Free A Perfect Waiter by Alain Claude Sulzer Page B

bring him any luck.
    Jakob’s second letter read:
    My dear Erneste
,
    I’m writing you again, quicker this time. You haven’t had long to wait. But as you know, I’m still awaiting a reply from you. Perhaps our letters will cross, which is what I’d expect of a true friend. On the other hand, perhaps you haven’t replied because you don’t believe me or want anything more to do with me. I don’t know much about you, but I do know you aren’t married. You can’t hide from me. Does our past mean nothing to you? Why else haven’t you written? Have you seen Klinger? Haven’t you written because you’ve already had a word with him? If so, I’d like to know what hetold you. It may well be lies. Lying is his profession, after all. If not, what are you waiting for? I don’t have any time to lose, unlike you. Tell him they’re after me because of him. If the FBI (the police, in other words) are after me, it’s because of him. They’re the same people who were after him before—they thought he was a communist sympathizer. Now they’re after me, the same men who were after Klinger: Weston, Broadhurst, Burlington, and the rest of those scum. He knows them too, they’re still alive. Mention their names to him and you’ll see. They’ve all come crawling back out of the woodwork. He had dealings with them. They’ll arrest me if I don’t get away in time. Either that or I’ll have to bribe them. I need money if I’m to get away from here. I don’t suppose you have any money, but Klinger has. He’s well-heeled, he can help me
.
    Go and have a word with him. In my lousy life, every minute counts. I’m sure you won’t let your Jakob down
.
    Love
,
    Jack/Jakob Meier
.

    Monsieur Flamin was extremely satisfied with Jakob’s work, as was only to be expected. Jakob did more than his duties prescribed. He was attentive, skillful and quick. He did the donkey-work for other members of staff and was capable of making decisions himself if need be. Monsieur Flamin and Herr Direktor Wagner admired his initiative, his respect for authority, his quick-wittedness, and, last but not least, his unwavering composure. He seemed to have no personal quality that did
not
merit admiration, and even his less admirable qualities might have been tolerated—and certainly would have been by Erneste—had they come to light. Erneste’s admiration for his beloved friend did not diminish; on the contrary, it grew with every passing day. There was nothing he wouldn’t have forgiven the love of his life, but there was nothing to forgive, not yet. Erneste could detect no flaws in Jakob, only virtues.
    Jakob had long ceased to be dependent on Erneste’s advice when he was finally, at the beginning of September, permitted to wait table in the dining room as well. The nights had become distinctly cooler, so dinner was no longer served on the terrace. The guests now dined indoors, where they could continue to dress lightly for a while. There was still a touch of summer in the air, even after nightfall, when the menfolk went out onto the terrace after dinner, or more rarely between courses, to chat and smoke in peace.
    Jakob left the terrace, which had become his kingdom, and conquered a new one. He and Erneste were universally popular, especially with female guests and more particularly with unaccompanied widows. It was pleasantest of all to be served by both of them at once. What elegant, handsome young men they were—so much better-looking than all the men of their acquaintance—and what good manners and nice skin they had! If the ladies hadn’t aspired to more ambitious careers for their own children, and if they hadn’t realized that not even waiters stay young forever, they might almost have felt inclined to want them as sons-in-law.
    Before long, Jakob was past teaching anything anymore. He had mastered all the