The Goatibex Constellation: A Novel by Fazil Iskander

Author:Fazil Iskander [Iskander, Fazil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781468310757
Publisher: The Overlook Press
Published: 2015-04-07T07:00:00+00:00

V

The car set off down the road, leaving a trail of dust behind it. The sun had almost set, but there was no letup from the heat.

“Some sort of nonsense against us…” the chairman had said. The way he put it, I might write either for or against them, but whatever I wrote would undoubtedly be nonsense. And now as I reflected sadly on his words, I had to admit that he was not very far from the truth.

With regard to the alleged persecution of the goatibex, for example, I learned from the driver that a short time ago the goatibex had broken loose, run off into the tea fields and gorged himself on tea leaves until, as Valiko put it, he went haywire. He had then raced wildly through the village and at this point some dogs had actually pursued him. The villagers thought he had gone mad and wanted to shoot him, but in the end he had gradually quieted down.

The car leapt onto the highway and a few minutes later pulled up to a pale-blue roadside restaurant. We’ll see what luck you have luring me into this place, I thought to myself, at the same time firmly resolving to defend my reputation.

Valiko gazed at me with blue-eyed innocence and asked:

“Shall we stop here for a bite to eat?”

“Thanks anyway, but I think I’ll wait till I get back to town.”

“You’ve got a long way to go.”

“Still, I’d rather be on my way,” I objected, trying to sound as polite as possible. There was something I liked about this fellow with his sparkling blue eyes.

“Just a quick bite,” he said, opening the car door. “We’ll each order whatever we feel like and pay for it ourselves, Russian-fashion.”

What am I worried about, I thought to myself. I know that he’s planning to get me drunk, but he doesn’t know that I know—which gives me the advantage.

“Okay,” I said, “we’ll have a quick bite, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Why sure, just some lobio* and greens, that’s all.”

Valiko locked the car and we went into the restaurant.

The place was deserted except for a party sitting in the corner, squeezed around two tables which had been pushed together. They must have been there for quite a while, since there were half a dozen bottles lying on the floor like emptied cartridge cases. The only woman among the revelers was a blonde, probably a Russian or Ukrainian. She was wearing a sundress with a low neckline and every few minutes she would examine her newly acquired tan. Apparently the tan added to her self-confidence.

Valiko selected a table in the opposite corner—a good choice as far as I was concerned.

The two waitresses sat quietly conversing at a table by the window. Valiko walked up to them, carefully avoiding the middle of the room. Apparently he did not want to attract the attention of the party in the corner. Catching sight of him, the waitresses flashed a friendly smile. The younger one’s smile was especially friendly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.