The Unconsoled (13 page)

'Good evening, Grandfather,' he said with calm dignity.

'Good evening, Boris.' Gustav patted him gently on the head. 'It's good to see you again. What sort of a day have you had?'

Boris gave a casual shrug. 'Somewhat tiring. Just the usual sort of day.'

'Just one minute,' Gustav said, 'and I'll see to everything.'

His arm around his grandson's shoulders, the porter went up to the reception desk. For the next few moments, he and the desk clerk exchanged hotel jargon in lowered tones. Then they both nodded in agreement about something and the desk clerk handed over a key.

'If you'd follow me, sir,' Gustav said. 'I'll show you where Boris will be staying.'

'Actually, I have another appointment.'

'At this hour? You have such a busy life, sir. Well, in that case, may I suggest I take Boris up myself and install him?'

'That's an excellent idea. I'd be very grateful.'

I walked with them to the elevator and gave a final wave as the doors closed on them. Then all at once the frustration and anger I had thus far managed to keep in check came flooding back, and without uttering another word to the desk clerk, I crossed the lobby and went out again into the night.

8

The street was deserted and silent. It took me a while to spot - a little way down on the opposite side - the stone arches Sophie had mentioned on the phone. For a moment, as I made my way towards them, I wondered if she had lost her nerve and fled. But then I saw her figure emerge from the shadows and could feel my fury rising once more.

Her expression was not as meek as I would have expected. She was watching me carefully, and as I came up to her she said, almost calmly:

'You've got every right to be angry. I don't know what happened. I suppose I was confused. You've got every right to be angry, I know.'

I looked at her nonchalantly. 'Angry? Oh, I see. You're talking about your behaviour earlier this evening. Well, yes, I must say, I felt very disappointed on behalf of Boris. Obviously, he was very upset. But as far as I'm concerned, quite frankly, it's not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. I've so much else on just now.'

'I don't know why it happened. I know how much you were depending on me…'

'I've never depended on you. I think you ought to calm down a little.' I gave a quick laugh and began to walk slowly. 'As far as I'm concerned, this simply isn't a major issue. I've always been quite ready to go about my tasks with or without your support. I'm just disappointed on Boris's behalf, that's all.'

'I've been very stupid, I see that now.' Sophie had fallen in step alongside me. 'I don't know, I suppose I thought you and Boris -you have to see it from my side - you and Boris were lagging behind and I thought perhaps you weren't so keen on what I'd planned for the evening and I supposed maybe you'd drift off anyway… Look, if you like, I'll tell you everything. Everything you want to know. Every detail…'

I stopped walking and turned to her. 'Obviously I haven't made myself clear. I'm not interested in any of this. I only came out here because I wanted to get some fresh air and unwind a little. It's been a hard day. As a matter of fact, I came out here because I wanted to take in a movie before bed.'

'A movie? Which movie's that?'

'How do I know which movie? Some late-night film. There's a cinema just down here. I thought I'd go and see it whatever it is. It's been a very hard day.'

I began to walk again, this time more purposefully. After a moment, to my satisfaction, I heard her footsteps pursuing me.

'Are you really not angry?' she asked, catching up.

'Of course I'm not angry. Why should I be?'

'Can I come too? To this movie?'

I gave a shrug and continued to walk at a steady pace. 'Please yourself. You're perfectly welcome.'

Sophie grasped my arm. 'If you want, I'll make a completely clean breast of it. I'll tell you everything. Everything you want to know about…'

'Look, how many more times do I have to say this? I'm not in the least interested. All I want just now is to unwind. There's going to be a lot of pressure on me over these next few days.'

She continued to hold my arm and for a while we walked together in silence. Then she said quietly: 'It's so good of you. To be so understanding.'

I said nothing to this. In time we drifted off the pavement and continued down the centre of the deserted street.

'Once I find a proper home for us,' she said eventually, 'then everything will go better. It's bound to. This place I'm seeing in the morning, I'm really hopeful about it. It sounds exactly what we've always wanted.'

