The Notebook + The Proof + The Third Lie (19 page)

Lucas cleans the stove. There is no trace of the black underwear. He lights the fire and comes back into the kitchen.

"There's no charcoal left."

Clara says, "I'll go and get some from the cellar." She picks up a tin bucket.

Lucas says, "Let me do it."

"No! There's no light. I know my way."

Lucas sits in the armchair in the living room. He takes Clara's book out of his pocket. He reads.

Clara brings in the pancakes.

Lucas asks, "Who is he, your lover?"

"You spied on me?"

Lucas says, "It was for him that you bought the black underwear, it was for him that you wore high heels. You should have dyed your hair while you were at it."

Clara says, "That's none of your business. What are you reading?"

Lucas hands her the book.

"I borrowed it from you yesterday. I liked it very much."

"You had no right to take it away with you. I have to return it to the library."

"Don't be angry, Clara. I'm sorry."

Clara turns away.

"What about my underwear? Did you borrow that, too?"

"No. I burned it."

"You burned it? What gave you the right?"

Lucas gets up.

"I think it's best if I leave."

"Yes, go on. They're expecting you."

"Who's expecting me?"

"A wife and child, by all accounts."

"Yasmine is not my wife."

"She's been living with you for four years with her child."

"He's not my child, but he belongs to me now."

On Monday, Lucas waits opposite the library. Evening comes and Clara does not appear. Lucas goes into the old, gray building, walks down the long corridor, knocks at the glass-paneled door. There is no answer; the door is locked.

Lucas runs to Clara's house. He enters without knocking, goes into the kitchen, then the living room. The door to the bedroom is half open. Lucas calls, "Clara?"

"Come in, Lucas."

Lucas goes into the room. Clara is in bed. Lucas sits on the edge of the bed, takes Clara's hand. It is burning hot. He touches her forehead.

"I'll go get a doctor."

"No, it's not worth it. It's only a chill. I've got a headache and a sore throat, that's all."

"Do you have any medicine for aches and fever?"

"No, nothing. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. For now just light the fire and make some tea."

While drinking the tea she says, "Thank you for coming, Lucas."

"You knew I'd come back."

"I hoped so. It's awful being ill when you're on your own."

Lucas says, "You'll never be alone again, Clara."

Clara presses Lucas's hand against her cheek. "I've treated you badly."

"You treated me like a dog. It doesn't matter."

He strokes Clara's hair, which is wet with perspiration.

"Try to sleep. I'll go get some medicine and come back."

"The pharmacy is probably already closed."

"I'll make them open up."

Lucas runs to the main square. He rings the bell of the only pharmacist in town. He rings several times. Finally a small window opens in the wooden door. The pharmacist asks, "What do you want?"

"Medicine for fever and aches. It's urgent."

"Do you have a prescription?"

"I haven't had the time to see a doctor."

"That doesn't surprise me. The problem is that it's more expensive without a prescription."

"That doesn't matter."

Lucas takes a bill from his pocket. The pharmacist brings him a bottle of tablets.

Lucas runs to Grandmother's house. Yasmine and the child are in the kitchen. Yasmine says, "I've already taken care of the animals."

"Thank you, Yasmine. Could you take the priest his meal tonight? I'm in a hurry."

Yasmine says, "I don't know the priest. I don't want to see him."

"You only have to leave the basket on the kitchen table."

Yasmine is silent; she looks at Lucas.

Lucas turns to Mathias. "This evening Yasmine will tell you a story."

The child says, "Yasmine can't tell stories." "Well, you tell her one. And you can draw me a nice picture."

"Yes, a nice picture."

Lucas goes back to Clara. He dissolves two tablets in a glass of water, he takes it to Clara.

"Drink it."

Clara obeys. Soon she is asleep.

Lucas goes down into the cellar with his flashlight. In the corner there is a small pile of charcoal, and there are sacks lined along the wall. Some of the sacks are open; others are tied up with string. Lucas looks in one of the sacks: it is full of potatoes. He unties the string on another sack: it contains charcoal briquettes. He tips the contents of the sack onto the floor; four or five briquettes and two dozen books fall out. Lucas picks out a book and puts the others back in the sack. He goes back upstairs with the book and the bucket of charcoal.

