Strangers in Budapest by Jessica Keener

Author:Jessica Keener
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 2017-10-23T04:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

Dear Annie and Will,

How are you? We have been busy. Josef got a letter from Steven Spielberg. That’s right. The famous movie director. He started an organization called the Shoah Foundation. You remember his movie Schindler’s List? Mr. Spielberg wants to record survivors’ stories. They want to film Josef. Josef is excited and agitated. You can understand. The memories it brings up. We’ll see. How is business? And most important of all, how is our little Leo? He must be getting big. Send us a picture. We are waiting to hear from you.

Love,

Rose and Josef

PS: Did I mention that your house was repainted? It is dark green. You would not recognize it.

Annie put the fax into the stroller’s back pocket and headed out with Leo to meet Will for lunch at one of the state-run cafeterias, then on to the ferry to Vienna. She needed to write Rose but kept avoiding it, not wanting to write about the shadows of loneliness and disappointment trailing her, or about Edward and his daughter—his murdered daughter—and his request for help and, worse, whether she believed him or not. A trip to Vienna offered a mini-escape as she struggled to make up her mind. For eight-plus months, she’d been holding her breath in this city of contradicting currents.

“You can’t save him,” Will had said again in the kitchen before leaving to meet Bernardo for a breakfast meeting. She had finally told him about Edward’s daughter and how Edward had straight-out asked her to help him, and how she had, without thinking it through, said yes.

“I’m not trying to save him. He asked for help because he believes his daughter was murdered.”

“You don’t want to get in over your head.”

“And you?”

Will turned to her. “What’s wrong, Annie?”

“Are you in over your head?”

“No. I don’t think so.” He spoke slowly, looking at her, waiting for her to say more.

“Maybe I’m not either.” She went into Leo’s room to get him dressed and ready for their trip.

On the way to the cafeteria, she called Edward.

“It’s Annie. How are you?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“I wanted to let you know that we’re going to Vienna today for one night. I’ll see you as soon as we get back.”

“What’s the reason for your trip?”

“We’ve been talking about going for a while.”

“I tell you about my daughter and now you’re running off to Vienna. I told you not to waste my time.”

“I’m not running off. We’ll be back tomorrow night.”

“I see what I see.” He hung up.

Stunned, she felt nauseated, punched in the stomach by his accusatory words. Leo was oblivious, waving a stick, happy to be in the jogger. She considered calling Edward back to tell him the timing wasn’t related—her trip and his daughter. Or was it? She walked faster, tears rising, her anger stirring with confusion. His voice jabbed at her, poked at her soft spots, hurting her. That was how he operated, wasn’t it? Provoke and conquer. Why did she let him get to her like this? Her wiser self understood he was in pain, inconsolable pain.

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