The Way Back by Erich Maria Remarque
Author:Erich Maria Remarque [Remarque, Erich Maria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473565043
Publisher: Random House
2
A wet, silvery evening fog covers the high street. The street lamps have great yellow pools of light round them. People seem to be walking on cotton wool. The shop windows to the right and to the left blaze out mysteriously. Wolf the dog swims out of the mist and then into it again. The trees are shining, black and damp against the street lights.
Valentin Laher is with me. Heâs not exactly complaining, but he canât forget his acrobatics act, the one he performed on stages from Paris to Budapest. âThatâs all over now, Ernst,â he says, âmy bones are creaking and Iâve got a bit of rheumatism too. I trained and trained till I couldnât stand up any longer. Thereâs no point in trying to start up again.â
âWhat will you do instead, Valentin?â I ask. âReally you ought to get a state pension, like retired officers.â
âOh, the state, the state,â says Valentin dismissively, âthe state only gives pensions to those who know how to ask properly. What Iâm doing now is working up a couple of things with a dance partner, you know, a demonstration number. It looks pretty good from the audience point of view, but there really isnât much to it, and a proper performer ought to be ashamed of doing that kind of stuff. Still, what can you do? Youâve got to make a living.â
Valentin has to go to a rehearsal, and I decide to go along with him. On the corner of Haken Street a black bowler hat swims past us through the fog, and beneath it is a bright yellow raincoat and a briefcase. âArthur!â I shout.
Ledderhose comes to a halt. âBloody hell,â says Valentin, âyouâre well turned out.â He fingers Arthurâs tie like a connoisseur, a superb item, artificial silk with a pale lilac pattern.
âNot too bad, not too bad,â says Ledderhose, flattered, but still in a hurry.
âAnd the best Sunday headgear too,â says Valentin admiringly, looking at the bowler.
Ledderhose wants to get away. He taps his briefcase. âThings to do, things to do â¦â
âHavenât you got that cigar shop any more?â I ask.
âOh yes,â he replies, âbut now I only do wholesale. You donât know of any office accommodation, do you? I can pay top rates.â
âWeâve got no idea about office accommodation,â says Valentin, âwe havenât got quite that far yet. But whatâs your wife up to these days?â
âWhat do you mean?â asks Ledderhose with some reserve.
âWell, out there in the trenches you were always complaining about her. You said sheâd got too skinny, and you liked them with a bit more meat on them.â
Arthur shakes his head. âI really donât remember.â He disappears.
Valentin laughs. âPeople can really change, canât they, Ernst? In the trenches he was a miserable little bugger, and now heâs a smooth businessman. All the balls he used to talk when we were at the front! And now he doesnât want to know any more.â
âHe seems to be doing damned well, though,â I say pensively.
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