“Does no one on this street have a job to go to anymore?” he wonders.

“I’m retired,” says Rune’s wife, almost apologetically.

“I’m on maternity leave,” says Parvaneh, patting her stomach proudly.

“I’m an IT consultant!” says the Lanky One, also proudly.

Ove and Parvaneh again indulge in a bit of synchronized head-shaking.

Rune’s wife makes another attempt.

“I think it could be the radiators.”

“Have you bled them?” says Ove.

She shakes her head and looks curious.

“You think it could be because of that?”

Ove rolls his eyes.

“Ove!” Parvaneh roars at him at once, as if she’s a reprimanding schoolmistress. Ove glares at her. She glares back. “Stop being rude,” she orders.

“I told you, I’m not rude!”

Her eyes are unwavering. He makes a little grunt, then goes back to standing in the doorway. He thinks it could sort of be enough now. All he wants is to die. Why can’t these lunatics respect that?

Parvaneh puts her hand encouragingly on Rune’s wife’s arm.

“I’m sure Ove can help you with the radiators.”

“That would be amazingly kind of you, Ove,” Rune’s wife says at once, brightening.

Ove sticks his hands in his pockets. Kicks at the loose plastic by the threshold.

“Can’t your man sort out that kind of thing in his own house?”

Rune’s wife shakes her head mournfully.

“No, Rune has been really ill lately, you see. They say it’s Alzheimer’s. He’s in a wheelchair as well. It’s been a bit uphill. . . .”

Ove nods with faint recognition. As if he has been reminded of something his wife told him a thousand times, although he still managed to forget it all the time.

“Yeah, yeah,” he says impatiently.

“You can go and breathe their radiators, can’t you, Ove!” says Parvaneh.

Ove glances at her as if considering a firm retort, but instead he just looks down at the ground.

“Or is that too much to ask?” she continues, drilling him with her gaze and crossing her arms firmly across her stomach.

Ove shakes his head.

“You don’t breathe radiators, you bleed them . . . Jesus.”

He looks up and gives them the once-over.

“Have you never bled a radiator before, or what?”

“No,” says Parvaneh, unmoved.

Rune’s wife looks at the Lanky One a little anxiously.

“I haven’t got a clue what they’re talking about,” he says calmly to her.

Rune’s wife nods resignedly. Looks at Ove again.

“It would be really nice of you, Ove, if it isn’t too much of a bother. . . .”

Ove just stands there staring down at the threshold.

“Maybe this could have been thought about before you organized a coup d’état in the Residents’ Association,” he says quietly, his words punctuated by a series of discreet coughs.

“Before she what?” says Parvaneh.

Rune’s wife clears her throat.

“But, dear Ove, there was never a coup d’état. . . .”

“Was so,” says Ove grumpily.

Rune’s wife looks at Parvaneh with an embarrassed little smile. “Well, you see, Rune and Ove here haven’t always gotten along so very well. Before Rune got ill he was the head of the Residents’ Association. And before that Ove was the head. And when Rune was voted in there was something of a wrangle between Ove and Rune, you could say.”