Free The Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell Page A

bred in this city but bless my soul if I can’t find my way to save my life.’
    She also had no change, as it turned out, nor could she accept credit cards. In the end she took down his bank information and promised to send him the change.
    *
    Märta Humlin had bought oysters for supper. Humlin hated oysters.
    ‘Why did you buy oysters?’
    ‘I like to give my son the best. Isn’t this good enough for you?’
    ‘You know I’ve never liked oysters.’
    ‘I’ve never heard any such thing.’
    He realised the futility of continuing the conversation. Instead he told her about the idea he had had in Gothenburg. At times his mother had been able to give him valuable feedback.
    ‘That sounds like a marvellous idea,’ she said when he finished.
    His surprise was genuine.
    ‘Do you really think so?’
    ‘You know I always say what I think.’
    ‘I see. Then how come everyone else I’ve talked to has been against it?’
    ‘It doesn’t matter. You should listen to me, and I’m telling you to go ahead and write about this girl from India. It will be very romantic, very moving. Is it a love story?’
    ‘She’s from Iran, not India. I was thinking more of something along the lines of a socio-realist novel.’
    ‘A love story is better. I think you should write something thrilling about a Swedish author and a beautiful woman from a foreign land.’
    ‘She’s fat and ugly, mother. And anyway, I can’t write love stories.’
    Märta Humlin fixed her eyes on him intently.
    ‘I thought the whole idea was to break away and try something new.’
    ‘I want to write about something real. The way things are,’ he said.
    ‘Tell me how they are. And why aren’t you eating your oysters?’
    ‘I’m full. I want to write about how hard it is to come to a new land and try to set down new roots.’
    ‘And who in God’s name would want to read about a fat girl with a headscarf who lives in the suburbs?’
    ‘Quite a few, actually.’
    ‘If you follow my advice you’ll do fine. Otherwise I would leave it. You know nothing of what it’s like to come to a foreign country. And why aren’t you and Andrea having babies?’
    ‘We’re talking about it.’
    ‘Andrea says you rarely make love these days.’
    Humlin dropped the little fork that he had been using to skewer the oysters he was only pretending to eat.
    ‘You and Andrea talk about things like that?’
    ‘We have an open, trusting relationship.’
    Humlin was shocked. Andrea had often said how overbearing and self-centred she found his mother. Now it turned out she had a completely different relationship to this woman in front of him who forced him to eat food he didn’t like.
    ‘I am never coming back here again if you and Andrea keep talking like this behind my back.’
    ‘We simply want what’s best for you.’
    Humlin suddenly remembered the phone conversation he had had with his mother a few days ago. He didn’t want to get drawn in any further into a meaningless debate about what exactly Andrea and his mother talked about. What he had heard was already enough.
    ‘What was that important announcement you said you were going to make?’
    ‘What announcement?’
    ‘You called and told me I had to come over because you had an important announcement to make.’
    ‘I have no recollection of doing any such thing.’
    ‘If you have made changes in the will that leave me out I want to know about it,’ he said.
    ‘What is in my will is no one else’s business.’
    ‘If we knew we could count on some measure of economic security in the future that would really help me and Andrea make the decision to have children.’
    ‘Are you telling me you hope I’m going to die soon?’
    Humlin pushed his chair back from the table. It was late, but that seemed to have no effect on his mother.
    ‘I have to go home now. I’m tired and I have no desire to talk finances with you in the middle of the night.’
    His mother gave him a wounded look.
    ‘Where did I get this