April 15th 2024
Lenin
The trio checked out the hotel after a week. Lenin felt impressed by the commitment of his two companions, but he preferred to linger in Helsinki a little more. As the heir of Graf von Pazze has promised his generous financial support, the Russian political leader decided that it was once again the chance to exploit the benevolence of a socialist capitalist. The Briton did not object, because during the previous weeks, after having lost his job, he had started to avoid even drinking a cup of coffee, while he was not at home, to reduce his expenses. It was not so pleasant, on the contrary definitely stressful, to pay attention to every penny for too long. Although it should have been what thriving low income households regularly do. Including the one where he grew up, with all the extra money needed to finance the Red Hand activities or to be safe against any possible retaliation of the Catholics. Only the former business consultant did not care about money because she felt solid enough, with a piggy bank that appeared to her as a really rich one. For most investment banks, her net worth was just interesting enough not to sell her any kind of those low quality products, with no risk, but also no gain and high management costs. She was however unworthy of any experienced asset manager and a family office would have regarded her two million Swiss francs as irrelevant. The young woman was however happy to spend some time both with Lenin, whose conversation had lost most of the hatred of his previous life, and the art dealer, who was happy to share with his new friends a good introduction about Finnish art. The heroes of the Kalevala, so finely portrayed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, filled the days of the three adventurers before their departure. If in the beginning the myth of ancient Finland had just been the pretext to spend an afternoon at the Kansallisgalleria, the National Gallery, with time the group began to meditate about the symbolism conveyed through those stories and to forget the purpose of their encounter. It was only on one evening, while enjoying a typical Finnish receipt, made of moose meat and a selection of local herbs, that they turned the conversation again on their original purpose. “So, you say you have got some friends in the hotellerie, how is it? You're an art dealer, aren’t you?”, asked the business consultant to the young Briton, who waited before providing an answer. “It is very snobbish of you”, intervened Lenin, “Perhaps you are unaware of the number of successful revolutionaries, afterwards established as powerful autocrats, who for a while worked in disguise in the kitchen”. He smiled softly, but his eyes penetrated the young lady's mind. “Nothing like that”, the Ulster gentleman replied, apparently unperturbed. “While at the University I played poker or delivered some small packages without asking too many questions when I was short of money. I could have been served by the Maharaja’s on Pizza Hut at Parker’s Piece, but it would have been far less profitable. You don’t know the art market and perhaps you have never approached an art gallery as a recurrent customer”. It was now the Briton to adopt unpleasant tones to an inconvenient consideration, but he had no intention to provoke a fracture in the team, thus he explained further. “Some affluent, or less affluent, art collectors are above forty. Perhaps most of them. They could happily be married or linked to a relationship for a good amount of years. However, while attending international fairs, they are looking for something they cannot regularly enjoy while at home. Not necessarily the pleasure of a new picture to hang in their apartment. Quite often it is a flirt and, while men usually rely on the service of an escort, or a party girl attending the fair with that specific purpose, women like to spend evenings and nights in a temporary affair with a fellow art enthusiast. That is when I join the comedy. My boss, being the owner of a respectable art gallery, cannot put the name in the transaction. It is me who allows the customer to use my credit card and references to pay the hotel, or the restaurant. That anonymous transaction however works only with the agreement with a concierge or a maitre d’hotel. They are usually more than happy to help”. Lenin laughed again with his amiable smile that in the past seduced so many countesses and heiresses in the best socialist clubs. It allowed the tension to dissipate. “That is really clever”, said the Russian, “But how are you going to exploit your contacts? I was quite clever to escape the police, but the frontiers look to me quite tightly close”. “While I was enchanting the two of you with the nordic sagas, blessed by Freya and Odin, I managed to reach someone who used to live in London and now moved to Moscow. He will hire us to join his team. To forge some fake identities it has become quite easy, after proper payment. I will thus be an experienced concierge, you, my young dame, a sommelier. Russians will love the idea of a young lady serving them the wine. About you, Comrade Lenin, there is a place in the kitchen”.
