The Drinker (9 page)

19

Of course I had no idea in which direction Lobedanz had gone, and at first I looked about me rather anxiously. But once I was out of the “shed quarter” and walking through the clean streets of my home town, I felt safer. Without hesitation, I went straight to the station and sat down in the second-class waiting-room. I knew I was risking a great deal; if anything of my story had leaked out, I was lost. But I would have to run many more risks this morning: this sitting in the waiting-room was only a rehearsal for other important undertakings to come. Of course I could have hidden in the park for a few hours with less risk, but in my changed mood, I liked to defy danger now, though I must also confess that I was to some extent incited to it by alcohol. I did not want to be quite without it, so I ordered from the waiter, besides a big breakfast of fried eggs, sausage and cheese, a carafe of cognac as well, with which to lace my coffee while I breakfasted for the second time, in comfort, and not without appetite. During this long spun-out meal I buried myself in the local newspaper, which I had not seen for a long time. I read all the local news, including the personal columns, and became certain that no hint about me had got into the paper. It was quite feasible that Magda in her ‘concern for my well-being’ would have inserted in the paper an announcement to the effect that: E.S., a wholesale merchant, had been missing for such and such a time and was probably wandering about the neighbourhood in a state of mental confusion. Anyone having news of him etc., etc. But nothing of the kind.

During my breakfast I was interrupted for some ten minutes by Stretz the baker, about whom I had just been reading in the newspaper. It appeared that he had been celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of his business. We get our bread from him, and now and then he buys his white flour from me. We have known each other for years. He sat down at my table and expressed surprise that we had not seen each other for so long and that I was here at the station eating his competitor’s rolls, instead of breakfasting peacefully at home off his. But all this was innocent, as I quickly noticed. I explained everything by hinting at a journey. I was sure now that no rumour of my changed way of life had penetrated beyond the very narrow circle of those concerned. Later, some distant acquaintances came into the waiting-room and, feeling quite safe, I greeted them with a friendly nod and wave of the hand.

However, as the hands of the clock got closer to nine, the waiter had to bring me a second, and finally a third carafe of cognac—let him think what he liked about me, I was not likely to be his guest again soon.

By five to nine I had paid. I got up, took my suitcase, and went into the street. I went along the station road, then fearlessly down our main promenade, the Ulmenallee, and so to the market square where the bank is. Here I was well inside enemy territory. Directly opposite the bank is the Town Hall, on the ground floor of which is situated the very police station that was probably called last night on my account. And one minute from the market square is my own business-place to which, perhaps, this farm-cart is rolling with its load of wheat-sacks. I really was rather excited and before I entered the bank I dried my sweating hands with my handkerchief. Then I went in.

In the bank, I saw at a glance that, at this time of day, shortly after opening, there were only a few office-boys and typists fidgeting with papers. I put the suitcase down, hung up my hat, and went over to the counter behind which sat the clerk who looked after my account. Smiling, I bade him “Good morning” and told him that I had just returned from a lengthy journey (I pointed to my suitcase by the door) and that I would like to ascertain the state of my current account. And while I said all this lightly and without hesitation, I examined his face, inwardly trembling, for any sign of mistrust, suspicion, doubt. But nothing of this showed in the young man’s face. He willingly opened the book, totted up some figures with his pencil for a minute, and then said quite indifferently that at the moment my account stood at seven thousand eight hundred odd marks and some pfennigs.

I could hardly conceal a start of joyous surprise, I had never expected so much in my wildest dreams. It was something of a puzzle to me how Magda had managed it. Probably the prison administration had settled up for the delivery of the cordage, but even that could not nearly have accounted for so much. Well anyway, I told myself, suppressing my happy excitement, there was money enough there, enough for the business and above all enough for me and my plans. For the moment I struggled with the temptation to draw out the whole amount, but I conquered myself. I did not want to behave meanly to Magda and the business, however meanly she had behaved to me. Apart from that, such a withdrawal, which would have looked like the closing of my account, would have attracted too much attention.

