Excerpts from
Remnants
By Helle Helle
The excerpt is from the short story Mobil (Mobile)
I call him up, he says his last name, I´m glad. I ask how he´s getting on, whether he has been able to find out where he is. He says he hasn´t got any further with that side of things. On the other hand he has managed to get the first-aid box out of the glove compartment, he has started cleaning the cut and is then going to put a plaster on it. He asks whether I think he should dab it with iodine first. I say yes, he groans.
I ask about his leg, whether he can move. He is still sitting wiggling his toes, he says. I ask him to prod about a bit, try to feel each muscle in turn. He says that this actually helps. He thinks he might even be able to get out of the car now, it´s just that his head still hurts. I tell him to take it easy. We both agree that such a crack as he has obviously had is bound to result in a headache. I suggest that he call me as soon as he´s got himself out of the car. He´ll do that.
From here on things will pick up, I´m sure. Once he´s had a breath of air, everything will be fine and just as it should be. He´ll call the emergency services and they´ll see to it that both he and the car get home allright. I decide that I´ll ring the doctor on call as soon as he gets here. He may be concussed, it´s not at all unlikely that the headache is a sign of concussion.
I go into the bedroom and hang his quilt over the radiator. I´ll make everything allright for him, I´ll make tea for him and give him something to eat, if he has any appetite, I take rolls out of the freezer and switch on the oven, I put out the butter.
Translated by Barbara Haveland
|
|