Sitting beside Clara's bed, he reads.

The next morning, Clara asks, "You stayed here all night?"

"Yes. I slept very well."

He makes some tea, gives Clara the tablets, relights the fire. Clara takes her temperature. She is still feverish.

Lucas says, "Stay in bed. I'll come back at noon. What would you like to eat?"

She says, "I'm not hungry. But can I ask you to go to the council office to tell them I'm out sick?"

"I will. Don't worry."

Lucas goes to the council office. Then he goes home, kills a chicken, and boils it up with some vegetables. At noon, he takes some soup to Clara. She drinks a little.

Lucas says to her, "I went down into the cellar yesterday for the charcoal. I saw the books. You carried them in your basket, didn't you?"

She says, "Yes. I couldn't bear the thought of
them
destroying them all."

"Will you allow me to read them?"

"Read all you want. But be careful. I'm risking imprisonment."

"I know."

In the late afternoon, Lucas goes home. There's nothing to do in the garden at this time of year. Lucas sees to the animals, then listens to records in his room. The child knocks; Lucas lets him in.

The child climbs onto the double bed. He asks, "Why is Yasmine crying?"

"She's crying?"

"Yes. Nearly all the time. Why?"

"Hasn't she told you why?"

"I'm afraid to ask her."

Lucas turns away to change the record.

"She's probably crying for her father, who is in prison."

"What's prison?"

"It's a big building with bars in the windows. They lock people up there."

"Why?"

"For all sorts of reasons. They say that they are dangerous. My father was also locked up."

The child raises his large, dark eyes to Lucas.

"Could they lock you up as well?"

"Yes, me as well."

The child sniffs, his little lip trembles.

"And me?"

Lucas lifts him onto his knees, he kisses him.

"No, not you. They don't lock up children."

"But when I grow up?"

Lucas says, "Things will have changed by then and no one will be locked up anymore."

The child is silent for a moment, then asks, "The ones who are locked up will never be able to get out of prison!"

Lucas says, "They will get out someday."

"Yasmine's father as well?"

"Yes, of course."

"And she'll stop crying?"

"Yes, she'll stop crying."

"And will your father get out too?"

"He already got out."

"Where is he?"

"He's dead. He had an accident."

"If he hadn't got out, he wouldn't have had an accident."

Lucas says, "I have to go now. Go back to the kitchen, and don't talk to Yasmine about her father. You'll make her cry even more. Be nice and obedient to her."

Standing in the kitchen doorway, Yasmine asks, "You're going out, Lucas?"

Lucas halts at the garden gate. He doesn't answer.

Yasmine says, "I'd just like to know if I have to go to the priest's house myself again."

"If you would, Yasmine. I haven't got the time."

Lucas spends his nights by Clara's side until Friday.

On Friday morning Clara says, "I feel better. I'll go back to work on Monday. You don't have to spend your nights here. You've given me so much of your time."

"What do you mean, Clara?" "I'd like to be alone this evening."

"He
is coming! Is that it?"

She lowers her eyes and doesn't reply.

Lucas says, "You can't do this to me!"

Clara looks Lucas in the eyes. "You reproached me for acting like an old woman. You were right. I'm still young."

Lucas asks, "Who is he? Why does he only come on Fridays? Why doesn't he marry you?"

"He's already married."

Clara cries.

Lucas asks, "Why are you crying? I should be the one who's crying."

In the evening, Lucas goes to the bar. After closing time, he walks around the streets. It is snowing. Lucas stops in front of Peter's house. The windows are dark. Lucas rings; no one answers. Lucas rings again.

A window opens. Peter asks, "Who's there?"

"It's me. Lucas."

"Stay there, Lucas. I'm coming."

The window closes and soon the door opens. Peter says, "Come in, lost soul."

Peter is in his dressing gown. Lucas says, "I woke you. I'm sorry."

"It's not important. Sit down."

Lucas sits in a leather armchair.

"I can't face going home in this cold. It's too far, and I've had too much to drink. Can I sleep here?"

