Short Story: The Prague Connection

Short Story: The Prague Connection

THE OLD MAN. It was one of those nasty nights in January that are so common for Cleveland, Ohio. It was cold and the wind was howling, as a major north-eastern had blown in. The temperature was in the low 20s and then it started to snow lightly. It was right after dinner, and the old man knew that the Czech attorney remained in his office until nine or so on Friday evenings. He had to find this attorney before he left for the night. His life was near it’s end and he needed a Will to be drawn up. The future lives of his relatives living behind the Iron Curtain, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, were at risk, and his dearest wish was for his estate to go to his heirs.

He was familiar with the intersection of Broadway and 55th St. The old man had been in this area many times, taking street cars to and from work, and going shopping at various Czech stores in the neighbourhood . He had never needed an attorney. His friends at the steel mill where he worked, who had also migrated from the old country after World War II, spoke very highly of this Czech attorney. The Czech grapevine gave great praise to this attorney for his honesty and compassion for his fellow expatriates. They praised him for his ability to work for his client, no matter how difficult the case was. His friends also praised him for how hard he worked to probate wills of other deceased clients, no matter of where the heirs lived.

The old man knew he had to find this attorney tonight, since he had been told by his doctor that his time was running out. He had been married but his wife died right after World War II. They had no children but he had three brothers and two sisters still living somewhere outside Prague. He seldom heard from them since the Czech Socialist Republic was declared in 1960. He had never remarried. He worked hard at the steel mill and saved his money, hoping one day to return to his homeland to see his family. He knew now that this would never happen.

He lived in a small rented house by himself, saved everything from rubber bands to newspapers. He saved his money all these years and now knew that he had to make sure that his money was divided equally among his brothers and sisters. He pulled up his collar around his neck as the cold bit, and walked the street looking for his special attorney. He was definitely on a mission of life and death. Since he wouldn't be able to see his family before he died, he wanted to be sure that his money went to those he loved the best. The last letter he received from his sister, over two years ago, spoke of how terrible the living conditions were under Russian control. With this in his mind, he knew it was even more important to find this attorney that very night, as tomorrow may be too late. He needed to be sure that what he had worked for so hard for, all those years, would be passed on to his brothers and sisters.

He continued walking on the east side of Broadway. Looking across the street, the snow had started but he saw through the white flakes a sign reading: FRED P. SOUKUP, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW. At long last he had found the man he was looking for. He crossed over to the west side of Broadway and found the entrance to the office. He looked around for an elevator but did not see one. He did see a flight of steps going up to the law office of the attorney. He started to make the climb and it wasn't easy as his legs hurt and each step took a lot of strength. He finally made it to the top landing and saw the door to the office. It was slightly open so he walked in very slowly and sat down in the first chair he saw in the waiting room. He was exhausted. The door to the entrance of the attorney's office was partially opened and he heard voices. Apparently it was a Czech client as they were talking in their native language. The attorney sounded like a man he could trust and he felt he could relax. He had definitely found his man.

It was almost 11:00 P.M. before his meeting with Mr Soukup ended. The old man's Will was drawn up in English and a copy in Bohemian. The attorney read it to him and had him sign both copies. He gave the old man his copy in Bohemian. He had no heirs living in the united States. His only heirs was living outside of Prague. He named each of them and their last known addresses. Each family member had a different street address, but according to the old man they lived near each other. They were farmers, at least until the Russians had moved into Czechoslovakia. Now they existed on whatever they could do to feed their families. The last known location of his family members was from his sister over two years ago. The Russians controlled all incoming and outgoing mail so he wasn't even sure if they were still living at their farms or had moved to another location in Prague. Or even worse- that they were dead. But regardless, he divided his estate evenly among his family or their living heirs.

The attorney explained to him that he would do everything he could when the time came to pass on his estate to his heirs. The attorney knew this would be a difficult bequest but did not admit as much to the old man. The Will was signed and witnessed by an associate attorney, who was also working late in the next office. He was Polish but could speak some Bohemian. The old man thanked the Czech attorney for his understanding and felt a great sense of peace. He believed that this attorney would do everything in his power to distribute his money, which was his entire estate, to his heirs wherever they might be behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia. He could now rest in peace.

Several weeks later, the attorney received a phone call from the old man's neighbour, informing him hat he had died the previous night. The attorney thanked him for calling and told him that it was the wishes of the old man to be cremated without any service, and for the ashes to be placed in the care of the attorney. The attorney later filed the old man's Will in Probate Court. It listed cash as the only asset. The amount of money that the old man had saved was sufficient to bring relief to his relatives behind the Iron Curtain. But still, two major questions faced the attorney. How was he to locate the man’s heirs in Prague, and how could he legally transfer their inheritance to the them behind the Iron Curtain ? There were laws prohibiting the removal of cash from the United States during this Cold War period with Russia. He had warned the old man of this, but he had simply replied," I have faith in your ability to find a way."

The attorney knew the Probate Judge assigned to this case. He had had many cases in front of him in the past and he was a fair and open-minded man. In fact, the judge's parents were Czechoslovakian and everyone in the Czech community sympathised with the plight of those under Russian rule. The attorney met with the judge in his private chambers to discuss the details of the old man's will. The judge agreed that dividing the money among his family wasn't a problem, but delivering it to them in Prague was a major hurdle. The case was so complex, the judge decided to postpone the case for six months, giving the attorney additional time to work on some type of plan. They arranged to meet again in a month’s time. The attorney returned to his office to ponder the problem, his mind flying over every possiblity. He told himself that he could fly over to Prague and attempt to locate the heirs without a plan. He could then advise the Court that the heirs couldn't be found and turn the money over to the State of Ohio, as the law required, and close the file. Or he thought he could put the funds in a Trust Account under each heir's name and wait until Czechoslovakia became a free country once again.

The weeks passed, and one Sunday in January he was reading the travel section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and saw an advertisement: ’Visit Europe-Join one of our Caravan Tours this summer.’ He talked this over with his wife. A stop- over in Prague after the Tour might just work. His wife encouraged him to see the travel agent the next day, which he did on his way to work. The agent explained that Tour #410 started in London and ended in Paris fifteen later. The attorney asked him if they could visit Prague after the tour concluded. The agent could see no problem, as tourisim was still an option in Czechoslovakia, albeit with certain travel restrictions. They would just need a passport and a Visa. The agent sent the attorney a brochure on the European trip and told him they would fly to London, but return to the U.S. on the Queen Mary cruise ship. The attorney asked the agent to hold the reservation for 24 hours until he talked over it with wife. His wife agreed and the attorney called the agent the next day and confirm the reservations. Now the attorney still had to work out an acceptable plan to take the funds into Prague and locate the heirs, distribute their inheritance and leave without being caught by he KGB, or whoever was in charge. He must now come up with a strong and workable plan, that would mean not only success in Prague, but which would convince the Probate Judge and also make sure he stayed out of jail...

End of Part l