course.” Karen smiled.
“Good heavens, Håkon! Don’t you take care of your uniform shirts yourself?”
Billy T. was holding the toddler aloft like an airplane; the child laughed and waved his arms up at the ceiling.
“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman !”
Describing an enormous curve through the air, Superman rushed through the doorway, moving up and down from floor to ceiling, giggling so heartily that he started to hiccup.
“There,” Billy T. said when he returned; the boy now had wet hair and was wearing a fresh tracksuit. “Now I think we’ll have some salami.”
He grabbed one of the slices of bread that had just been set down on the table and made a substantial sandwich for Hans Wilhelm; for safety’s sake he cut the slice in two and made a double-decker.
“Don’t make a mess,” he instructed gruffly, and the boy scoffed the whole lot at an amazing speed, without dropping so much as a crumb.
“You’ve a lot to learn from Billy T., Håkon,” Karen Borg declared, trying to maneuver her huge stomach between chair and table.
“When’s it due?” Billy T. asked, pointing at her with his sandwich covered in Italian salad.
“It’s a girl, Billy T. In a fortnight. The due date, at least.”
“No way. A boy. I can see that.”
“Let’s go down to the basement,” Håkon Sand interrupted. “Is it okay for us to borrow the office for a while?”
Nodding, Karen Borg rescued a glass of milk from where it teetered dangerously in front of the little boy.
“Come on.”
The two men clattered down the narrow basement stairs and stepped into a remarkably pleasant room. It seemed bright despite actually being a cellar, with only one small window opening onto the dim Sunday morning outside. Billy T. tried to make room for himself on a little daybed along one wall, while Håkon sat on the office chair, planking his feet on the desk.
“ Bloody great set-up you’ve got for yourself, Håkon,” Billy T. said, scratching his ear. “Fantastic house, lovely lady and super kid. Life’s a breeze, eh?”
Håkon Sand did not reply. The house did not belong to him. It was Karen’s. She was the one with money, even though what she earned as an independent attorney could not compare with the fortune she had raked in when she’d been the youngest and only female partner in the country’s largest commercial law firm. Living in Vinderen had also been her idea. Not getting married was her choice. She had been married once, and felt that was enough. Now that baby number two was on the way, it was to be hoped that her attitude would soften. Håkon sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Right now I’d give a lot to be able to sleep for twenty hours.”
“Me too. Or even longer.”
“What are your thoughts at present?”
Billy T. gave up on his seat and stretched himself out on the floor with his hands under his head and his feet propped up on the daybed.
“I’m trying to compile a profile of her,” he said to the ceiling. “It’s not so damn easy. I’ve now spoken to three Cabinet ministers, four friends, office staff, political colleagues, as well as the devil and all his kin. It’s strange, you know—”
Karen Borg stood in the doorway with a tray of coffee and cookies. Billy T. twisted his head around and opened his arms.
“Well, Karen, if you ever get tired of that guy over there, I’ll move in. No hesitation.”
“I’ll never get tired of that guy over there,” she said, placing the tray on the computer table. “At least not if you’re threatening to take over.”
“What that lady sees in you, I’ll never understand,” Billy T. muttered with a cookie in his mouth. “She could have me in a shot.”
“What were you about to say?” Håkon asked, yawning. “Something was strange.”
“Yes. It’s strange how difficult it is to arrive at an opinion about somebody you’ve never met. People seem to … it’s all so different , what people
“Good heavens, Håkon! Don’t you take care of your uniform shirts yourself?”
Billy T. was holding the toddler aloft like an airplane; the child laughed and waved his arms up at the ceiling.
“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman !”
Describing an enormous curve through the air, Superman rushed through the doorway, moving up and down from floor to ceiling, giggling so heartily that he started to hiccup.
“There,” Billy T. said when he returned; the boy now had wet hair and was wearing a fresh tracksuit. “Now I think we’ll have some salami.”
He grabbed one of the slices of bread that had just been set down on the table and made a substantial sandwich for Hans Wilhelm; for safety’s sake he cut the slice in two and made a double-decker.
“Don’t make a mess,” he instructed gruffly, and the boy scoffed the whole lot at an amazing speed, without dropping so much as a crumb.
“You’ve a lot to learn from Billy T., Håkon,” Karen Borg declared, trying to maneuver her huge stomach between chair and table.
“When’s it due?” Billy T. asked, pointing at her with his sandwich covered in Italian salad.
“It’s a girl, Billy T. In a fortnight. The due date, at least.”
“No way. A boy. I can see that.”
“Let’s go down to the basement,” Håkon Sand interrupted. “Is it okay for us to borrow the office for a while?”
Nodding, Karen Borg rescued a glass of milk from where it teetered dangerously in front of the little boy.
“Come on.”
The two men clattered down the narrow basement stairs and stepped into a remarkably pleasant room. It seemed bright despite actually being a cellar, with only one small window opening onto the dim Sunday morning outside. Billy T. tried to make room for himself on a little daybed along one wall, while Håkon sat on the office chair, planking his feet on the desk.
“ Bloody great set-up you’ve got for yourself, Håkon,” Billy T. said, scratching his ear. “Fantastic house, lovely lady and super kid. Life’s a breeze, eh?”
Håkon Sand did not reply. The house did not belong to him. It was Karen’s. She was the one with money, even though what she earned as an independent attorney could not compare with the fortune she had raked in when she’d been the youngest and only female partner in the country’s largest commercial law firm. Living in Vinderen had also been her idea. Not getting married was her choice. She had been married once, and felt that was enough. Now that baby number two was on the way, it was to be hoped that her attitude would soften. Håkon sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Right now I’d give a lot to be able to sleep for twenty hours.”
“Me too. Or even longer.”
“What are your thoughts at present?”
Billy T. gave up on his seat and stretched himself out on the floor with his hands under his head and his feet propped up on the daybed.
“I’m trying to compile a profile of her,” he said to the ceiling. “It’s not so damn easy. I’ve now spoken to three Cabinet ministers, four friends, office staff, political colleagues, as well as the devil and all his kin. It’s strange, you know—”
Karen Borg stood in the doorway with a tray of coffee and cookies. Billy T. twisted his head around and opened his arms.
“Well, Karen, if you ever get tired of that guy over there, I’ll move in. No hesitation.”
“I’ll never get tired of that guy over there,” she said, placing the tray on the computer table. “At least not if you’re threatening to take over.”
“What that lady sees in you, I’ll never understand,” Billy T. muttered with a cookie in his mouth. “She could have me in a shot.”
“What were you about to say?” Håkon asked, yawning. “Something was strange.”
“Yes. It’s strange how difficult it is to arrive at an opinion about somebody you’ve never met. People seem to … it’s all so different , what people
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