they liked. And what could she say?
Mimmi shrugged back.
“Okay then,” she said. “But you’re both eating, are you? Or shall we say there’s only enough food for you?”
* * *
Torsten was reading the menu. Rebecka was sitting opposite, looking at him. His rounded cheeks, pink with pleasure. His reading glasses balanced as far down his nose as possible without actually stopping him from breathing. Hair tousled, standing on end. Mimmi was leaning over his shoulder and pointing as she read it out. Like a teacher and pupil.
He loves this, thought Rebecka.
The men with their powerful arms, their sheath knives hanging from their belts. Who had mumbled a reply when Torsten swept in wearing his gray suit and greeted them cheerfully. Pretty Mimmi with her big boobs and her loud voice. About as far as you can get from the accommodating girls at the Sturecompagniet nightclub. Little anecdotes were already taking shape in his head.
“You can either have the dish of the day,” said Mimmi, pointing to a blackboard on the wall where it said “Marinated elk steak with mushroom and vegetable risotto. Or you can have something out of the freezer. You can have anything that’s listed there with potatoes or rice or pasta, whichever you want.”
She pointed to the menu where a number of dishes were listed under the heading “From the freezer”: lasagne, meatballs, blood pudding, Piteå potato cakes filled with mince, smoked reindeer fillet in a cream sauce and stew.
“Maybe I should try the blood pudding,” he said excitedly to Rebecka.
The door opened and the tall lad who’d arrived on the moped came in. He stopped just inside the door. His massive body was encased in a beautifully ironed striped cotton shirt buttoned right up to the neck. He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at the other customers. He kept his head twisted to one side so that his big chin was pointing out through the long narrow window. As if it were signposting an escape route.
“Nalle!” exclaimed Mimmi, abandoning Torsten to his deliberations. “Don’t you look smart!”
The big lad gave her a shy smile and a quick glance.
“Come over here and let me have a proper look at you!” called the woman with the dog, pushing her soup bowl to one side.
Rebecka suddenly noticed how alike Mimmi and the woman with the dog were. They must be mother and daughter.
The dog at the woman’s feet raised its head and gave two tired wags with its tail. Then it put its head down and went back to sleep.
The boy went over to the woman with the dog. She clapped her hands.
“Don’t you look wonderful!” she said. “Happy birthday! What a smart shirt!”
Nalle smiled at her flattery and raised his chin toward the ceiling in an almost comical pose that made Rebecka think of Rudolph Valentino.
“New,” he said.
“Well yes, we can see it’s new,” said Mimmi.
“Going dancing, Nalle?” called one of the men. “Mimmi, can you do us five takeaways from the freezer? Whatever you like.”
Nalle pointed at his trousers.
“Too,” he said.
He lifted up his arms and held them straight out from his body so that everybody could see his trousers properly. They were a pair of gray chinos held up with a military belt.
“Are they new as well? Very smart!” the two admiring women assured him.
“Here,” said Mimmi, pulling out the chair opposite the woman with the dog. “Your dad hasn’t arrived yet, but you can sit here with Lisa and wait.”
“Cake,” said Nalle, and sat down.
“Of course you can have some cake. Did you think I’d forgotten? But after your meal.”
Mimmi’s hand shot out and gave his hair a quick caress. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
Rebecka leaned across the table to Torsten.
“I was thinking of staying the night here,” said Rebecka. “You know I grew up by this river, just a few miles upstream, and it’s made me feel a bit nostalgic. But I’ll drive you into town and pick you up in the morning.”
“No
Mimmi shrugged back.
“Okay then,” she said. “But you’re both eating, are you? Or shall we say there’s only enough food for you?”
* * *
Torsten was reading the menu. Rebecka was sitting opposite, looking at him. His rounded cheeks, pink with pleasure. His reading glasses balanced as far down his nose as possible without actually stopping him from breathing. Hair tousled, standing on end. Mimmi was leaning over his shoulder and pointing as she read it out. Like a teacher and pupil.
He loves this, thought Rebecka.
The men with their powerful arms, their sheath knives hanging from their belts. Who had mumbled a reply when Torsten swept in wearing his gray suit and greeted them cheerfully. Pretty Mimmi with her big boobs and her loud voice. About as far as you can get from the accommodating girls at the Sturecompagniet nightclub. Little anecdotes were already taking shape in his head.
“You can either have the dish of the day,” said Mimmi, pointing to a blackboard on the wall where it said “Marinated elk steak with mushroom and vegetable risotto. Or you can have something out of the freezer. You can have anything that’s listed there with potatoes or rice or pasta, whichever you want.”
She pointed to the menu where a number of dishes were listed under the heading “From the freezer”: lasagne, meatballs, blood pudding, Piteå potato cakes filled with mince, smoked reindeer fillet in a cream sauce and stew.
“Maybe I should try the blood pudding,” he said excitedly to Rebecka.
The door opened and the tall lad who’d arrived on the moped came in. He stopped just inside the door. His massive body was encased in a beautifully ironed striped cotton shirt buttoned right up to the neck. He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at the other customers. He kept his head twisted to one side so that his big chin was pointing out through the long narrow window. As if it were signposting an escape route.
“Nalle!” exclaimed Mimmi, abandoning Torsten to his deliberations. “Don’t you look smart!”
The big lad gave her a shy smile and a quick glance.
“Come over here and let me have a proper look at you!” called the woman with the dog, pushing her soup bowl to one side.
Rebecka suddenly noticed how alike Mimmi and the woman with the dog were. They must be mother and daughter.
The dog at the woman’s feet raised its head and gave two tired wags with its tail. Then it put its head down and went back to sleep.
The boy went over to the woman with the dog. She clapped her hands.
“Don’t you look wonderful!” she said. “Happy birthday! What a smart shirt!”
Nalle smiled at her flattery and raised his chin toward the ceiling in an almost comical pose that made Rebecka think of Rudolph Valentino.
“New,” he said.
“Well yes, we can see it’s new,” said Mimmi.
“Going dancing, Nalle?” called one of the men. “Mimmi, can you do us five takeaways from the freezer? Whatever you like.”
Nalle pointed at his trousers.
“Too,” he said.
He lifted up his arms and held them straight out from his body so that everybody could see his trousers properly. They were a pair of gray chinos held up with a military belt.
“Are they new as well? Very smart!” the two admiring women assured him.
“Here,” said Mimmi, pulling out the chair opposite the woman with the dog. “Your dad hasn’t arrived yet, but you can sit here with Lisa and wait.”
“Cake,” said Nalle, and sat down.
“Of course you can have some cake. Did you think I’d forgotten? But after your meal.”
Mimmi’s hand shot out and gave his hair a quick caress. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
Rebecka leaned across the table to Torsten.
“I was thinking of staying the night here,” said Rebecka. “You know I grew up by this river, just a few miles upstream, and it’s made me feel a bit nostalgic. But I’ll drive you into town and pick you up in the morning.”
“No
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