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Authors: Kennedy Thomas E.
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certain women, if they are not free women, that it’s appropriate to scourge them for adultery. That’s something of a conflict, wouldn’t you think?”
“You know so much, Freddy. But how much do you really understand? Who cares where it’s written, it’s true.”
“It’s your truth.”
“The only truth.”
He was smiling at her. He reached to touch her face. “Sometimes I think you’re the only real Christian I’ve ever known.”
10. Harald Jaeger
“My God!” Jaeger yelped, following Breathwaite through the entryway of his apartment into the triple en suite living room. “What an apartment!”
Breathwaite spoke over his shoulder. “As a wise man once said, If you have to be bored, it might as well be in comfortable surroundings.”
“You don’t strike me as particularly bored,” Jaeger said, running his fingertips over the multicolored spines of books in the library shelves, floor to ceiling. He calculated quickly—four meters by four meters. Sixteen square meters of books. He felt his knees might buckle under the weight of the diminishment he felt. It occurred to him he could never invite Breathwaite and Kis home to his own measly apartment. He felt ashamed. He felt like nothing.
Kis floated lightly in from the next room with a bright smile of greeting. She kissed Jaeger lightly on the lips. “Hello, Harald. Welcome.”
“Jesus,” said Jaeger. “This man has everything . A beautiful home, a sweet beautiful wife, three grown successful kids …”
“How’re your little girls?” Kis asked.
“I just love ’em to death,” he said in stilted English, a line from some American movie. “They are so sweet.”
“Enjoy them,” said Breathwaite. “Those are the best years.”
The thought of his girls cheered him. At least he had that.
“Do the girls have a puppy?” Kis asked. “You should give them a puppy. Every little girl should have a puppy.” She glanced at Breathwaite, who rolled his eyes. “How about Vita?” Kis asked then. “How is she holding up?”
“I’m sure she’s fine as she can be,” Jaeger grumbled. Then, “I envy this apartment,” he said, trying to get control of the envy by confessing it. “What a place!”
“It’s okay,” she said, “but you know what? I never asked for this. I could be happy in a construction shed.”
“Says you,” said Breathwaite, and Jaeger laughed sarcastically.
“I mean it,” Kis said, then added, “As long as I could have a puppy.”
Breathwaite grunted.
“Really,” Kis insisted. “I was up and down once in my childhood. My father lost everything, and my mother became a bitter woman. It killed her and it killed their marriage. She thought she was a displaced princess deprived of all the things she had a right to, so she couldn’t enjoy what she did have.”
Jaeger glanced at Breathwaite, who shook his head almost imperceptibly.
“What did she have?” Jaeger asked. “Other than a puppy?”
“Don’t ask,” said Breathwaite. “Excuse me while I fetch the drinks.”
“We had a nice little apartment in Rødovre.”
Jaeger guffawed. He could hear the strain in the laughter and in his own voice. “Jesus Christ, you know what? When I got divorced I started seeing a psychologist to help me deal with how it might affect the kids …” The words slipped out too fast. They were part of a funny story, but he hadn’t realized what the story would reveal about him.
“That was a good thing to do, Harald,” Kis said softly.
“Yeah, and he was good. He was really good.” No graceful way out of it now. “He was really helping me sort through it all. We really hit it off. So much that he wanted to be friends with me. Then he invited me home to meet his family …”
“Do psychologists do that sort of thing?”
“What sort of thing?” Breathwaite asked, returning with a tray of glasses and bottles.
Kis clammed up. “Oh, we’re just jabbering,” she said.
Jaeger was impressed by her discretion. She
“You know so much, Freddy. But how much do you really understand? Who cares where it’s written, it’s true.”
“It’s your truth.”
“The only truth.”
He was smiling at her. He reached to touch her face. “Sometimes I think you’re the only real Christian I’ve ever known.”
10. Harald Jaeger
“My God!” Jaeger yelped, following Breathwaite through the entryway of his apartment into the triple en suite living room. “What an apartment!”
Breathwaite spoke over his shoulder. “As a wise man once said, If you have to be bored, it might as well be in comfortable surroundings.”
“You don’t strike me as particularly bored,” Jaeger said, running his fingertips over the multicolored spines of books in the library shelves, floor to ceiling. He calculated quickly—four meters by four meters. Sixteen square meters of books. He felt his knees might buckle under the weight of the diminishment he felt. It occurred to him he could never invite Breathwaite and Kis home to his own measly apartment. He felt ashamed. He felt like nothing.
Kis floated lightly in from the next room with a bright smile of greeting. She kissed Jaeger lightly on the lips. “Hello, Harald. Welcome.”
“Jesus,” said Jaeger. “This man has everything . A beautiful home, a sweet beautiful wife, three grown successful kids …”
“How’re your little girls?” Kis asked.
“I just love ’em to death,” he said in stilted English, a line from some American movie. “They are so sweet.”
“Enjoy them,” said Breathwaite. “Those are the best years.”
The thought of his girls cheered him. At least he had that.
“Do the girls have a puppy?” Kis asked. “You should give them a puppy. Every little girl should have a puppy.” She glanced at Breathwaite, who rolled his eyes. “How about Vita?” Kis asked then. “How is she holding up?”
“I’m sure she’s fine as she can be,” Jaeger grumbled. Then, “I envy this apartment,” he said, trying to get control of the envy by confessing it. “What a place!”
“It’s okay,” she said, “but you know what? I never asked for this. I could be happy in a construction shed.”
“Says you,” said Breathwaite, and Jaeger laughed sarcastically.
“I mean it,” Kis said, then added, “As long as I could have a puppy.”
Breathwaite grunted.
“Really,” Kis insisted. “I was up and down once in my childhood. My father lost everything, and my mother became a bitter woman. It killed her and it killed their marriage. She thought she was a displaced princess deprived of all the things she had a right to, so she couldn’t enjoy what she did have.”
Jaeger glanced at Breathwaite, who shook his head almost imperceptibly.
“What did she have?” Jaeger asked. “Other than a puppy?”
“Don’t ask,” said Breathwaite. “Excuse me while I fetch the drinks.”
“We had a nice little apartment in Rødovre.”
Jaeger guffawed. He could hear the strain in the laughter and in his own voice. “Jesus Christ, you know what? When I got divorced I started seeing a psychologist to help me deal with how it might affect the kids …” The words slipped out too fast. They were part of a funny story, but he hadn’t realized what the story would reveal about him.
“That was a good thing to do, Harald,” Kis said softly.
“Yeah, and he was good. He was really good.” No graceful way out of it now. “He was really helping me sort through it all. We really hit it off. So much that he wanted to be friends with me. Then he invited me home to meet his family …”
“Do psychologists do that sort of thing?”
“What sort of thing?” Breathwaite asked, returning with a tray of glasses and bottles.
Kis clammed up. “Oh, we’re just jabbering,” she said.
Jaeger was impressed by her discretion. She
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