Sons and Brothers by Kim Hays

Author:Kim Hays
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sons and Brothers
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

22

Before

The Lion in Heidmatt,

November 1, twenty-two days before Gurtner’s death

Norbert’s joining you later?” the inn’s hostess said to Jakob. “I’ll put you at this bigger table for when he gets here. If he gets here,” she added. “He’s much worse since last time you were here, Köbi. It’s not the drinking; I’m amazed at how he’s cut down. But he looks . . . well, it’s hard to believe he’ll make it till Christmas. Even though the doctors have said he should get six more months. According to him.”

Markus saw the older woman exchange a look with Jakob that said a lot about what they thought of Norbert’s grasp on reality. It also suggested how well they knew each other. As she went off to get them each a pint of beer and a plate of food—Jakob had advised Markus to let her serve them whatever she thought was the evening’s best, and he’d been glad to agree—the older man said, “Heidi Stettler is our younger daughter’s godmother. I’ve known her since I was nine, and I introduced my wife to her before we got married. They’ve been friends ever since.”

For the next couple of hours, Jakob and Markus drank and ate and talked, to each other and to the people who stopped at their table, all of whom called Jakob “Köbi.” Markus lost count of the number of times he stood and shook hands with men and women over sixty, as Jakob, having greeted someone, said, “Look, I’ve brought one of Karli Gurtner’s three sons with me—this one is Markus. He’s a photographer.”

The evening gave Markus an interesting perspective on his friends in Bern. The people he usually hung out with acted as if enthusiasm had been banned: what counted was cleverness and disdain. These oldsters at The Lion were different. They clasped his hand warmly and welcomed him to Heidmatt, with many of the men clapping him on the shoulder. Two separate people made a point of asking what his Aunt Bri was up to, and, after he told them about her charity work, remembered her warmheartedness from primary school. Another man reminisced about Markus’s grandfather coming to his house several times when his little brother was ill, adding, “My mother always said your grandfather saved Walti’s life. She made me bless old Doctor Gurtner in my bedtime prayers for about a year after that! At the time it put me right off the poor man.” Markus thanked people for their comments and memories. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such uncomplicated pleasure among a group of strangers—or perhaps even a group of so-called friends.

Quite a few of the diners and drinkers that night sat down at Markus and Jakob’s table, tried to buy them more beer, and stayed on to tell Jakob a piece of news about their families or jobs, generously including Markus in the conversation. Then, when Markus was halfway through his second and last pint, Heidi ushered a shrunken figure to their table that Markus realized must be Norbert.

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