All this went through my head like lightning, and now I said casually that I had a large payment to make today, and asked for pen and ink. Still standing by the counter, I made out a cheque for five thousand marks, and handed it to the book-keeper. With a last remnant of fear I examined his face again, but without a moment’s hesitation he made the necessary entries, stamped the cheque, and himself took it over to the cashier’s compartment. I went over too. I was animated by a feeling of proud triumph and boundless joy. Now I had done Magda beautifully: that she had been stupid enough not to give the bank the slightest hint, that showed my enormous superiority in its true light. I could have danced and shouted for joy. It was only with an effort that I suppressed a laughing fit that overtook me.

“How would you like the money, Herr Sommer?” asked the cashier.

“In big notes,” I said hastily, “that is, in fifties and hundreds, and about two hundred marks in small change.”

In two minutes I had my money, put it away carefully in my breast pocket, and stepped like a proud conjuror into the market square. Just as I was going through the revolving doors, the idea occurred to me that this triumph ought really to be celebrated. Despite the early hour, I wanted to go to a little wine-bar in the market square and, with a bottle or two of burgundy, to eat a lobster or some oysters, or whatever Rohloff had, according to the season of the year.

I step out of the door, and before me stands the inevitable, the repulsive Lobedanz, looking at me with his slimy smile.

20

If this had not been the open market square I would have strangled the scoundrel! As it was I only looked at him darkly, menacingly for a moment, held on tighter to my case, and without taking further notice of him, made my way toward the station. But I knew full well that he was following on my heels and soon I heard his hateful soft insinuating voice:

“Do let me carry your case, sir! Please let me carry your case, sir!”

I pretended I had not heard, and walked on faster. But suddenly I felt a hand near mine on the handle of the case, and, in broad daylight on the open street, Lobedanz had taken the suitcase out of my hand.

Furiously I turned and shouted: “Give me back that case at once, Lobedanz!”

He smiled humbly.

“Not so loud, sir,” he begged in a whisper. “People are looking. That’s embarrassing for you, sir. Not for a poor working man like me, but for you, sir.…”

“Give me back that case at once, Lobedanz,” I repeated, but quieter, for people really were looking at us.

“Later, later,” he said soothingly. “I like to carry it, sir. To the station, eh?” And without waiting for an answer, he passed by me and went on ahead to the station. I followed him with a helpless feeling of impotence. I looked with hatred at this slightly bowed figure in the dark-blue jacket. Ever since those minutes during which I walked behind Lobedanz to the station, I have known how a murderer feels immediately before his crime. And I could do nothing to him, nothing at all. He was stronger than I, physically as well as morally. He only needed to call the nearest policeman, and I was lost. He knew that perfectly well, the scoundrel. If I had been a bit more calm and collected at that moment, I could have left Lobedanz peacefully in possession of my suitcase, and dodged off quickly into some side street. With such a large sum of money in my pocket, the loss of the suitcase could easily be put up with—just the ransom to buy myself free from the miserable rogue. But these thoughts did not occur to me, my blood was boiling, I could not think.

Having reached the square in front of the station, instead of going in, Lobedanz turned into the public convenience that lay to the left, hidden by bushes. He did not look round at me, being certain that I would follow him like a little dog. Once in there, he put the suitcase down, pulled on his fingers till the joints cracked, and said: “Now, sir, we can talk peacefully here.”

I looked round. The water was rushing in the half-dozen urinal basins, but customers were lacking at this early hour. Lobedanz was right: we could talk in peace here.

“And so we will!” I cried furiously. “What do you think you’re doing, Lobedanz, running after me and spying on me all the time, last night already, and now again …”

“Spying on you?” he echoed, reproachfully. “But sir, I’ve brought you your brandy,” and he actually took it out of his trousers pocket. “You forgot it this morning. But I’m an honest man. I said to my wife: ‘The gentleman paid for the brandy, so he ought to get it.’ So here I am.”

He held the bottle out to me.

“Drink up, sir, I’ve uncorked it already. The cork’s quite loose.”

I made a furious gesture. He wasn’t discouraged. He offered me the bottle again.

“Do drink,” he insisted. “You’re such a nice gentleman when you’ve had a drop to drink. It doesn’t suit you at all when you’re sober. You’re always so irritable then.…”

He took the cork out of the bottle and rubbed its wet butt to and fro on the neck of the bottle.

“Listen, sir,” he said laughing, “the schnaps is calling you.”

