The Grasshopper (28 page)

“What do you mean ‘which ones’,
Grasshopper? To the Non-Consumer cities.”

“I know that, but where should I
start?”

“First black out
Megapolis.”

“Megapolis?”

“Yes.”

“Is that what the generals
said?”

“No. they still don’t even know
that I’m going to switch off the power.”

“They don’t know? So that’s why you
think that they will immediately propose that you switch off the
energy to Megapolis. You are absolutely right, Mr. President. That
is exactly what they will propose. Because they envy and hate you.
And that is why they don’t want you to leave Megapolis for the end
of the war.”

“You’re right, Grasshopper. They
envy and hate me. I don’t trust them at all.”

“That’s right. That’s why you won’t
listen to them. And you will wait until the end of the war, when
the entire world has already surrender and bowed before you. Only
then will the two of us switch off the energy to Megapolis. They
are all spoiled wimps and they will surrender quickly. And then you
will arrive in the center of their main square in a gold chariot
pulled by sixteen white horses. There at the table the defeated
Seneca will be waiting and before you he will sign the capitulation
of Megapolis.”

“That is wonderful! Fantastic!
That’s all I’ll dream about from now on!”

“So, what should I switch off
first?”

“Switch off whatever you want,
Grasshopper.”

“Yes, sir, Mr.
President.”

Chapter 103

“So what don’t I understand?”
wondered Pascal, while sitting at the dining room table, with his
back turned towards the kitchen.

“Pascal,” said Eir. The little girl
raised her head, while sitting in his lap, offering him a doll that
she had just put a dress on.

“Yes, Eir?” asked Pascal, accepting
the doll. “Well that is a very pretty dress. Now put this one on
her,” Pascal pointed at a floral dress. “So we can see which one is
prettier.”

“Oki,” said Eir and took the doll
from Pascal.

Pascal’s eyes went back to the
white sheet which had been covering the couch for the past two
weeks. “How long will I stare at that sheet? What am I waiting for?
A fairy godmother to turn it into our cover? To turn this room into
ours? I have nothing to wait for. Nothing to hope for. I have
experienced the pinnacle of my life. My five minutes are passed.
They’re passed, Pascal!” he shouted at himself. “Accept it. It’s
over, finished, caput, no more, the end!”

“…
my husband doing
now?” he heard Manami behind him. “He’s been gone for days. He’ll
defeat Erivan. If you can say that anyone is truly exceptional,
then it’s my husband.”

“There, Pascal. Did you hear that?
You did, you did. That’s all you hear. That’s all you listen to all
day long. ‘My husband, my husband!’ Your Mrs. Seneca has made up
her mind. That night, your only night, Pascal, she sat next to you
in her nightgown and she saw that you’re nothing special. That she
doesn’t need that. You probably stumbled upon her during a small
marriage crisis. The young woman, whose husband is never at home,
longed for a little attention, a little adventure, a break from
monotony. And she slipped into her nightgown, put her head on your
shoulder and that was it. For such a conservatively raised woman
that was more than enough. She ended her adventure and went back to
her family. After that she ‘accidently’ spilled tea on your cover
and she said that she had to wash it. And she still hasn’t washed
it. And she will never wash it. Regardless of how much you stare at
that sheet.”

“There, I’m done in the kitchen,”
said Manami, taking Eir from Pascal. “The two of us are off to our
quarters. Thank you very much, sir, for looking after her,” said
Manami, without looking at him.

Chapter 104

“You had your hopes up again,
Pascal?” Pascal asked himself when Manami took his plate after
lunch. “Your hands tremble every time that you raise the spoon to
your mouth. You think, this time, for sure… Well, it wasn’t this
time either! And it never will be! She didn’t put chili in your
food once! Sober up! Get out of here! Go already, man! It’s over!
Over! You heard the lady, what she’s telling you the entire time?
My husband this, my husband that! No more Julius! Only my husband!
So that you will finally understand who she is and who she belongs
to. To get you off her back once and for all.”

“You’re not saying anything, sir?
How was lunch?” Manami asked from the kitchen, with her back
turned.

“Excellent, ma’am, thank you,”
Pascal answered, with his back turned towards her.

“Excellent? Only excellent? So it
wasn’t exceptional?”

“Yes, ma’am, it was
exceptional.”

“That’s alright. I’m just joking
with you, sir. Only rare things are exceptional, right?”

“That’s right, ma’am.”

“Make up your mind once and for
all!” Pascal returned to his dark thoughts. “Don’t desecrate it!
Don’t desecrate your night any more. As soon as you hear that Noah
bring the food, or if Seneca… no, not Seneca – the lady’s husband!
Please, Pascal, express yourself correctly! So, if the lady’s
husband appears… That’s right, Pascal! Bravo! Even you are learning
some manners! Then nicely, say goodbye to Mrs. Seneca…”

At that thought, with that image
before his eyes, Pascal sighed deeply. He waved his head. “I can’t…
I can’t imagine it… That moment… I hold out my hand… and see her
for the last time… I can’t… I can’t go on without you, Manami! I
can’t!!!”

“Pascal, do you want to test me
now,” said Peter, when he too had finished lunch.

“Alright. Bring the
tablet.”

“Leave the gentleman be, Peter. He
might want to have a little rest after lunch.”

“No, no ma’am…”

“When you’re finished testing
Peter, Eir will wake up, then she will want you to play with her.
That’s not your responsibility, sir.” Manami stood next to Pascal.
“You know what? From now on the three of us will be in our rooms. I
will work with Peter. So that you can have a rest from all of us,
sir.”

Pascal bowed his head.

“What are you saying, mommy?” Peter
shouted. “I want to study with Pascal.”

