Remembering the battalion of drunks made me laugh. I laughed and coughed a cough that began deep down and tore its way through my body. Göranbäckström pushed on the button to get the bed into a better position and fetched a glass of water.

Hadn’t you better eat something he said. No I’m not hungry.

He rustled inside the plastic carrier that was propped up between his feet. Pulled out a bundle of magazines and newspapers and placed them on my table.

The missus put in some weeklies you might like. And issues of vk and your mail. And noragran came by with a bag of homebaking for you. She sends her best wishes and hopes you’ll get better soon.

He opened the bag and held it out for me. Steaming freshly baked muffins inside.

I took one to be polite. Thank you I said. Please tell them.

By the way I said once another bout of coughing was over. How did I get here.

I called the ambulance but it was twenty minutes away so I wrapped you up in the reindeer skin and carried you to the crossroads. The ambulance met up with me there.

Gratefully I touched his hand. He looked awkward.

Without you I might not have survived I said. 271

No he said. That could be so. But you’re a kippo after all. Tougher than most perhaps.

Your wife göran. Sonja. She’s beautiful when she smiles but you probably know that already. You should see to it that she smiles now and then.

I hardly knew what I was saying so for a while we were silent together. It was a comfortable silence. The kind of silence that people from our village share when they like each other.

There was something you wanted to talk about. Was it about maria I asked.

Partly he said. But it can wait if you’re not feeling up to it. That’s fine I said.

Göranbäckström went out to get himself a cup of coffee. I fell asleep straightaway. I was crawling on a rotten roof. It could crash under me at any moment.

272

FORTYSIX

Next time i woke it was night again but something was different. My body was different. It was cool. And it didn’t ache. Not much anyway.

I sat up in bed. Then perched on the edge of the bed. Tried putting my feet on the floor and standing. My legs hadn’t walked for nearly two weeks. I held on to whatever there was on the way to the toilet. I walked from the toilet to the bed and then back to the toilet. My legs felt stronger with every step I took. I needed strong legs to get home.

There was a text from diana.

You might have told me about john slash dad. I’m already getting fed up with your secrets. Keep in touch.