We made our way to the bathroom together. It was under the stairs where most of the bathrooms in the village seemed to be and the sixtiesstyle tiled floor was familiar. She was chittering in 44her damp nightdress but didn’t want a shower because that was an affa waste.

Not today she said. I showered last thursday and the next time I shower it’s thursday again. That’s when she comes maria my little angel. I couldn’t bear to tell her that at this point her angelic maria had passed on to become a real angel. That was surely a given what with her lying there in the grass with her hands clasped.

And who’re you anyway she asked fixing me with stern eyes. I’m jana and I’m standing in for maria.

Jana jana she repeated and looked frantically for the jana she had recognised a little while earlier but forgotten by now. Off came the nightdress and I washed her with a washcloth but under the coldwattertap because she thought warm watter was an affa waste forby.

When she was finally seated at the kitchentable slurping coffee from the saucer and wearing a flowery jersey dress compression stockings a cardy I was dogtired. I looked through the tasks for the other eleven people on my list. It was going to be a long day. Märitljungqvist’s caution hovered at the back of my mind. Max half an hour for each one. I had already spent an hour here and still hadn’t had time to make the bed.

The next place was on the northern border of the district several tens of kilometres from ingelahansson’s. This was when I grasped why homecare service cars always overtook. It was the only way to get to where you should be but probably wouldn’t reach in time.

Svenkorpela. An old man who was deeply asleep with just the tip of his nose showing above the quilt. I looked him up on the list. Note important to administer medicine at the exact time. But that was a good hour ago. All the same I made a cup of coffee 45first and didn’t wake him until yesterday’s dishes were drying on the rack.

Hello sven I said and patted his arm. My name is jana and I’m your homecarer.

He sat straight up in bed rightaway and yelled fuck off you damned homeparasite I don’t need no help.

Puzzled I stopped next to his bed with the pill dispenser in my hand. But since I had no idea what my proper response should be I fetched coffee for both of us and put the hot mug into his hand aware that anything too hot or too cold might switch his mood one way or the other.