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says something to her, but I don’t catch it, hear only that he’s angry, speaking in that low growl, and Hilde simply stands there, looking him straight in the eye, saying nothing, but she looks angry, too, definitely.
    Then the front door opens and Mum comes out onto the front step.
    “Well, well, look who’s here,” she says, wiping her hands on her blue-and-white checked apron, then holding them out and walking down the steps, up to Eskil. And Eskil takes off his sunglasses, holds out his hands, too, stands there smiling with his hands outstretched. They put their arms around each other, sway from side to side, stay locked like this for ages. Christ, it looks so sick, anybody would think they hadn’t seen one another for a whole year, I know Eskil doesn’t come to see her very often, but thereare limits, it’s fucking ridiculous. Then Mum places her hands on his arms, pushes him away from her slightly and sort of stands there, eyeing him up and down.
    “Have you lost weight?” she asks, sounding anxious, though she’s obviously pleased.
    “Oh, Mum,” Eskil says and laughs.
    “No, but you have, you have lost weight,” Mum says.
    “Not at all,” Eskil laughs.
    “You are taking the time to eat properly, aren’t you?”
    “Oh, Mum!” Eskil laughs again.
    “But you are, aren’t you?” Mum says.
    “Yes, of course!” Eskil laughs.
    I peer at them from my hiding place, try to smile at this, but can’t quite manage it, it comes out as a strained and rather bitter grin. I glance at Hilde, she’s standing back, trying to smile and look unfazed, but I can tell by her face that she thinks they’re behaving ridiculously, that she finds their little show embarrassing. After a moment or two Mum goes over to Hilde, lays a hand on her arm and gives her a hug.
    “How lovely that you could come too!” she says.
    “I know,” says Hilde, forcing a smile.
    Mum turns round, wanders back across to Eskil all kind of casual like, slips her arm through his, smiles as she says something I can’t hear, and Eskil smiles and raises his eyebrows, pretending to be pleased and surprised. I don’t quite catch what he says, but it’s something about how he’s looking forward to something, and then they start to walk arm in arm into the house with Hilde right behind them. I roll over onto my back again, feel everything turning sour inside me, going mouldy, I should never have come here, how was I to know Eskil would be coming, but still, whythe hell didn’t I go somewhere else, no matter where, just anywhere but here. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let it out again in a long sigh, try to calm down a bit. One way or another I’ll get through this as well, I suppose, and I don’t need to stay any longer than necessary anyway, I can just stay for dinner, have coffee and then take myself off somewhere else, make up a story about having to meet somebody and get out of here, I don’t need to stay the night. I swallow, feel myself growing calmer at the thought, becoming a little more relaxed. I put my hands behind my head and close my eyes. All’s quiet, not a sound to be heard.
    Then: “So this is where you’re hiding?”
    I open my eyes and find myself looking straight up at Eskil. He’s standing over me, grinning, with a pair of fake Ray-Bans pushed up onto his brow. His face is tanned and his white teeth look even whiter than usual, they gleam at me. I don’t say anything for a moment, just try to act surprised.
    “You’re here already?” I say.
    He doesn’t answer right away, looks me in the eye, making no secret of the fact that he knows I’ve only been trying to avoid them, that’s Eskil, tactful as always. I feel a surge of annoyance, but don’t let it show, try to smile.
    “You didn’t hear the car, then?” he asks, grinning.
    “I nodded off for a minute,” I say.
    “Right!”
    I try to keep a smile on my face, but it’s no good, the best I can manage is a sheepish grin, I know how it must