“Beer, yes, of course. But that’s not it.”
“It’s just that.…?”
“We had a rather important guest there last night.…”
The audible sigh was more like a death rattle. “No, no, tell me it’s not true. Was Lola there?”
“Unfortunately.”
“How bad was it?”
“Very. I think I saved us from total disaster in the nick of time, but it wasn’t good.” There was silence. “How are you, by the way?”
“Worse now,” replied Kalle with a sigh.
“I’m sorry, maybe I should’ve closed the restaurent when I saw how badly things were going, but I had to give him a chance.”
“Agnes, it’s not your fault. It’s totally my responsibility. I’m sorry I put you through all that.”
“It’s all right, Kalle.” She thought about what David had said, that things weren’t necessarily over for them. “There’s no point making a crisis out of a drama. We’ve not seen the review yet. Maybe she’ll ignore yesterday; after all, she has been quite a few times. And at those times there’s been nothing to complain about. Has there?”
“That’s possible.” Kalle didn’t sound convinced. Agnes wanted to end the call, Tobias was getting impatient.
“Look, don’t let it bug you right now,” she said, trying to sound as sprightly as she could. “At least Paolo’s back tonight.”
“Yeah, and it’s about time, too.… OK, I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for helping out yesterday. And again, I’m really very sorry.…”
They hung up, and Agnes collapsed back onto her pillow. Tobias leaned over her and kissed her on the mouth.
“Agnes…,” he said musingly. “My Lundell painting. What have you done with it?”
“I’ve cut it into tiny pieces.”
Tobias gave a start and stared at her, eyes wide. “You’re joking,” he said slowly. Agnes couldn’t help laughing.
“Yes, of course I’m joking, who do you think I am, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction? It’s under the bed.”
“Why?” Tobias relaxed.
Agnes thought for a moment. “Because I don’t like it,” she said.
“You liked it before.”
“No, it was you that liked it. I tolerated it.”
“And you don’t any more, is that it?”
Agnes shrugged. “I dunno, I suppose I do. I just didn’t see any reason to have it up any more.”
Tobias nodded. “So it’s OK if I put it up again, then?”
Agnes thought about the picture under her bed. It wasn’t that practical a place to keep it. It just gathered dust. It also stuck out a bit, and she’d almost stepped on it more than once. She mulled over it.
“Sure,” she said at last. “Do that.”
They ate take-out pizza on the sofa and watched The Naked Gun. They should have talked instead, sorted things out, but neither was able to take the initiative. And even though the questions had come creeping up that afternoon, Agnes had done her best to stave them off. There’d be time enough for all that later; now she wanted to be free to lean against Tobias. Feel his breathing under his slender chest and laugh at the same jokes – although, in truth, it was mostly he who was doing the laughing. She’d never really understood all the fuss about Leslie Nielsen.
It turned four and it was time to leave for the restaurant. Tobias also got dressed. He had one or two things to do, he said. Agnes didn’t want to ask what things, it didn’t matter anyway. Before they left, Agnes took a key from the hook beside the door. She gave it to Tobias as nonchalantly as she could.
“I’ll be home quite late. Will you be needing this?” Their eyes met. Tobias took the key.
“Thanks,” he said. It sounded as if he meant it.
Music could be heard as they exited onto the landing. Agnes no longer noticed it, but Tobias gave a start.
“Hey, Deep Purple! Have you got a new neighbor or has one of the old ladies gone to town on her record collection?”
“No, it’s my new neighbor.” Agnes felt a pang of guilt. David Kummel had completely slipped her mind. But so what, she’d not promised him anything. And they could have a cup of tea another time.
They started to descend the stairs. Just as they were passing Kummel’s apartment, the door opened. The music cascaded out. David, who was standing at the door with a bag of trash in one hand, jumped when he saw them. It was obvious he wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. He was wearing his awful brown corduroy pants and flip-flops on his bare feet. And to go with them, a wrinkled red-checked flannel shirt that was so washed-out that the red was closer to pink.
