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9. A friend needs help

January 24th

It was a cold evening in January. The wind was quite strong and the temperature was close to minus twenty. A happy couple was walking quickly from the car park to the bar. They wanted to listen to some live music and have a drink before to go to the cinema. Janne Happonen gave his coat and the coat of his girlfriend to the cloakroom. At the bar he ordered a gin tonic and a beer. The rock band was already playing. He saw that his girlfriend was waiting for him a bit in the back of the room. A tall man stood where he wanted to walk and had to take another way. The bar was almost crowded. The song was finished and everybody applauded. He was careful to don’t spill the drinks on the floor or on his clothes. While he waited he recognized the man alone to his table with an empty glass of beer and three little ones of strong alcohol. He came closer and sat. “Hey Matti, what’s up?” He shook his shoulders and stayed mute. “Nice music, isn’t it?” “What do you want?” Matti asked. His skin was grayish and his eyes had some difficulties to stay opened. “You should stop drinking. You’re already drunk.” “You’re not my mother. Go away,” Matti said, trying to keep his head up. “No, I will drive you home. Where do you live?” Havu asked. “In Herttoniemi,” he articulated with difficulties.

Suddenly the girlfriend of Havu arrived. “What are you doing? I’m waiting for you since a while,” she complained. “I will drive Matti home and I come back. I promise.” “No, you don’t need to come back. The evening is over,” she said disappointed that her boyfriend preferred to be with a drunken friend than with her. “But please. Henna! I promise that we will have another cinema evening together.” She didn’t listen and left the bar almost crying. “Sorry. I ruined your evening.” “Shut up,” Havu said while he forced Matti to get up. “Let’s finish your drinks.” “No, you are already drunk,” Havu said pissed off.

Herttoniemi was not far from the centre. The problem was to find the building where Matti lived. He was unable to remember his address. Finally at half past one in the morning they were in the right flat, frozen. Matti lay on the sofa while Havu went to the kitchen to make some tea. His fingers were so cold that at that moment they were burning. The kitchen was as messy as the rest of the flat. There were many dishes in the sink waiting to be washed probably for days. Some of them looked pretty sticky. From sugar and fat. He opened the cupboard to find clean cups, tea bags and spoons. Matti had no logic. Everything was mixed. He finally found the tea bag… in the fridge.

“You will feel better. Drink a bit of tea,” Havu said while he sat on the sofa. “I can’t…” Matti murmured, almost sleeping. “Okay. Then it’s time for you to go to bed.” Matti tried to protest but stayed on the sofa. Havu opened another door and discovered two cats on the bed. They were both looking at him like accusing to have woken them up. “Sorry guys. Matti is going to sleep now,” Havu said while he prepared the bed. He went back to the sofa and carried Matti who was almost sleeping. He was tall and quite heavy for Havu. But as policeman he had some good training and was able to carry someone much heavier than him. He put down Matti on his bed, took off his shoes and his shirt. His eyes were closed. He was probably already sleeping. Havu was looking at his arms. He was sad to notice that he didn’t change. He was still using drugs. How could he destroy his body that way? He unfastened his belt and took of his trouser. He covered his body and opened a little bit the window. “Good night,” Havu said while he closed the door.

The two cats were looking at him, unhappy. “Sorry guys,” Havu said while he sat on the sofa. Should he stay or should he go home? He really wanted to help Matti but in a way he wanted to go home to sleep in his bed. He looked around and noticed that his friend was living in a new and very nice apartment. The only problem was that it was a huge mess. He turned off the light and slept on the sofa.

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The next morning Havu washed all the dishes before to prepare some breakfast. He opened the fridge and took some eggs. He fried them in a pan and served them on a piece of bread with butter and ham. He poured also some coffee to the clean mugs. When everything was ready he went to Matti’s room. It was very cold. He entered and closed the window. He thought that it was maybe not a good idea to have let it open. “Good morning,” he said. Matti hid under the cover like a kid who didn’t want to go to school. “I prepared some breakfast. You must be hungry,” Janne added. “What are you doing in my room?” Matti asked from under the cover. “I slept here. You were drunk and I wanted to be sure that you were fine.” “I am. You can go.” Havu sat on the bed and unhid his friend. “No, I will stay here until I’ll be sure that you are fine. Now get up and come to the kitchen. Breakfast is ready,” he explained. Matti complained but wore his trouser and shirt and got up. He had a terrible headache and the walls were moving. Who was the bad architect who drew that building?