'Yes. Let's hope so.'

'You could sound a little more excited. This could be a turning point for us.'

I shrugged and continued to walk. The cinema was still some distance away, but being virtually the only thing illuminated in the darkened street, our eyes had for some time been fixed on it. Then as we came nearer, Sophie gave a sigh and brought us to a halt.

'Maybe I won't come in,' she said, disengaging her arm.
I
need plenty of time to look at this house tomorrow. I have to make an early start. I'd better be getting back.'

For some reason her words took me quite by surprise, and for a second I remained uncertain how I should respond. I glanced over towards the cinema, then back at Sophie.

'But I thought you said you wanted to…' I began, then, pausing, said in a calmer tone: 'Listen, this is a very good film. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.'

'But you don't even know which film it is.'

The idea flashed through my head that she was playing some sort of game. Even so, a strange panic had begun to seize me and I could not keep a pleading note out of my voice.

'You know what I meant. The desk clerk. He suggested it to me. He's someone I know to be very reliable. And the hotel has its reputation to think of. It's hardly likely to recommend…' I trailed off, the panic now mounting further as Sophie began to move away from me. 'Look' -I raised my voice, no longer caring who heard me - 'I know this will be a good movie. And we haven't been to one together for so long. That's true, isn't it? When did we last do something like this together?'

Sophie appeared to give this consideration, then finally smiled and came back towards me.

'All right,' she said, taking my arm gently. 'All right. It's late, but I'll come in with you. As you say, it's ages since we did anything like this together. Let's have a really good time.'

I experienced a considerable feeling of relief, and as we entered the cinema it was all I could do not to grasp her tightly to me. Sophie seemed to sense something and nestled her head on my shoulder.

'It's so good of you,' she said softly. 'Not to be angry with me.'

'What is there to be angry about?' I muttered, looking about the foyer.

A little way in front of us, the last of a queue was filing into the theatre. I looked around for somewhere to buy tickets, but the kiosk was closed, and it occurred to me there might exist some special arrangement between the hotel and the cinema. In any case, when Sophie and I brought up the rear of the queue, a man in a green suit standing at the threshold smiled and ushered us in along with everyone else.

It was virtually a full house. The lights had not yet gone down and many people were moving around finding their seats. I was looking to see where we might sit when Sophie squeezed my arm excitedly.

'Oh, let's get something,' she said. 'Ice creams or popcorn or something.'

She was pointing down to the front of the theatre where a short queue had formed in front of a uniformed woman holding a tray of confectioneries.

'Of course,' I said. 'But we'd better hurry or there'll be no seats left. It's very crowded in here.'

We made our way down to the front and joined the queue. After a while, as I was standing there, I could feel my anger rising again, until eventually I was obliged to turn away from Sophie altogether. Then I heard her say behind me:

'I have to be honest. I didn't actually come to the hotel tonight to find you. I didn't even know you two would turn up there.'

'Oh?' I leaned forward, looking towards the confectioneries.

'After what happened,' Sophie went on, 'I mean, once I'd realised how silly I'd been, well, I didn't know what to do. Then I suddenly remembered. About Papa's winter coat. I remembered I still hadn't given it to him.'

There was a rustling noise. Turning, I noticed for the first time that Sophie was carrying on one arm a large shapeless package in brown paper. She raised it in the air, but it was obviously quite heavy and she soon lowered it again.

'It was silly,' she said. 'There was no need to panic. But you see, I suddenly thought I could feel the winter in the air. And I remembered about the coat and I wanted to get it to him without any more delay. So I wrapped it up and came out. But then I got to the hotel and the evening was so mild. I could see I'd been panicking about nothing and I didn't know if I should go in and give it to him tonight or not. So I was standing there and it got later and later and eventually I realised Papa would have gone to bed. I thought about leaving it at the desk for him, but then I wanted to give it to him myself. And I was thinking, well, I could just as well give it to him in a few weeks' time, it's still so mild. That's when the car drove up and you and Boris got out. That's the truth of it.'

