Thursday 15th July

 

15/27/04    Day 12

A surprisingly good night's sleep and then the customary trip to the supermarket (3)this time for muesli (to satisfy Heather's whim). By this time, Heather is becoming very accustomed to stray music channels.

In the course of the day, I finished my book, went for a trek through a jungle, watched some children's skeletons being dug up and finally finished that accursed Bulgarian cheese and salami. Heather, on the other hand, progressed her thesis on her condition from wheat allergy to gall stone.

At about 8:30, just when I was looking forward to settling down with the appendices to my book, I was sent off again, for the fourth time, to acquire chicken and potato - and then knocked up a surprisingly satisfying fare of... err... chicken and potato.

Then things really began to get interesting.

So we were sitting in the kitchen, minding our own business when Bulgarian newcomer came out of one of the "guest rooms", preceded by a very naked, very young, very prostitute-like girl. She looked at us, we looked at her, there was an awkward moment and then she quickly wrapped her towel around her and we pretended we were reading the newspaper (Bulgarian, upside-down... for all we know) all along. Clearly man comes in to apologise, looking a bit sheepish. Then they leave. We think this all rather amusing and think nothing more of it. Until...

A few hours later, Brian decides to take a shower at a very inopportune moment aswhile he's happily singing away. The door buzzer goes. I look through the peephole to be confronted very closely, by a dark-skinned, big guy with horrible eyes and one - with his hand bandaged (who was also leaning on the door with both hands like they do in mafia movies).

So I decide not to unlock the door (wisely, well hindsight) and go to get Brian, who sees what they want. They want money guy. We tried to tell him that he lives downstairs but they seemed intent on coming in. They didn't seem happy. The older was clearly annoyed and didn't seem to know why he wanted to see owner. On his way out (with Brian) to check for him downstairs he touches my face and chest. I felt very sick. They go downstairs and then quickly come back up and we try to find the phone number for him just to make them go away. They clearly thought we were hiding him in the flat and they weren't going to leave until they'd found him or feeling that punished us for "lying" (We couldn't find the number which was when it got really scary as they tried to force their way back in. We walked to fight with Brian and chuck all of our stuff out on the street (with us). At that point I thought that we were going to get really hurt. I've never felt so sick. Brian agreed to go find the neighbours out it was clearly a ploy to get into the flat when he came out, so he was pushing the door, and I pushed the other way and locked it. They weren't going to walk in front of Brian so he refused to go and came back inside. I don't know how we convinced them to go but they left shouting and kicking. We packed up our bags as much as we could so that, if we had to leave in the middle of the night we would. I've never been so scared for my safety before.It was all most exciting, as Heather's account would suggest. As yet, I am unable to decide whether it was him I didn't want to walk them trying to force me to walk down the stairs between them, or when he got fed up threatening me and had to force the door open against my foot - was the moment when I realised I'm about as brave as a mouldy potato. It was muchos relief when two large Danes turned up later. And muchos amusement thereafter to see Christo's rather, ummm, nervous response when we informed him of the night's proceedings!