searched his increasingly weary mind for a good way to round off the evening. He looked at the three girls, and then at the ever more impatient crowd. I’m just going to lie, he thought as he stood up. I’m going to lie and I’m going to do it well. Not because I’m mean-spirited or full of disgust, but because this whole project has stalled before it even got off the ground.
‘I’m not going to keep you here any longer this evening. Now we know a little bit more about each other and I have a better idea of what you would like to get out of the writing seminar.I will be in touch to arrange our next meeting. Thank you very much for coming here tonight.’
There was a second of confused silence, then someone started to clap. Humlin felt a huge wave of relief that it was all over. He started making his way towards the exit and stopped to shake the many outstretched hands along the way. That was when the seventeen-year-old girl Sasha had smiled at him and he – without ever knowing why – patted her on the cheek. Then everything went black.
*
Now he was lying in a hospital bed. The left side of his face was extremely swollen. Pulses of pain came and went. A harried doctor pushed aside the curtain and looked in on him. He did not speak Swedish very well. From his nametag Humlin assumed he was Polish or Russian.
‘The X-rays look good,’ he said. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘It hurts.’
‘Take some painkillers. You will feel much better in a few days. Were you intoxicated when this happened?’
‘Are you asking me if I was drunk?’
‘That is the normal reason for fights.’
‘I don’t appreciate your insinuations. I was not drunk, as it happens. Someone attacked me.’
‘Then you should report it to the police,’ the doctor said.
Törnblom came in through the curtain at that moment and heard the last thing the doctor said.
‘There’s no need to fill out a police report. It was just a family dispute that got out of hand.’
The doctor left. Humlin forced himself to sit up with the intention of telling Törnblom what he thought of him once andfor all, but the pain was too great. He was forced to lie back down again.
‘What do you mean by a “family dispute”?’ he whispered.
‘We feel like one big family out in Stensgården. Or should do. You’re becoming part of it now.’
Humlin gestured towards the curtain.
‘They’ve left,’ Törnblom said. ‘They wanted me to tell you that they all look forward to seeing you again. Haiman is very sorry. He’s going to give you a present next time you meet.’
‘There won’t be a next time. What kind of a present?’
‘He said something about a rugby ball.’
‘I hate rugby. I don’t want a rugby ball. I’m never coming back here if I can help it.’
Then Humlin thought of something. It had slipped his mind.
‘What about the reporter? You said you had talked to somebody. Was he there? Did he see what happened?’
‘He was very enthusiastic about it. He’s going to give you a good write-up.’
‘The only thing he’s going to write about is that I was knocked out. It’ll be in all the tabloids. And the guy who hit me will claim I was sexually harrassing his daughter or cousin or whatever the hell she was. How am I going to be able to defend myself? I’ll look guilty before I even have a chance to say anything.’
‘He’s not going to write anything about all that, I promise. He’s actually more interested in your writing seminar.’
Humlin looked sceptically at Törnblom but decided in the end to believe him.
‘I’m going now,’ Törnblom said. ‘Amanda will stay behind for a while. I’ll take you to the station tomorrow morning so we can agree on a date for your next visit.’
Humlin didn’t bother answering. Amanda went to get him a glass of water. Humlin looked admiringly at her backside, then thought about Tanya and immediately felt a little better. That bleeding heart had touched something in him. He had also
‘I’m not going to keep you here any longer this evening. Now we know a little bit more about each other and I have a better idea of what you would like to get out of the writing seminar.I will be in touch to arrange our next meeting. Thank you very much for coming here tonight.’
There was a second of confused silence, then someone started to clap. Humlin felt a huge wave of relief that it was all over. He started making his way towards the exit and stopped to shake the many outstretched hands along the way. That was when the seventeen-year-old girl Sasha had smiled at him and he – without ever knowing why – patted her on the cheek. Then everything went black.
*
Now he was lying in a hospital bed. The left side of his face was extremely swollen. Pulses of pain came and went. A harried doctor pushed aside the curtain and looked in on him. He did not speak Swedish very well. From his nametag Humlin assumed he was Polish or Russian.
‘The X-rays look good,’ he said. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘It hurts.’
‘Take some painkillers. You will feel much better in a few days. Were you intoxicated when this happened?’
‘Are you asking me if I was drunk?’
‘That is the normal reason for fights.’
‘I don’t appreciate your insinuations. I was not drunk, as it happens. Someone attacked me.’
‘Then you should report it to the police,’ the doctor said.
Törnblom came in through the curtain at that moment and heard the last thing the doctor said.
‘There’s no need to fill out a police report. It was just a family dispute that got out of hand.’
The doctor left. Humlin forced himself to sit up with the intention of telling Törnblom what he thought of him once andfor all, but the pain was too great. He was forced to lie back down again.
‘What do you mean by a “family dispute”?’ he whispered.
‘We feel like one big family out in Stensgården. Or should do. You’re becoming part of it now.’
Humlin gestured towards the curtain.
‘They’ve left,’ Törnblom said. ‘They wanted me to tell you that they all look forward to seeing you again. Haiman is very sorry. He’s going to give you a present next time you meet.’
‘There won’t be a next time. What kind of a present?’
‘He said something about a rugby ball.’
‘I hate rugby. I don’t want a rugby ball. I’m never coming back here if I can help it.’
Then Humlin thought of something. It had slipped his mind.
‘What about the reporter? You said you had talked to somebody. Was he there? Did he see what happened?’
‘He was very enthusiastic about it. He’s going to give you a good write-up.’
‘The only thing he’s going to write about is that I was knocked out. It’ll be in all the tabloids. And the guy who hit me will claim I was sexually harrassing his daughter or cousin or whatever the hell she was. How am I going to be able to defend myself? I’ll look guilty before I even have a chance to say anything.’
‘He’s not going to write anything about all that, I promise. He’s actually more interested in your writing seminar.’
Humlin looked sceptically at Törnblom but decided in the end to believe him.
‘I’m going now,’ Törnblom said. ‘Amanda will stay behind for a while. I’ll take you to the station tomorrow morning so we can agree on a date for your next visit.’
Humlin didn’t bother answering. Amanda went to get him a glass of water. Humlin looked admiringly at her backside, then thought about Tanya and immediately felt a little better. That bleeding heart had touched something in him. He had also
Similar Books