David looked at Agnes and at Tobias and then back at Agnes.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come by last night,” she said quickly as if she wanted to get her excuse out before she could be accused of anything. “I had an unexpected visitor.” David looked at Tobias, who greeted him briskly before walking on down the next flight of stairs. Agnes waited behind for a moment or two. “We’ll have that tea another time,” she said, attempting a smile.
“Sure,” said David and turned back into his apartment. He was still holding the trash bag. “Another time.”
CHAPTER 34
AGNES JUMPED OFF the subway at Slussen. Tobias was continuing on to the central station. During the trip, he’d sat with an arm around her shoulders, kissing her occasionally on her hairline and ear. She knew she should have a guilty conscience. That she should have stood by her principles and come away with the moral victory. She’d have to blame it on being weak, on the circumstances being extreme, on her mom dying – and instead of doing the right thing alone and with integrity, she chose to enjoy the warmth of Tobias’s body. His fingers continually twisting her hair, his words that he whispered into her ear. He’d screwed up, let her down and left, but he’d regretted it. Now he was back and she’d forgiven him. What was so wrong about that? What was so wrong about giving love a second chance?
As soon as Agnes stepped onto the platform, her lips still moist from their parting kiss, her phone rang. She watched as the red lights of the train disappeared towards Gamla Stan.
“Agnes speaking.…”
“Louise Werner.”
“Lussan! Hi!”
“How’s it going?”
Agnes started to head towards the Götgatan exit. “Great!” Her exclamation was a little too enthusiastic for a normal Tuesday afternoon.
“Has something happened?”
Agnes hesitated. She didn’t want to tell her about Tobias. Lussan wouldn’t approve. She wanted to savor things privately first before having to have all the tedious conversations with family and friends. And anyway, she wasn’t obliged to tell Lussan everything; she obviously had her secrets, so why couldn’t Agnes? “Nice weather, that’s all,” she said as offhandedly as she could.
“Do you think so? It’s all overcast.”
“Nice for being overcast, I mean.…”
Lussan snorted. “That’s one way of looking at it.…”
“How’s it going with you?” Agnes was quick to change the subject.
“Fine, thanks. Stressful, as usual of course. I’ve been running around all day. I’m onto my sixth cup of 7-Eleven coffee.”
“A personal record?”
“No, but I’m getting there. I’ve got a couple of hours before I’m done for the day. Are you working?”
“I’m on my way there right now.”
“That’s great, I thought I’d drop by this evening.”
“To see me or…?”
“Yes.…” Lussan pretended not to get the jibe. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all.” Agnes shook it off. She’d come up onto Götgatan and was heading towards Skånegatan. It would be strange to meet Lussan without having said anything about Tobias. Oh well, it’d sort itself out. “That’d be great, it’s been ages.”
“Yeah, several days.”
They hung up and Agnes walked on to the restaurant. Paolo was already there. Kalle was go
ing to stay at home for one more day to be on the safe side. Agnes told him the story of Rolf and Paolo laughed so much he had to sit down. Agnes laughed, too, despite the fact that even as late as yesterday it was anything but a hilarious anecdote.
Lussan came by at half past seven. She looked into the kitchen on the way to the bar and chatted for a while with Paolo. Agnes carried on as normal, but when Lussan came back out to the bar, her cheeks were flushed and she babbled for some time about nothing. Then she asked Agnes for a Diet Coke.
It was calm in the restaurant, and Agnes was glad of the company, tricky though it was to keep the conversation Tobias-free. She was going to tell her, naturally, but not this evening. Lussan was so preoccupied with her own cares that she hardly noticed that Agnes was covering something up. Things went well for a good long while. Lussan talked about her job, keeping one eye on the kitchen door, while Agnes told her about Rolf and the disaster with Lola.
