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Madensky Square - pp 71-73
Herr Schumacher was not in the Central. He had been there and the proprietor remembered him well, and the party of sympathizers with which he'd been surrounded.
'Seven daughters, poor gentleman,' he said - and recoiled from my basilisk glare.
He was not in the Blue Boar either, but in the Regina the trail grew warm again. An inebriated gentleman, supported by two friends, had lurched past half an hour earlier, asking the passers-by what he had done to deserve his fate.
'He went on about goldfish, too. Someone had killed his goldfish,' said the landlord. 'He went off towards the Graben. You could try the Three Hussars.'
And in that ancient hostelry full of antlers and oak panelling I found him. He was sitting between his faithful henchmen, the bank manager and the dentist, the centre of a veritable Pieta. Herr Schumacher's moustaches were limp with grief, glasses and a half empty bottle of wine littered the table. The dentist's heavy hand lay on the stricken father's arm; the bank manager's pince-nez glittered as he shook a commiserating head.
'Good evening.'
'Frau… Susanna!' Herr Schumacher recognized me, tried to rise.
'Herr Schumacher, I have just come from your house.'
'Eh… what ?' Tipsily he pulled out a chair which I ignored. 'Is there anything wrong? My wife's all right?'
'Physically she's all right. Emotionally she's not. She is very much upset.'
'Well, yes; anyone would be. I'm very much upset… my friends are too.' He waved his arm at his companions, knocking over a glass. 'I'll have to take in my brother's boy from Graz now. It's a disaster; its -'
I now lost my temper.
'Herr Schumacher, you make me ashamed to be a human being. Your daughter has a large birthmark on her right cheek. It is a serious and permanent blemish with which she will have to live. Your wife is exhausted and wretched - and you sit here like a sot; drooling with self-pity and drinking with your so-called friends.'
'What… ? What did you say?' He sat down heavily. 'A birthmark ? A big one, you say.'
'Yes.'
The dentist had now grasped the nature of the calamity. 'Hey, that's terrible, Schumacher. Terrible! Not just a girl but disfigured!'
'Dreadful, quite dreadful,' murmured the bank manager. 'You'll have her on your hands all your life.'
Herr Schumacher shook his head, trying to surface from his drunkenness. 'You say she's healthy?' he demanded. 'The baby?'
'Yes, she's perfectly healthy. In fact she's a very sweet baby otherwise. She has the most distinguished eyebrows.'
'Still, if she's got a strawberry mark no one'll look at her. Or rather everyone'll look at her!' The dentist, still bent on consolation, tried to put an arm round Herr Schumacher's shoulders.
The arm was removed. Herr Schumacher rose and managed to stay upright. 'Idiot!' he spat at the dentist. 'Half-wit!' He opened his mouth very wide and jabbed a finger at one of his back molars. 'Do you see that tooth ? You filled it a month ago and since then I've had nothing but trouble! Every time I drink something hot it's like a dagger!'
'Come, come Schumacher,' said the bank manager. 'He was only trying to -'
Herr Schumacher swung round to confront his comforter.
'And you shut up too or I'll knock you down. I'm surprised you've got the nerve to look me in the face! Two per cent on a simple loan with collaterals! Two per cent!'
He threw some money down on the table, staggered to the coat rack, jammed his hat on his head.
'Seven daughters, poor gentleman,' he said - and recoiled from my basilisk glare.
He was not in the Blue Boar either, but in the Regina the trail grew warm again. An inebriated gentleman, supported by two friends, had lurched past half an hour earlier, asking the passers-by what he had done to deserve his fate.
'He went on about goldfish, too. Someone had killed his goldfish,' said the landlord. 'He went off towards the Graben. You could try the Three Hussars.'
And in that ancient hostelry full of antlers and oak panelling I found him. He was sitting between his faithful henchmen, the bank manager and the dentist, the centre of a veritable Pieta. Herr Schumacher's moustaches were limp with grief, glasses and a half empty bottle of wine littered the table. The dentist's heavy hand lay on the stricken father's arm; the bank manager's pince-nez glittered as he shook a commiserating head.
'Good evening.'
'Frau… Susanna!' Herr Schumacher recognized me, tried to rise.
'Herr Schumacher, I have just come from your house.'
'Eh… what ?' Tipsily he pulled out a chair which I ignored. 'Is there anything wrong? My wife's all right?'
