Absolute Friends by JOHN LE CARRE

Author:JOHN LE CARRE [Carre, John Le]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316159395
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Published: 2010-05-22T17:25:38.281000+00:00

"Ever go to one of his parties?"

"You bet I did. _And__ lived to tell the tale."

"Was Bernie political in Taos?"

"When he remembered to be. When he wasn't too high or too low."

"Way out there, still? Wild? _Communist?__"

"Well, not _real__ Communist, not as such. More contrary than Communist, I'd say. If you were for it, Bernie was agin it." And he puts his hand to his mouth because he has a momentary feeling he may be letting Bernie down.

"You ever meet his girl? Cuban girl?"

"Nita? Sure." So it's Nita, he thinks.

"She Communist too?"

"I assume so. But only with a small _c,__" he adds.

"Love Castro?"

"Probably. She loved most chaps."

"Did Bernie or Nita ever try to get you to _do__ anything for them? Like meet somebody they knew, hand them a letter, talk to someone when you got home to England? Why are you laughing?"

"I wondered for a minute whether you were going to ask me if I'd packed my own suitcase."

So Rourke laughs too, good rich laughter while he refreshes their glasses.

"So no, right? You did them no favors? No little errands. I'm relieved."

There is no way out. He has to ask "Why? What have they done?"

"Oh, they haven't _done__ it yet. But they will. Thirty years apiece for spying for the Sovs. No kids, thank God. It's always hardest on the kids."

Mundy watches Rourke smile into his balloon glass while he cradles it in his palm. But in his mind's eye it is Nita he sees, stretched beside him in the hacienda, and bearded little Bernie leaning wild-eyed across her, boasting that he is riding on the revolutionary train.

"But Bernie's a fantasist," he manages to protest. "He'd say anything that came into his head, just for effect. What could they possibly know that would be useful to the Russians? You'd have to be a fool to believe anything Bernie told you."

"Oh, they never got to the Russians, we made sure of that. Bernie called up the Sov consulate in Miami, gave a funny name, said he was pro-Cuban and would like to serve the cause. Sovs didn't take him up on his offer. We did. Sweetest little sting I ever saw. Ran for six long months before it dawned on Bernie that he was working for Uncle Sam and not the Sovs."

"Where does Nita come in?"

Rourke shakes his head in happy reminiscence. "Carried for him. Smarter than he was by a mile. Women usually are."

He rolls genially on.

"Ted."

"Jay."

"Can I ask you this one more question before you tear me limb from limb? A really _bad__ one."

"If you must."

"You're public school, right?"

"Not my choice actually."

"A lost boy."

"In those days. Probably."

"Parentless."

"Well, not always."

"But by the time you got to Berlin."

"Yes."

"So we have one Brit, one Kraut, both parentless, even if Sasha wants to be but isn't. Both lost boys, both--I don't know--_mouvementé,__ kinetic, thirsting for life. You mentioned Isherwood. I liked that. Can I go on?"

"Can I stop you?" He already wishes he could.

"And you _bond.__ You're creating a perfect society together. You share your dreams.

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