Jáchym Topol - City, Sister, Silver

I waited for an answer from her, but heard only silence, the street full of sounds a city person can’t perceive.

Salutations, I uttered, nodding to Spidey. May your camels be as grains of desert sand, may your wives be forever pregnant, may your sons humble the tribes under their yoke …

Ah, ciao actor, you talkin Macbeth? inquired the simpleton. Care for a shot?

Absolutely not. I’m on the prowl. Beer.

The bar was empty. This time of day it was closed actually. Pleasantly dim, so the chance wayfarer could concentrate. And also to make it easier to relieve em of their dinero. Spidey was solvin a crossword puzzle. Can’t stand those things.

I need a four-letter word for alebezener.

Nura.

Huh? How’d you know? I donno. Intuition.

This is nonsense. The riddle’s not comin out.

I know whatcha mean. Černá singin here tonight?

Nope. Seven-letter word for metal … starts with U. That’s easy.

How bout tomorrow?

Černá’s through singin here. Six-letter word for sty … shit …

Huh? Wha jou say?

Sty, huh … corral?

What?

I donno. I just donno.

Wha was zat about Černá?

Her? Black Maria’s through giggin here, finito. What’s wrong?

I stood up.

Hey, Potok … with you there’s always somethin. C’mon. Have a beer. Relax. It’s early.

I need to find her. I want her address. Why isn’t she here?

I was articulating like an automaton. I had a terrible urge to slug Spidey. I don’t know why. He hadn’t done anything. Besides, he looked stronger than me.

Look, ask Hadraba. He’s the one gave her the heave-ho. His byz. I’m the bartender, get what I’m sayin? An what’s up? You got some kina deal goin with her? She owe you some cash? Cause tough luck, pal, she owes the club too. That’s all she was doin here was workin off debts.

I don’t got anythin goin with her. I just like her.

Well, she is good-lookin … if you go for that type. Want that beer or not?

Yeah.

But she’s a weird one.

Yeah?

Place like this, people gotta stick together. You know the hordes we get comin in here. She’s too into herself. Acts like the boss when she’s not.

But she is, Spider.

Not here. She’s her own boss, period.

Exactly, one of the few.

Few, heh, that’s a good one.

You havin anythin? One a those drinks a yours? Or’d you pull em off the program?

Nah. Not for me. Beer.

Hadraba comin in?

Any minute. I’ll buzz him you’re here. You’re one of us, right.

Absolutely. How bout Jícha?

Aw nothin. Cool. Carved a nursery rhyme here. Spidey leaned over the bar and read: I die of thirst beside the fountain … heh-heh, he looked up, good one for a bar, right? … blazing hot with chattering teeth, in my own country I’m in a distant land … nice, huh? said Spidey.

Yep, those’re real pretty words, I said. So old Jícha’s writin again?

Guess so. But, you know, we got work.

Crime an punishment?

Shut your mouth … an speakin a Černá … she’s always like no big deal, but that chick’s got eyes an ears everywhere, she’s a slippery one … she knew.

You’re nuts! She’s not like that. Not her … you’re outta your mind.

Hey, I ain’t sayin nothin. Ask Hadraba. He’s the boss. I’ll give him a ring.

If you’d be so kind.

I sat and sipped my beer. Tasted awful. Anything would’ve tasted awful. Spidey forgot about his crossword. Just stood and looked. Lotsa people earn a living that way.

Hey, Potok …

What’s up?

That Ukrainian a yours … they been askin around about him. Bout you guys.

Who? The spooks? Which ones?

Nah, some Russkies. Talked funny. I told em I donno nothin. Like always.

Who could it’ve been?

I donno. Some wackos. Weird getups. An ya know what they said? They said his mom was lookin for him! Good one, huh?

Weird.

Mm-hm.

I noticed they had a new bulletin board. Shifted over towards it. You guys show movies? Since when is Hadraba a cinema buff?

Brings people in, said Spidey. Stuff theaters don’t show anymore.

I studied the schedule. All cult stuff: Blue Velvet, Winnetou, Land of Dreamers, Tame at Heart, Blade Runner, Mrazik* … I’ll come by sometime, as a reward, I promised myself.

In walked Hadraba. Spidey beat it over to the glasses, pretending he had a heavy workload. Yep, that’s what it looks like when the byznys path comes between former fellow warriors, which I’m assumin those two were back in that hicksville of theirs. Hadraba took me into the back, out of hearing range.