'Physically she's all right. Emotionally she's not. She is very much upset.'
'Well, yes; anyone would be. I'm very much upset… my friends are too.' He waved his arm at his companions, knocking over a glass. 'I'll have to take in my brother's boy from Graz now. It's a disaster; its -'
I now lost my temper.
'Herr Schumacher, you make me ashamed to be a human being. Your daughter has a large birthmark on her right cheek. It is a serious and permanent blemish with which she will have to live. Your wife is exhausted and wretched - and you sit here like a sot; drooling with self-pity and drinking with your so-called friends.'
'What… ? What did you say?' He sat down heavily. 'A birthmark ? A big one, you say.'
'Yes.'
The dentist had now grasped the nature of the calamity. 'Hey, that's terrible, Schumacher. Terrible! Not just a girl but disfigured!'
'Dreadful, quite dreadful,' murmured the bank manager. 'You'll have her on your hands all your life.'
Herr Schumacher shook his head, trying to surface from his drunkenness. 'You say she's healthy?' he demanded. 'The baby?'
'Yes, she's perfectly healthy. In fact she's a very sweet baby otherwise. She has the most distinguished eyebrows.'
'Still, if she's got a strawberry mark no one'll look at her. Or rather everyone'll look at her!' The dentist, still bent on consolation, tried to put an arm round Herr Schumacher's shoulders.
The arm was removed. Herr Schumacher rose and managed to stay upright. 'Idiot!' he spat at the dentist. 'Half-wit!' He opened his mouth very wide and jabbed a finger at one of his back molars. 'Do you see that tooth ? You filled it a month ago and since then I've had nothing but trouble! Every time I drink something hot it's like a dagger!'
'Come, come Schumacher,' said the bank manager. 'He was only trying to -'
Herr Schumacher swung round to confront his comforter.
'And you shut up too or I'll knock you down. I'm surprised you've got the nerve to look me in the face! Two per cent on a simple loan with collaterals! Two per cent!'
He threw some money down on the table, staggered to the coat rack, jammed his hat on his head.
Near fragment in time
den Boden unter den Füßen zu verlieren, diese menschliche Angst hast du für immer verloren, auch wenn das allererste Mal mit mir ins Wasser gegangen zu sein, eine Feuer- und Wasserprobe gewesen sein wird eines heiligen Bundes – immer von neuem allerletzte Scheu davor überwindend, wird es ihr, wie gern ich ihr reine Freude an einem neuen Element erschlossen hätte, ja doch auch das Feuer bleiben, durch welches sie nur für mich geht (mag auch Tage später im Türkenschanzpark Mariannes Erheiterung über einen jungen Wolfshund, der sich im halb abgelassenen Ententeich tummelt, dich dazu bringen, daß du nun aus Eifersucht ein wenig ins Wasser gehst, von ihrem enthusiastischen Lob begleitet, dich durch den Schlamm kämpfst), und so hat es mir besonders das Bauchi-Bauchi angetan, welches sie mir nicht aus Liebesbedürftigkeit anträgt: wenn ihr, an einem Wasser neben mir liegend, plötzlich schwand, ich würde sie sogleich auffordern, doch mit mir ein bißchen …, läßt sie, türkische Odaliske im Bade, mit einem tiefen Blick sich in die innigste Bauchi-Bauchi-Haltung sinken, nickt mir zu, und in der Belustigung über das Raffinement, das ihr Unschuldsengelin ansonsten fehlt, ist das Vorhaben schon vergessen.
pp 88 from Hundegeschichte by
Near fragment in space
Nachdem er weitere zehn Minuten auf den Bildschirmschoner gestarrt und mit sich gehadert hatte, ob er zur Trafik gegenüber gehen sollte, nahm er das interne Telefonverzeichnis von Bergmanns Schreibtisch und suchte sich die Nummer eines Kollegen heraus, der im Dezernat zur Bekämpfung der organisierten Kriminalität arbeitete. Ob sie sich um sechs Uhr kurz treffen könnten, er bräuchte unter Umständen einen Gefallen. Nachdem sie sich in einem Gastgarten nahe der Freyung verabredet hatten, rief Schäfer zuerst Kovacs und dann Schreyer an
pp 68-69 from Der bessere Mensch by