Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

'To me only with cheese dates,' says Atta.

'O, do you also want a sandwich?'

'Please, but only with cheese.'

'That's no problem,' says ship's steward while he looks to the game. They may well, Tirza, scrabbelen. 'We are eating the sandwiches with cheese and tomato in our family, we are not fond of ham, we do not hold of sticky meat.'

In a frying pan toasts he three sandwiches with cheese and tomato. The parents of a ship's steward have never purchased a toaster.

At the table in the living room to eat his sandwich on, while Tirza and Atta continue with scrabbelen. With a paper towel wipe it every three seconds off his mouth, afraid if he is that there crumbs sticking to his lips.

"Do you like to peelt scrabble?' requires Atta.

'No,' replies, 'I can ship's steward not good.'

'But pap, you have very often in the past with me gescrabbeld.'

His daughter looks at him surprised. As if he is lying.

'I think it will be a disaster to do, but i found it more fun for example if we played risk, or monopoly or farmers bridge.'

'we will play monopoly tonight, Mr ship's steward?', Atta for.

Ship's steward looks at him, the man who is making, even flowers smells to the father of his girlfriend to vote favorably. But for a ship's steward will not need it. He would like to say to him: 'Doe you best not. It helps not.'

'Well,' he says, 'if I can find the game, we play after dinner tonight monopoly.'

Then he goes into the garden and he concentrates on his work, in order not to have to think.

For an hour or five, while he is dead branches of an apple tree to saw, Atta toward him.

Ship's steward put the saw off. He climbs of his ladder.

"I wanted to ask you what,' says Atta.

'Go Ahead.'

'You don't that i with your daughter on one room sleep?'

Now the father laughing, for the first time he really must laugh this man.

He moves the cutting of his left to his right hand.

'What are you going to do in Africa?' he asks. 'on two different bunk beds are? Two different youth hostels Book? Where do you see me to?'

'Not. Of course not. But here in your home is something different. Maybe.'

This house is just so much of me as Tirza. If it has no objections to it with you on one room to sleep, I think it is excellent.'

Atta looks at the apple tree.

'You do it well,' he says. 'I mean how you the branches saws.'

My parents had a tool shop.' ship's steward can still not say without a light feeling of embarrassment. A tool shop. But it declares a hope. He saw juggling.

'Yes, Tirza told something. Anyway, I just wanted to have asked, my parents are also…'

'Yes? What are they?'

Ship's steward tail to him. Tirza's boyfriend. The man that he not only too old for his daughter, but simply uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in his politeness, uncomfortable in his presence, uncomfortable at first sight.

'You will not find a man good enough for Tirza,' the wife had said. But that is not the case. It is intuition.

My parents are also very conservative.'

'I am not conservative,' says ship's steward, 'I am realistic and practical. Are they religious?'

'My parents? Yes, also that.'

'That,' reiterates ship's steward.

The young man stays procrastinating, while a ship's steward back to top klimt and continuing with saw. If Atta there after three to five minutes state, he comes for the second time down and asks: 'Would you also agree to try?'

'What?'

'Branches refraining. Pruning. In the garden work.'

Atta laughs. "I have never done before.'

'Have you parents are not Garden?'

'They have a balcony.'

Ship's steward wipe with the back of his hand over his mouth, his chin, his cheeks. 'O, but a public house with balcony can also quite nice. Well, if you want to try it?'

Atta hesitates.

'You are going to Africa? You are going to the jungle? A fruit tree in the Betuwe is no obstacle. Beginning but with these small branch.'

Ship's steward pointing upward, to a branch which he can just as well. Not what you would call a dead branch.

Atta hesitates, he saw to the machine.

The weight is not him. So much is clear. But anyone who is such a thing for the first time in your hands, must get used to the weight. With tool that you, like with a man, slowly to be intimate. The better you know the, the more it does what you want.

Ship's steward shows how the saw on. How to get it off. The emergency button. How you must hold him.

'It is a Stihl MS 170,' says ship's steward, 'in its kind the best available.'

The young man climbs the ladder. If he is above, he calls: 'Is this a good idea, Mr ship's steward?'

'It is an excellent idea. If you get the hang of it, have you got your whole life fun of. The MS 170 is very safe.'

Tirza's father stresses once again the branch on which must be cut off. 'You need not be afraid,' he calls. 'You need just your wits.'

Safe, that they had told him, in the shop where they were selling the saw him. Safer than an electric with a cord, easier to use.

The friend of Tirza condition on the ladder and he saws. Soon the branch on the grass. It is a little one.

Atta climbs to below. He is found.

'Was you afraid?' requires a ship's steward hopeful. 'did you think of the death-eng?'

'a little,' says the man who now more on a boy seems than ever. A friendly boy, all with al. If you do not know better. "I believe that I simply not so nice am. And also tired.'

'It is a question of exercise.' ship's steward takes his cutting back on. Satisfied he looks at the tree. His life is in the epilogue, but he knows how a fruit tree has to deal with. He knows how he must face with a garden. That nobody can deny him.

'My parents,' says ship's steward, 'loved fruit trees. They kept more of the trees than of each other.'

'And they had a tool shop?'

'Yes, as approximately,' he says, curt now. 'De shopping was of my father. My mother sang in a choir.' I regret that he has extended the call unnecessarily. What are the boy his parents? He bending is to what weeds under the tree road to reap the benefits. The last thing he needs is that this man is approached. No proximity. Everything except that.

'And they wanted to not that you would take over the shop?'

'They wanted that i went to study abroad,' says ship's steward with the weed in his hand. 'they found important. That their only son would go study. Therefore they worked. And I studied héb.'

'Yes, yes,' says Atta. 'I know. German and criminology, yet?'

'I have never killed criminology. By circumstances. I was offered a job as an editor at a very reputable publishing. I could not refuse the offer. It was in line with expectations that i would be publisher.'

He runs to the dustbin and throws it.

When he comes back, Atta still at the apple tree.

'Is this really the time to saw?" asks the young man.

'Not,' says ship's steward, 'but I am now, therefore i saw. I must take the opportunity. I saw when I am there. Where is Tirza?'

'Die sleeps. She was also tired.'

Atta runs back inside, but just before the House he turns once. 'Meneer ship's steward, can I will help you in the kitchen? With Dinner?'

Ship's steward shakes his head. 'Date i do all itself. The most has already been done. The only thing you need to do is to eat. You are my guest. Remember.'

He remains a look at how the young man to walk in. Through the curtains he sees how Atta in the living room with its open fireplace. The bright euphoria that ship's steward just felt is again disappeared. He has not won, he has lost. And win is the only thing that counts. Everything not win is an excuse, a skillfully disguised as an excuse, but an excuse. Ach, almost everything high is famous in the world, art, politics, is an alibi for losers.