Free The Day I Killed My Father by Mario Sabino Page A

from the point of view of mathematical probability, not to mention pragmatism and voluntarism, it didn’t make sense to believe He didn’t exist.
    â€˜The argument goes like this, my dear: if you believe God exists and it turns out to be true, you’ll be rewarded with salvation, glory, eternal life and whatever else. If you believe God exists, but it turns out He doesn’t, you don’t lose anything for having believed. The opposite, however, offers no advantage: if you believe God doesn’t exist and it turns out He does, all you have to look forward to is damnation and misery. If you believe God doesn’t exist and He doesn’t, you don’t lose anything for having been a sceptic. It thus makes more sense to believe in God seeing that, in the best-case scenario, one has everything to gain and, in the worst, won’t suffer because of it. To us, my gorgeous. Cheers.’
    The girls who made the sign of the Cross when they passed in front of a church were enchanted by Hemistich Pascal’s words — and started to believe in the existence of his feelings when they had much more to gain by not believing.
    No, Hemistich hadn’t changed. He was the same bullshit artist as always, although he claimed the opposite. But what about his friendship with Farfarello? Perhaps ‘friendship’ was too strong a word. Nevertheless, the priest had suggested that Hemistich place the biblical quote over the restaurant door — and there was that line about God creating sin, which Hemistich had uttered as if it were an echo of something he’d heard with his own ears from Farfarello’s mouth … Everything suggested an intimacy that went beyond mere acquaintance. The priest’s spiel about Hegel — the Idea, great men — didn’t fit … Or did it? Antonym had asked Hemistich how he knew Farfarello, but he’d avoided the question. ‘I’m late for an appointment,’ he’d said, quickly excusing himself. It was some coincidence that he’d run into Farfarello shortly before the dinner at the steakhouse. Coincidence … Was it really a coincidence? Now, that would be really silly: believing in Destiny with a capital ‘D.’
    Antonym was confused.

IX
    â€˜You forgot this.’
    â€˜Funny, I thought The Brothers Karamazov was yours. Our things got so mixed up over the last ten years that I … Thanks.’
    â€˜I have to admit, I only finished reading it last week. I’d never managed to get past the first forty pages.’
    â€˜I always suspected you hadn’t read everything you said you had. Journalists … ’
    â€˜Anyway, I don’t mean to impose … ’
    â€˜Want a coffee?’
    â€˜OK.’
    He followed Bernadette into the kitchen. She’d made a nest all her own, in which he recognised objects that were once part of the scenario of their life together.
    â€˜These things that used to be in our home and now are here … They’re like debris from a shipwreck washed up on a quiet beach.’
    â€˜That’s what they are: debris from a shipwreck. You’re still good at coming up with images. Aren’t you going to write any more?’
    â€˜I’m helping a guy on an in-house newspaper.’
    â€˜Is that enough?’
    â€˜To get by, it is. From a financial point of view, I mean.’
    â€˜What about from other points of view?’
    â€˜I don’t have other points of view any more. Even the financial one’s hard enough to maintain.’
    â€˜You seem pretty depressed.’
    â€˜What did you expect?’
    â€˜That you’d get better after we broke up. When you were with me, you always seemed so unhappy.’
    â€˜You always wanted a big house with a garden and a dog … and this flat’s so …
    â€˜So small. But who said I’ve given up my dreams? This is just my launch pad.’
    â€˜You never were good at images. Are