When no one replied, he sat down. Holding his tray on his lap, he pushed a few glasses to one side and arranged his plates one by one on the table. The soda was obnoxiously sweet.
“Could you give me a lift?” A young woman with short hair and bright brown eyes was looking at him. “It’s pretty urgent.” She set a blue backpack in a frame down beside him.
“And where to?”
“Prague?”
“I’m driving in the other direction.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Two tables away a bull of a man in a beige fake leather vest shouted something to her. He held up a handbag. She walked over to him. As she reached for it, he pulled the handbag away, but on the second try she snatched it out of his hand. He bellowed a laugh.
“Can you give me that lift?”
Adam nodded.
“Thanks,” she said and simply stood there.
It was embarrassing just to go on eating. “You want some?” he asked, holding up the plate with the salami.
“Love it,” she said and stuffed a salami roll into her mouth. Adam also offered her the green soda and slid a little to one side of his chair.
“Aren’t you going to finish the dumplings?”
She sat down, sharing his chair, and began to eat. In relation to her athletic body, her head seemed small to him.
Suddenly the man in the vest was standing next to them. He spoke loudly, his index finger bouncing up and down, as if explaining something. Adam could feel the young woman press against him, even though she went on eating and pretended to hear and see nothing. When the man finally shut up, Adam had the sense that a hush had fallen over the whole room. He laid his right arm across the back of the chair. The vest guy asked a question, repeated it. While Adam wasstill hesitating whether he should lay his arm around her shoulder, the man beside them laughed, pulled out his wallet, slapped a bill down beside the empty plate, and walked back to his seat.
“Thank god,” she whispered, pocketing the money.
Adam carried her heavy backpack to the car and stowed it on the backseat.
“Thanks. I’m Katja.” They shook hands.
“Adam,” he said, holding the passenger door open and waiting as she sat down, after first banging her hiking boots together to get rid of the worst of the mud from the soles.
“Ah,” Katja cried when she saw the turtle. “There are three of us on this trip.”
As people watched from the rest-stop windows, Adam started the engine and had no trouble putting it into reverse.
“Thanks again so much,” Katja said.
“What was with the lumberjack?”
“They’d given me a ride.” She coughed. “The usual misunderstanding.”
“And where are you coming from?”
“Somewhere up ahead,” Katja said, pointing out through the windshield.
“And where are you headed?”
“Don’t know yet,” Katja said, coughed, turned as best she could to one side, crammed her handbag up against the door to cushion her head, and closed her eyes.
Adam would have enjoyed a conversation with her. All the same he was happy no longer to be alone. If only for that he was willing to put up with the odor of unwashed clothes that she gave off.
13
NEGOTIATIONS
“ARE YOU CHILLY?” He reached for her left hand. “Aren’t you feeling well?”
She cleared her throat, smiled, but then turned her head aside when he tried to feel her forehead.
“Where are we?”
“Not all that far from Bratislava. I needed to take a little break.” He tilted his head toward the toilets next to them.
“Me too,” Katja said and leaned toward him to look in the rearview mirror. “Oh god, ghastly!”
“You should change your clothes.”
“Do I stink?” Katja lifted her left arm and took a whiff.
“Your clothes are all clammy. Has it been raining all that much here?”
Katja shook her head.
“I’ll give you a couple of my things. How did you manage to get so wet?”
“Oh, just a stupid joke, everything fell in the water. Maybe we could wash my stuff out around here somewhere?”
“And
“Could you give me a lift?” A young woman with short hair and bright brown eyes was looking at him. “It’s pretty urgent.” She set a blue backpack in a frame down beside him.
“And where to?”
“Prague?”
“I’m driving in the other direction.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Two tables away a bull of a man in a beige fake leather vest shouted something to her. He held up a handbag. She walked over to him. As she reached for it, he pulled the handbag away, but on the second try she snatched it out of his hand. He bellowed a laugh.
“Can you give me that lift?”
Adam nodded.
“Thanks,” she said and simply stood there.
It was embarrassing just to go on eating. “You want some?” he asked, holding up the plate with the salami.
“Love it,” she said and stuffed a salami roll into her mouth. Adam also offered her the green soda and slid a little to one side of his chair.
“Aren’t you going to finish the dumplings?”
She sat down, sharing his chair, and began to eat. In relation to her athletic body, her head seemed small to him.
Suddenly the man in the vest was standing next to them. He spoke loudly, his index finger bouncing up and down, as if explaining something. Adam could feel the young woman press against him, even though she went on eating and pretended to hear and see nothing. When the man finally shut up, Adam had the sense that a hush had fallen over the whole room. He laid his right arm across the back of the chair. The vest guy asked a question, repeated it. While Adam wasstill hesitating whether he should lay his arm around her shoulder, the man beside them laughed, pulled out his wallet, slapped a bill down beside the empty plate, and walked back to his seat.
“Thank god,” she whispered, pocketing the money.
Adam carried her heavy backpack to the car and stowed it on the backseat.
“Thanks. I’m Katja.” They shook hands.
“Adam,” he said, holding the passenger door open and waiting as she sat down, after first banging her hiking boots together to get rid of the worst of the mud from the soles.
“Ah,” Katja cried when she saw the turtle. “There are three of us on this trip.”
As people watched from the rest-stop windows, Adam started the engine and had no trouble putting it into reverse.
“Thanks again so much,” Katja said.
“What was with the lumberjack?”
“They’d given me a ride.” She coughed. “The usual misunderstanding.”
“And where are you coming from?”
“Somewhere up ahead,” Katja said, pointing out through the windshield.
“And where are you headed?”
“Don’t know yet,” Katja said, coughed, turned as best she could to one side, crammed her handbag up against the door to cushion her head, and closed her eyes.
Adam would have enjoyed a conversation with her. All the same he was happy no longer to be alone. If only for that he was willing to put up with the odor of unwashed clothes that she gave off.
13
NEGOTIATIONS
“ARE YOU CHILLY?” He reached for her left hand. “Aren’t you feeling well?”
She cleared her throat, smiled, but then turned her head aside when he tried to feel her forehead.
“Where are we?”
“Not all that far from Bratislava. I needed to take a little break.” He tilted his head toward the toilets next to them.
“Me too,” Katja said and leaned toward him to look in the rearview mirror. “Oh god, ghastly!”
“You should change your clothes.”
“Do I stink?” Katja lifted her left arm and took a whiff.
“Your clothes are all clammy. Has it been raining all that much here?”
Katja shook her head.
“I’ll give you a couple of my things. How did you manage to get so wet?”
“Oh, just a stupid joke, everything fell in the water. Maybe we could wash my stuff out around here somewhere?”
“And
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