“What’s that?” Matti asked while he sat. His face was showing that he was not very happy to eat ham and eggs for breakfast. Finally he tried and stopped complaining. That was not that bad. A bit too fat but the taste was acceptable. “What happened last night?” asked Janne Happonen. “I don’t remember,” answered Matti who was still half sleeping and had probably a hangover. “Before you went to the bar,” Havu continued. Matti drank a bit of coffee and looked sadly outside. The sky was light grey and the snow was covering everything. Three children were making a snowman. “You won’t believe it if I told you that my girlfriend left me.” Havu breathed deeply. Something was wrong with Matti. His love stories were just failure. “I’m sorry for you. It was not the right girl for you. You will find the right one. I’m sure about it. Don’t give up. But tell me something. Did she broke up after have been here for the first time?” Janne asked. “I don’t know… well… I think that you might be right. What’s wrong?” “Matti, look at your flat. If I was a girl I would run away. When is the last time you cleaned it?” “I don’t know… last month, maybe.” “Are you sure?” Janne insisted. “Maybe longer. I can’t remember,” he admitted. “Okay, after breakfast, let’s clean a bit your flat.” Matti didn’t seem to be very enthusiast about the idea. He had a hangover and wanted to go back to his bed. But he knew that Janne would not give up.

After three long hours of hard work, Happonen warmed a frozen pizza in the oven. “I feel so tired,” Matti complained. “You worked hard. I’m proud of you. After a good meal you will have plenty of energy to continue. Now your living room looks more like a living room than before. Some hours ago it looked like… a wild camping place. It looks promising for the rest of the flat. The next step is your bedroom. Classify the clothes that have to be washed, the one you want to keep and the one you want to get rid of. During that time I will clean the kitchen,” said Havu who was pleased to help a friend.

At the end of the afternoon the flat looked like the flats that are in magazines. “Is it really my flat?” asked Matti a bit perplexed. “Yes it is,” Havu said. The two cats were lying on the carpet in the sun. Matti went to the mini bar and opened a bottle of white wine. “Let’s celebrate our work,” he said quite happy. The two friends sat on the sofa and were joking about their sad stories with girls. What was wrong with them? Janne was satisfied to see again a smile on the face of Matti. He knew that it was always a difficult moment to live after have broken up.

“No more drinking for me. I have to go. I’m working tomorrow and I’ve to get up early,” Havu said while he got up. “Already? We can have dinner somewhere and then you can go,” Matti insisted but Havu refused. He wished all the best to his friend and reminded that he could call him whenever he wanted.

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10. Shit happens

Havu was quite sure that his roommate didn’t think about the dinner. It’s why he decided to go shopping before to go home. He stopped behind the door of the flat and was looking for the key in his pocket. Suddenly he stopped moving. What was that sound coming from the other side of the door? He came closer and listened carefully. No, it wasn’t possible. His roommate was with a girl. Probably not on the sofa. Havu was angry. It meant that they were in his bed! How did his roommate dare to do it?

He found the key, unlocked the door and opened it. He went inside and looked at his bed. Someone was hiding under the cover, very surprised. “No, Havu… it’s not what you imagine…” his roommate explained. “I saw enough. Get out of here immediately and never come back!” Ahonen was really ashamed and didn’t know what to say. Next to him a blond head went to the light. When Happonen saw the face of the girl he was even angrier. He came to the bed, caught his roommate and pushed him to the wall. “You’re a monster! Why are you in my bed with my girlfriend! I hate you!” Havu almost screamed. He was so angry and disappointed. His face was red and he wanted to destroy the face of his friend. “No, it’s my girlfriend. Not yours,” Ahonen said as calmly as possible. Havu stopped. Was he wrong? He turned his head in the direction of the bed. “Henna?” “It’s not what you imagine… it was nice to meet you both. I’ve to go,” she tried to say, half shaking. “No, you have to tell me what you were doing with Janne. Why have you done it? I was so much in love with you. Were you playing with me? My feelings were sincere. I loved you. I wanted to propose you to move her or to find a bigger flat. Really I don’t understand, Henna. And why with Janne?” Havu was under shock. “You won’t understand. And I didn’t love you. But thanks for the gifts and restaurants. And you,” she said looking to Ahonen. “Thanks for having sex with me but you are too poor for me. Goodbye.” And she escaped so quickly that the two boys didn’t have time to react and to ask about her motivations.

