Arnon Grunberg - Tirza

'Where are you?" requires Elago. 'I was thinking that you will never again would be. I was worried because of the child. She wanted per se with you, Sir. She was not.'

Then he sees that ship's steward nothing more to his feet.

'Your shoes, sir.'

'They are disadvantaged on the dune,' says ship's steward, 'no problem. Surely it is too hot for sandals.'

Now they are both barefoot, he and the child.

He climbs into the jeep, does his hat.

'Would you like to drink?' requires Elago.

'Water' says ship's steward.

The child sits down next to him and as if it were the case is still not trust, as if a ship's steward again at any time an attempt to escape can do, keeps the Hofmeesters hand. The entire ride back to the Kulala Desert Lodge.

The following morning in the morning they drive further south. The Desert has a ship's steward nothing more to offer.

On the card he has seen that there is a small town on the coast, Lüderitz, he wants. Since he must then only a times try: disappear.

He thought there in one day be able to travel, but the roads are bad. He stops halfway to a farm where rooms are rented.

The Peasant Man and woman are children of German emigrants have also on age, which the German tradition.

I would first like to give it a ship's steward no room. 'Where are your shoes?" asks the peasant girl.

'I have they lost in the desert.'

'What are you nice German,' says the peasant woman, 'where have you learned? I can hear that you are not a German, but you does very your best.'

'I have learned at the university, I am almost promoted.'

That is a response that will reassure her. His conversation talent has fulfilled its obligation is fulfilled.

Ship's steward understands that decent people shoes to their feet, but they are really to be swollen. The farmer is on its old day mild and wise enough to see that some tourists who have no idea where they went to their shoes can lose in the sand. But nevertheless civilised.

He will get a room with two single beds that are not next to each other. The mattress is hard. The air in the room is stuffy. In the box you will he forget a piece of clothing of a previous guest: a t-shirt.

During dinner, there are meatballs served and slightly too long cooked cabbage, the call on Gravity Heinrich Göring, the father of Hermann, who is here in Namibia Commissioner was of the emperor, and at least for some rest did to ensure.

The Peasant Man and woman food itself not, they have eaten, but they keep a close eye on what their guests all the way to the inner stop and also what they are.

'The indigenous people had respect for him,' says the peasant girl.

Ship's steward is limited to kinks. He has views of a cabinet with glass doors, with what porcelain. And next to the box on a large cross.

The conversation goes in German. Neatly German without loan words from other languages.

'In Lüderitz," she says, 'must you but a few sturdy shoes buy. Although we always go to Keet Mans hope to do some shopping.'

And to nine hours she says: 'nine hours, which is midnight for the farmer. We do the lights off.'

Kaisa is asleep at the table.

With the child in his arms is a ship's steward to his room.

He is too tired to themselves and to dress the child. They are going to lay in bed as they are. Sticky and dirty. Insignificant.

During the breakfast the next morning the Peasant Man and woman at a ship's steward and Kaisa. They are apparently a landmark. Many tourists come here and those not along long, driving through quickly.

There is on the drought. The farmer says: 'We do there are two, three years on a cow fat.'

He says the with sadness, but also through resignation.

'Our herd has been contracted,' says the farmer. He points to his wife: 'And now we too.' shrink

The word is a ship's steward on and pay.

When they sit in the vehicle and he and the child looks he understands that, how many circles he also by this country will drive, he that at a given moment will have to stop. You can not forever from one place to another. What he said about the child applies to him, more for him, much more for him. He is without a future but not as he had expected, without despair. That he still has disappeared and that he actually does not know how to do that, makes him puzzled. He has no idea how to say goodbye to the life of their own. And yet, so difficult is it not possible.

Sixty kilometers for the town of Aus they receive on the sandy road a burst tire. Ship's steward get together with the child. The sun is bright and sharp.

They need help. There is a spare wheel, but I am not the only ship's steward to be swapped.

They continue along the side of the road to wave cars that pass by. There are very few cars over.

His briefcase means a ship's steward above the head of the Girl, for her to protect against the sun.

They say nothing against each other.

But they will remain close to him, she loves him in the holes, even if he is behind the bushes disappears to urinate.

They still do not trust him, she is worried that he will try to disappear. And the deeper that fear of her to ship's steward by calls, the more he is aware of the better he understands that it will be very difficult to disappear. That he perhaps has missed.

How the rolls are have ever been seen, now he is a prisoner of the girl.

Two South Africans in a white jeep ultimately with changing the belt. They do it in twenty minutes. Ship's steward offers money but they want to know nothing about it. 'We can help each other,' they say. 'We are dependent on each other.'

Ship's steward thanks long-term and emphatically and then continue driving.

For a crossing he stops and tail a few seconds to its reisgenote.

'I am not the solution,' he says, 'I am the problem that you understand is it?'

But she understands him apparently not because they grabs his hand. She loves the hand, they squeeze in, they press a kiss.

By Aus begins the tarmac road. Here it is again has range, because Hofmeesters telephone starts beeping. Someone has called him a couple of times. It is the wife, he sees.

In Aus refuelling he and get off to the legs and also to call. The child remains in the vehicle, the looks at him after he loses no time from the view.

Standing under a tree gets connection with Amsterdam.

It takes time for the wife record.

'You have dialed,' he says. 'What is so urgent?'

'good that you call.' Its voice will be heard nervous. Hunted. Her voice makes him restless. As in the past, when he heard her voice that there was something different. Something was often the same: a man.

'They found.'

'Who?'

'Tirza, Jörgen. Who else? You have to go to Home.'

He is also still, he looks at the child in the car.

'Yes, yes,' says he eventually.

'You need as quickly as possible to come home, Jörgen, promise you that?'

And then he says: 'Yes, yes.'

'Jörgen, promise you the? We must now not abandon them. Jörgen…'

He hangs up.

Slowly he walks to the vehicle. The operated from the pumping station looks after him.

Ship's steward is sitting behind the wheel, it rubs on the stubble of his cheek.

'we will buy some candy?' he asks for the child. 'Have you meaning in candy? Chocolate?'

Lüderitz is a small town that ship's steward more to Scandinavia than to Africa. The sea is cold. And the wind blows there so hard that the noise of the wind even in the hotel room with windows closed is unbearable.

The port is in decline. Glares warehouses. The airport is a small tower in the desert. A runway of sand. Nothing further.

Nest Hotel called the hotel where he with the child is staying there. Three days he is now all his room not materialised. He is seated on bed, watch TV, listen to the radio. In the evening he order room service. For he is going to sleep he hangs a little note to the door with what he called the next morning for breakfast. Always the same. For him what toast and marmalade, for the child yoghurt and fruit. Furthermore coffee and chocolate milk.