Twenty minutes later the restaurant door opened and there, in the doorway, stood Tobias. Agnes, who was just about to serve coffee at one of the tables, gave a jump. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy to see him; on the contrary, her body trembled with expectation merely at the sight of the slim, dark man in the cowboy hat and jacket. But behind a wall a few feet away sat Lussan and unless Tobias left immediately, an encounter would be inevitable. Agnes cursed herself. Why hadn’t she said anything to Lussan? It would all come out sooner or later anyway. This could get very embarrassing.
Smiling, Tobias came up to her and, paying no consideration to the coffee cup-laden tray that she was holding, grabbed hold of her waist and kissed her neck. Agnes grinned stupidly at the guests. She wasn’t feeling particularly professional. She turned towards Tobias.
“Not now.” She tried to sound stern, but Tobias just exploited the situation and kissed her on the mouth.
“I’ve been longing for this.”
“Hmm.… Can you sit over there for now?” She pointed to the table furthest from the bar. Tobias went obediently off to sit down and Agnes hurried over to the bar with the empty tray. She wasn’t going to get away with it, for the harm had already been done. Damage limitation was her only option now. Lussan looked in slight surprise at her when she dropped the tray onto the floor and had to bend down to pick it up again.
“Oh, yeah, Lussan…,” she began tentatively. “There’s something I haven’t… gotten around to telling you.” That was all she managed before Tobias appeared at the bar. He was holding a little package in his hand. Agnes stared at him, and then at Lussan. Her instincts told her to shut her eyes and cover her ears. This wasn’t going to be a happy reunion.
Tobias came to a halt a few steps from the bar. He’d spotted Lussan. She was still sitting with her back to him, but guided by Agnes’s wild, staring eyes, she turned.
“And what the hell’s he doing here?” It was Lussan who fired the opening salvo. Agnes started to stutter. Tobias interrupted her.
“He is here to say hi to his girlfriend. And to give her this.” He handed Agnes the present, smiling, but Agnes could see that he was no less tense than she was. He was just as fond of Lussan as she was of him. Agnes took the gift – a little package wrapped in gold paper with a curly gold ribbon. Lussan witnessed the proceedings.
“Oh, how sweet of him,” she said sarcastically. “Agnes, did you hear that he called you his girlfriend?” She looked at Agnes as if to enlist her into the armed resistance movement. Agnes gave a grin. She hoped that Lussan would interpret it as ironic and Tobias as grateful. Suddenly a “Waitress!” was heard from the restaurant and Agnes looked up. She placed the package on the bar.
“Just a second, I have to work,” she said stiffly and left Lussan and Tobias alone. When she returned a few minutes later, the discussion was in full swing.
“Surely you don’t think you can have Agnes back? After what you’ve done?”
“I’ve apologized and Agnes has forgiven me. I don’t need your blessings, too!”
Lussan looked up when Agnes returned to the battlefield.
“Agnes, please don’t say you’ve forgiven him.”
“I haven’t forgiven him.…” She looked at Tobias, who was staring down at the bar. The hand on his lap was clenched into a fist. “Not in that way.… But I mean, you can’t live your life like some kind of revenge-bent vigilante, can you…?”
“As far as I’m concerned you can smash his head in! I’ll give you an alibi.”
Agnes giggled a little nervously.
“Aren’t you going to open your present?” Tobias took her hand.
“Yes, yes, of course.… Maybe later.…”
“Open it now.”
Lussan chimed in. “Yes, of course, Agnes, open it now. Maybe it’s one of his used condoms. Or did you leave them all with Miss Silicone Valley?”
“Please, Lussan, calm down. Let me explain.”
Lussan was staring lividly at Tobias. “Give me a glass of wine,” she hissed at Agnes, who obeyed without blinking. “What is it you want to explain?”
“That Tobias turned up out of the blue yesterday and that I.…” She placed the wineglass on the bar. Lussan picked it up and gulped down a couple of quick mouthfuls. “That I’ve decided to give him another chance.”
Lussan groaned. “You’re totally fucking out of your mind.…”
“Maybe you’re the one who’s out of their mind,” broke in Tobias. “When did you become one of those fucking relationship experts? For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never been with anyone, not for more than a night, at least.”
