Part 42 (2/2)

Oh, Malene. Im so sorry.

Thats what he says. He has said, Oh, Malene. Im so sorry.

Its a mistake. A misunderstanding. You do want to stay with me!

Yes. I do.

They kiss. She reaches out. With one hand, she grabs hold of one of the short black legs of the coffee table, and with the other, the thick legs of the sofa.

She is still, her eyes closed.

Now that she is quiet, Malene can hear her neighbor in the apartment below making a racket. Hes banging on the pipes and howling, Shut up!

Its simply too much. He knows that Rasmus has died. Without moving, she screams, Shut up yourself!

She watches the pattern of light on the white ceiling. Her hands and feet are starting to hurt. She should take one of her strong painkillers.

She gets up slowly, holding on to the coffee table.

Standing doesnt feel too bad; shes not completely drunk. Her body feels odd, though, like a piece of meat thats been cooked for hours and hours until the flesh falls off the bones.

She moves slowly toward the bathroom; every step causes a burning sensation in one of her feet.

She swallows a pill.

Back in the living room she checks the time. Its only a quarter to eleven. Maybe sh.e.l.l even escape a hangover.

Her phone rings and displays Gunnars number.

She decides to answer.

Hi, Malene. Its Gunnar. Is this too late to call?

No. Not at all.

Are you sure Im not disturbing you? You sound slightly out of it.

No, Im fine. I fell asleep on the sofa and just woke up. Im pleased its you.

Im back from Afghanistan. I saw youd phoned me.

Well, I guess so.

I thought maybe we could get together?

Id like that very much.

Should we figure out a date now?

Malene thinks for a second. Do you want to come over? Tonight?

A pause.

Do you really think thats a good idea?

Itd be so nice to see you. You can tell me about Afghanistan. While everything is still fresh in your mind.

Okay. That sounds good. It should take me about twenty minutes.

Malene picks up the cus.h.i.+ons and the wet paper towels, wipes spilled juice off the coffee table, and puts back the candlestick and the books that have fallen to the ground. She opens the windows wide to air the room and changes into a rather revealing dress. She knows she should behave properly, but just thinking about Gunnar makes her excited. Maybe its the combination of the alcohol and the painkillers.

When she opens the door to him, he glances quickly at her dress. A look of surprise crosses his face. Gunnar is tanned, which makes his eyes appear lighter. He has brought a bottle of wine. Smiling broadly, he hugs her and asks how things are.

Malene is about to start telling him but realizes it could ruin the evening. Oh, youll get the whole story, but not now. I want to hear about your trip.

Sitting on the sofa, he doesnt begin to talk about his travels instead he just looks at Malene with a certain amount of surprise. Does she seem drunk? She hopes not. Hes been laying siege to these walls for years, and now sh.e.l.l let the gate swing open after the gentlest of knocks. He pretends to reach for his winegla.s.s, letting his wrist touch her arm. She meets his gaze. It could be the expression on her face that makes him kiss her.

Hes good at it. His body feels warmer than Rasmuss.

She has never been with a man over forty, but Gunnar is more in shape than she thought and surprisingly seems to know her body better than Rasmus ever did. When her breathing deepens, she remembers when she was once far out at sea in a sailboat and had jumped naked into the ocean. The underwater sensation comes back to her now, the light pressure of the water all over her body, her hair streaming out and up around her. She comes up for air, gasping.

She and Rasmus used to swim naked and then surface together, spluttering, spitting salt water and laughing at each other.

She bursts into tears.

Gunnar holds her tight and lets her cry. Does this feel wrong for you?

No. No.

I know that you must you know, miss him. You must. But I thought that Gunnar, its all right. Weve known each other for years and Im so glad that youre here tonight. Im very fond of you.

Gunnar gets the wine and their gla.s.ses. They start to talk about Rasmus and Afghanistan. But their attention soon wanders back to each others bodies.

Its almost three in the morning. They discover how hungry they are and move to the kitchen. Malene takes out olives, bread, a couple of different cheeses, and fruit preserves, and then slips off to the bathroom for another pill. The first one is still doing its job; the second one is just in case.

Gunnar begins to reminisce about when he was younger than Malene is now. He was determined to make a difference in the world, to make it a more just society and improve conditions in the third world.

We all know that the bottle of wine weve drunk tonight could have paid for vaccinating twenty kids and saving the life of at least one. Were no different from the Germans during World War Two. They knew that Jews were being killed, but they ignored what it meant.

Malene is ma.s.saging the knuckles on her right hand. But it isnt quite the same, is it? The state killed them back then. Youre talking about aid for the poor.

I believe, in essence, it is the same. We put on shoes produced by a child who is being crippled by work. We drink coffee bought at starvation prices.

Gunnar leans across the table, takes her aching hand, and warms it between his hands.

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