Dada 53

At first I didn’t realise but he started addressing me in a very personal way. It only struck me when he said: “Now, we`re really pals”: He said the same thing again and I said: “Yes we are.”

 It didn’t matter to me one way or the other but it really seemed to matter to him. He put the letter in the envelope and we finished the wine. Then we sat there for a while, smoking in silence. Outside, everything was quiet and we could hear the sound of a car passing by.

I said: “It`s late.” Iskra thought so too.

He remarked that time passed quickly in the tropics, a man’s life could disappear between monsoons he said and, in a certain way that was true, what happens between May and November could lead you into mystery. I was tired though and found it difficult to get out of my chair. I must have looked done in because Iskra said I should take better care of myself. At first I didn`t understand. Then he said he`d heard that Dada had passed away.

‘Was he Chinese’ he asked ; then he covered himself and said it was something that people were bound to ask one day. That was how I thought about it too.

I stood up; Iskra shook my hand very hard and said that we men must always understand each other. He asked me if I wanted to stay there the night with him but I said no.

Good night I said to him

Iskra slapped my shoulder, ‘goodnight my little gangster’ he said. ‘I can see you were a good student’

I closed his doors behind me when I left and stood on the landing for a moment in the dark and thought of Dada and what had had to come to pass to bring him into the world. I don’t like to talk about this nor the stain, they said resided within our family but Dada’s voice sounded within me and chimed all the way down the hall way.