Название: A Peaceful Summer
Автор: Ace Anthony
Издательство: Издательские решения
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
isbn: 978-5-4474-0176-4
isbn:
“Oh, I’m sure he spotted you in the crowd and was blinded by your elegance.”
Irma didn’t mind jokes at her expense, she was glad the conversation had started moving.
“It’s a pity we can’t see the parade this year,” she said. “But Mutti was so particular about this trip to Italy. We really wanted to do something special for you…”
“I am sorry to be a disappointment.”
“You don’t like being with us at all then?”
“On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoy myself.”
“It’s not too cold for swimming?”
“It’s all right.” A heavy pause. “Can you swim?” he asked.
She giggled:
“Helmut, I can barely walk.”
After more than a week’s absence he came back fresh and rested, and he came in peace. Frau Krauss had also reconsidered her behaviour. She’d probably wanted too much from him in such a short time. It’s no use losing patience with each other. After all, he’s got so many things to accommodate – grandeurs, large-scale things. Someone so young and short-tempered can’t do it overnight.
The weather had turned warmer. He swam a lot and with pleasure, talked little but politely. In the evenings he played Beethoven’s sonatas on request, and he played them to a standing applause. His mother was happy, but she didn’t trust the feeling. “Something’s about to happen,” she sensed. And then there were those calls from Florence which she didn’t like at all. Something was building up. She watched her son but saw nothing behind his breezy calmness. “Shall I talk to him?” She didn’t know how. Soon enough it cleared up by itself.
“I have to go back to Berlin,” he suddenly announced.
“When?”
“Immediately.”
“Darling, we are staying for another month minimum.”
“You are. I’m not.”
“Helmut, what is it?”
She followed him to his room. Irma was in hers; she opened the door slightly and listened.
“It doesn’t work for me. It never will.”
“…”
“Everything…”
“…”
“I betray nothing, Mother. You are the traitor here…”
Irma sneaked out of her room and stood in the corridor.
“Grandma has found two sponsors for me in America.”
“What sponsors…?”
“The people who agreed to sign the Affidavits of Support…”
“I don’t understand. Who are these people?”
“One is Grandma’s cousin twice removed; the other is her friend’s husband living in New York. Both have already signed the papers.”
“Is that what you’ve been up to all this time? Helmut, I am your mother and you…”
“I didn’t want to tell you until the American immigration office gave its approval. Well, now they have, and my decision is official. There’s a stack of immigration papers to be filled, so I’m going back to Germany. I’ve got no time to waste. It’s good bye, Mother. And I can’t say that I am sorry.”
There was a shocked silence.
“I should have known that she was up to no good. She almost ruined my marriage. And now she got her hands on you.”
Irma went in and sat on a stool.
Helmut was folding his clothes and putting them in neat piles.
“It was my decision. She only helped.”
“Oh, I bet she did. She’s always ready „to help“. Now hold your horses, son. We’ll hear what your father has to say on the subject.”
“He knows. Grandma has written to him, and they talked by phone.”
“And all that is happening behind my back!”
“It has nothing to do with you. It’s my choice, they are only helping me.”
“You are not getting a single pfennig from us. I wonder what you are going to buy your ship ticket with…”
“Father has promised Grandma to consider the question.”
“Oh, damn your father, his mother, and their entire rotten family! They’ve done enough to kill me a thousand times, but I’m still alive, Helmut, and I’m not giving up now.”
She turned to leave and saw Irma in the corner.
“Irma, girl, the holiday’s over thanks to your brother. We’re leaving together.”
“I’m not going in your car, Mother,” Helmut warned. “I’m taking the Rome-Berlin express.”
Frau Krauss signed Irma to leave and took her place on the small stool.
“One day you’ll realize how cruel you’ve been to me. Where’s my fault, Helmut? What have I done to deserve this? You could have faked up some sort of fondness at least for Irma’s sake.”
“Oh, about Irma. You really shouldn’t have dragged her all the way down here, not in her state and not in the car.”
“Helmut, look at me!” her stern voice rang with indignation. “I dragged her all the way down here because she wanted it! We did it for you! You hadn’t seen your country for years. We wanted to introduce you to your own Fatherland, to show you the new Germany.”
“You mean the autobahns and the swastikas? I got the picture all right. I don’t need to see it again.”
He called Irma. She appeared instantly – she had been waiting behind the door.
“Irma, would you rather go back by train?”
She hesitated.
“Don’t look at Mother, look at me. Would you rather go by train?”
She dropped her eyes.
“Leave the poor child alone, she wants to go with her mother.”
Frau Krauss rose and walked out slamming the door hard.
“Give it another thought. You’ll rest properly on the train, and we’ll get home much faster…”
“Are you going to America?” Irma was on the verge of tears. Helmut СКАЧАТЬ