Free Next World Novella by Matthias Politycki Page A

bite.
    Shortly thereafter Schepp observed himself speaking casually to Paulus, bringing the conversation around to Dana and her ‘ misappropriation ’ of funds, striking his forehead and confiding that now, embarrassingly, it was clear that the whole thing probably should be chalked up to his account, literally so. It was not the real Schepp, of course, who confessed to Paulus, making a very obvious effort to be discreet, that all those weeks and months he had let Dana chalk up what he owed. The missing sum could only be the amount she had secretly cancelled on his behalf. Paulus tugged awkwardly at his moustache, not sure what to think of this story, then decided not to complicate matters even further and unnecessarily, and named a sum he thought appropriate. Schepp was alarmed by the amount but did not hesitate for a moment; yes, it must be something like that, could he settle up with his credit card?
    Which made Dana’s innocence clear and gave Paulus no option but to apologize to her immediately and ask her to come back and work for him, after all, he wasn’t a monster – in fact, Schepp ought to give her the glad news himself, he said, handing him the telephone that stood on the bar. He was sure the Professor could explain it to her better.
    Schepp had enough presence of mind to put this off until the following day. He didn’t like to call anyone so late, he said, perhaps Paulus would be kind enough to write the number down? Paulus stroked his moustache even more thoroughly than usual, but then he even wrote down the Polish country code. Yes, a call to her would cost money, what had Schepp been thinking?
    Schepp preferred to leave that question open. A few days later Dana was back serving drinks at La Pfiff as if she had never been away, and she thanked him by observing him very carefully from the bar, so carefully that it wasn’t quite seemly, and then she brought him his wine, ostentatiously breathing in an undertone, ‘I dreamt of you again last night.’ Schepp was accustomed to mockery of that kind from her, it meant nothing at all, it was just what he expected.
    It did, however, surprise him that she never once took a smoking break. Only when nearly everyone had left, and she still hadn’t said or done anything that she didn’t say or do at every other table, did Schepp give himself a push and go over to the bar to pay; he almost stumbled, the wine affected his legs so suddenly. As she printed out the receipt Dana turned to him in such a way that the tattoo was right in his face. Sorting the notes she asked how she could ever repay him for ‘all that’, but her eyes did not sparkle as she spoke. It was on the tip of Schepp’s tongue to say, oh, it will be enough if some day I can give that damn throat of yours a good bite, but immediately a rushing began in his ears, his jaw worked idly, and he said nothing. Or did he? He must have said something or other in his confusion; with that rushing in your ears you couldn’t hear yourself speak. Dana suddenly laughed so indignantly that the rushing stopped at once, and everyone still sitting with their glasses looked up..
    Schepp remembered only those glances directed at him, an overexposed snapshot in his memory that faded everything else out, a still moment of terror into which, powerfully, eternity had passed. Then the picture started moving again. Dana turned away from him with contempt and began, with a ‘That takes even my breath away!’, to pull him to pieces. In so far as he could hear at all, what with the rushing in his ears, that terrible rushing. He didn’t know whether to feel offended as a man or as someone who had, after all, shelled out a considerable sum of money for Dana and now had to listen to her putting him down in the most brazen way.
    Today, when he reconstructed the scene, he felt sick with embarrassment; he would have liked to have kept his eyes firmly shut until it was entirely forgotten. He ought really to have told Doro about it