Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

'We will see,' says Tirza, 'we shall have to wait and see.'

Father and daughter to stare at Hofmeesters wife. She is in a different world. Which of the desire that goes hand in hand with bright drunkenness.

"Do you know the boy?' requires a ship's steward.

His daughter nods.

'Pap," she says, 'the celebration is past, don't you think? The is ready. We need to send the people.'

'Yes, to send. You are right.'

The final exam feast of Hofmeesters youngest daughter is over. It is somewhere a relief.

He shall do all lights, turn on the music softer and collects a few glass. His clothes sticking to his body, his hair paste to his head and his hands from sticking to the glass.

'Hugh, Jörgen,' calls on the wife, 'must that well, that bright light?'

With three in stacked beer glasses he runs to her. It is not absolutely naked, such as when she was put on the table and did like they Dolly Parton was, but you can still see that they have recently been half-naked.

'The Celebration is past,' says he was very clear. 'It is ready. It is about.' He looks at the boy, it is the boy who has ever meegegeten. The Boy With The short name. He is already forgotten him. One syllable.

One of those guys who had said Tirza: 'He continues to eat tonight.' But he had perhaps been misunderstood. What is actually 'continue to eat'? In the world of Tirza means 'continue to eat' perhaps more than just to eat. What is in the name of God the true meaning of 'continue to eat'?

'Young Man,' he says, 'please say goodbye to my wife. It was a nice party. But it is over.'

'Die formal tone, Jörgen. Please, you're not more fully of this time. And if he wants to remain a moment, he remains. This is also my house.'

He slowly shakes his head. 'No, not more. Your home is a living boat. And if you are on this houseboat is no longer welcome, than I can do anything about it, but this house is no longer in your house. Here you to host.'

While he says he recalls how he evenings hose on the wife has been waiting for, he remembers even that he loves her loved, sweet he found its, right at the beginning, and these memories verschuren him. They make him week, liquid. More fluid than all Italian gewürztraminer together. He tail to her and he has the tendency to its also, very briefly but touching, The wreck that she is. He recognizes the, that is the problem. Hofmeesters wife is the most recognizable wreck that he had ever seen in his life. And in that he finds wreck recognizable his own life.

The guy says nothing. He is to get drunk to even disparagingly or scared to watch. It seems as though the hangover normally until the next morning starts now have already been commenced. Bowled he runs away without Groet. He looks even to the wife. As if it already has forgotten what he did not have two minutes has done this.

Ship's steward hear the front door is opened. Tirza will be the last guests to the outlets.

'you could not leave it?' he asks. The 'give you others involved in our game?'

The wife rubs her mouth. Hair mascara is light, not even be disturbing. Ach, even in this bright light then it is still note.

If you do not know her, it is hardly a problem, if you do not have a past with her, you see other things.

'What game?' she asks, 'what game, Jörgen? Where did you take over? There is still only game and if there are only game, it is not a game more. We have for years been held up with our game. You walk once again behind the facts.'

The trip. Later in the house saves a door is closed.

'Let us do…' he says, 'Let us get carry on as before. The living room is the Vondelpark, it is night, anywhere is the night, and I am the beast. The beast that you come Verschuren, the beast that is on your raises, let me the beast.'

'No,', 'strongly urges them hold. Do you understand the than not yet? You can understand nothing?' she picks him with his required and shake it in so far as they are still has the power back and forth. Also threatens to drop the glass.

'We do not play that we are broken, we are, Jörgen, we pcoducer the. How often should I say something for you understand? I am just returned because I could anywhere else. Nobody wanted to me, Jörgen. Nobody wanted to me. Do you understand? It calls to you by?'

They release it and he panting slightly: 'No, no, I do not understand that.' as if he were just a strange phone message has been received.

Then he walks to the kitchen. On the bank to sit still remaining two children, they seem to sleep, the front door is open, he hears Tirza's voice from the street.

Soon he pays a glass of wine. Then he goes to the garden. The torches are based. He will get rid of it tomorrow. Only the light in the barn is still alight.

He wants the knocking down, but then he sees Ester, on the bucket, albeit not more with the jeans on her ankles.

Ship's steward tail to her, not more if lover, but as a host. The father of the successful. A friendly father.

'The Celebration is past,' he says. 'Everyone has had to go home. You can now go better.'

She takes him in smiling. Arrogant, so she looks. As if they are above him stands, far above this old man who is still not able to reconcile with his own body, who has been able to reconcile with nothing, maybe you should say.

He does not know how his actions should explain to her, but he would like to see it. Even at this hour of the night he continues to search for declarations, ending in apologies and compliments. A man who declares itself, is a man who has congratulated with their own mistakes.

'Allows you to call a taxi for me?'

'Where should you going next?'

'Amstelveen.'

'Amstelveen.' He repeats the word as if they had said: 'Mars.'

Then he walks to the kitchen and call a taxi.

The front door is still open. Tirza is on the street with someone to discuss. As in the past. If they friends or girlfriends spoke after they were to eat she was hours on the sidewalk, even though it was cold or motregende the.

'Jörgen,' he hears. 'Jörgen.'

The sharp and at the same time the hoarse voice wife.

She is wearing glasses, plates and empty bottles to the kitchen. When she was young, when she really was young, she had worked in the catering industry.

She opens the trash can. Residue sashimi, whole sardines and peuken he sees disappear.

'I bring them away,' he says, 'Tirza and its… her boyfriend.'

'Where To?'

'to the airport of Frankfurt. That is cozy. We will continue to have a weekend in the Betuwe. I must still be going back.'

She nods, but he does not have the impression that she has listened to him.

'De rest we do tomorrow," she says. 'And tomorrow is also the worker. We simply ask whether they remain a little longer. In the past is that they are also sometimes have stayed longer. It was no problem.'

He opens the last bottle of Italian gewürztraminer.

'howlong are you?' he asks.

'Here you mean? In the kitchen? In this house?'

'Here. In this House, yes. I would now like to know ever.'

She gets her shoulders. 'I don't," she says. 'I have the you already said: I can nowhere. Where should I go? As far as that is concerned we resemble each other. We can not going anywhere.'

She picks up his hand, are warm and slightly wet hand. He knows now that they can no longer play that they are broken. They are the, but what he is taking proposals, he has no idea. Was he ever something else?

'It is," she says. But he does not know how it is still that he does not know what it is.

'If you want,' she goes further, 'if there is no other women in your life is, can i am slowly undress for you. Then you can look at me if you find comfortable. As consideration for room and board.'

And there is the wreck, just as recognizable as before. He wonders when they started, wreck. And this is, or that they no longer can.