“You’ve never known me!” hissed Lussan.
“Please, please! Calm down!” Agnes raised her voice. The argument could probably be heard all the way to the back of the restaurant. “This is my life! I’ll do as I please. Lussan, I really appreciate the fact that you care for me, but right now I can’t be as righteous as you want me to be. I’m happy when I’m with Tobias, is that not allowed?”
“You’d be happy full of amphetamines, too.… Surely you realize that I can’t just let you do something so destructive!”
“Destructive or not. This is how it is.” Agnes saw how Tobias was grinning at Lussan. “And that doesn’t mean that you and I have put this behind us, Tobias,” she added. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do before you can call me your girlfriend again!” Tobias stopped grinning.
“Of course, of course.…”
There was silence. Lussan gestured stuffily towards Agnes to refill her glass. When she’d done so, she went out into the restaurant. One of the parties was wanting to pay. Another table was ready to clear. When she got back to the bar, Tobias and Lussan were both sitting facing forwards, like two passengers on a bus. They didn’t seem to have spoken to each other since she left them.
“Aren’t you going to open your present?” asked Tobias gingerly when Agnes returned. She sighed. It wasn’t the right moment to open it, but what the hell, things could hardly get worse. She wriggled off the golden ribbon and removed the paper. The box was from a bargain jeweler’s. She swallowed. What had he gone and done now? She wanted to put the box away somewhere, but Tobias’s expectant look gave her no opportunity to. She could see Lussan looking at the box, too.
Slowly she depressed the little lock on the plastic cover and it opened with a click. The contents were covered in pink cotton wool. She plucked it away, and there, underneath, was a little golden trinket, a locket. Agnes breathed out. At least it wasn’t a ring. She drew out the locket.
“Open it,” commanded Tobias.
Agnes had to spend a second or two looking for the lock mechanism before she found it. The locket sprung open and for a while Agnes stood frozen to the spot. She was looking at her mother. A laughing Maud in miniature with freshly set hair and rosy cheeks.
“Do you like it?” Tobias almost whispered.
Agnes nodded. “It’s lovely. Thank you.” A lump had risen in her throat. Lussan looked at her.
“Can I see?” she said when her
curiosity finally conquered her anger. Agnes handed her the locket and Lussan looked at the picture within for a long time. Then she snapped it shut and handed it back to Agnes. “It’s nice,” she said curtly.
Tobias was virtually beaming. Not only had he managed to surprise Agnes, he’d defeated the evil friend with his present as well. “I’m so happy that you like it,” he said coyly to Agnes. “I thought that maybe you wanted her close to you.” Agnes had to wipe away a tear and Tobias climbed off his barstool to hug her. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“I’m not sad about the locket, I’m sad about Mom.”
“I know.” Tobias hugged her even harder.
Lussan turned away. “I have to go now,” she said finally, and downed what was left of her wine. Lussan stood up and quickly gathered her things. Agnes pried herself away from Tobias’s embrace and went over to her.
“Don’t be angry with me,” she said quietly.
Lussan patted her on the head, like a child. “I’m not angry with you, honey. I’m angry with him. And now I’m hardly even that any more. See you later.” She spun around and left the bar. Agnes could hear how the door slammed behind her.
Tobias stayed until Agnes’s shift was over. He helped her clear the tables after the last of the guests had gone and greeted Paolo in the kitchen. Paolo looked inquiringly at Agnes, but she avoided his gaze. She’d had enough truth-riddled revelations for one day. In time he’d also find out who it was who’d made a comeback.
When they arrived home, Agnes took out her locket again. She looked at the picture. Tobias pulled her close. “I was very fond of your mother,” he said softly.
“I know,” mumbled Agnes. “And Mom was very fond of you, too.” She looked at the photo in the locket again. “So when was this photo taken?”
“When I spent Christmas with you in Länninge. I’ve had the photo among my things ever since. Now I had to cut it up, unfortunately, but it was worth it.” He smiled complacently, and then added: “That was a good Christmas, by the way. A real family Christmas.”
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