Alice by Judith Hermann Read Free Book Online Page B

of test results tomorrow morning during the first doctors’ rounds. She said she’d like to be there for that, to talk to the doctors, shortly after seven o’clock; would it be possible for one of them to drive her to the hospital? She was very tired, not able to concentrate on the road.
    Of course, said the Romanian. Of course I’ll drive you to the hospital. He was so drunk that he almost babbled, butit didn’t matter; despite that he was reacting well, appropriately, confidently.
    All right, then, Lotte said. I’m sorry. Till tomorrow. We should leave at six fifteen.
    She got up. Alice thought she was very tall, an erect, straight figure. Severe-looking but forbearing. Loyal.
    Good, said the Romanian, he got up too. Till tomorrow, then, at a quarter past six.
    Lotte left. She disappeared as soundlessly as she had come, having turned down their offer to accompany her to the house on the hill, those hundred steps on the dirt road and then up through the lavender. No, thanks.
    What time is it, Alice asked. How late is it? You’re completely drunk; how are you going to drive the car tomorrow at six fifteen? How’s that supposed to work?
    Well, should I not drive her? the Romanian said coolly.
    Yes, yes, you should, Alice said. She was panicky, wide awake. Did Lotte really know. Just now, did she realise what’s going on here, how completely drunk we are.
    The Romanian giggled.
    She did, Anna said. Of course she realised it; you couldn’t miss it. But so what? We’ll all go; we’ll set three alarm clocks. It’ll work out. We’ll manage. Calm down, Alice.
    You’re the one least likely to wake up when the alarm goes off, Alice said. Well, good night, I have to go to sleep right now.
    Alice went upstairs. Concentrating hard. Keep your wits about you, she thought, pull yourself together. She thought:Conrad. She climbed the stairs to the first floor, to the second. She washed at the left sink. Leaving the light on over the mirror for Anna, she walked through Anna’s room into her room, Conrad’s room. She opened the window, closed the curtains, and pulled her dress off over her head. She set the travel alarm clock for five thirty, and didn’t count the hours till then. She got into bed, closed her eyes. She could hear the voice of the Romanian downstairs, then Anna’s voice, both low and mysterious.
    Dog days, the Romanian said. Look up there. Pegasus and Andromeda. Cassiopeia and Cepheus. And the Big Dragon keeps moving around the sky and never sleeps. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to see Jupiter.
    How does that old saying go? Anna said.
    Which saying?
    Oh, the saying we used to remember the planets by when we were kids. You never heard of it? – My very enthusiastic mother just served … and so forth and so on.
    My very enthusiastic mother just served us noodle pudding, the Romanian said. His voice so calm, Anna’s voice too, they were saying it together now: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
    Have we got them all? Anna asked.
    It all depends, the Romanian said.
    Whatever, Anna said, and Alice knew exactly the kind of face she was making, an expression of contentment and warmth on her round face. Saturn is in my seventh house.In the sign of the zodiac, do you know what I mean? The seventh house is the house of doors. Through which people come to you and leave you. The planets move slowly but they make their transits, and then your whole life changes, it changes whether you want it to or not. Now Saturn is coming. He moves in opposition to Uranus. And everything, everything will be different.
    She laughed, the Romanian didn’t. Alice turned over on her side, stopped listening. One moment more. Then she was out of it.
    Dawn came at half past five in the morning. The Romanian was standing at the stove in the kitchen, turning down the gas as the coffee began to rise, hissing, in the espresso