Forever Yours by Daniel Glattauer, Jamie Bulloch Page A

“Didn’t you miss me at all?” She said nothing. “Will you take the flowers at least? They’re thirsty. They need water. They’ve been waiting for water for hours, many hours.”
3
    After a dreadful, sleepless night she sent him a text saying that they should talk. They met at Café Rainer at lunchtime. He was sitting at the same table as on their first meeting, but on the corner bench this time. She opted for the uncomfortable chair opposite. Hannes was ashen and bleary-eyed. She recognised the contrite, remorseful expression on his face. He looked like a schoolboy who’d come home with a poor maths result.
    Leipzig was a lie, he admitted. There was no architecture seminar. He had noticed that her love was not growing as quickly as his. He wanted to give her a break, a chance to catch up (as if love worked according to the same rules as a race). It had been quite convenient, he said, as he’d had a few things to sort out anyway. He grinned. She’d soon find out more about that.
    “Hannes, we can’t go on like this,” she said. “I understand,” he said. “You’re annoyed about yesterday. Yes, it was stupid of me. I should have called beforehand. I caught you on the wrong foot.” “No, Hannes, it’s more than that,” she said. “I’m just not ready for…” “Please don’t say another word!” The schoolboy was gone. Now Hannes was the irritated, authoritarian father. “I understand what you’re saying, I made a mistake and it won’t happen again. Desire! Do you know the meaning of desire? Shall I spell it out for you? D-E-S-I-R-E. Desire. I was desperate to see you. Is that a crime?”
    When he noticed that Judith was staring at his clenched fist he opened it at once. As if to order he smiled meekly and tried in vain to make the sun wrinkles appear. He stretched his arm out towards her. She leaned back. “Everything will work out, Darling, you’ll see,” he said. She asked for the bill. “This is on me,” Hannes insisted.
4
    “Frau Wangermann, telephone,” Bianca called out from the showroom a few hours later. Judith was in the office, trying to piece together her fragmented thoughts without hurting herself even more. “I’m not available, I’m busy,” she shouted back. Her heart had not returned to its normal tempo since her shock in the hallway. Bianca: “It’s your brother, Ali.” Judith: “Oh, Ali. Put him through.”
    Ali spoke twice as loudly and even more rapidly than usual. He was positively fizzing – if stagnant water can fizz. “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said. Judith didn’t know either. Nor did she know what for. Ali: “It’s great to have a sister who’s there for you in an emergency.” Judith: “Of course. Ali, what are you talking about?” Ali: “You know, persuading Hannes. Hedi’s so happy. And I’m sure I’ll be able to lay off the medication soon, you’ll see.” She’d had enough. “Ali! Spit it out. What did I persuade Hannes to do?” Ali: “Don’t tell me you know nothing about it.”
    It transpired that the day after their visit Hannes had called Ali and offered him this dream job. All Ali had to do was photograph chemist’s shops and pharmacies, in Upper Austria to begin with, then in other provinces. The following day Hannes had picked him up and driven him to Schwanenstadt to take a look at the first project. Hannes explained what he needed from the pictures, which were all to be exterior shots of the buildings. Then they drew up a flat-rate contract for half a year. “One thousand euros a month plus all expenses, for a few simple photos. It’s madness!” Ali raved. Judith said nothing.
    “I feel really ashamed that I underestimated him,” her brother said. “Individuals like Hannes are ten times better than all those therapists who make a living out of other people’s crises.” Life’s true helpers weren’t those who studied for ages so they could tell you that you needed a job, but those who actually got you the