27 -- Jozef Sees Something

For the next several days, Jozef rode his horse to the city every day. He timed his rides so he’d arrive right after the afternoon performance. In town, he stabled his horse at the pub’s stables and walked to the circus grounds, where he watched the happy crowds leave, and the artists mingle for a while before getting ready for the next show.

But he never saw Nina. On the second-last day of the circus’ visit, he walked up a little ways from the circus compounds, to a large tree. He sat underneath it and watched the circus people get ready for their next performance, hoping that maybe she’d come to the tree, since they’d met under a tree twice before.

Instead of Nina, however, he saw someone else. Or more exactly two someone elses. A young woman came up the small path, arm in arm with a faintly familiar man. Jozef recognized Maja, and, as they came closer, the man also. It was the manager of the circus, the man who had held Maja’s hand for such a long time during the performance.

What was this man doing with Maja? Jozef had seen the wedding ring on his finger, and as far as he knew, Nina was that man’s wife.

He slipped around the tree, so they wouldn’t see him.

The man pointed to a bench along the path. Maja sat down, with him next to her. He turned to face her and took her hand. His face was closer than it should be.

Jozef was outraged. Nina deserved better than a philandering husband. And what was Maja doing? She, also, knew better. She knew her family would never allow her to be with someone from the circus, even though Konrad was a very gentle man in many ways. And, Jozef could not imagine her looking for an adventure that way.

He strained to hear them, but they were too far off, and spoke to quietly for him to make out what they said.

He stayed quietly behind the tree until the two rose and walked back down again, then, he too left for his horse, deep in thought.