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Veronika decides to die :: Coelho Paulo
Страница: 113 из 115”
“Then you mustswear by the God you believe in that you will paint me.”
“I swear.”
“And that after painting me, you will go on painting.”
“I don’t know if I can swear that.”
“You can. And thank you for giving meaning to my life. I came into this world in order to go through everything I’ve gone through: attempted suicide, ruining my heart, meeting you, coming up to this castle, letting you engrave my face on your soul. That is the only reason I came into the world, to make you go back to the path you strayed from. Don’t make me feel my life has been in vain.”
“I don’t know if it’s too early or too late, but, just as you did with me, I want to tell you that I love you. You don’t have to believe it, maybe it’s just foolishness, a fantasy of mine.”
Veronika put her arms around him and asked the God she did not believe in to take her at that very moment.
She closed her eyes and felt him doing the same. And a deep, dreamless sleep came upon her. Death was sweet; it smelled of wine and it stroked her hair.
Eduard felt someone prodding him in the shoulder. When he opened his eyes, day was breaking.
“You can go and shelter in the town hall, if you like,” said the policeman. “You’ll freeze if you stay here.”
In a second Eduard remembered everything that had happened the previous night. There was a woman lying curled in his arms.
“She… she’s dead.”
But the woman moved and opened her eyes.
“What’s going on?” asked Veronika.
“Nothing,” said Eduard, helping her to her feet. “Or rather a miracle happened: another day of life.”
As soon as Dr. Igor went into his consulting room and turned on the light—for daylight still arrived late and winter was dragging on far too long—a nurse knocked at his door.
Things have started early today , he said to himself.
It was going to be a difficult day because of the conversation he would have to have with Veronika. He had been building up to it all week, and had hardly slept a wink the previous night.
“I’ve got some troubling news,” said the nurse. “Two of the inmates have disappeared: the ambassador’s son and the girl with the heart problem.”
“Honestly, you’re a load of incompetents, you are; not that the security in this hospital has ever been up to much.”
“It’s just that no one’s ever tried to escape before,” said the nurse, frightened. “We didn’t know it was possible.
“Then you mustswear by the God you believe in that you will paint me.”
“I swear.”
“And that after painting me, you will go on painting.”
“I don’t know if I can swear that.”
“You can. And thank you for giving meaning to my life. I came into this world in order to go through everything I’ve gone through: attempted suicide, ruining my heart, meeting you, coming up to this castle, letting you engrave my face on your soul. That is the only reason I came into the world, to make you go back to the path you strayed from. Don’t make me feel my life has been in vain.”
“I don’t know if it’s too early or too late, but, just as you did with me, I want to tell you that I love you. You don’t have to believe it, maybe it’s just foolishness, a fantasy of mine.”
Veronika put her arms around him and asked the God she did not believe in to take her at that very moment.
She closed her eyes and felt him doing the same. And a deep, dreamless sleep came upon her. Death was sweet; it smelled of wine and it stroked her hair.
Eduard felt someone prodding him in the shoulder. When he opened his eyes, day was breaking.
“You can go and shelter in the town hall, if you like,” said the policeman. “You’ll freeze if you stay here.”
In a second Eduard remembered everything that had happened the previous night. There was a woman lying curled in his arms.
“She… she’s dead.”
But the woman moved and opened her eyes.
“What’s going on?” asked Veronika.
“Nothing,” said Eduard, helping her to her feet. “Or rather a miracle happened: another day of life.”
As soon as Dr. Igor went into his consulting room and turned on the light—for daylight still arrived late and winter was dragging on far too long—a nurse knocked at his door.
Things have started early today , he said to himself.
It was going to be a difficult day because of the conversation he would have to have with Veronika. He had been building up to it all week, and had hardly slept a wink the previous night.
“I’ve got some troubling news,” said the nurse. “Two of the inmates have disappeared: the ambassador’s son and the girl with the heart problem.”
“Honestly, you’re a load of incompetents, you are; not that the security in this hospital has ever been up to much.”
“It’s just that no one’s ever tried to escape before,” said the nurse, frightened. “We didn’t know it was possible.