Three by Echenoz by Jean Echenoz

Author:Jean Echenoz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The New Press

7

Two hours later, sobered up by the trial of the concert, nerves at rest but mind at zero, Max Delmarc was dozing on the back seat of a taxi. When it then came to a halt, Max, opening his eyes, recognized his building before noticing, in front of the door, a very large and immobile dog staring fixedly in his direction. Once the driver was paid, the dog continued to stare at Max as he got out of the cab: it was a truly voluminous beast, of Newfoundland or mastiff proportions, apparently peaceful and friendly, who then left, pulled by a long leash whose taut line Max’s eyes followed in a tracking shot to arrive at a person of the female sex, viewed from behind. Now even from behind, even from afar, even under street lamps 50 percent of which were burnt out, Max had no trouble recognizing the extraordinarily beautiful woman whom he occasionally ran into in the neighborhood. Here she was now, walking away, followed by her animal, toward Square de la Villette, and at this time of night.

Max is really not the sort to accost strange women in the street, especially at this time of night. It’s a matter of principle, of course, but not entirely: even if he wanted to, he would be incapable. Still, maybe as a delayed effect of all the alcohol consumed that day—no doubt, but perhaps not only—he was now starting to follow this woman with the firm intention of speaking to her. He had no idea what he would say, didn’t really care, and wasn’t even surprised that he didn’t care—he’d find something at the last minute. Alas, coming up behind her, he was suddenly surprised to hear her talking to herself, until he noticed that she was conversing with a cell phone. No chance of accosting her under these conditions, so he passed her with a quick step as if he had other intentions, without turning around or even knowing where he was heading, forced to look like he was heading somewhere, improvising a target that would in fact be Square de la Villette three blocks away. Not many people at this hour in the small streets of the neighborhood: the noise of his footfalls echoed too loudly, seemed to ricochet against the dark façades and, as it made his gait awkward, Max uneasily imagined himself seen from behind. Then, arriving at the square, he formulated a very simple plan: he would double back to cross paths with the woman and this time he’d speak to her. He still had no idea what he might say but this point, oddly enough, struck him as negligible.

Having reached the square, then, he retraced his steps and spotted her from a distance coming toward him, the dog walking in front of its mistress in hazy silhouette. As this silhouette became more precise, making it clear to Max that she was still talking into her little phone, he could only abstain once more from accosting her.

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