The guys sat on the bed, coming back to reality. “I… I’m under shock,” Havu said looking at the wall. “We are two blind idiots,” Ahonen added. “I’ve to get drunk.” “You are working tomorrow,” Rane reminded to Havu. “Go to take a shower. I change the bed sheets,” Happonen said totally disappointed, sad and angry to him.

Once Ahonen was in the bathroom Havu erased a tear on his cheek. He really loved Henna. He thought that he finally found the right girl for him. But once again it was a failure. Was he blind? How didn’t he notice that she was not sincere with him? He felt that his heart was painful. He also thought of Matti who lived that moment so often. Why was life so cruel? He took his phone and looked for the last time to a picture of them. They looked so happy. But this smile was fake. And he deleted it like all the other pictures. “Next time we should have a dinner with our girlfriends. So that, no more problems,” Ahonen said when he entered in the living room. Havu didn’t answer. He was not in the mood. “I swear that she didn’t tell me that she was dating you. And she told me that her name was Svetlana. I met her in a café. She is waitress. I’m sorry Havu.” “Shut up and leave me alone,” Havu answered.

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11. I’m leaving

February 11th

Janne Ahonen came back from town with a dessert. He was smiling. He couldn’t remember when he was for the last time that happy. He opened the door of the flat in Pasila and saw that his roommate was sat on the sofa, watching the news. “How was it?” Havu asked. “I got the job!” Rane exclaimed. Havu got up and hugged his friend. “Congratulations! I knew it! I’m very happy for you,” he congratulated, giving a slap on his shoulder. “I will move on Monday. I will have my own flat. It’s very small. Just one room and the bathroom is in the corridor. I start working on Tuesday. You can come and visit when you want,” Janne Ahonen explained. Havu was happy that he finally found a job even if he was a bit sad to hear that he was leaving. He appreciated a lot his company. But it was time for his roommate to start a new life. He found a job as cook assistant in the military casern of the island of Santa Hamina.

They spent the weekend together. On Saturday they went to Suomenlinna for a walk. But it was so cold and windy that they ended up in the Vanille café. In the evening they did a bowling. Havu couldn’t remember when he played for the last time. He was very bad at the beginning but then he finally won the game for two points. The next day they relaxed together, watching ski jumping at TV. At 6pm Janne Happonen had to go to work. He was not very pleased but he had no choice.

The first intervention happened just before nine. A group of teenagers stole some drinks and candies in the shop in the station of Pasila. Janne was surprised to see that they were out at that time. What were their parents doing? That night was long. He was sat in the car with his colleague at the station of Pasila. Outside it was minus eighteen degrees and the troublemakers were at home. Janne opened his thermos bottle and drank a warm coffee. His colleague was the typical Finn. Tall, blond and speechless. The first train brought the happy people from the discos in the city centre to Pasila. They were pretty loud. Some of them were shouting. Janne and his colleague left the car. A young girl was shouting on the boys. She seemed to be really drunk. But the others ignored and walked to the exit. Nothing happened with that group.

