The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

Author:Katrine Engberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Published: 2020-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

“You just call me, my dear! Day or night. Promise me that, okay?”

Esther nodded wearily and glanced down at her hands, which Lisbeth was holding in her own. For a second she didn’t understand whose hands they were. The limp flesh, the pronounced veins under the thin skin, could they really be her hands? Lisbeth and Frank, her old friends, had arrived unannounced an hour ago, bringing pastry from La Glace, offering comfort. Now, Esther needed to get them out the door so that she could finally have the glass of wine she had been craving all day. Once people retire, they have way too much time on their hands! She was touched by their gesture but wasn’t really up for any more of it.

“I’ll certainly let you know. Right now, I just need some rest.”

“Yes, you do! And if there’s anything at all we can do…,” Lisbeth continued. “We could come walk the dogs, you know, and you’re always welcome to stay at our place as well.” She pulled into a lengthy hug before she and Frank finally headed down the stairs. Luckily he made do with a wave.

Esther let the dogs back in, locked the door behind her, and started to cry again. Suppressing her feelings was no easy task with all this attention all the time! She dried her cheeks and was about to pour a glass of red when there was a knock on the door. What had they forgotten now?

She opened the door, bone-tired at the prospect of more hugs and comfort from Frank and Lisbeth. But standing outside her door were Caroline and her mother, Jutta Boutrup, whom Esther hadn’t seen for several years. Her first thought was how good they looked, those two, they’d always been pretty, then Caroline flung herself into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Jutta followed suit, and then they all stood there in the doorway hugging and crying for several minutes. I can’t deal with all this love, Esther thought. I have to insist on being alone soon.

“Can we come in for a second?” Jutta was the first to tear herself away and regain her composure. “We just came to pick up some of Caroline’s things from the apartment. There’s a policeman with us, but he agreed to wait downstairs while we said hello.”

“Of course, come in,” Esther mumbled. “The place is a mess, I’m sort of a mess, but it’s wonderful to see you.” She led the way into the living room and moved a stack of books off the armchair onto the floor.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

“It’s a little too early for wine, isn’t it? Do you have coffee?”

“There’s probably some left in the pot, I don’t know if it’s still hot.” Esther found a couple of cups in her dish drainer and glanced longingly at the bottle of red wine on the kitchen table.

When she returned to the living room, Caroline sat with her legs pulled up in the sofa, leaning on her mother’s shoulder.

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