Only the Strongest Survive (17 page)

“Don’t worry, big brother, I’ve never been
better. I was getting sick of the job and luckily I have enough
savings so that I don’t need to look for another one just yet.” He
forced himself to yawn and stretch again. “In fact, I’ve been
thinking of maybe renting my apartment out and staying here for a
few months.”

“What, live like a hermit in this scary house
without any contact with anyone? And without any income.”

“
I could
easily live off the rent from my apartment. I have hardly any
expenses and live modestly.”

Ronald looked
at the bottle of champagne and the still unopened black caviar. “If
that’s what you think. But it does seem a bit strange to me, so
don’t blame me for feeling concerned.” His face took on a mild,
understanding expression. “Are you sure that what we did in the
woods didn’t affect you? Maybe you started hating other people and
now are hiding yourself away. See, John, I love you very much and I
worry about you. What if we found you a therapist?”

“No, no. Don’t worry, I told you I’m good.
Besides, it’s not true I hate people. I go to town nearly every
night and have a beer or two.”

“
But that’s
not the same. You should be with your family, you know what I mean.
One has to talk to someone every so often.”

“I’m telling you I’m fine, never been
better.”

“
If you say
so.” Ronald leaned back, watching him. “I must say you do look
better, somehow. Maybe all this fresh air really is doing you good.
And you haven’t let yourself go. You obviously get shaved and dress
nicely, except for that stain on your pants. Oh, that’ll be it,
you’re in love. I can see it in your eyes. Come on, admit
it.”

“
Oh, Ronald,
you know me, never ever been in love.”

“
I know, but
you’re different this time. I can see a change in you. Obviously
you’ve fallen in love with some girl from town.”

“
No, I
haven’t. Please, don’t just draw conclusions. I’m fine. Life in the
countryside does me good.” John’s statements were accompanied by
nervous gesticulations.

“
OK, if you
say so.” Ronald got up and began walking toward the door. He wasn’t
happy with what he had achieved and had hoped to persuade his
brother to return to a normal life. “You must promise you’ll call
me sometime.”

“I promise.”

Ronald looked
at the cell phone invoice that lay on top of a large porcelain
figurine of a woman next to the door. “What, a bill for two hundred
and fifty dollars for your cell phone? Didn’t you say you were
living modestly?”

“Oh, yeah, that phone keeps tempting me. In
fact, I’ll cancel it.”

“
Aha,” Ronald
said. “Bye, then.”

“Bye, Ron.”

John watched
him go
, while trying to control his
anger.
Why the hell does he
have to meddle in my life? Why doesn’t he just stay with that
stupid wife of his and leave me alone? I’ll tell him next
time.

He poured
some brandy into a glass and drank it in one gulp.
Damn idiot!

*

Twenty
minutes later
John was with Emely again
and noticed that she was more uneasy than usual. Emely was indeed
afraid that Ronald would find out somehow that she was there and
would come to get her. At the thought of seeing him again her hands
trembled. She was used to John by now, but the sight of Ronald
would probably give her a nervous breakdown.

John
said,
“Don’t worry, I saw him leave. Very
likely he won’t be coming back so soon.” These words were spoken
with uncertainty and his face betrayed the fact that he was deep in
thought and absentmindedly worrying about the alarm not sensing
Ronald’s arrival.
You can’t
rely on electronic gadgets,
he
thought.
And that damn phone
bill. Why did I have to leave it lying around?

He smiled at
Emely and said
, “There’s really no reason
to worry. Whenever he comes again, we’ll both be ready.”

She nodded,
but it was clear she wasn’t certain about it either.

*

In the
evening, Emely was again invited to the dining room. Like the day
before, the table was laid with various dishes and in the
center there stood a candleholder with three
long silver candles. Everything looked so perfect that it took
Emely’s breath away. Napkins shaped into swans adorned the fine
porcelain plates and the elegant silver cutlery shone
brightly.

“
What’s all
this, John? The table looks … well … fantastic.”

As if
expecting praise, he smiled and walked over to the liquor cabinet.
“May I suggest we have a cocktail as an aperitif?”

“
Of course,
John. I didn’t know you could mix cocktails.”

He nodded proudly. “I know how to make eighty
different ones.”

“
Oh,” she
said
, smiling, “you’re full of
surprises.” She was deliberately flattering him and she could see
he was relaxing gradually. He had been careless a few times
now.
This could be my way to
freedom.
She had noticed his excessive
spending.
If this goes on, all
I’ll be doing is paying for his expenses.

“I’ll let you surprise me. You choose,” she
said in a friendly voice.

His cheeks
turned red and it was clear he was as happy as a child. He took a
silver metal shaker, poured into it various
liquors, and mixed them by throwing the shaker from one
hand to another, like a juggler. Then he crushed some ice and used
it to cool two elegant glasses on long stalks. He added ice to the
cocktail shaker.

When Emely
tried the cocktail, she was surprised. The drink was strong, but
its tropical flavor lingered for a while after the smooth liquid
had disappeared down her throat. Afterward, a hint of mint appeared
in her mouth. She put her hand on her heart and nodded
slightly.

“Fantastic flavor.”

She tried it
once more while John watched her. He had been attracted to mixing
drinks for a long time. When he was twenty-one, he even went to a
competition and came in second. Unfortunately, he didn’t have
anyone to whom he could offer just the right cocktail at any
moment.

“Mmmm, so what is it called?”

John got a
little flustered.
“It doesn’t really have
a name yet. I made it up about a week ago, but completely forgot to
call it something.”

“Then let’s call it Emely-John,” she said
deliberately.

John’s face became even redder with
embarrassment and he looked down.

