you mean?’
‘With their campaign? Did they do anything?’
‘Oh, right, yes, thanks for reminding me. I was going to leave a message. No, it didn’t really amount to much. What do you think?’
Trude shrugged. Sissela turned to Anna.
‘And you?’
‘I don’t know.’
Sissela pulled a face.
‘I don’t know?’ she parroted. ‘Come on, say what you think.’
‘Well, it wasn’t a complete catastrophe,’ Anna tried.
‘But?’
‘I think they’re on the wrong track.’
‘Good,’ Sissela concluded. ‘We all agree.’
Lack of sleep reminded her of being hung-over. A short fuse and irritation that could at any moment tip over into giggling delight. With a bit of food in her stomach, Anna felt euphoric. Sissela used the lunch break to bitch about her husband.
‘I don’t know what it is,’ she said. ‘He just rings me on the work phone for no reason to check that I’m here. Goes into details and over things again and again.’
‘When you’ve had an argument?’ Trude asked.
‘No, no, what we’re going to eat for dinner and who said what when. And lots of things that have happened recently that need to be analysed and relived and it’s just not interesting.’
‘He’s keeping tabs on you?’
‘No, not really, he’s more like a dog in a small kitchen, always in the way. You can’t turn round without finding him standing there with begging eyes.’
‘Maybe he’s just restless,’ Anna said.
‘Do you know how much he does? Wine and food…’
‘The good life?’
‘Yes, and walking and the great outdoors.’
‘Sven Hedin style?’
‘Exactly. But not one of the experiences he talks about so much can even begin to match the intensity of his rage when someone points out that I earn more.’
‘Oh, you’re being horrible.’
‘On Saturday, when the guests had left, guess what he did.’
Sissela was interrupted by her phone. She held up her mobile, to show that it was the devil they’d just been talking about on the other end. She pressed ANSWER .
‘I’m sitting here eating.’
She rocked her head back and forth, indicated her lack of interest with her free hand.
‘Okay, I’ll call you later.’
She finished the conversation and then checked that she really had hung up.
‘Where was I? Yes, that was it.’
Sissela told in great detail how a successful dinner party on Saturday had put her husband in the mood. When it was time to go to bed, he had appeared with a tub of chocolate sauce.
Anna laughed and disliked herself for doing it. She didn’t know how she’d be able to look Sissela’s husband in the eye next time they met. Without thinking about chocolate sauce and misconceived amorous advances.
The relaxed atmosphere around the table threatened to distance them from the rest of the editorial team. Not only were they sitting slightly apart from everyone else, they were also having fun and very obviously at the cost of someone who wasn’t there.
They were still laughing when they got out of the lift at the editorial office and walked side by side down the corridor. Anna wasn’t quite comfortable with the role as one of the cool girls. Only someone who was outside the group would imagine that it was something to aspire to.
One of the layout girls was walking towards them. She looked at Anna.
‘You’ve got a visitor,’ she said.
‘Have I?’
‘I gave him some coffee,’ the layout girl said, and pointed towards the kitchen.
‘Him?’ Sissela chirped with delight and headed her troops into the kitchen. ‘Oh, hello! Nice to see you again. Everything okay?’
She shook Erik Månsson’s hand, warmly, with both hands. He turned to Anna, tried to avoid Sissela’s attention by saying a quick hello to Trude as well.
‘I hope there hasn’t been a misunderstanding here,’ Sissela said, taking command again.
Erik didn’t follow.
‘That you’re starting to ask for payment, I mean. I don’t want to see any invoices on my desk.’
‘No risk, you
‘With their campaign? Did they do anything?’
‘Oh, right, yes, thanks for reminding me. I was going to leave a message. No, it didn’t really amount to much. What do you think?’
Trude shrugged. Sissela turned to Anna.
‘And you?’
‘I don’t know.’
Sissela pulled a face.
‘I don’t know?’ she parroted. ‘Come on, say what you think.’
‘Well, it wasn’t a complete catastrophe,’ Anna tried.
‘But?’
‘I think they’re on the wrong track.’
‘Good,’ Sissela concluded. ‘We all agree.’
Lack of sleep reminded her of being hung-over. A short fuse and irritation that could at any moment tip over into giggling delight. With a bit of food in her stomach, Anna felt euphoric. Sissela used the lunch break to bitch about her husband.
‘I don’t know what it is,’ she said. ‘He just rings me on the work phone for no reason to check that I’m here. Goes into details and over things again and again.’
‘When you’ve had an argument?’ Trude asked.
‘No, no, what we’re going to eat for dinner and who said what when. And lots of things that have happened recently that need to be analysed and relived and it’s just not interesting.’
‘He’s keeping tabs on you?’
‘No, not really, he’s more like a dog in a small kitchen, always in the way. You can’t turn round without finding him standing there with begging eyes.’
‘Maybe he’s just restless,’ Anna said.
‘Do you know how much he does? Wine and food…’
‘The good life?’
‘Yes, and walking and the great outdoors.’
‘Sven Hedin style?’
‘Exactly. But not one of the experiences he talks about so much can even begin to match the intensity of his rage when someone points out that I earn more.’
‘Oh, you’re being horrible.’
‘On Saturday, when the guests had left, guess what he did.’
Sissela was interrupted by her phone. She held up her mobile, to show that it was the devil they’d just been talking about on the other end. She pressed ANSWER .
‘I’m sitting here eating.’
She rocked her head back and forth, indicated her lack of interest with her free hand.
‘Okay, I’ll call you later.’
She finished the conversation and then checked that she really had hung up.
‘Where was I? Yes, that was it.’
Sissela told in great detail how a successful dinner party on Saturday had put her husband in the mood. When it was time to go to bed, he had appeared with a tub of chocolate sauce.
Anna laughed and disliked herself for doing it. She didn’t know how she’d be able to look Sissela’s husband in the eye next time they met. Without thinking about chocolate sauce and misconceived amorous advances.
The relaxed atmosphere around the table threatened to distance them from the rest of the editorial team. Not only were they sitting slightly apart from everyone else, they were also having fun and very obviously at the cost of someone who wasn’t there.
They were still laughing when they got out of the lift at the editorial office and walked side by side down the corridor. Anna wasn’t quite comfortable with the role as one of the cool girls. Only someone who was outside the group would imagine that it was something to aspire to.
One of the layout girls was walking towards them. She looked at Anna.
‘You’ve got a visitor,’ she said.
‘Have I?’
‘I gave him some coffee,’ the layout girl said, and pointed towards the kitchen.
‘Him?’ Sissela chirped with delight and headed her troops into the kitchen. ‘Oh, hello! Nice to see you again. Everything okay?’
She shook Erik Månsson’s hand, warmly, with both hands. He turned to Anna, tried to avoid Sissela’s attention by saying a quick hello to Trude as well.
‘I hope there hasn’t been a misunderstanding here,’ Sissela said, taking command again.
Erik didn’t follow.
‘That you’re starting to ask for payment, I mean. I don’t want to see any invoices on my desk.’
‘No risk, you
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