In the early morning a man was walking on the railway tracks. A train was coming and rang the alarm bell. But the man looked drunk. Janne and his colleague were running. Quickly the ex-jumper was the only one to run. He jumped on the tracks and caught the guy. “Come back to the platform immediately!” Janne ordered. But the man was like a heavy puppet. The train was getting closer. He pushed the guy and tried to put him in safety. He swore. Why was this man so heavy? He was sweating. His heart was betting fast. Would he die that cold night under a train because of a drunken man? The train was so close. It was breaking but this vehicle needed a long distance to stop. Suddenly Janne saw the hand of his colleague. He caught it and was pulled on the platform. At the same moment the train passed. “Oh my God Jukka. Thanks. You saved my life,” Havu said out of breathe.

The next morning Janne Happonen drove his ex-flat mate to Santa Hamina. This island was situated on the East of Helsinki at the border of the capital and the archipelago of Sipoo. He drove through the bridge and stopped at the check point. This island was military and no civil people were allowed to enter. But for them, the barrier opened. Havu stopped his Opel Corsa in front of a little house under the trees. “Nice place. It’s quiet her,” he noticed. “Yes, no more traffic noise. Just young under motivated.” “Don’t be negative. Enjoy your new environment. It will be great,” Havu added while they entered in the house which had only one floor but was quite long. Janne had the room number 32. He was at the end of the corridor. When the door was opened they discovered a very small kitchen, a table, two chairs, a bed, a wardrobe and a TV. Over the bed there was a window. Janne Ahonen put his bag on the bed and hugged Happonen. “Thank you for everything. You are an angel and you probably saved me.” “I didn’t do much. I just helped a friend who needed some help. Now I’m happy to see that your life turns to be better. Good luck man and see you someday,” Havu said while he was going to his car.

It was the end of their common life. It was like to break up somehow. Havu drove through the island and crossed the bridge in the direction of the city. Suddenly he realized that a tear was running on his cheek. He erased it quickly, pressed his lips together and went to Kaisaniemi for a walk in the snow. He was just hanging around, alone. An old lady was feeding the birds which were happy to get some food. A sporty girl was walking very fast listening to music. A couple was holding hands and was laughing. By watching them he felt even lonelier. Why was he so sad? His roommate just left. Nothing more. But he thought that he was afraid to be alone again. This loneliness was more and more difficult to live with. He knew that he was getting old and he was still single. He took his phone and called a friend. “Hello Matti. Do you want to get drunk with me? I’m at the Butterfly bar.”

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12. Changes are needed

Matti Hautamäki and Janne Happonen spent Valentine ’s Day together. They went to a very romantic restaurant and talked about their previous Valentine ’s Day. They had a lot of fun and the couples at the other tables were looking at them strangely. Since his roommate started his new life, Janne was living in the flat of Matti. After the second bottle of champagne and after they have paid the expensive bill they went to the Fever club near Kamppi.

There Havu ordered a beer. “What are you doing? Don’t drink that you will be sick. Let me order something better,” Matti said already a bit drunk. Havu didn’t listen and drank slowly his beer while he looked at the people on the dance floor. The girls were very sexy. The clothes were tight, very near from the body. The skirts were also very short. Some had high heels and some other boots. The music was very loud and the lights were changing colors following the music. But it was a bit too fast for Havu. It looked more like a moving snake followed by a rainbow. Matti was back with a blueberry shot and two vodka Red Bull glasses. “Cheers! To our Valentine’s Day!” he wished.

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The next morning Janne Happonen had a terrible headache. He opened the eyes and didn’t know where he was. After some minutes his view was sharper. He was in the bedroom of Matti. What was he doing there in his bed? He turned his head on the right and saw… a girl! He almost jumped. Next to her there was Matti and on his right, another girl. They were all naked. He was naked too. What happened? Was he dreaming? And who was playing that horrible music in his head? He went to the bathroom to take a cold shower and hoped that it was a nightmare.

He took his towel and looked at him in the mirror. He was surprised. Did he really look like that? His face was pale, he looked tired and his hair was messy. While he shaved he heard the voices of girls but didn’t understand a word. There was still that horrible music in his head. How could he stop it? When he was ready he unlocked the door. The flat was quiet. On the table of the living room there was an empty bottle of champagne and four glasses. He also discovered a little bit of a white powder on the table. He guessed that it was not some flour. There was also a bank note of 50€ which seemed to have been rolled. He saw that his shirt and his trouser were on the floor. He took them and threw them in the laundry basket. He went to his room and wore some clothes.

