January 2005
Although I had been in Helsinki less than a month previously, on the 26th January I was in the Vanhan Kellari as soon as it opened at 4 in the afternoon. I danced a few times with Eine-Liisa and Hilkka and returned to my seat to refresh myself with Lapin Kulta (Lappish Gold) beer, when I became aware of someone looking at me.
In the dance places of Buenos Aires, they have a peculiar custom which they call the cabaceo. Someone who wishes to dance will fix their gaze on a potential partner. The other person will accept the invitation by returning the gaze, or refuse it by looking away. The custom is unknown in Europe (so I thought) but nevertheless this attractive dark-haired woman was looking at me. I looked at her. We both got up and walked towards each other. The cabaceo comes to Helsinki.
My partner's name was Helinä. She said she came from Porvoo and had come to Helsinki on a shopping expedition. I asked what she had bought and got a long list, of which I remember precisely nothing. She was married but her husband didn't like dancing. I asked if she had been to Buenos Aires and she hadn't.
Helinä and I were getting on very well. I was feeling quite pleased with myself that I was able to conduct a fairly prolonged conversation in Finnish. We danced together a number of times. She invited me to lunch, but I pretended not to understand.
"I think you understand perfectly well" she said. "In fact, I think I've fallen in love with you."
I felt an icy hand grip my heart. I almost screamed in terror. Helinä looked at my face and laughed.
"So you do understand!" she said gaily. "Let's meet on Friday."
"I've got a date on Friday at five" I said, "and I daren't be late." This was a lie.
"That's all right" she said. "I've got to work in the afternoon. Do you know the Omenapuu?"
Omenapuu means apple tree. There is a pub called the Apple Tree in Bristol, where cider is served, but presumably that wasn't what Helinä meant.
"They serve lunches here, at the Vanhan Kellari" said Helinä. I felt compelled to agree. The situation seemed to have taken on a life of its own.
When Ailamari came on I was waiting in front of the stage. Helinä remained with me. Ailamari recognised me and greeted me in a very friendly manner. She gave a brilliant performance, including waltzes, foxtrots, humppas and tangos. Helinä clung to my arm in a proprietorial manner as if we had been married twenty years.
I was able to speak to Ailamari after her first spot and say how brilliant I thought she was. She said she was giving the entertainment on the Turku/Stockholm boat in March. I said I would love to see her then, but I don't really know if I'll be able to. Helinä announced she was getting the bus back to Porvoo. She gave me a goodbye kiss on the lips. When we came up for air, I said that as we were both in relationships, we really shouldn’t kiss like that. She said it was all right if we kept our mouths closed. I wasn't so sure, particularly as we hadn't.
I stayed on for Ailamari’s second spot and eventually crawled exhausted out of the Kellari at 1 o’clock. The doorman was taking down Ailamari's posters and he let me have one of them.
Next day I called on Kaisa. Her daughter has now been christened and it is safe to make her name public. She is Raili Caitlin Coogan. Raili is a Finnish name; Caitlin is Irish. Ian, now 3, is in his element playing in the snow. He climbed an eight-foot pile of snow (and, as Kaisa sourly observed, dogshit and cigarette ends) left by highway maintenance men when they cleared the street. He chattered away, never making a mistake with the partitives, adessives, allatives, and other cases which give me so much trouble. Garth asked me to bring some Grape-Nuts next time I came. These are an American breakfast cereal, sold in England but not Finland. I hadn't eaten them since the 1950's. I remembered them as being rather like sand.
Friday lunchtime it was snowing hard and I was waiting for Helinä outside the Vanhan Kellari. It crossed my mind to sneak away, but that would have been dishonourable and unBritish. Helinä turned up at exactly the time she said and greeted me with a kiss (on the cheek this time).
I needn't have worried. We talked chastely about tango, our relationships, and Ailamari Vehviläinen.
In the dance places of Buenos Aires, they have a peculiar custom which they call the cabaceo. Someone who wishes to dance will fix their gaze on a potential partner. The other person will accept the invitation by returning the gaze, or refuse it by looking away. The custom is unknown in Europe (so I thought) but nevertheless this attractive dark-haired woman was looking at me. I looked at her. We both got up and walked towards each other. The cabaceo comes to Helsinki.
My partner's name was Helinä. She said she came from Porvoo and had come to Helsinki on a shopping expedition. I asked what she had bought and got a long list, of which I remember precisely nothing. She was married but her husband didn't like dancing. I asked if she had been to Buenos Aires and she hadn't.
Helinä and I were getting on very well. I was feeling quite pleased with myself that I was able to conduct a fairly prolonged conversation in Finnish. We danced together a number of times. She invited me to lunch, but I pretended not to understand.
"I think you understand perfectly well" she said. "In fact, I think I've fallen in love with you."
I felt an icy hand grip my heart. I almost screamed in terror. Helinä looked at my face and laughed.
"So you do understand!" she said gaily. "Let's meet on Friday."
"I've got a date on Friday at five" I said, "and I daren't be late." This was a lie.
"That's all right" she said. "I've got to work in the afternoon. Do you know the Omenapuu?"
Omenapuu means apple tree. There is a pub called the Apple Tree in Bristol, where cider is served, but presumably that wasn't what Helinä meant.
"They serve lunches here, at the Vanhan Kellari" said Helinä. I felt compelled to agree. The situation seemed to have taken on a life of its own.
When Ailamari came on I was waiting in front of the stage. Helinä remained with me. Ailamari recognised me and greeted me in a very friendly manner. She gave a brilliant performance, including waltzes, foxtrots, humppas and tangos. Helinä clung to my arm in a proprietorial manner as if we had been married twenty years.
I was able to speak to Ailamari after her first spot and say how brilliant I thought she was. She said she was giving the entertainment on the Turku/Stockholm boat in March. I said I would love to see her then, but I don't really know if I'll be able to. Helinä announced she was getting the bus back to Porvoo. She gave me a goodbye kiss on the lips. When we came up for air, I said that as we were both in relationships, we really shouldn’t kiss like that. She said it was all right if we kept our mouths closed. I wasn't so sure, particularly as we hadn't.
I stayed on for Ailamari’s second spot and eventually crawled exhausted out of the Kellari at 1 o’clock. The doorman was taking down Ailamari's posters and he let me have one of them.
Next day I called on Kaisa. Her daughter has now been christened and it is safe to make her name public. She is Raili Caitlin Coogan. Raili is a Finnish name; Caitlin is Irish. Ian, now 3, is in his element playing in the snow. He climbed an eight-foot pile of snow (and, as Kaisa sourly observed, dogshit and cigarette ends) left by highway maintenance men when they cleared the street. He chattered away, never making a mistake with the partitives, adessives, allatives, and other cases which give me so much trouble. Garth asked me to bring some Grape-Nuts next time I came. These are an American breakfast cereal, sold in England but not Finland. I hadn't eaten them since the 1950's. I remembered them as being rather like sand.
Friday lunchtime it was snowing hard and I was waiting for Helinä outside the Vanhan Kellari. It crossed my mind to sneak away, but that would have been dishonourable and unBritish. Helinä turned up at exactly the time she said and greeted me with a kiss (on the cheek this time).
I needn't have worried. We talked chastely about tango, our relationships, and Ailamari Vehviläinen.
posted by John at 21:06
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