The Pole by J. M. Coetzee

The Pole by J. M. Coetzee

Author:J. M. Coetzee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liveright
Published: 2023-08-09T00:00:00+00:00


31. She takes him out to lunch in Fornalutx—not to the intimate little restaurant that she and her husband frequent but to one attached to a hotel that a century ago was the residence of a local eminence. At its centre is a courtyard open to the skies: birds swoop in and strut around among the tables or dip themselves in the fountain. No one is curious about the two of them, no one shows any interest. They are free beings, answerable to none.

She visits the ladies’ room. Emerging from the shadows, she pauses in the doorway, waiting for him to catch sight of her, then threads her way towards him through the tables. His eyes are fixed on her, as are the eyes of the two waiters.

She is aware of the effect she can have on men. Grace: not such an antique concept after all. In Poland or Russia, she thinks, he will relive this moment, the moment when, crossing the floor towards him, came a vision of grace embodied. What have we done to deserve this, he will think, guests, cooks, waiters, all of us? Grace that descends from the skies, shedding its radiance on us.



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