window since she broke her hip. If it hadn’t been for me, God only knows what she would have done. I wonder if anyone will be there for me the day I can’t manage on my own. If only you had a wife, you would have some hope of a comfortable old age, but if it’s true what people say, that we all get what we deserve, then I must have done some thing bad in my life that I don’t even know about.’
She got ready to conclude her monologue. ‘You can start by pulling the furniture away. Hang the rugs over the fence outside, so I can get going faster. I do hope the car will start,’ she said anxiously. ‘It was making noises yesterday; I wonder if perhaps the battery is run down. Do you have detergents and things like that to hand?’
‘No!’ Emil said. Once again he visualised his mother. She was like a hurricane now, a tornado. Her tirade blocked out all the thoughts she did not dare think; she swept them out of the way with words. 70
‘I’ll bring a bottle of Ajax,’ she said. ‘One day we’ll go through your cupboards. You always forget to stock up on things. How many times have I been to see you and found there was no loo paper? I’ve lost count. After all, you’re a grown man. Anyway, I’ve got to go now. Just make sure you get started and I’ll be with you soon.’
‘No!’ Emil said. He said it louder this time. His mother heard the rising intonation in his voice; it was unusual. He always said ‘no’ and he said it in many different ways, but this was bordering on something else. A kind of desper ation. She frowned and pressed her lips together. She did not want any more problems, not a single one.
‘Yes!’ she said.
Ruth stuck her arms into the sleeves of her coat. On hearing the slam of a car door she stopped. With one hand still in the coat sleeve, she pushed down the handle and opened the door. A very tall man with grey hair was walking across the drive. Ruth recognised him straight away. He stopped at the foot of the steps, bowed, then walked up the steps to her. She finished putting on her coat and held out her hand. He was so tall that she felt like a little girl. She almost wanted to curtsey.
‘I’ve just been to see Helga,’ Sejer said.
‘I’m on my way there now,’ she said quickly.
‘Could I have a word?’
‘Of course.’
71
She pulled off her coat. Led him into the kitchen. There was an L-shaped bench with cushions.
‘Now about Ida,’ Ruth said despondently. ‘I don’t suppose there are that many options left?’ She stared at him with frightened eyes. ‘Helga is losing hope,’ she groaned. ‘I don’t know what will become of us if the worst has happened. It will be the death of her. She only lives for that child. Ever since Anders moved out.’
Sejer listened while Ruth talked. She spoke rapidly because she was so worried.
‘It’s not good to be on your own with a child,’ she said, bustling around the kitchen but not actually doing anything. ‘Children shouldn’t become your whole life, it’s too much for them to bear. I can’t begin to imagine what Helga’s going to do the day Ida becomes a teenager and goes out all the time.’
She blinked, confused by her own leap of thought.
‘Can you tell me why Helga got divorced?’ Sejer asked.
Ruth looked at him wide-eyed. ‘Why do you want to know about that?’ she asked, baffled.
He smiled quickly. ‘I don’t really know myself. But I ask all sorts of questions.’
He said it so simply, his eyes downcast as if he was genuinely tormented by this. It made her want to help him.
‘But surely their divorce has nothing to do with Ida going missing?’ She frowned.
Sejer looked at her. ‘No, we don’t think so either. I’m just being curious. Is it hard to talk about?’
72
She hesitated. ‘Well, I don’t really know.’ She placed her hands on the table, as if she wanted to prove to him that they were clean, metaphorically speaking.
‘So,’ he said. ‘What can you tell me about the
She got ready to conclude her monologue. ‘You can start by pulling the furniture away. Hang the rugs over the fence outside, so I can get going faster. I do hope the car will start,’ she said anxiously. ‘It was making noises yesterday; I wonder if perhaps the battery is run down. Do you have detergents and things like that to hand?’
‘No!’ Emil said. Once again he visualised his mother. She was like a hurricane now, a tornado. Her tirade blocked out all the thoughts she did not dare think; she swept them out of the way with words. 70
‘I’ll bring a bottle of Ajax,’ she said. ‘One day we’ll go through your cupboards. You always forget to stock up on things. How many times have I been to see you and found there was no loo paper? I’ve lost count. After all, you’re a grown man. Anyway, I’ve got to go now. Just make sure you get started and I’ll be with you soon.’
‘No!’ Emil said. He said it louder this time. His mother heard the rising intonation in his voice; it was unusual. He always said ‘no’ and he said it in many different ways, but this was bordering on something else. A kind of desper ation. She frowned and pressed her lips together. She did not want any more problems, not a single one.
‘Yes!’ she said.
Ruth stuck her arms into the sleeves of her coat. On hearing the slam of a car door she stopped. With one hand still in the coat sleeve, she pushed down the handle and opened the door. A very tall man with grey hair was walking across the drive. Ruth recognised him straight away. He stopped at the foot of the steps, bowed, then walked up the steps to her. She finished putting on her coat and held out her hand. He was so tall that she felt like a little girl. She almost wanted to curtsey.
‘I’ve just been to see Helga,’ Sejer said.
‘I’m on my way there now,’ she said quickly.
‘Could I have a word?’
‘Of course.’
71
She pulled off her coat. Led him into the kitchen. There was an L-shaped bench with cushions.
‘Now about Ida,’ Ruth said despondently. ‘I don’t suppose there are that many options left?’ She stared at him with frightened eyes. ‘Helga is losing hope,’ she groaned. ‘I don’t know what will become of us if the worst has happened. It will be the death of her. She only lives for that child. Ever since Anders moved out.’
Sejer listened while Ruth talked. She spoke rapidly because she was so worried.
‘It’s not good to be on your own with a child,’ she said, bustling around the kitchen but not actually doing anything. ‘Children shouldn’t become your whole life, it’s too much for them to bear. I can’t begin to imagine what Helga’s going to do the day Ida becomes a teenager and goes out all the time.’
She blinked, confused by her own leap of thought.
‘Can you tell me why Helga got divorced?’ Sejer asked.
Ruth looked at him wide-eyed. ‘Why do you want to know about that?’ she asked, baffled.
He smiled quickly. ‘I don’t really know myself. But I ask all sorts of questions.’
He said it so simply, his eyes downcast as if he was genuinely tormented by this. It made her want to help him.
‘But surely their divorce has nothing to do with Ida going missing?’ She frowned.
Sejer looked at her. ‘No, we don’t think so either. I’m just being curious. Is it hard to talk about?’
72
She hesitated. ‘Well, I don’t really know.’ She placed her hands on the table, as if she wanted to prove to him that they were clean, metaphorically speaking.
‘So,’ he said. ‘What can you tell me about the
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