Emely laughed and raised her glass. “Let’s
give a toast to the Emely-John cocktail.”

They clinked
glasses and for a moment that seemed dangerously long they looked
into each other’s eyes. John was the first to turn away, and he
walked into the kitchen, feeling confused. He wandered around for
some moments, having forgotten what he had come for. Finally he
calmed the storm in his head, picked up a silver tureen, carried it
to the dining room, and served the hot beef consommé.

“
It smells
very good,” Emely had to admit, and waited for him to sit
down.

“
You traded
very profitably today.
”

“We traded,” she said. “But I have to warn
you that sooner or later we’ll experience a loss. And not a small
one. You can be lucky for a whole week and then suffer a huge loss
in a day.”

“
Oh?”
He looked at her, worried.

“However, through the years I’ve developed a
sixth sense and it has often saved me from such losses. When
there’s a big panic on the stock exchange, those who withdraw first
are the ones who are saved.”

John was
visibly relieved. Until then everything had gone perfectly. He
didn’t want to even imagine the flow of money getting smaller or
losing some of his capital. For the first time in his life he was
truly enjoying himself and had no intention of having to think
about saving.

The soup was
followed by roast pork and vegetables. Emely had to clap her hands
at the highly piled-up plates. “Who’s going to eat all
this?”

Tasting the
delicious dish, she closed her eyes a few times. She had eaten in
nearly all the best restaurants in this part of the country in the
last few years but had to admit that the food cooked by John
surpassed all of them.

“
Mmm
… I’ve never had such a good roast,” she said a
few times. “You should open a restaurant. Have you ever thought
about it?”

He stared
ahead, his cheeks as red as a tomato. “No, I haven’t.”

“
You should.
All the famous people would come to you.”

“Oh, come on, you’re exaggerating now.”

“I’m not exaggerating, you really should
think about it. It’s clear you cook with love and have a
talent.”

She noticed
he was blushing and she liked the fact that he was falling under
her spell. “I think many people don’t use their talents fully,” she
added.

“
Emely, how
come you’ve never married?” he asked her directly, changing the
subject.

“What do you mean, not married? I told you
about Philip. Isn’t that enough?” The conversation had been going
so smoothly and now he had to surprise her with such a personal
question.

“
What I meant
to say
…. Relationships that last no
longer than two years are something quite different from staying
with someone for life.”

“
What do you
mean two years?” She tried to remember how long she had been with
Philip, but she couldn
’t put her finger
on the start of their relationship. “We must have been together for
more than two years. And anyway, how does it matter?” She wasn’t
sure why his question annoyed her so much.
What does it matter how long you’re with someone? If
you’ve been together for two years, you can spend the rest of your
life with them.

“
Well,
” John said, “some people
never marry. Maybe they never find the right partner. I mean,
someone they really love.”

He looked at her with such a serious
expression that her heart missed a beat.

He said,
“They’re always with someone, but it doesn’t last for more than a
few years.”

“I’m not sure if that’s quite true, is it?”
She looked back and soon became resigned to the fact that she had
not spent more than two years with anyone.

John’s gaze
made her feel uncomfortable. “You’re alone too,” she said. “Why
aren’t you married?”

He smiled. Whenever he did this, she was
amazed by his beautiful teeth.

“I’m not criticizing you, Emely. I think
you’ll find the right guy sooner or later and get married.”

“
I have found
him. Philip. I’ll marry him.” She said this only to annoy him. The
thought of actually marrying Philip somehow did not
appeal.

And so they went on bantering until ten
o’clock when Emely, feeling tired, put her hands on the table to
indicate that it was time for her to go to bed.

John looked at his watch and nodded. “It is
late. I’ll walk you to your room.”

Yes, you’ll walk me,
she thought
angrily.
And lock me in,
too.

Only twenty minutes after she went to bed,
the alarm went off.

*

John was
feeling even better than the night before.
It’s clear that living in the country is good for
me.
Like every night, he was in a hurry
to go to town and didn’t want to waste any time. His foot pressed
hard on the gas pedal. Both the engine and the undercarriage were
making worrying noises.
I’ll
buy a new car. In a month or so.

When he got
to town he first went to the casino. He entered with his head
raised proudly and secretly looked to see if others had noticed
him. When he was buying the chips, he deliberately spoke loudly so
that as many people as possible would hear him. Finally he was
important and he wanted to show off.
Let them stare, these rich bastards, let them stare at my
fat wallet.

As soon as
he
sat at the first gambling table he
noticed that people started whispering to each other and looking in
his direction. He kept calling the waiter, ordering the most
expensive drinks, often berating the boy shuffling the cards for
being too slow and saying this would not earn him any money. The
poor boy’s hands shook so much that the cards had already scattered
onto the table twice.

“
Honestly, I
can’t believe it,” John said
in a harsh
voice. “Hurry up and shuffle those damn cards. It’s my lucky night
tonight, I can feel it in my bones.”

He didn’t
care a hoot about the winnings. What was important was that
everyone noticed him and looked at him with envy. He never bet with
only one chip and always used at least a fistful.

He
didn
’t stay long at the first table and
set off for the roulette. He was lucky. Every time he won, people
screamed in delight. It was like watching a football game.
Suddenly, two tall blondes were standing next to him, rooting for
him and shrieking. John immediately ordered the most expensive
champagne for them. Other women looked on enviously, hoping he
would notice them too. He felt like a film star and finally
realized what it meant to be rich. It was a wonderful evening. He
knew he could have any of those horny women that were begging with
their eyes, but he didn’t desire any of them.
They all just want my money, let them go to hell.
If I have to pay, I’ll pick a woman off the street.