26 -- Jozef Returns from the Circus

Finally the show was over, and the three excited little boys burst out of the tent and into the late afternoon sunshine, closely followed by their two sisters, Karel, and a very upset Jozef.

Outside, on the circus grounds, the boys stopped short at the sight of the old elephant and the sign that was attached to a caravan next to the animal. An old, but familiar sign, announcing cheap elephant rides. For a moment, Jozef was a little boy again, foregoing the delight of such a ride just so he could talk to the prettiest creature he’d ever seen.

A voice took him out of his reverie. “Panje Wawrzyniak?” The oldest one of the boys tugged on his arm. “Maja said we could ride the elephant. Can we?”

In spite of himself, Jozef had to laugh. “Yes, you can.”

A line had already formed and the boys joined it, with their sisters and Jozef right behind them. Maja seemed skittish and unfocused. She said, “Can you make sure they get their ride, Panje Wawrzyniak? I want to look around a little.”

“No problem,” Jozef said. He also wanted to look around, wanted to find Nina, but he could not see her anywhere.

They had reached the head of the line. Jozef paid for the boys and made sure they were securely settled. Amidst shrieks of laughter, they let the elephant make its rounds with them.

Jozef stepped back, again searching for Nina. He saw Maja in the shadow of one of the caravan cages, talking to a slim young man and smiling up at him. He seemed familiar, but Jozef couldn’t place him. And it really didn’t matter. Probably a young man from another wealthy family in the area. The man smiled back at Maja and touched her hand. Good for her. Maybe she had finally found a suitor. He dismissed her from his mind, still looking for Nina, but couldn’t find her, neither deeper in the compound between the cages and caravans, nor among the crowds still milling around in the circus enclosure.

The boys were finished with their ride and Maja rejoined them just as the small group got ready to leave the circus compound. Their coachman was already waiting with the coach, the horses snorting impatiently. The boys filed in without taking a break in their excited retelling of what they had liked best in the circus. With one last, longing look at the circus, Jozef followed after the girls, and the family returned to the estate.