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Back Married Life Save as PDF
Chapters (42)
  1. About the Author
  2. Title Page
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. PART TWO
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. PART THREE
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. PART FOUR
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. PART FIVE
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35

She climbed onto a chair and lit the gas. They drank their coffee, hardly speaking. The gas flame began to sing in its soft, monotonous hiss, and was immediately joined by the drowsy buzzing of a fly. Someone nearby began to whistle the popular tune:

Wer hast denn dei-ne schoenen,
blauen Au-u-u-gen her,
so traut …
[German: ‘Where did you get those beautiful blue eyes, so familiar …’]

Franzi left the room and came back after a moment with a straw hat on her head.

Outside, a light breeze was blowing, setting a few scraps of grey cloud to flight. There was a smell of approaching rain in the air.

Gurdweill said, ‘You know, ten days ago my wife gave birth to a son.’

‘Really? I didn’t even know that you were married.’ She turned to face him and added, ‘You don’t seem like a married man.’

‘Nevertheless, I’ve been married for over a year now. I have a wife, a son, a father-in-law and a mother-in-law, and … a brother-in-law as well … two, as a matter of fact … all present and correct!’

‘I suppose you must be very happy about your son. And his mother even more so! She must be beside herself with joy. For a woman there’s nothing else like it in the world. When my Fritzi was born — how happy I was! And even now, but for him I don’t know where I would have found the strength to withstand all that suffering.’

‘Yes,’ Gurdweill agreed, ‘you’re quite right.’

Tomorrow he would change the carriage and then everything would be his: the woman, the baby, the carriage — everything. If only she wasn’t going to stay with her father … but that would soon pass too … He felt an urge to tell Franzi about it and he said: ‘They’re still in hospital — my wife and the baby, that is. But afterwards they’re going to stay with my in-laws. Only for a week or two. I decided that it would be for the best … Her mother will be able to help her with the baby — that’s very important! Especially at the beginning, don’t you agree?’

‘Of course!’ said Franzi, and Gurdweill felt a certain relief. It was on the tip of his tongue to add, ‘But one of my brothers-in-law likes strangling cats …’ but he caught himself in time. ‘This is getting beyond a joke!’ he said furiously to himself. ‘You’re letting your thoughts run away with you again!’

Then they arrived at the cinema, and he stood in the queue to buy tickets for the film.

27

27

Autumn announced itself with blustering winds, chillier nights, and leaves as broad and golden as tobacco, which lay scattered under the trees lining the streets, blew boldly onto the pavements, and made a crunching sound like sugar under the feet of the passers-by.