Sjá nánar

25.5.2009

ACT 8

http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Rammur%20Steinn.mp3

John's birthday was on Iceland's Independence Day, June 17. Then Violet held a dinner party, always inviting the same guests: Didi Stina and her husband Kalli Sandfeldt, and John's parents, Madame Sigrid and Director Stein.

Somehow the tradition had developed that at the end of the dinner party, John and Kalli Sandfeldt took a walk up to Freyjagata to Rev. Pauline. After the appropriate kisses and signs of friendship which always accompanied a visit to Rev. Pauline, they settled into the living room with a drink, and Rev. Pauline spewed cigarette smoke into the air.

Ever since Kalli Sandfeldt was in the Reykjavik Gymnasium, he wanted to be in a men's choir. He had tried to get into the Reykjavik Men's Choir and the Foster Brothers Men's Choir, but he had never really pushed to get in, or he was turned down. Whenever this topic came up, Kalli Sandfeldt would say that the fine and highly regarded country and western blues musician, KK, had said that he, Kalli Sandfeldt, was the most musical man that he had ever met. He said this in a party out in Gardabaer where they had started to sing in harmony right after midnight and kept it up until morning. Then KK had declared that every person could be an opera singer if he wanted to; talent and singing voice had nothing to do with it. Man was first and foremost an instrument, and to be able to play an instrument, you had to learn to play.

"I have that from KK direct. There is no such thing as a beautiful singing voice or an ugly one. It is, on the other hand, possible to coax beautiful or ugly sounds from a violin string or vocal cords. The most important thing, and that which makes one singing voice distinct from another, is the texture. It's the same with painting?the texture, the brush strokes on the canvas."

Whether Kalli Sandfeldt had a high IQ or not, everyone agreed that he often talked about the strangest things, which ordinary people, educated or even completely uneducated, never considered discussing with friends. This seemed extraordinary, not the least when you considered that he had a doctorate in undersea engineering, was a prospective university professor and, last but not least, as Didi Stina maintained, was a scientist of international caliber.

After Kalli Sandfeldt had made his long speech, and the others had listened patiently without saying a word, he stopped talking, lifted his glass and proposed a toast: "So, shouldn't we switch to a lighter vein?"

Rev. Pauline had all her guns loaded, and Kalli Sandfeldt probably had started to feel that the atmosphere in this friendly apartment of hers was laced with treachery. He looked at her and waited for her to speak.

"Well, Kalli, what's with this girl?"

"Ah, Joka, my dear, you're always nagging about Pia."

Rev. Pauline expelled smoke and rubbed her hands across her bare arms which were white like marble with little reddish-yellow spots that formed whole clusters in some places. She wore jewelry and used brightly colored lipstick. She blew smoke and tried to form smoke rings. She looked at John, and they silently agreed that it was best to give Kalli Sandfeldt a chance to unburden himself.

"So what? Life is like that. We're born and live and die just like the grass growing in the dirt that tomorrow falls before the harvester's scythe."

Rev. Pauline had been thinking about something, and when Kalli Sandfeldt reached for his whiskey and took a sip, she said, looking at John: "You know, John, I am nearly certain that Kalli hasn't touched the girl. That's the reason I find his behavior to be in such poor taste."

Kalli Sandfeldt had swallowed the whiskey. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth: "Dear Joka, you don't know what's going on; this isn't your field. And I can tell you straight out that Pia Leifs is no girl. She's a well educated woman?in fact, brilliant. She is a superb person. And whether we're having some kind of affair or not, that's our business."

Then a short, decisive question came from John:

"Are you?"

"Are we what?"

"Having an affair."

"Kids, kids. What kind of conversation is this? I can say this in this circle, my closest friends, that of course Pia Leifs and I are not always doing research. We have to relax. And it's no secret?I tell only you without worrying about it being spread all over town?that I find it amusing to play with her."

"Ah, there it is," said Rev. Pauline. She slumped back in her chair and lifted her glass: "So, you are with her!"

"And what about that?"

"I don't know if I believe you. I know the damned macho inside you. Maybe you've never touched her."

She looked at John:

"Have you seen the legs on her? They're like saplings. And she dresses like a glamour girl?a total Twiggy."

"Let's talk about something else."

But Rev. Pauline was not finished. She still had a few heavy rounds left. She looked arrogantly at Kalli Sandfeldt:

"What do you hear about Cod-biter?"

"Cod-biter? Who's that?"

She glanced at John:

"You know him, don't you?"

"Not personally," answered John as he looked at Kalli Sandfeldt: "Isn't he a friend of the family?"

Rev. Pauline added: "Don't pretend, Kalli. You know the chap who brings you fish."

"Yeah, that bastard." He looked at them in turn and smiled: "What'd you call the guy?"

Rev. Pauline looked threateningly at Kalli Sandfeldt as she said: "Didi Stina calls him Cod-biter."

ACT 8

ACT 8

http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Rammur%20Steinn.mp3 John's birthday was on Iceland's Independence Day, June 17. Then Violet held a dinner party, always inviting the same guests: Didi Stina and her husband Kalli Sandfeldt, and John's parents, Madame Sigrid and Director Stein.

After Kalli Sandfeldt had made his long speech, and the others had listened patiently without saying a word, he stopped talking, lifted his glass and proposed a toast: "So, shouldn't we switch to a lighter vein?"

Rev. Pauline had all her guns loaded, and Kalli Sandfeldt probably had started to feel that the atmosphere in this friendly apartment of hers was laced with treachery. He looked at her and waited for her to speak.

"Well, Kalli, what's with this girl?"

"Ah, Joka, my dear, you're always nagging about Pia."

"So what? Life is like that. We're born and live and die just like the grass growing in the dirt that tomorrow falls before the harvester's scythe."

Rev. Pauline had been thinking about something, and when Kalli Sandfeldt reached for his whiskey and took a sip, she said, looking at John: "You know, John, I am nearly certain that Kalli hasn't touched the girl. That's the reason I find his behavior to be in such poor taste."

Then a short, decisive question came from John:

"Are you?"

"Are we what?"

"Having an affair."

"Ah, there it is," said Rev. Pauline. She slumped back in her chair and lifted her glass: "So, you are with her!"

"And what about that?"

"I don't know if I believe you. I know the damned macho inside you. Maybe you've never touched her."

She looked at John:

"Have you seen the legs on her? They're like saplings. And she dresses like a glamour girl?a total Twiggy."

"Let's talk about something else."

But Rev. Pauline was not finished. She still had a few heavy rounds left. She looked arrogantly at Kalli Sandfeldt:

"What do you hear about Cod-biter?"

"Cod-biter? Who's that?"

She glanced at John:

"You know him, don't you?"

"Not personally," answered John as he looked at Kalli Sandfeldt: "Isn't he a friend of the family?"

Rev. Pauline added: "Don't pretend, Kalli. You know the chap who brings you fish."

"Yeah, that bastard." He looked at them in turn and smiled: "What'd you call the guy?"

Rev. Pauline looked threateningly at Kalli Sandfeldt as she said: "Didi Stina calls him Cod-biter."

http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Rammur%20Steinn.mp3

John's birthday was on Iceland's Independence Day, June 17. Then Violet held a dinner party, always inviting the same guests: Didi Stina and her husband Kalli Sandfeldt, and John's parents, Madame Sigrid and Director Stein.