Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

He had to admit to that.Henri Halvejian had his shop on the second floor of a building that was entirely occupied by goldsmiths and jewelers. Anarmed guard with a dashing mustache who looked like a bandit with a high fur hat, two bands of munitions crosswiseover his chest, and an old-fashioned gun by his side, stood at the narrow entrance. As they approached, he presentedhis gun, stood at attention, and let them pass with a "Good morning, Princess Dadiani!"Konrad laughed. "Ha, the Georgian army at work. That comes from taking out a truly aristocratic lady. I am amazed,everybody seems to know you by name! ""They do," she said with annoyance, dismissing his comment with a sweep of her elegant hand.Henri, truly delighted, got up from his workbench and greeted Alexandra and her guest with a smile. A broad-shoulderedman without a beard, about five years older than Konrad. Very personably and unpretentiously, he bade them to sitdown. He took off his glasses and closed his shop."I don’t want anybody to disturb us. How are your architecture classes coming, Alexandra?""Henri, they are terribly boring. Schröder is trying to make us memorize design templates for all kinds of architecturaldetails. In another month he will have killed all my visual imagination. Will I ever be able to conjure up another beautifuldesign on my own, independent of these curlicues?"Henry nodded. "I know what you mean, most goldsmiths here work from such templates, which they inherited from theirmaster. Look at the conventional filigree work around, it is all done in exactly this way."Alexandra picked up a brooch from his table and examined it. "How do you come up with these designs? I have neverseen two that were alike."Henri combed his dark hair back with his fingers and then looked at his hands. "I don’t know how to explain it to you.They appear to me in my dreams. But this is hardly a satisfactory answer; you will ask how I come by those dreams! It isa long story, difficult to describe."He looked first at Alexandra then questioningly at Konrad. He seemed to see a long past vision. "As a young man inKilikia, where I grew up, I became the apprentice of a goldsmith who was an old Sufi." He paused. A smile passed overhis face. "You see, my father and grandfather belonged to a professional Sufi brotherhood called the Halveji. That is howmy name came about, my grandfather was simply known as Gregor the Halveji. The members of this brotherhood wereall artisans; some printed books, others made jewelry, some were monks who painted miniatures."He seemed to have found a way to answer her question and his eyes became more lively. "Konstantin, my teacher, wasa very unusual goldsmith. Just as I try to, he only worked on commission for patrons he knew well, and all his designsreflected the personality of his patron. So, as nobody is exactly like anybody else, none of his designs were alike, butthey were always perfect complements to their owners. He never made much money in this way, but he worked for someof the most discriminating people of his time." He smiled at Alexandra. "People like you, beautiful, sensitive, and ofexquisite taste.... It was a hard apprenticeship, because, like you, I could not comprehend how he came up with ever newforms. Often Konstantin would forbid me to work on a piece. He ordered me to sit for days silently with crossed legs in adark corner of the shop, and contemplate the lady I was working for, until I had completely identified myself with her. Ahard task for a young man, because the lady was, of course, unobtainable.""Forgive me, Sir," he looked at Konrad, "I know Alexandra better than she does herself. I have thought about her so longand so intensely that I love her as deeply as her father does. And so, one day I woke up from my dreams and simply sawthe piece that fit her in all detail. After that it was only a matter of craftsmanship to make it."With great concentration Henri began to draw a shape on a piece of paper. "Look Alexandra, you have changed since Ilast saw you. How do you like these shapes for another necklace for you?"It was a twice convoluted, interlocked arabesque looking distantly like an abstract water fowl. He repeated the shapeseveral times to form a circle of equal-sized links."It is fuller, more complex than the necklace I made for you years ago when you had just turned sixteen. I would say, thisshape is in love. With itself? With some one else?" He looked at her questioningly. "I don’t know which and have no rightto ask."Alexandra flushed deeply. "Yes, as always, you look right through me."And then, as if from very far away, Konrad heard her say, "I am deeply in love with this man, Konrad, my serious, redbeardedGerman."Konrad’s face went pale and then flushed crimson. He was assailed by embarrassment which just as quickly changedinto an immense joy. For a few moments he fought this invasion of his soul. He would have liked to disappear. Alexandrarose and in supreme disregard of the penetrating eyes of the enigmatic Armenian stranger, put her arms around Konrad,and gave him a true kiss.Henri discreetly walked out of the room.And Alexandra and Konrad, in that small goldsmith’s shop in the bazaar of Tiflis, held on to each other for dear life.For days they were unable to talk about what had happened at Henri’s shop. Bewildered by the sudden change of theirrelationship, they felt awkward in the presence of each other.20