Read Online Shadows in the Twilight by Henning Mankell - Free Book Online
Authors: Henning Mankell
Tags: english
Ads: Link
open and Karin
came storming into the kitchen. She was red in the face
with anger.
'I can't make head nor tail of that lot,' she said. 'Now
two of them have started thumping each other.'
Ludde broke off his washing up and turned to look
at her.
'What's Nyberg doing about it?' he asked. 'Why
doesn't he throw them out?'
'He tried,' said Karin. 'But now he's on the floor with
the other two on top of him.'
Before they knew where they were, everybody was
rushing towards the swing doors. Joel had stood up and
followed Sara, but when she got as far as the doors she
turned round and said sternly:
'You stay here.'
Joel was angry at not being allowed to go with them.
But at the same time, he had to admit that he was a bit
scared.
He peered cautiously through the crack in the doors.
Tables and chairs were overturned all over the floor.
Nyberg the bouncer was just crawling out from underneath
a mass of arms and legs. He was rubbing his nose
and looking furious. Sara had taken hold of one of the
drunks, and was shaking him as if he were a little boy.
Ludde was waving his red hands about and shouting
something Joel couldn't make out.
He wasn't at all sure who had been fighting.
On the other hand, he noticed two men sitting calmly
at a table, apparently completely unconcerned by what
had been going on. They were drinking Pilsner, both
leaning forward with heads close together, and talking
away. One of them was fair-haired. It struck Joel that
he looked very like the blond boy depicted on tubes of
one of Sweden's favourite delicacies, Kalle's Caviar. (It
wasn't the expensive, 'real' caviar, but what you might
call the poor man's caviar – fish roe, delicious with
your breakfast toast.) The man was the spitting image
of Kalle, despite the fact that he was probably three
times as old. His friend had dark hair, combed in Elvis
Presley style.
They are the ones, Joel thought.
One of them could become Gertrud's husband!
He would have liked to continue spying on them
through the crack in the doors, but Ludde and Sara were
striding back towards the kitchen again. Bouncer Nyberg
had thrown out the two troublemakers through the big
front door. Karin and Hilda were busy clearing up after
the fight.
Joel scurried back to his chair.
Ludde returned to the sink, and started by dropping a
plate that smashed on the floor. Sara flopped down on
her chair, produced a handkerchief from her cleavage
and mopped her face.
'What happened?' asked Joel, trying to give the
impression that he'd been sitting on his chair all the time.
Sara leaned forward and whispered:
'I saw you peeping out through the doors.'
Joel blushed. He felt as if he'd turned red all the way
from his stomach up to his forehead.
His first reaction was to deny that he'd been looking.
But he changed his mind immediately. He'd only
have blushed even more.
'It wasn't all that serious,' said Sara. 'When they've
cooled down they'll be as meek as lambs again.'
'Why did they start fighting?' Joel wondered. He
didn't like the fact that Sara had caught him out.
'I've no idea,' said Sara with a shrug. 'Have you?'
The latter question was directed at Karin, who had
just come in through the swing doors with a shovel in
her hand.
'Do I have any idea about what?' asked Karin.
'Why they were fighting?'
Karin emptied her shovel into a bin standing between
the stove and the sink where Ludde was splashing about
with his plates and glasses.
'It was something to do with a girl,' said Karin.
'Blokes only fight if there's a girl involved, don't they?'
Joel listened with his eyes open wide.
'I think they're both sweet on the same girl,' said
Karin. 'That Anneli who works in the shoe shop.'
'Is she anything to fight over?' wondered Hilda, who
had joined them in the kitchen.
She turned to look at Joel.
'Or what do you think, Joel?' she asked. 'Surely a
shop assistant in a shoe shop isn't worth fighting over?'
All the waitresses laughed, and Ludde dropped
another glass on the floor.
Joel
came storming into the kitchen. She was red in the face
with anger.
'I can't make head nor tail of that lot,' she said. 'Now
two of them have started thumping each other.'
Ludde broke off his washing up and turned to look
at her.
'What's Nyberg doing about it?' he asked. 'Why
doesn't he throw them out?'
'He tried,' said Karin. 'But now he's on the floor with
the other two on top of him.'
Before they knew where they were, everybody was
rushing towards the swing doors. Joel had stood up and
followed Sara, but when she got as far as the doors she
turned round and said sternly:
'You stay here.'
Joel was angry at not being allowed to go with them.
But at the same time, he had to admit that he was a bit
scared.
He peered cautiously through the crack in the doors.
Tables and chairs were overturned all over the floor.
Nyberg the bouncer was just crawling out from underneath
a mass of arms and legs. He was rubbing his nose
and looking furious. Sara had taken hold of one of the
drunks, and was shaking him as if he were a little boy.
Ludde was waving his red hands about and shouting
something Joel couldn't make out.
He wasn't at all sure who had been fighting.
On the other hand, he noticed two men sitting calmly
at a table, apparently completely unconcerned by what
had been going on. They were drinking Pilsner, both
leaning forward with heads close together, and talking
away. One of them was fair-haired. It struck Joel that
he looked very like the blond boy depicted on tubes of
one of Sweden's favourite delicacies, Kalle's Caviar. (It
wasn't the expensive, 'real' caviar, but what you might
call the poor man's caviar – fish roe, delicious with
your breakfast toast.) The man was the spitting image
of Kalle, despite the fact that he was probably three
times as old. His friend had dark hair, combed in Elvis
Presley style.
They are the ones, Joel thought.
One of them could become Gertrud's husband!
He would have liked to continue spying on them
through the crack in the doors, but Ludde and Sara were
striding back towards the kitchen again. Bouncer Nyberg
had thrown out the two troublemakers through the big
front door. Karin and Hilda were busy clearing up after
the fight.
Joel scurried back to his chair.
Ludde returned to the sink, and started by dropping a
plate that smashed on the floor. Sara flopped down on
her chair, produced a handkerchief from her cleavage
and mopped her face.
'What happened?' asked Joel, trying to give the
impression that he'd been sitting on his chair all the time.
Sara leaned forward and whispered:
'I saw you peeping out through the doors.'
Joel blushed. He felt as if he'd turned red all the way
from his stomach up to his forehead.
His first reaction was to deny that he'd been looking.
But he changed his mind immediately. He'd only
have blushed even more.
'It wasn't all that serious,' said Sara. 'When they've
cooled down they'll be as meek as lambs again.'
'Why did they start fighting?' Joel wondered. He
didn't like the fact that Sara had caught him out.
'I've no idea,' said Sara with a shrug. 'Have you?'
The latter question was directed at Karin, who had
just come in through the swing doors with a shovel in
her hand.
'Do I have any idea about what?' asked Karin.
'Why they were fighting?'
Karin emptied her shovel into a bin standing between
the stove and the sink where Ludde was splashing about
with his plates and glasses.
'It was something to do with a girl,' said Karin.
'Blokes only fight if there's a girl involved, don't they?'
Joel listened with his eyes open wide.
'I think they're both sweet on the same girl,' said
Karin. 'That Anneli who works in the shoe shop.'
'Is she anything to fight over?' wondered Hilda, who
had joined them in the kitchen.
She turned to look at Joel.
'Or what do you think, Joel?' she asked. 'Surely a
shop assistant in a shoe shop isn't worth fighting over?'
All the waitresses laughed, and Ludde dropped
another glass on the floor.
Joel
Similar Books