So how bout that Laotian? Where’d he go, he asked breathlessly.

Threw me for a loop with that.

I’ll be hearin from him, I’m sure. Hadraba, listen, we’re finished. The Organization’s done for.

Rudolf mentioned somethin bout that. You goin in with us then?

They stopped me on the street, Side Pocket an one other guy from those photos a yours.

Viška, Hadraba chuckled. Ex-jailbird. Diaper diddler. We got em shook up. Now the thing is to get hold a that gook an find out what he wants. Ess-tee-bee’re crawlin outta the woodwork for this guy. Find him. An … Rudolf tells me you’re lookin for a girl. Your colleague, Závorová? We got the nets in the water. If she’s out there, we’ll find her.

I strongly doubt it, I sneered. There’s somethin I need, Hadraba.

Hm?

Spider was talkin some shit about Černá … or whatever her name is …

Yeah, Cernä. Hey, I know it’s stupid, all these suspicions, but she’s … weird.

Got any evidence?

No such thing when it comes to that. But hey, better to make a mistake ten times than screw up once!

There’s no way.

Hey, tween you an me … it was Jícha’s decision for me to give her the heave-ho. He was interrogatin her an she just laughed in his face.

It’s obvious! That idiot! He was just hot for her an she wouldn’t give him any! Jackass! That poet. You’re all dummies, the spooks’re turnin your brains to mush. It worked. They finally got you, Hadraba!

It’s still far from over. An don’t get upset. Hey, she won’t get lost.

Already is, far as I’m concerned. You got her address?

No.

I thought my head was gonna explode. But I just laid it on the table. Hadraba was surprised.

You got a thing with her?

No, but I wanna. Bad.

You’re nuts, Potok. She’s a headcase.

But she’s beautiful. She’s amazing.

She’s a drunk!

Who isn’t.

Yeah, I kina get whatcha mean. I got bit by the bug once too … Hadraba scratched at his beard … it wasn’t even the slammer that got to me so much as not bein with her, it’s funny, Hadraba chuckled, but I was so wrapped up in it I wasn’t even embarrassed, like you right now … makes you feel like a little kid … but it’s nice.

It’s awful, I said.

That too.

There’s somethin weird with her though. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen her gettin a guy all hot an bothered just for kicks. Chick likes it best when she’s got six wolfhounds sittin around her droolin an goin at each other’s throats. Understand, even that doesn’t get her off. She’s just messin around.

Her business.

Yeah, an the guy that gets dumped on’s.

I can handle it.

That’s what they all say.

She with anyone?

Always towin someone around. She doesn’t give a shit. Chick’s got cocks comin out her eyeballs … an what’s she got? Nothin! I mean she ain’t exactly a work of art, c’mon, she’s all skin an bones … got her voice an her pussy an that’s about it.

Drop it.

She always liked draggin some kid in here, get him all steamed up, totally fuck with his head, just till things got goin, an then leave him, drunk. Way most a those poor bastards ended up! Stewbums were happy to take a whack at em. Fresh meat. She’d watch. An on top a that she’d pump em for cash. It got so I couldn’t stand watchin her games anymore. Yeah an finally these sailors got in a fight over her. She got em goin. You know how she sings an what she does durin her act. You know she sometimes dressed up like a little girl? I mean you know how she is. This shit was sick though. We hadda give the guys the heave-ho. One stayed. Think he lost some teeth. He was so tanked he didn’t feel it. Face all busted up. An Černá just sits there. Watchin. Chick was into it. This guy got the worst of it, but basically won, if you catch my drift. He was after her. She provoked em. I could see in her eyes how happy she was. Purrin like a kitten. An the guy walks up to her an goes: Would you care for a shot, miss? An she goes, Fuck off, faggot. Who’s been fuckin you, you stink like shit. Yep. Everybody shuts up. She’s sittin there in this little red sweater, skirt down to her knees. You know she wears little kid outfits sometimes? Guy was totally floored. Shoulda popped her one. I woulda let him, Spider too, heh, I’m tellin you we’d all had it up to here. But the sailor backed down. Chick was givin off some weird kina vibe. He went back an sat down, she got him. First they beat the shit outta him for trashin their buddies … all over that dumb bitch lousy whore.