Rus Like Everyone Else by Bette Adriaanse Read Free Book Online Page A

a beauty, the secretary thought while sitting on top of him. She held on to her ankles and looked at her red-flushed reflection in the mirror above the bed. The lawyer had his eyes closed. With every piece of clothing he had taken off he’d looked more and more friendly to her. When finally he was sitting undressed at the foot end of the bed, his skinny body changing colors with the light of his atmosphere lamp, searching impatiently for condoms in his sock drawer, she had even found him touching.
    And that is the first step of falling in love, she decided.
    FRANCISCO TAKES IT ALL

    Rus and Francisco stepped out of the café together. They walked under the stars in the street and Rus felt so happy; he had never felt so happy before. Francisco had taught him an old Russian song about pain and when you have it, and they had sung it over and over again in the café, with the man behind the bar as the third voice. Everything was intense and beautiful, and unfortunately Francisco had left his money in his sports car, so he paid with Rus’s money, but it was all good because he would give it back to him.
    Now Rus and Francisco were on their way to Hadi’s Phone Centre to get Rus a phone, so they could call each other. The stars blinked and twinkled above them, and Rus took the letter from the tax office from his pocket and he wanted to tell Francisco how happy he was, but he did not have the words.
    Suddenly they were at Hadi’s, but the lights were all off.
    â€œHadi,” Francisco shouted. “Hadi.”
    Hadi was not there, so they banged on the door until the cleaner appeared in the window.
    â€œI can’t sell the phones,” the cleaner said, “I’m the cleaner.” But he did let them in when Francisco explained he knew Hadi and his wife and his beautiful kids.
    â€œNot very well though,” he explained to Rus under his breath, “not like I know you.”
    Rus held on to Francisco’s shoulder as he tried to step over the threshold into the shop.
    The cleaner was wearing a brown suit and white running shoes, and he showed Francisco around the store.
    Rus leaned against the wall. He had never been in a mobile phone store before. It was very warm there, warm and comforting. He smiled as he watched Francisco walk around the shop, looking at the phones and trying to lift the lids off the glass boxes. His day had turned from a nightmare into a dream, and it was all because of Francisco. He raised his hand and called him, because he wanted to talk about tomorrow, about what they would do. “Francisco,” Rus said, trying to stand up from the wall, “when are we going tomorrow?” but Francisco didn’t answer, he was discussing something with the cleaner in a low voice. His voice was calming, and even though Rus couldn’t make out the words, he enjoyed listened to the cadence of it, the whispered words, and he smiled at the cleaner when he pointed at him.
    Time jolted forward again, and the next moment Rus was pulled up from the wall by Francisco, who said Rus had to take off his clothes, because he’d arranged something for him.
    â€œWhy?” Rus almost fell over as he pulled the zipper of his tracksuit. “What?”
    â€œWe’ve just bought his suit,” Francisco said, pointing at the cleaner, “because it will help your case at the tax office. They don’t like tracksuits at the City Department. Lean on me.”
    Leaning on Francisco with one arm, Rus stripped to his underwear in the brightly lit shop. For some reason it was hard to keep his head up, and he smiled as he looked down at Francisco helping him into the brown trousers and buttoning the brown jacket over his vest. The cleaner took Francisco’s clothes, because otherwise he’d be naked of course, Francisco explained, and Francisco took Rus’s velvet tracksuit, which was left to him by Modu when they disappeared.
    â€œThank you”—Rus nodded at