I actually saw him some time before the accident. He came in for a haircut. I was shocked at first because he had lost a lot of weight. At the same time he seemed to be beaming in an odd way. You know like a fanatical pastor or somebody. Dad was of course quite goodlooking.

Like you I said.

Fair enough we look a bit alike but dad was different. He was strong and a hard worker even later in life. Women went for him. 122

Don’t they go for you I wondered because I couldn’t resist prodding even though I knew.

No I prefer men he said. I think dad understood even though we never talked about it. When he turned up in the salon it was the first time we’d clapped eyes on each other for at least ten years. He wanted a haircut and I got on with washing his hair.

We were on our own. My assistant had the day off. We didn’t speak about anything much to begin with. Chatted a little about the village. About sis and how the cancer had been cured. The elk team had been allotted two adults and five calves. His hair was still thick even though he had gone grey. I gave him a cool french styling that made him look younger still short at the back of his neck and a longer fringe. It felt really nice to work with my dad’s hair. It was the closest physical contact we ever had.

He met my eyes in the mirror. Stefan he said I’m in love for the first time in my life and I want to leave your mother. But I don’t know how to say it.

Say it to whom I asked him. This woman. Or mum. The woman of course he said.

Only someone madly in love would see it like that. As if mum wouldn’t care one way or the other. As if her world wouldn’t collapse around her just with the shame of it.

I wanted to know who this woman was and he said she was married to that brännström guy whatever his name was. And that she had wanted to leave him for years but never felt she could. Dad described him as someone quite out of order. Beat her up. Sometimes she had bruises all over her body. Dad had told her that he’d take brännström on and teach him a lesson the oldfashioned way but this woman I think her name was maria wouldn’t hear 123of it. She said to let her deal with her husband in her own way. After that the two of them could be together for real.

What happened I asked. Did they become a couple.