Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

'Can I offer you a glass of kir?' he asks.

The question that he has received almost all guests. A question that is as a house. Thereafter is his experience, the conversation without too many problems.

'What?'

'a glass of kir. Can I offer you that?'

She shakes her head. 'Is there tomato juice?'

'Yes, of course. There is also tomato juice.'

'Without ice.'

'Without ice,' reiterates ship's steward as if he had life long has done nothing else than this: orders recording, hang coats, people of whom he himself barely able to understand the name to others.

'And I would like the toilet use?'

He is going to her for. The toilet is located next to the kitchen. He opens the door, will switch the light on and check quick or the toilet there are decent looks like. It is. For a party.

In the refrigerator he seeks the tomato juice. He has three suits purchased. But where are they? From the living room is the voice of his wife above the music. They talk as if they were on the scene in the theater and they also the rear rows must see to it.

He has bought them, yesterday, he knows for sure, three suits.

Again he opens the refrigerator, somewhere in the refrigerator should the tomato juice. He she crouches down next, He kneels, perhaps in the vegetable drawer? He moves a few suits orange juice and throws in a carton of milk on the ground.

Ship's steward is now kneeled in the milk, for his open refrigerator, and he tail to a dish sushi which he earlier in the day has lovingly prepared.

I must not lose my sense he thinks. This is not the time.

Quick state he and close the door of the refrigerator. He gives a glass of wine in and gently says: 'it is a nice evening. This is Tirza's night.'

He grabs a roll of kitchen paper and wipe the milk carefully.

With the Wet plugs kitchen paper in his hand he remains certainly half a minute motionless. He will hear how the toilet. Gently squeeze it in the kitchen paper. As a charming host he wishes to be recalled. That must be a viable ambition.

This realisation forces him back to action. He throws the kitchen paper road and has the feeling lucky to have had. To avoid a risk to be. On his knees are two damp places to see, but who will look to its knees on a party like this?

He iron his hair smooth, picks up the tray with the beers, red wine and a vodka ice cream and walking to the living room, to his mouth the smile which he has studied for decades. The smile of the translated fiction.

'Can you not see that I am her mother?' he hears the wife say. They state in the event of a small group of Tirza's classmates. The children, to the extent that the children be called, around her as a big fish they shore with difficulty.

Ship's steward takes on new orders and he turns the music a little harder to prevent too many people unintentionally listen to the words of the spouse. Despite the loud music he hears the wife say loud and clear: 'I was traveling, Tirza has an excellent time with my husband. She is an independent child, always been that way. She had no one necessary.'

With the empty tray is a ship's steward back to the kitchen. He makes two new sushi rolls, a with salmon, a with tuna, drink a glass of white wine and then calls on its mobile Tirza phone, but it is not. He slowly begins to get nervous. A father is someone who is always to worry about. Especially if the parent refuses to do so.

He hears her voice. "Hi, this is Tirza. I am also not. But let but a nice message.'

That nice message he has never been understood. Sometimes you can still not nice to leave a message? 'Is your phone there than just for fun messages?' he had asked.

'Yes papa' Tirza had responded. 'My telephone is there for the fun messages. If the messages are not nice, they should you call but.'

'Where are you?' he speaks in. 'Tirza, come home as soon as possible. Your party has long been begun. We are waiting for you.'

Then he on the stool. He expresses his hands against his sleep and remains so until he the economy teacher the kitchen looks within walking.

The economy teacher is after a few laps around the kitchen has come to a standstill, he leans against the worktop and tail ship's steward a tad rude, such as people at parties. They will also take a look elsewhere. In the living room they have a minute or two for the bookcase CSQ and then they wonder: how would the kitchen look like? Kitchens spoilers much.

Ship's steward would not let themselves know, he simply return tail, without is still to be able to move in this direction. The cheerfulness which radiates the man is a ship's steward hostile. Other Mans happiness is a threat.

The man has a bottle of beer in the hand, a linen required depends loosely around his shoulders. He also had a student can be, but he is a teacher and He grins. The economy teacher is a man who always seems to grin.

'How does it, Mr ship's steward?' he asks.

Ship's steward is on the crank. He feels caught as if he is a guest in his own house as if he were in his own kitchen does things that can be done better not. Its black trousers shows on the knees some stains. For the rest you see nothing of the milk. That is the advantage of black. You see there is little. But he feels it still, the moisture. He feels it through anything. A damp man he is, a damp man on age. They may not see it, they will not see it.

'Excellent. Say but Jörgen. I am Jörgen. And you? You'll be entertained a bit?'

Ship's steward talk soft and civilized, he talks if someone involves without him effort.

You'll be entertained a bit? That is a question that you give an economy teacher asks? He has doubts about it but it is now too late to do anything to do so. He remembers that the economy teacher Hans hot. There was not a fairy tale figure which was called Hans?

Ship's steward will feel dizzy. He no longer want to sit on the stool. He concentrates on the shoes of the economy teacher, black shoes with a buckle. A fairy tale figure which was called, he comes Hans. Previously he read a lot for the children, also from books they still could not understand. For the love of art and culture, you should children on their toes. On its tenth nam Tirza knowledge of Don Quixote and his adventures, on its twelfth was Mrs Bovary and her about game in its inwards gelepeld, and when she was fourteen and actually no longer wished to be read out, climbed the ship's steward still the stairs with a copy of the Russian Library under his arm. 'Go away,' krijste them if he saw her bedroom. 'I want those notes from the underground not, I do not want to hear. Go away, dad. Go away, PAP. Go away.' She Trapp elde with her legs, but he went to her foot streelde end sit and its just as long until they have calmed down. He was the book open and las its fifteen minutes for from Notes from the underground. With the large Russians you could not start early enough. If you as a teenager the nihilism seen through him, did you made no further through it.

'It is a nice party,' says Hans. The man looks around, he does not seem willing to go. The kitchen is a good place, cozy and comfortable. Leaning against the worktop gliding the hours away. Weather an evening over.

The weekend in the houses of the people, in the morning the sound of the citrus press, evening tv, once in the quarter of a party. Together to do some shopping. Together Buy or borrow a cd. A crypto grams solve together. So will the economy but teacher life.

It is a ship's steward known for family life, and yet we are not. He iron his hair flat and offers the economy teacher, while he sushi is the life of the man: organized and happy.

Previously, when the silence in the house just had done its appearance, regretted it could be that he was not able to play the piano. Than he had in the evening and on Sunday afternoon behind his piano to be able to sit with three or four lovers around, as other people in the cafe to sit down with a group of friends.