She’s about twenty metres past the car when she hears its door open and close. She resists the urge to turn around, but can feel her pulse start to quicken.

She starts to hurry, just as they agreed upon. Almost jogging now, which will force her pursuer to do the same.

She comes to the corner and turns to the right, catches sight of George straight ahead, even though he has the collar of his coat turned upwards and a dark stocking cap pulled low on his forehead. He’s leaning against the door of a closed restaurant and when he sees her, he starts walking in her direction at high speed. She nods quickly, and he nods back. Resolute and focused.

Then she stops at the entrance to the bakery, as they decided, and lights a cigarette. She glances back towards the corner.

She can’t believe her eyes. It happens just like George planned it. The man following her barrels around the corner, and George is standing there ready. He takes a step towards him, and they collide.

The man is much bigger than George, and George almost bounces off of him. But George grabs hold of his hand, grabs the cup and backs up.

‘Oh, pardon!’ she hears George shouting. ‘I didn’t mean to. I…’

‘What the hell!’ the man hisses. ‘Watch out!’

He catches sight of Klara and calms down, relieved he hasn’t lost her and obviously not wanting to expose himself.

‘Forgive me, forgive me,’ George repeats in French. He’s brushing the man’s jacket where the coffee spilled. ‘Let me compensate you, that’s the least I can do. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.’

‘It’s not necessary,’ the man mutters in heavily accented French. ‘Just leave me alone.’

‘Out of the question,’ George continues. ‘I insist.’

The man seems confused. He’s trying not to look over at Klara, still standing by the bakery, while also wrapping up the situation with George. The last thing he wants is to draw attention to himself. George apologizes again and then walks past Klara into the bakery without acknowledging her.

It takes no more than a minute for him to come out again with a cardboard cup of hot coffee in his hand. The man is standing where he left him.

‘I apologize again,’ George says, handing him the coffee. ‘I’m so clumsy.’

The man looks annoyed, but he takes the cup and shoos George away, who heads back towards his building further down the street.

Klara finishes her cigarette, pretending that she didn’t see what happened between the men. She stubs out her cigarette, goes into the bakery and buys a loaf of bread.

When she comes out again, she no longer sees the man.

*

‘He’s back in the car,’ is the first thing she hears when she enters George’s apartment. ‘With the coffee. I’m a fucking genius!’