"Of course, Lucas. Take my bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"I prefer the sofa. So I can leave when I wake up without disturbing you."

"As you wish, Lucas. Make yourself comfortable. I'll fetch a blanket."

Lucas takes off his jacket and his boots. He lies down on the sofa. Peter returns with a thick blanket. He lays it over Lucas and puts some cushions under his head. He sits down next to him on the sofa.

"What's wrong, Lucas? Is it about Yasmine?"

Lucas shakes his head. "Everything at home is fine. I just wanted to see you."

Peter says, "I don't believe you."

Lucas takes Peter's hand and presses it to his abdomen. Peter pulls his hand away. He gets up.

"No, Lucas. Don't come into this world of mine."

He goes to his room, closes the door.

Lucas waits. A few hours later he gets up. He opens the door quietly, approaches Peter's bed. Peter is asleep. Lucas leaves the room, closes the door, pulls on his boots, picks up his jacket, checks to see that his weapons are still in the pocket, and leaves the house without a sound. He goes to Station Road. He waits outside Clara's house.

A man leaves the house. Lucas follows him, then passes him on the other side of the street. To get home, the man has to go past a small park. There Lucas hides himself behind some bushes. He wraps the large red scarf knitted by Yasmine around his head, and when the man arrives, he stands up in front of him. He recognizes him. It is one of the doctors from the hospital who examined Mathias.

The doctor says, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Lucas grabs the man by the lapel of his coat, pulls a razor from his pocket.

"If you go to see her again I'll cut your throat."

"You're insane! I've just been on night duty at the hospital."

"Don't bother lying. I'm not joking. I'm capable of anything. Today is just a warning."

Lucas takes a stocking full of gravel from his jacket pocket and strikes the man on the head with it. The man falls senseless to the icy ground.

Lucas goes back to Peter's, lies down on the sofa, and goes to sleep. Peter wakes him at seven o'clock with some coffee.

"I came to check on you earlier. I thought you had gone home."

Lucas says, "I haven't moved from here all night. It's important, Peter."

Peter looks at him long and hard. "I understand, Lucas."

Lucas goes home. Yasmine says to him, "A policeman came. You have to go to the police station. What has happened, Lucas?"

Mathias says, "They are going to lock Lucas up in prison. And Lucas will never come home."

The child snickers. Yasmine grabs his arm and slaps him. "Will you shut up?"

Lucas grabs the child from Yasmine and takes him in his arms. He wipes the tears from his face.

"Don't be afraid, Mathias. They won't lock me up."

The child stares Lucas straight in the eyes. He stops crying. He says, "Too bad."

Lucas presents himself at the police station. He is shown the way to the commissioner's office. Lucas knocks and enters. Clara and the doctor are sitting with a policeman.

The commissioner says, "Hello, Lucas. Sit down."

Lucas sits on a chair next to the man he knocked out a few hours previously.

The commissioner asks, "Do you recognize your attacker, doctor?"

"I wasn't attacked, I told you. I slipped on the ice."

"And you fell on your back. Our officers found you lying on your back. It's strange that you have a lump on your forehead."

"I probably fell forward, then turned over as I began to regain consciousness."

The commissioner says, "Of course. You claim that you were on night duty at the hospital. According to our information you left the hospital at nine o'clock in the evening, and you spent the night with this lady."

The doctor says, "I didn't want to compromise her."

The commissioner turns to Lucas. "The lady's neighbors have seen you enter her house on numerous occasions."

Lucas says, "I've been doing her shopping for her for some time. Especially last week when she was ill."

"We know that you didn't go home last night. Where were you?"

"I was too tired to go home. When the bars closed I went to a friend's house and spent the night there. I left at half past seven."

"Who is this friend? A drinking buddy, I suppose."

"No. He's the Party Secretary."

"You claim you spent the night at the Party Secretary's house?"

"Yes. He made me some coffee at seven o'clock this morning."

The commissioner leaves the room.

The doctor turns to Lucas, stares at him. Lucas returns his gaze. The doctor looks at Clara. Clara looks out of the window.