Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

After what against sputtering Tirza has agreed. It had to ship's steward promise that he no Mohammed Atta Choukri would call. Also no Atta. With that promise she took pleasure. Anyone who goes on a trip around the world, gives his father a special surprise.

On Friday morning they leave from Amsterdam.

Ship's steward is already got up early. He wants, now it will be a weekend, performing work in the garden of the house that now over a decade acts as the home of the family ship's steward.

There are already months, he has not been the case. There are fruit trees which he in the spring due to a lack of time has not reduced. That he will now be able to do so. The grass must be mowed and here and there he will again sowing.

In the barn are looking for ship's steward the tool that he wants to carry, because it is not present in the Outdoor, or because it is actually there, but must be repaired. Or simply because of age is that it has become unusable. The parents of Jörgen ship's steward were collectors from miserliness. Discarded was fundamentally sin.

The weeding, the machine saw, a bag of seed and a spoon dragging his from the barn where he three weeks ago an evening with Ester spent, and brings them to the kitchen. An evening is too much said, a half hour, the more it will not been. Not with nostalgia or regret he thinks of Ester back, earlier with a light unease and at the same time a vague desire to its resistance to smell, which sharp fragrance of happiness.

Ester was no longer come to the change. That money could ship's steward doesn't really care about, but he wanted her to speak for Tirza's departure. He wanted to see her again themselves to declare, but is now better, more accurate, more convincing. Why he ever want to abolish the love and why that abolition for him now no longer had such a priority. But that he wanted to wish her every success with everything they abolish went. They would be saved. She was clever.

Presumably he wanted her again to give himself to convince Something, though he knew not exactly from.

Until he understood that they are not more, it would be no shopkeepers to bring back or get a bite to eat. Initially he explained himself to the inevitable. They had to do without any representations. Without a final call. He would remain in her life represented as a father who could not. A man who also no longer knew what control was, and strangely enough this is precisely that we fortunately had felt. At least felt alive. For the first time in a long time: really live.

He dared not to ask Tirza 'Say, how is it actually with those Ester without h?'

About the incident in the barn has been met with silence, over the whole party was omitted. One and a half day after it was as if it had never taken place.

But a few days after its decision to engage in the inevitable, entered in the evening he Tirza's room — she was at Atta on visit — and he searched in her stuff to the phone number of Ester. In a tray he found a list of pupils of the Vossius Gymnasium, Class 6a. Esters name sat there, with the address and phone number.

That same evening when the wife was in the bath, he phoned her from the kitchen. He was first a man on the line, probably the father. 'Met ship's steward,' he said, 'I find Ester.'

No questions were asked, no comments. He heard only: 'one time.', and a few seconds later he had Ester on the line. I really am not good point, he thought.

'Ester,' he said, 'met Jörgen ship's steward, the father of Tirza, perhaps you know who I am?'

'Yes.'

'Sorry I you interference, but i get some money from you.'

'exchange money?'

'of the taxi. I gave you a hundred euro. And you had to Amstelveen. That costs a hundred euros, not even with a taxi.'

He rubbed the worktop with his finger.

'O yes it was something of eur 40. So you will receive the 60 euro. I will talk about it?'

Also felt that he heard Tirza coming home, but it was the wind. They probably remained at Atta sleep. They always remained with him more often sleep.

'You can also give me in cash. That is why I actually prefer. Tomorrow we will drink coffee? Here in the near maybe. Opposite the old Municipal Museum is a nice cafe.'

Silence.

'Hello? Ester?'

'Yes, is good,' she said, 'morgenmiddag?'

'Four hours?'

The next day to five for four he was sitting in the cafe opposite the old urban, he was previously for from Schiphol. On the seat next to him lay his briefcase, he read the newspaper of the day before. Even old newspapers were bored him not.

To ten about four she arrived, also this time in jeans and a somewhat user axles blouse.

There was a chair next to free him. But she took place opposite him.

He had a different cafe you can find out, he now realized, further away from home, ach, it was innocent. It would remain innocent. A final and explanatory call, could more innocent?

As they were against each other — the girlfriend of his daughter which is not really a friend of his daughter was and ship's steward.

'it is still my grandfather.' She picked up the substance of her blouse and instep between its fingers.

'O. Wear your many clothes of your grandfather?'

'I wear does sometimes clothes of my father.'

They looked at him, cheeky, but not challenging. Hautain, but in a natural way, as if the hair is almost sorry that the world could not endorse its approval.

'How is it?'

'That?'

'Met you,' said ship's steward. Of course you ', Ester.'

'good'.

'What do you drink?'

'Doe but red wine.'

He ordered red wine for Ester, and although he had been determined to let the coffee, he also ordered for itself but a glass of wine. It was late in the afternoon, you might say. He folded the newspaper carefully. The war against terrorism lasted.

When they are both a sip of their wine taken had he felt, to his own amazement, quiet. Calm. And yet again a very small amount of live.

About the incident in the barn was not discussed, and that was perhaps but also better. About events there is little to say once they have occurred.

'How are your plans?' he asked. 'The love to abolish it, how is it?'

'I have holiday. I do not do anything. I have a lot of time. My agenda consists of white spots.' She took a large sip of wine, licked its lips and asked: 'And how is it with Tirza?'

He nodded. 'Good. Excellent. She is in her boyfriend. They will soon travel. To Africa.'

The call was otherwise than he had hoped, otherwise than he had imagined.

'Maybe you know,' he said, and he always went softer talk as if he was doing a secret any spoilers, 'that i ever have been also plan to abolish the love to declare, death. It was a project, a marketing had to be, a thick marketing with footnotes. Scientific. Substantiated. With evidence.'

'Yes?'

'In my vault still material, if you are there for you, if you want to have access to it.'

They slowly shook her head, again a tad hautain. 'No, sir ship's steward,' she said, 'I want no trading letter. I know just how it is, that is enough.'

They looked at people. The trams. A taxi.

To his own consternation he said: 'I am happy in your company.' He improved itself. 'I find your ideas refreshing, interesting.'

They again shook her head. 'I have no ideas. I know just how the sitting.'

From the breast pocket of her grandfather's shirt she 60 euro and placed on the table. 'The change,' she said.

'Yes'. It was… it is not important.'

'But I am." She looked at him light reproachfully.

'I wanted to explain to me, I am of course Tirza's father, I am almost exclusively Tirza's father, that is the main thing, but there are special Aachen, small, insignificant ancillary. I am also happy to someone in your company is in.'

He could say it better, but it could also be said pieces worse With this version was to settle them.