worried that’s why she called. Her appointment was at nine o’clock in the morning, but Anneke was no show. Anneke leaved the house at quarter before eight o’clock, so it was very strange for Anneke not coming to a job interview.

Three o’clock in the afternoon. The office or Janet did not call again, and Marie expected that Anneke had showed anyway for the job interview but Marie could not explain to herself a kind of uneasy feeling. As she expected that Anneke should be long home already, Marie called the office and asked for Janet, and the answer of Janet shocked Marie; Anneke did not show up. Marie called the parents of Anneke and they also do not know where Anneke was. Marie called more people of which she thought Anneke could be; but all the same, they did not see or know where Anneke was.

Marie panicked. Marcus, the man of Anneke, had called that he’s coming home around nine o’clock in the evening so she decided to just wait for him before she reports the missing of Anneke.

NINE thirty in the evening when Marcus arrived. He was upset because he doesn’t know that Anneke was busy with a job and now, Anneke doesn’t come home.

Because Marcus and Anneke have no car of their own, Marie let Marcus used her car to look for Anneke and if he could not find Anneke then he will go to the police.

Marie stayed awake the whole night. Marcus went home about after midnight, frustrated and worried.

The next morning, tired Marcus was still sleeping, and Marie was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for her, Marcus and the baby. When she threw the eggshell into the garbage can, she remembered about the piece of paper that Anneke threw earlier. Anneke had told about what the man in her dream said, that the plate number could help for her to have justice. Marie picked out from the garbage can, the crumbled piece of paper and put it in her pocket.

They already finished their breakfast, and Marie was preparing the little Errol to bring to Anneke’s mother; she would babysit Errol if Marie had something to do. Then the telephone rang, it was the mother of Anneke who was in panic.

“Look at the morning news on TV!”

Marie quickly opened the television to look at the morning news. It was something about a naked woman found dead floating in the canal. The face shown as the police was asking who from the viewers could recognize the victim; the face of Marie became pale, and she looked at Marcus who was liked frozen nailed where he stood. The face shown on the TV was Anneke.

****to be continued****