And then there was a slow number, and she rested against me like a fashion model against a tree trunk. She wasn’t heavy, she wasn’t timid, she was gentle; it was pleasant. Her breasts were as soft as a rabbit’s belly and I could clearly feel her stiff nipples through the thin material she had swathed them in.

We sat down at the table again, there were more glasses of wine, and then came the moment of truth: the bill.

As we left the place we found ourselves holding hands.

On the pavement outside we met a conspicuously well-dressed youth who handed us each a coloured photocopied sheet and said: ‘Every night at twelve. The Hot Spot.’ Jakob and I stuffed the flier into our inside pockets and walked on.

The night air was like a wet rug against our faces. Across the street there was a gigantic building site. Beside it was Bergen’s latest initiative, which, in line with the fashion of the time, was a car park.

‘Where are the flying saucers?’ I asked, looking around.

‘Where shall we go now?’ Jakob asked. ‘Gro promised she would do a striptease for us.’

‘Shh.’ Gro placed a hand over his mouth, kissed him on the neck and giggled hysterically.55

Kari was swaying like a reed in the breeze.

‘We definitely can’t go back to my place,’ Gro said.

‘Wouldn’t he like it?’ Jakob mumbled.

‘Turid. We wouldn’t want to wake Turid,’ Kari said, looking at me. ‘My daughter.’

I opened my arms. ‘My bed-sit’s cramped, but for you I’d make it warm and cosy … if you know what I mean.’

‘Let’s go to mine. The kids are staying over with friends,’ Jakob decided. ‘A respectable woman doesn’t strip in bed-sits. She can strip on the grand piano. Now, that would be very sexy.’

We hailed a passing taxi and before we knew what was happening we were sitting in Jakob’s sitting-room between piles of sheet music and books, in muted lighting, each holding a drink, our hearts thumping with anticipation, upstairs and downstairs.

‘I don’t know if I have any decent music to strip to,’ Jakob said.

‘Good,’ Gro said at once. ‘It’s all off then.’

‘No, no, no,’ Jakob said. ‘We’ll find something. Ah, I could play. I’ll sit at the keyboard and you can dance on the piano. Where do I get these ideas from?’

He stood up so quickly he spilt his drink. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, tonight there’s a new pianist at Minsky’s…’

He clapped and then stretched out a hand to Gro. ‘But tonight’s main attraction … ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for … Gro … Pedersen.’

Gro jumped to her feet in a way that suggested she had a coiled spring in her spine. ‘I’ll just have to…’ She took the drink Jakob offered her and downed it in one. Then she handed the glass back to him. ‘Another.’

Jakob poured her a generous drink; she took a good swig and hesitantly moved towards the piano. ‘It’s not right to stand on a piano. What about the shiny surface?’56