'I see.'

'I don't know if I'd have had the courage to face you otherwise. But there I was, right across the street from you, so I took a deep breath and phoned.'

'Well, I'm glad you did.' I gestured at our surroundings. 'After all, it's a long time since we've come to a movie together like this.'

She gave no response and when I looked at her she was gazing down fondly at the package on her arm. She patted it with her free hand.

'The season won't be turning for a little while yet,' she murmured, as much to the coat as to me. 'So there's no desperate hurry. We can give it to him in a few weeks.'

We had now reached the head of the queue and Sophie stepped in front of me to peer eagerly into the tray the uniformed woman was proffering.

'What are you going to have?' she asked. 'I think I want an ice-cream tub. No, a choc-ice. One of these.'

Looking over her shoulder, I saw the tray contained the usual ice creams and chocolate bars. But curiously these had all been pushed untidily to the edges of the tray to give pride of place to a large battered book. I leaned forward to examine it.

'That's a very useful manual, sir,' the uniformed woman said eagerly. 'I can heartily recommend it. I suppose I shouldn't be selling it here like this. But then the manager doesn't mind us selling the odd personal item, just so long as we don't do it too often.'

On the jacket was a photograph of a smiling man in overalls half-way up a step-ladder, a paint brush in his hand, a roll of wallpaper under his arm. When I picked it up I could feel the binding starting to come apart.

'Actually it belonged to my eldest son,' the uniformed woman continued. 'But he's grown up now and gone to Sweden. I was finally sorting through his things last week. I kept anything I thought had sentimental value and the rest of it I threw out. But then there were one or two things that didn't seem to fit into either category. This old manual, sir, I can't say it has much sentimental value, but it's such a useful volume, it shows you how to do so many things around the house, decorating, tiling, it teaches you everything step by step with very clear diagrams. I remember my son found it very useful when he was growing up. I realise it's a little ragged now, but it really is the most useful book. I'm not asking much for it, sir.'

'Perhaps Boris would like it,' I said to Sophie, flicking through the pages.

'Oh, if you've got a growing boy, sir, it really would be perfect. I can vouch from our own experience. Our son got so much from it when he was that age. Painting, tiling, it shows you everything.'

The lights were starting to dim and I remembered we had yet to find seats.

'Very well, thank you,' I said.

The woman thanked me profusely as I paid her and we came away with the book and the ice creams.

'It's good of you to think of Boris like that,' Sophie said as we moved up the aisle. Then she raised her package again with a rustle and hugged it to herself.

'It's odd to think Papa went the whole of last winter without a proper coat,' she said. 'But he was just too proud to wear that old one. It was mild last year, so it didn't matter so much. But he can't go another winter like that.'

'No, he certainly shouldn't.'

'I'm quite unsentimental about it. I know Papa's getting older now. I've been thinking things through. About his retirement, for instance. He's getting older and it has to be faced.' Then she added quietly: 'I'll give it to him in a couple of weeks. That should be fine.'

The lights had continued to dim and the audience had quietened in anticipation. I realised the theatre was even more crowded than before and I wondered if we had left it too late to find seats. But then as the darkness settled over us, an usher came down the aisle with a torch and pointed out two seats near the front. Sophie and I edged down the row, mumbling apologies, and sat down just as the advertisements were starting.

Most of the advertisements were for local businesses and seemed to go on interminably. When the main feature finally started we had been seated for at least half an hour, and I saw with some relief it was to be the science fiction classic 2001:
A Space Odyssey -
a favourite of mine which I never tired of seeing.

As soon as those impressive opening shots of a prehistoric world appeared on the screen, I could feel myself relaxing, and I was soon comfortably absorbed in the film. We were well into the central section of the narrative - with Clint Eastwood and Yul Brynner on board the spaceship bound for Jupiter - when I heard Sophie say beside me:

'But the weather could change. Just like that.'

I assumed she was referring to the film and murmured back something in assent. But a few minutes later, she said: