be entered into once the dishwasher is full. Where the hell is my damned phone?’
Steini lifted the newspaper, put it down and felt among the cushions on the sofa.
‘That’s blackmail, Mum,’ Laufey said darkly, holding out the phone, which had been behind the kettle.
‘Not at all. It’s simply that one should always negotiate from a position of strength,’ Gunna retorted, pressing the green button. ‘Hello?’
‘Gunnhildur? Herbert over in Selfoss. Y’all right?’
‘Fine, thanks. Anything up? Elmar, maybe?’
She heard the fat man sigh and imagined she could hear his chair creaking as he sat back.
‘Elmar, yes – and it’s not good.’
‘Well, go on, then,’ she said impatiently as Herbert made the most of his dramatic moment. ‘What’s he done?’
‘He’s managed to roll his car about six times and he’s on the way to the National Hospital in an ambulance. Out cold and he looks a godawful mess. Car’s a write-off and his mother’s going frantic.’
Gunna cursed silently and at length with her hand over the phone.
‘You still there?’ Herbert asked eventually.
‘Yup. Give me half an hour. I’ll see you at the hospital.’
Wednesday
Anna Björg opened her eyes and was awake instantly, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling lit only by the dim street lamp outside glowing through the curtains. She brushed a lock of hair from her face and her heart sank as she looked sideways. Helgi’s bald patch gleamed in the half-light. She carefully slipped from under the duvet and pulled on as many of her clothes as she felt was necessary, stuffing her bra and socks into the pocket of her coat and pulling her boots onto bare feet.
Her head spun as she looked regretfully at Helgi, asleep with one arm stretched out over the edge of the bed and his back to her. Anna Björg shook her head, told herself that married men had to stay strictly off limits from now on, and let herself out.
As the lock clicked shut, Helgi woke and wondered where he was. His eyes adjusted slowly to the dim orange light and he tried to decide if he really had heard something or not. He rolled onto his back, extending an arm to seek out Halla’s familiar warmth next to him in the unfamiliar bed as memories of the previous evening came flooding back and he sat up, realizing that he was alone.
‘Shit. Hell and damnation.’
It was a quiet, still night and the click of rapid footfalls outside alerted him. He pushed aside a few inches of curtain and stared out sorrowfully as Anna Björg’s dark figure, shoulders hunched, marched across the car park outside without looking back, disappearing along the street and around the corner into the darkness.
Katla Einarsdóttir smoked furiously outside the hospital’s back door. Gunna had left her in the early hours of the morning with her elder son Einar holding her hand as Elmar was wheeled into surgery. The intervening few hours seemed to have added years to her.
‘Good morning,’ Gunna greeted her as cheerfully as she dared. ‘What news of the young man?’
‘He’ll live,’ Katla said shortly and pulled ferociously on her cigarette as it burned down to the filter. She threw it into what remained of the grass and lit another, sucking smoke deep.
‘Herbert still here, is he? And Einar?’
‘Hebbi’s bringing Einar back this morning. Elmar’s still sedated.’
‘And you? I know it’s a stupid question, but are you all right?’
‘Am I all right?’ Katla stared and laughed hysterically. ‘What kind of a question is that? Of course I’m not all right. My son’s car came off the road and he’s in hospital with broken legs and arms, and I don’t know if he’s going to be a vegetable if he wakes up.’
‘The doctor said last night that there were no serious head injuries. Look, he’s had a bad crash. It could have been so much worse.’
‘That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what it’s like. First Aron, and now Elmar. For fuck’s sake. Haven’t I had
Steini lifted the newspaper, put it down and felt among the cushions on the sofa.
‘That’s blackmail, Mum,’ Laufey said darkly, holding out the phone, which had been behind the kettle.
‘Not at all. It’s simply that one should always negotiate from a position of strength,’ Gunna retorted, pressing the green button. ‘Hello?’
‘Gunnhildur? Herbert over in Selfoss. Y’all right?’
‘Fine, thanks. Anything up? Elmar, maybe?’
She heard the fat man sigh and imagined she could hear his chair creaking as he sat back.
‘Elmar, yes – and it’s not good.’
‘Well, go on, then,’ she said impatiently as Herbert made the most of his dramatic moment. ‘What’s he done?’
‘He’s managed to roll his car about six times and he’s on the way to the National Hospital in an ambulance. Out cold and he looks a godawful mess. Car’s a write-off and his mother’s going frantic.’
Gunna cursed silently and at length with her hand over the phone.
‘You still there?’ Herbert asked eventually.
‘Yup. Give me half an hour. I’ll see you at the hospital.’
Wednesday
Anna Björg opened her eyes and was awake instantly, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling lit only by the dim street lamp outside glowing through the curtains. She brushed a lock of hair from her face and her heart sank as she looked sideways. Helgi’s bald patch gleamed in the half-light. She carefully slipped from under the duvet and pulled on as many of her clothes as she felt was necessary, stuffing her bra and socks into the pocket of her coat and pulling her boots onto bare feet.
Her head spun as she looked regretfully at Helgi, asleep with one arm stretched out over the edge of the bed and his back to her. Anna Björg shook her head, told herself that married men had to stay strictly off limits from now on, and let herself out.
As the lock clicked shut, Helgi woke and wondered where he was. His eyes adjusted slowly to the dim orange light and he tried to decide if he really had heard something or not. He rolled onto his back, extending an arm to seek out Halla’s familiar warmth next to him in the unfamiliar bed as memories of the previous evening came flooding back and he sat up, realizing that he was alone.
‘Shit. Hell and damnation.’
It was a quiet, still night and the click of rapid footfalls outside alerted him. He pushed aside a few inches of curtain and stared out sorrowfully as Anna Björg’s dark figure, shoulders hunched, marched across the car park outside without looking back, disappearing along the street and around the corner into the darkness.
Katla Einarsdóttir smoked furiously outside the hospital’s back door. Gunna had left her in the early hours of the morning with her elder son Einar holding her hand as Elmar was wheeled into surgery. The intervening few hours seemed to have added years to her.
‘Good morning,’ Gunna greeted her as cheerfully as she dared. ‘What news of the young man?’
‘He’ll live,’ Katla said shortly and pulled ferociously on her cigarette as it burned down to the filter. She threw it into what remained of the grass and lit another, sucking smoke deep.
‘Herbert still here, is he? And Einar?’
‘Hebbi’s bringing Einar back this morning. Elmar’s still sedated.’
‘And you? I know it’s a stupid question, but are you all right?’
‘Am I all right?’ Katla stared and laughed hysterically. ‘What kind of a question is that? Of course I’m not all right. My son’s car came off the road and he’s in hospital with broken legs and arms, and I don’t know if he’s going to be a vegetable if he wakes up.’
‘The doctor said last night that there were no serious head injuries. Look, he’s had a bad crash. It could have been so much worse.’
‘That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what it’s like. First Aron, and now Elmar. For fuck’s sake. Haven’t I had
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