The Club - Episode 1

Phantasmagoria in several episodes. Four strangers - 3 ladies and 1 gentleman - meet to get acquainted and get to know one another, to see themselves through another person's eyes, to turn the traces left by events into history and live on. In the room that holds a table with six chairs, only five seats are currently taken. Will a sixth join them? The facilitator is friendly but businesslike. Autumn days grow dark quickly. There is quiet here, but beyond the club's walls another life entirely seems to hum. We are all part of it.

Autumn has arrived with a vengeance. The cold wind makes itself known. The dampness seeps through clothing - now it feels as though right through the skin, breaking in all the way to the very core. She should have put on gloves, but they have been lying in the wardrobe drawer since spring. Monta had wound her scarf around her neck several times. The narrow leather jacket left no option of sliding her hands into the small pockets for even a little warmth. She kept striding forward quickly. One block, then another, then right, straight to the end of the street. Why on earth did she decide to go to that meeting?!

It was a quarter to six. She had arrived fifteen minutes early. That punctuality and pedantry of mine will be the death of me one day, - she thought and felt for the Vogue pack in her handbag. Her hands were trembling - this time from the cold, but perhaps not only from that. The menthol flavour was so enticing and calming. Why had she dragged herself here?! Ten more minutes. Lee had said on the phone that the doors would open at exactly six, so feel free to wait in the hotel lobby. Fine, she would go in and explore the territory. The receptionist nodded pleasantly but otherwise paid no attention to the new arrival. A vintage feel, sinuously carved dark-brown wood, yellowish lampshades, miniature paintings...

Good evening, are you here for the club too? - a long-legged blonde in a red raincoat hurried in through the door. On her arm swung an expensive handbag, far too small to hold more than a cosmetic minimum, a mobile phone, and certainly a sizeable fold-over wallet for notes and cards (exactly the kind Monta would never buy for herself). A long umbrella and ankle boots with pointed heels. Everything matched the style. Her wide-set, carefully made-up eyes suggested that this would by no means be the first or last sentence to fly from those pearlescent-painted lips. - Yes! - First time, isn't it? Me too. Though I've heard and read a lot about the club. Lee explained everything so kindly, she's great. (A pause, no longer than a second.) What's your name? - Monta. - Very pleased to meet you, I'm Katja. - I'm pleased... to meet you too.

Through the door came a middle-aged woman who, with a nod of the head and silent movement of the lips, bade good evening and headed purposefully in the direction of the meeting room. She gripped the door handle with confidence - shut! - Lee said it starts at exactly six, - Katja declared knowingly. - Let's get acquainted, I'm Katja - and you? - Amanda. I'm here for the discussion club. - Us too. Monta and I have already been chatting, it'll be interesting to see how it goes. Lee is so kind and responsive. I think it will do each of us good, because expressing your feelings, experiences, and thoughts, finding like-minded people - people who at first seem so unfamiliar, but on getting to know them reveal so many interesting details. - Katja spoke with such enthusiasm that it seemed she had been given the task of informally promoting the event and lifting the spirits of all the club members. The smile never left her face.

Six o'clock. The door opened and a slender, delicate dark-haired woman invited them inside. The room was not large, but it accommodated a round table and six chairs around it. Lee, who was the club facilitator - about 25 years old, but already holding a master's degree in psychology - was dressed casual: slim jeans and a stylish top, low-heeled sporty shoes on her feet. She asked them to take their seats at the table according to the name cards placed on it - Monta, Amanda, Egils, Katja, Lee. All three women quickly ran their eyes over the cards - so there would be a man as well.

And there he came - paused briefly, looked flustered, then evened things out with a couple of jokes about the gender imbalance and the seating arrangements, and took his seat at the table. Monta was pleased that Lee would be on her left - still a familiar face seen at least once before - and that Egils would be in her direct line of sight. She had always felt uneasy when a man studied her without her knowing, from behind her back.

Monta, out of habitual hand movements, took a pen and her notepad from her handbag, opened it to a fresh page - and then abruptly stopped. Why was she doing this?! Professional habit. She hadn't come here for some interview, meeting, or press conference. Relax, just take things as they come, - Monta thought, but left the notepad where it was. Katja was smiling and watching Monta's every movement avidly. Later, when introducing herself or answering rather personal questions, Katja winked at Monta quite brazenly a couple of times. - Damn it, some kind of lesbian! Or maybe I'm just getting old and cynical and can no longer enjoy company. Egils is an interesting type, and besides, he's an Aries by the zodiac, just like me. Unafraid to show his weaknesses and with a good sense of humour. How deftly he picked up on my play on words and joined in! - Thoughts rushed past one another in Monta's head.

Lee had everyone complete a short compatibility test. Monta seemed confused - even though she was good at maths, she couldn't concentrate or add up the points to get a result. The pairs were Katja and Amanda, Monta and Egils. The next task would be to characterise one's partner, but that would be at the next club meeting. Having announced that an hour and a half had slipped by unnoticed, Lee gently ushered everyone towards the door. They had only just got to know one another, and the mood was such that they would gladly have spent more time together. Of course - everything new and not yet fully revealed is so intriguing, and human curiosity is enormously motivating.

Outside the windows, a solid darkness had already set in. It was beginning to drizzle. Monta hurried to the car where her husband was waiting to take her home.

To be continued...