132

Georgio parked his car in an underground parking lot in the basement of the luxury apartment building. The parking lot was big enough to hold at least twenty cars, and the entrance was wide and generous, with a steel gate being installed by a couple of guys in overalls.

Georgio rolled down his window to greet the men working on the gate, and to explain to them who the visitors were. Then he put his hand in the air to signal that Igor too was welcome to park his car in the basement.

Georgio and Igor parked their cars in the far end of the parking lot, away from the gate, and next to a door leading into the rest of the building. A few metres to the right of the door, there was a spacious elevator as an alternative means to get to the apartments, but Georgio informed the visitors that the elevator still wasn't operational, so they would have to take the stairs.

"And let us first take a look at Einar's place," Georgio suggested, as he ushered his visitors in through the door. "He has set up a little place for himself and some friends, which they are allowed to use while they're working here."
"Is that how you're paid?" Ante asked in Norwegian, turning to Einar.
"Partially," Einar replied. "I get some money too, though."
"Like how much?" Bjorn asked.
"Fifty MG a day... It's not a lot, but Georgio is a nice guy. He lets me sleep here, and he pays for lunch and stuff."

Bjorn nodded thoughtfully, but did not pursue the topic of pay any further. Instead, he listened in on what Georgio had to say about the various rooms.

The basement was divided into two section, the parking lot and a pool area with a hot tub and a large swimming pool, none of them containing any water. A spacious sauna, which still required some work, served as Einar's bed room. Georgio showed it off with some pride, as if this make shift bedroom was some sort of grand generosity from his part.

"This is where Einar, and his friends spend their nights," Georgio announced. "It's ideal in many ways. Short distance to the showers and toilets, snug and easy to keep warm. And a very short distance to work."
"But there are apartments upstairs. Why not let the kids live there?" Bjorn asked.
"Ah! Well... I think that will become clear when you get to see them. It is not a place we let people in just to roam around. There's the fumes for one thing... Varnish and stuff... And it would be like living in a museum. We can't take the risk of anything going wrong."

The building, set in a slightly sloping terrain, had large windows to the north and the east of the pool, overlooking the fjord, with both the port and the airport visible in the distance. The grounds outside were barren and grey, but some landscaping had nevertheless been taking place, and Bjorn commented on this as he took in the view.

"Yeah, there will be a tennis court and a small marina for their boats," Georgio explained.
"A tennis court?" Olga asked. "Here in the arctic?"
"It sounds weird, doesn't it?" Georgio agreed. "But it will be covered by a glass dome.... You see those concrete slabs, over there and there? That's the foundation for the dome. It's a pre-fabricated thing. I believe it will be delivered this coming week."

They looked around a little more, circling around Georgio who explained and pointed out little details, such as the finesse with which the pool had been decorated, the place where Einar and his friends had set up a make shift kitchen for themselves, and the fine quality of the wood used for the benches in the sauna.

Then he lead his guests upstairs to the apartments. The stairway was wide and fully lit by natural light. Everything, even in the stairwell, was done exquisitely, and with strong, beautiful materials.

"Please do not step outside the floor coverings we've rolled out to protect the floors," Georgio said as they walked up the stairs. "It is not a catastrophe if you step outside. But I'd rather see you don't."