Jonas Karlsson - The Room

‘And I’m sure,’ I went on, ‘that my suggestions are well within the bounds of the organisation’s wishes.’

‘What … what did you say?’

‘I think you probably heard what I said.’

He patted his legs and attempted a strained grin.

‘You don’t understand, Björn. That isn’t how it works. I can’t just dismiss someone who—’

‘I think you can. With a bit of imagination.’

Karl shook his head. He looked at me, then shook his head again.

‘Like I said,’ I continued, ‘obviously I can’t decide what happens to anyone else …’

‘No, exactly,’ Karl said.

‘… apart from myself.’

He looked at me, suddenly serious.

‘I see. What else?’

I took my time, crossing one leg over the other. I adjusted my jacket with a pointed gesture.

‘Håkan should be demoted.’

Karl held up a hand to stop me, but I carried on before he had time to interrupt.

‘That can be motivated by disciplinary measures. I’ll see that you get the necessary evidence.’

‘You don’t understand,’ Karl began again.

‘What don’t I understand?’

‘Björn …’

‘According to the DG, I’m the only person in the department who’s understood—’

‘Björn, we can’t just suddenly—’

‘Do you want to hear my demands or not?’

Karl stared at me as if he were hoping I was going to stop joking. But I wasn’t joking. I was deadly serious.

‘Håkan has a wife and children …’

‘I can’t take that into consideration.’

Karl shook his head again, let out a deep breath, and looked very unhappy.

‘What else?’

‘Last but not least,’ I said, ‘possibly more important than everything else.’

‘Yes?’ Karl said.

‘I need free access to the room.’

Karl was staring again, and I thought I could see one of his eyebrows twitch.

‘You mean, “the room”?’

I nodded.

‘No!’ Karl said emphatically.

He stood up and started walking round the room.

‘No, no, no, Björn,’ he went on. ‘I thought we were done with that room?’

‘Not exactly,’ I said.

‘For God’s sake, there is no room!’ Jörgen said, waving his arms about and making the fruit picture sway.

He was sweating and looked like he might lose control at any moment. I thought this ought to be enough to make even Karl realise that keeping him in the department was untenable.

When we were all gathered like this it was called a big departmental meeting, but it just felt like Karl’s little glass cube was getting smaller and smaller. And hotter and hotter.

Yet there was something of a different atmosphere this time. Some people — John, for instance — were sticking closer to me.

‘But there is no room,’ Jörgen almost hissed this time. ‘Is there?’

He was staring at Karl almost beseechingly. Karl held up his hand.

‘Perhaps we could agree on the formulation “the room does not exist for everyone”?’

‘What the hell are you talking—’ Jörgen began, but Karl interrupted him.

‘I’m just trying to find a phrase that works for all of us. Can we agree …?’

‘But there is no room!’

Jörgen was getting close now. Jens hurriedly added: ‘First there was the business with the shoes …’

‘I’ve paid for them,’ I said.

‘… and now this.’

‘Either it’s there or it isn’t!’ Jörgen practically yelled.

John suddenly stood up beside me.

‘Maybe we’ve reached a point now where the room has a certain significance. And on those terms then it obviously does exist.’

Everyone looked at John.

‘Either there is a room there or there isn’t,’ Ann said.

‘It’s not quite that simple,’ Karl said.

‘Isn’t it? So what the hell is it, then?’ Jens said, glaring at Karl.

Karl turned to me. I cleared my throat, ran one finger over my chin and made no effort to hurry.

‘To put it mildly,’ I began, ‘we can probably take it for granted that out of everyone here, I’m the one who makes the largest contribution, purely in terms of work. I have to say that it seems more than reasonable for me to have access to a space of my own, and the room is a place where I feel I can work.’

Håkan was staring at me open-mouthed, then said: ‘But it doesn’t exist?’

Karl looked round.

‘I wonder,’ he said, ‘if it might be a good idea to bring in a consultant to look at this issue.’

‘What would the consultant do?’ Niklas said.

‘It might help us find a new way of looking at things.’

Jörgen craned his neck towards Karl. He was making an effort not to lose his grip.

‘You’re going to bring in a consultant to tell us the room doesn’t exist?’

‘Or does exist,’ I said. ‘I can quite understand that you might be scared of bringing in an outsider.’

‘That costs money,’ Ann said.

‘Maybe it would be worth it?’ Karl said.

Suddenly there was a loud noise. Not a howl, but an almost muffled sound. It was Jörgen.

‘Jörgen.’

‘I think I’m going mad,’ Jörgen said.

‘Okay, you need to calm down,’ Karl said. ‘It’s extremely important that we do the right thing in a situation like this. It’s important for the whole Authority. We’re not going to make any hasty decisions.’

I got the impression that he glanced in my direction. I stood up and walked towards the door.

‘Call me when you’ve finished working out how to clear up this elaborate charade. I’m perfectly prepared to overlook the whole thing and move on, but I’d like you to identify one person responsible for it. Someone I can consider as — how can I put it? — the guilty party. Have you got that?’

No one said anything. Their mouths were all hanging open. Even Jörgen was sitting there gawping.

Karin looked very unhappy.

‘Can’t we say that the room exists a little bit?’

Hannah with the ponytail tilted her head to one side.

‘It strikes me that it would feel rather uncomfortable to have a room that only Björn is allowed inside.’

While everyone was looking at her I walked out. I heard the discussion resume with fresh impetus as soon as I closed the door.

I sat at my desk, moving the mouse up and down over the mouse-mat. All the while I could see above my screen the heated debate taking place inside Karl’s office. It looked quite funny, all those big people in such a little room. It was like they were part of some work of art. They were gesticulating and talking. I heard fragments of sentences, ‘a monster’ and ‘ought to get help’, but also ‘remember that Björn is working on two-figure cases these days’.

Eventually things quietened down and I stretched to get a better view of what they were up to.

After a good while they all emerged.

John came straight over to me. The others followed him, stumbling rather aimlessly, like the flock of sheep that they actually were. No one really seemed to know where to go. No one seemed capable of going back to work.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked.

‘Karl’s on his way up to the DG,’ John said.

‘Oh, what for?’

‘He’s going to ask him.’

‘About what?’

‘About the room. That’s what we agreed. That this is a matter for the DG.’

I smiled and patted him on the shoulder.