Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

'Do you want company, sir?'

It shakes his head, opens his briefcase, and he remembers that he still no sharpener has purchased. Searching for something in his briefcase, but what again?

Its glass is empty.

'Water, Kaisa? More water?'

She nods.

He opens the minibar and gives her a bottle.

This time they drink less eagerly. He begins to analyze the situation, as far as is possible, in so far as his life still permits it if analysis, reflection, study, conclusion.

There is a child on his room. That child does not envisage way to go. He will have to give her to eat, that to begin.

'Hungry?' he asks.

She nods.

He looks at his watch, another hour, then they can to table.

'a further hour,' he says. 'Over an hour we eat.' He wonders whether they know what it is, an hour.

Sit down again they silently opposite each other. She looks at him without the a rude staring. The child looks at him as if he is the TV, a puppeteer who every moment with its act can begin.

From his inner pocket he retrieves the envelope. He let Kaisa the photo.

My daughter,' he says.

The child keeps the photo, raises there also take a look. Then she looks at him.

Ship's steward goes back to bed, exactly the way it was all along.

'Tirza,' he says to Kaisa, 'they so hot. When she was so old as you are, I read her for. Also from Dostoevsky. Notes from the underground. With a sure nihilism you can not start early enough. Because you need to get through. If a train through a tunnel. And they understood the. She was…' he gets the word almost not from his mouth but it will succeed it anyway. 'High gifted,' he says with shrill voice. 'They is a very talented.'

He threatens to go as a machine. Also vibrates his lip. But he vermant, everything is under control.

There is a knock on the door. The room maid. She wants the bed ready for the night. He let her within. They know each other, the maid and the guest. They have seen on several occasions. Yet it remains unsettling. And now with the onwenniger Kaisa closer than ever.

The room maid takes as if they do not see the child. Ship's steward withdraws in the bathroom while the bed is done. He brushes his teeth.

If she has disappeared, are the curtains closed. Unlike other nights there is not a single chocolate on the pillow, but two.

He chuckles, he may not leave it.

Ship's steward She grabs, chocolates, and gives them to Kaisa.

It stops them both at the same time in her mouth. Without her eyes off him. She is alert.

'Tirza,' he says, 'has lively eyes. Just like you.' He takes the paper of the chocolate from her and throws them in the trash.

A further three quarter. Then he must with this child in the dining room. He does not know how. He and that black child in that dingy dress.

He opens the minibar and put a bottle of vodka to his mouth.

'Would you like to wash your hands?' he asks.

He is not waiting for a reply. Ship's steward seeks his hand. He takes her to the bathroom, the crane open, gives its soap. They can just at.

The child washes its hands. And if they are ready, she looks him questioning.

'Would you also wash your feet?'

She shakes her head.

'Maybe is good?'

She has her hair in a tail, sees only now ship's steward. He has not properly looked to her, he did not dare.

'Are you sure? I also wash my feet. You can wash as you want.'

He let the bath half full walk, retrieves for the girl the bottle of water from the room, and for themselves the small bottle of white wine that every day in the minibar is stopped.

He put her on the edge of the bathtub with its legs in the water.

'Not too hot?' he asks. 'It is good so?'

She nods.

Ship's steward Kate rolls up his trouser legs on and down next to him. They take a foot bath, the man and the child. Compared with the skin of the child seems not only his own showed, but even unhealthy, ill. Affected.

It does it, a foot bath. He already knows that there are problems not have become less. For the first time since his arrival here are the problems even acute.

Soon he must with her to the dining room. How is it that succeed?

The wine is.

He picks up his feet from the water and picks up a second bottle of vodka from the minibar. Hastily and with somewhat reluctantly he drinks. It is a drug.

'I,' he says, 'we are going to grab a bite to eat.'

On the ground in the bathroom spread a large white towel. He lifts her on, put her on the towel.

Ship's steward kneel and dries the feet to thoroughly.

'also between the toes,' he says, 'otherwise you get mold. You know, I have two daughters. Older than you. I really just wanted no children. I also wanted to marry not. My wife has persuaded me. I had plans. Other plans.'

Her left foot is dry. Now that her right foot.

'I wanted,' he says, 'prove that God nor the progress was dead, but the love." he laughs as if he were a good joke has told us. He loves her ankles and laughs.

'Ready,' he says. 'I have now, then we can eat.'

Behind a cabinet door — it remains discreet — he will clothe, He pulls his suit. Because he has a guest this evening, he makes a necktie for.

He puts his hat. Soon he drinks a bottle of gin empty. The Vodka is.

The child is watching.

'It is a drug,' he says. 'Against the embarrassment.' He picks up a second bottle of gin and drink that half empty.

'And you know what shame? Civilisation.' Portrait and with empty somewhat reluctantly he the second bottle gin. With the empty bottle in his hand he takes place on the bed. 'Yes, civilisation,' he panting slightly, 'dat is the. Civilisation. Civilisation. Civilisation.'

First time to pick up his briefcase, her hand. Just as it is he barefoot.

As they walk to the dining room.

It looks at him as he arrives. And to the child. One looks of him to the child and back again.

The girl that he has on many occasions already operated, says: 'Ah, Mr ship's steward, you have a guest tonight?'

He nods. He brings to its seat Kaisa puts his hat. He thinks he is the best inheriting. But he The calls around him have come to a standstill.

Unlike other nights order he water without bubble. He bows to the waitress as if he wants to tell vertrouwelijks its something. 'sorry for the bare feet,' he says. 'It is the heat. Stuffed feet. The moisture will not go away. The Moisture accumulates in the foot. Why in the foot? I do not know. But it is in the foot, the moisture. Sorry. Excuse us, also to the other guests.'

'Of course," she says, 'Meneer ship's steward, of course. No problem.'

In the event of the bread served as always a few long stems.

He breaks down there a center gives half to Kaisa. 'Eat,' he says.

She eats, while they remain him naughtily drawing pictures.

It mainly lives with his finger soft on the table. The calls around them come but slowly.

'Well,' he says he does not know what to do, 'Kaisa, so I come from the Netherlands, you know where that is located? In the north of Europe. Far away. Fourteen hours fly from here. With about eight steps ten hours. I am…'

He gives her a long stem. This time he breaks through it.

'Or you just want to bread?'

They shake of no.

'I am just before my retirement. Actually you can say that I have already retired and I, because I am no longer active. I am on non-active. They wanted to dismiss me, but according to the house lawyer was that because of my age impossible.' It dices crumbs of the table.

Each evening they run the same music here. It is only now that he is a hundred times to these songs has be listening. Each evening three, four times the same numbers.

'I,' he says, calm by the drug, but still a bit ashamed, 'I am all in all an unfortunate man.' And he laughs as if he has made a joke. He smiles much this evening. 'MAY', he adds, 'nobody noticed. How should they? To which they may be brands? And with the accident must ask yourself…'