On the way back to the kitchen he opened the window of the living room. A paper moved because of the wind. What was it doing there? Matti was messy again. He took it and saw that it was a letter from January sent by the bank saying that he was fired because of his behavior and bad results. Havu looked behind him and put the letter where it was. He closed the window.

Matti was in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and drinking an orange juice near the window which was open. “Happy hangover man!” he wished while he raised his glass. “What the hell happened last night? Who were these girls? Why was I in your bed?” Matti laughed. “Do you really want to know? We had fun! This is how life should be. Just fun! No responsibility, no problem, no constraint. We are living our lives at 100km/h.” Janne was perplexed. He had no clue about what he did the previous night. And in a way it was scary. “Did I drink much?” he asked curious but also worried. “Yes, more than me I guess. But you had fun. It was great to see you dancing on the dance floor.” Janne swallowed. Him? On the dance floor? He hoped that nobody took a video or recognized him. “Did you use… you know...” Havu asked in a low voice a bit embarrassed. “You mean drugs? Yes, with the girls. Not you. You were too drunk. You were on the sofa looking at us.” It was a nightmare. “And why did I wake up in your bed and not on the sofa?” Janne asked and Matti laughed again. “Because you had a great night!” It couldn’t be true. Matti was lying. It was a joke. “Don’t look that shocked. It was a great Valentine’s Day. Probably the best ever,” Matti added. “Fuck you,” Havu answered while he finished his glass of orange juice that had a bad taste. Maybe the consumption date was over. Nothing was surprising with Matti.

“We can’t continue to live that way. We are not teenagers anymore. Matti wake up! Come back to the real world! You are almost forty! It’s time to grow up. What’s wrong with you?” Matti lighted another cigarette and ignore the comments of his friend. “Nice weather. We should go out. It’s good to breathe some fresh air when you have a hangover.” “Don’t change the subject of the discussion. I think that you need help. I think that the drug that you use is destroying your body and your brain. Please Matti. Let me help you,” Janne begged. Matti knew that Janne was right. But to accept his help meant that he was wrong. And that was really difficult for him to admit. Why was he behaving that way? He didn’t really know. He was also ignoring when and why everything started. When he used drugs for the first time. “Please Matti. Take the right decision,” Havu insisted. His friend stayed silent for a while, just looking through the window. “Okay, I’m in,” he answered with a shy smile. For Matti, this decision was a new start. The beginning of another chapter of his life.

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13. New start

February 20th

Harri Olli was at the international airport of Helsinki-Vantaa. The check-in was done and it was time to say goodbye to his wife. “Don’t cry sweetheart. I will think of you every day and you will be in my heart forever,” he comforted while he hugged her. “I know. But it’s so hard to think that you will not be by my side for six months. I will miss you so much,” Nina said between two tears. “Take care of Cleo too.” She promised to look after his iguana. Then they kissed for the last time and he went through the security check. He turned back and sent a kiss to his wife before to disappear. A new adventure was starting for him.

Janne Ahonen was bored. It was Sunday and he had nothing to do. Outside it was cold and snowing. Much of the soldiers went back to their family for the weekend and would be back in the evening. Then he was thinking of Tami. He thought to the night he spent locked in the bedroom. He was curious about the secret that was hidden in that house but he was more worried for his friend who looked dominated by his wife. He thought that it was his turn to help a friend. He took his mobile phone and asked if his friend wanted to have a coffee with him somewhere in the city.

In Hettoniemi Matti Hautamäki was looking that he forgot nothing. When he was sure he closed his bag and went to the car of Janne Happonen. Havu drove him to a clinic where he would get the help he needed. He knew that it was a difficult moment for his friend and it was why he was going with him. “Don’t forget to come over,” said Matti while they were in the main lobby. “I’ll come as often as possible. And when you’ll be fine again we will celebrate. I wish you all the best,” Havu said before to go back to his car. Once he was gone, Matti wrote an SMS to his brother: “You should join me. Your little brother who cares of you.”

The end

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