And really, to this day I can’t make it out, but by his idiotic behaviour the rogue got me round again. Now laughing myself, I seized the bottle, cried “You miserable scoundrel, you!” and drank and drank. Then I took the bottle away from my mouth, corked it, thrust it into my own trousers pocket, and asked: “But what do you want from me, Lobedanz? Haven’t you had everything you were supposed to get?”

“Don’t let’s talk about that, sir,” said Lobedanz eagerly. “Don’t let’s talk about trifles like that. I know you’re an honourable man, you’re really a fine man. You wouldn’t have the heart to let a poor man die in misery.…”

“What do you mean, Lobedanz?” I asked warily. “I think you’ve already had enough, and more than enough, out of me. When I think of that jewellery of mine.…”

He paid no attention.

“Look, sir,” he began in his most insinuating tone, and he made his joints crack sickeningly, “a man like myself is like a brute beast, born in filth and never getting out of the filth. A fine gentleman like yourself can’t imagine it properly …”

“I can imagine a whole lot of things about you, Lobedanz,” I said grimly, “and they certainly have to do with filth.”

Again he took no notice of me. Impressively and with conviction, he said: “And when such a brute beast, sir, sees a bit of business that might lift him out of the filth for his whole life, well, sir, there can’t be any hesitation, the business has to be gone through with, sir!”

He looked at me and repeated, this time with nothing soft and insinuating in his voice: “The business has to be gone through with, sir. It’s a matter of life and death.”

Inwardly, I trembled at the wild threat in his voice, but outwardly I was quite calm as I asked: “And what sort of business are you talking about, Lobedanz?”

He passed his hand over his eyes as if wiping away some evil picture, and began to smile, insinuatingly, softly. He had himself under control again.

“What sort of business, sir?”

He smiled more broadly, his finger joints cracked.

“The gentleman knows best how much money he drew out of the bank, and how much he wants to give me.”

I was dumbfounded by his impudence. I had expected that he would claim the silver, and was already half prepared to let him have it, but that he should ask for a share of my precious money, that was something I hadn’t anticipated.

“You’re a fool, Lobedanz,” I laughed. “Moreover, you didn’t pay proper attention. I didn’t get a pfennig from the bank. My wife had blocked my account. I’m not allowed to draw any more money out, do you understand?”

He listened to me in gloomy silence. I reached into the side-pocket of my jacket and took out what was left of the money I had taken from Magda’s cashbox.

“Here, see for yourself. That’s all the money I possess.”

I held the money out to him. His dark suspicious glance wandered from my face to the money in my hand.

“How much is there?” he asked in a faltering voice. “Show me.”

He stood quite near to me, his eyes close to the money. Then surprising me with a sudden lunge he reached into my breast pocket and tore out the bundles of money. One or two fell on to the dirty wet asphalt floor of the lavatory—we both bent down after them simultaneously. His hands were quicker, but realising the futility of trying to pick up the money. I seized him by the throat, I hung tightly on to him, determined never to let him go until he had given in, until I had my money back.… He tried to defend himself, but his defence was hindered by his greed. With both hands he was holding on to the money that he could not bear to relinquish.

He jerked his knee up against my stomach. A moment later, we were both rolling on the floor, I still hanging on to his throat, his limbs wildly threshing, like a fish the angler pulls in to land … then his limbs went slack, from his throat came a horrible rattle … I let go of him and tried to open his hand … I would like to know what our honest postmaster Winder can have thought when he found two men struggling wildly on the lavatory floor, when all he wanted was to settle peacefully his morning business! “Gentlemen! Please!” he cried in a high startled voice. “Here, in the toilet! Gentlemen!”

Lobedanz, who had got his breath back, saw his chance—with one bound he was up, grabbed the suitcase, pushed the postmaster aside, and was out of the lavatory, before you could count three. I stood giddy and benumbed, unable to make any quick decision. I went towards one of the basins, turning my back on the bewildered and indignant postmaster. He said “Herr Sommer, if I’m not mistaken. I’m surprised, Herr Sommer. I’m really surprised at you!” For a moment I felt his stabbing glance at my back, then a closet-door closed, a lock clicked, clothes rustled—I was alone and able to make my exit. And just at that moment when I was about to leave the convenience, absolutely desperate, without money, my glance fell on a blue package, and, look, there crumpled and soiled, lay a bundle of hundred-mark notes—a round thousand in ten hundred-mark notes!