“And I want to test your knowledge
myself, Peter. To see whether it is truly as exceptional as the
gentleman claims. Peter’s knowledge is exceptional, isn’t it, sir?
That is your favorite expression it seems to me, sir!”

“Yes, it’s exceptional,” whispered
Pascal, without raising his head.

Chapter 105

“You have to get through that
moment, Pascal. This moment is the price that you have to pay for
that night. You just squeeze her hand… Who says that you have to
look her in the eyes? Look past her. And you just turn around and
run to the elevator.

“Noah will probably come tomorrow.
He hasn’t been in a while. Tomorrow! Surely tomorrow! Only that one
moment and the end. You go to one of your cities… I won’t go to one
of our cities. I won’t. I’ll ask Seneca to explain to me the war
situation. Then I’ll go to one of Erivan’s cities. Perhaps even to
Capital City? No, not to Capital City. It is entirely controlled by
him. I will go to one of the cities where our people are
surrounded, where they are losing the battle. Yes, that’s it.
Somewhere where I will certainly be killed, already on the first
day. I will take a weapon and immediately rush the inspectors. Let
them mow me down in an instant. And what if Noah appears now? If I
hear the elevator now, in the middle of the night?

“And she’s asleep. How will I say
goodbye? How will I see her at least one more time? I cannot… I
cannot leave. Let her drive me out! That’s it! I won’t decide
anything. I won’t think about anything any more. I don’t have the
strength to think. I can only look at her. Only love
her.”

“Sir, why are you not sleeping?”
asked Manami, entering fully dressed into the living room in the
middle of the night.

“I can’t, ma’am,” Pascal kept his
eyes pinned to her.

“I feel like tea. I thought of
making some, but now I won’t. I don’t want to bother
you.”

“You are not bothering me, ma’am.
You never…” whispered Pascal.

“Alright, if you say so,” Manami
passed next to Pascal and went into the kitchen. She poured water
into the kettle. “I’ll make some green tea. It is my husband’s
favorite. Actually my husband is exceptionally fond of green
tea…”

“My husband! My husband! My
husband!!!” Pascal exploded. “As though no one here understands
that! It is as though someone here doubts that! That he is your
husband, ma’am! The Missis has a husband! Nothing is more important
than that! That is the only thing that should be discussed! That is
the only thing that should be constantly repeated! My husband! My
husband!!!”

“How dare you!?” Manami
shouted.

Pascal didn’t pay attention to
that; he didn’t listen to her nor did he control himself. He
continued to shout.

“Does that husband of yours have a
name, perhaps?! As far as I hear, you call him Julius! And when you
talk to the children you call him dad. Only when you speak to me,
then he is ‘my husband’!”

“What insolence!” Manami shouted,
trying to outdo him.

“What do you tell him? ‘Do you want
some lunch, my husband? Here you go some green tea, my husband!’ Is
that how you speak to him?!”

“You should be ashamed of yourself,
sir!? What gives you the right!? You are the last man in world who
has the right to say something like that to me!”

“The last?! I know that I’m the
last one for you, ma’am! You don’t need to explain that to me! What
do you tell him?! ‘Come to our room, to our bed, my husband!’ Is
that how you call him?!”

“Shame on you! Shame on you!”
screamed Manami, as an uncontrolled rage came over her.

Pascal suddenly fell silent. He
awoke from a trans. Only then, when he had gotten it all out of
him, did he realize what he had told her.

“Forgive me, ma’am… forgive me,
please…” he passed by her, on his way to his room. “As soon as your
husband comes, I will leave… Forgive me, please… You will never see
me again… forgive me…” He was already near the door.

Manami ran after him, around him,
opened his door, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him strongly
into his quarters.

“Close the door and turn on the
light!” she said angrily, sharply, with a whisper. Pascal did as
she said. “Where is your room?!” she asked, louder.

“Here… over here,” Pascal
said.

Manami burst into the middle of the
large dormitory, turned to Pascal and ordered him

“Close the door and turn on the
light in the room!”

Pascal did so.

“I won’t let you wake my children,
sir!” Manami was now shouting as loud as she could.

“Forgive me… forgive
me…”

Manami rushed at him and pushed
him.

“At least I have one husband!” she
pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him. “And you,
sir?!” she shouted. “How are you surviving in bed alone, for so
long?! Without all those women of yours?! How?!”

Pascal watched her lips twitch and
ever muscle on her face tremble.

“I know how! You have your
memories! You have so many of them that you can remember a
different woman every night!”

“I don’t remember…” Pascal
whispered.

“If this were to last another
hundred years, you wouldn’t lack the memories! You won’t,
sir!”

“I don’t remember anyone. Anyone…”
Pascal took her clenched white fists in his hands.

“Let me go!” she said, pulling back
her hand. “Don’t touch me! I’m not one of your women! I’m not! Tell
me one thing, which one do you think of most often? Which one do
you dream of the best?”

“No one… only you … only you…” he
whispered.

“That Svetlana of yours!? The
youngest, isn’t she? If even she is young enough for Mr.
Alexander?! Not one is young enough for the gentleman, isn’t that
right?”

“There is no one… only
you…”

“And the gentleman thinks that I’m
to blame! He accuses me! Of course! It’s easier that way! Offense
is the best defense!”

“Forgive me… forgive
me…”

“And I’ve been waiting to see when
you will tell my husband… there it is! My husband! My husband! And
there’s nothing you can do about it! Nothing!!!”

“It’s alright… forgive
me…”

“I’ve been waiting to see when you
will tell him to bring your Svetlana here!”

“I won’t…”

“Your exceptional Svetlana! Isn’t
that so, sir?! Exceptional, isn’t that right!?” she pushed him away
again.

“Manami, my love… love… Love!!!”
Pascal shouted overjoyed. “You silly, you’re jealous! I’m so
overjoyed! Overjoyed!!!”