Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson Read Free Book Online Page B

small community. People talk about you behind your back. I’ve been there …’ Her voice was comforting, soothing. ‘Coming here from Patreksfjördur was a help, as I knew just what these small places are like – although no two are the same. Living here is very different to being in theWestfjords, but I can’t put my finger on exactly how. I suppose every town has its own charm,’ she explained with a wry smile, as if she were trying to help him feel better.
    There was something captivating about Ugla, something about her that invited trust.
    ‘I heard you are studying to be a priest,’ she said.
    ‘Not really. I gave up on that a while ago.’
    ‘You should finish it.’
    Ari had no intention to be drawn into that discussion so he tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
    ‘How about you? University?’
    ‘Yes,’ she answered quickly. ‘Eventually. I need to finish college first … I left Patreksfjördur in a bit of a hurry.’ Her words faded away.
    Ari Thór sensed that there was something about her time in Patreksfjördur that she wasn’t sharing.
    After a brief but slightly uncomfortable silence she continued: ‘Maybe I can go to university in Akureyri, or in Reykjavik, although I don’t think I’d like living in such a big city.’
    ‘It isn’t so big, you’d like it there. I have a flat in downtown Reykjavik, close to the harbour.’
    He was surprised to find that he was already talking to her as if she were an old friend, but for some reason he didn’t mention Kristín, and the fact that they had been living together in the flat in Reykjavik. For some reason he didn’t want to bring up the fact that he had a girlfriend. And to be fair, Ugla hadn’t asked him directly, so he hadn’t lied.
    ‘So it must be quite a change,’ she said. ‘Although, you’re still close to a harbour, just a different one.’
    There was still something about her that he couldn’t fathom. Of course, she was far from her family, but there was a deeper sadness about her than just that. Each smile was accompanied by a flash of darkness behind her eyes.
    ‘And the mountains, you know …’ He smiled.
    ‘It’s like they’re closing in on you, right?’
    ‘Exactly,’ he agreed. But then changed the subject to something less uncomfortable. ‘Will you be here over Christmas?’
    ‘Yes, my parents are coming to spend Christmas here. Christmas dinner isn’t my strong point so I’ll get my mother to cook something special.’ Judging by her voice she was looking forward to this.
    ’It’s not my strong point either,’ Ari Thór said with a little false modesty. ‘But I’ll still try and come up with something celebratory.’ He sipped his still-hot tea. ‘I have a shift on Christmas Eve. I’ll be on my own, so I’ll take my dinner and a couple of good books with me.’
    ‘That sounds miserable.’
    Ari Thór liked her honesty. ‘You’re right. But I don’t have a lot of choice.’
    ‘Will your parents come up north for Christmas?’
    It was an innocent enough question. He hadn’t made a habit of introducing himself as a man whose parents had died, but he wasn’t going to let her question upset him.
    ‘No … I lost my parents a long time ago,’ he said, looking into her eyes and then immediately dropping his gaze, as she looked awkwardly into her coffee cup.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ she said with sincerity in her voice. ‘I’m truly sorry, I had no idea.’
    ‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘You get used to it.’
    ‘Really?’ Ugla asked in surprise.
    Ari Thór shrugged.
    ‘You really get used to it?’ she asked.
    ‘Yes … Yes, I think I can say so,’ he replied. ‘But it takes time. It took a long time to get over it and it’s not something that happens overnight. But it gets easier. You have to keep going, life goes on…’
    Ugla sat silent.
    ‘Why do you ask?’ Ari Thór finally said.
    She was silent for a while, staring into her mug as if it held the answer to every possible