Life After Forty Read Online Free Page B

to lend a hand. At the time I just thought that was what you did when you’d been friends for twenty-five years. Each day I had gone to the bookstores while Antje and Bernd renovated and Adrian, who was there every day too, looked on.
    After two weeks he took Bernd aside and had a word. Bernd seemed to show some discretion and put the whole thing on ice.
    “Antje and I had a strange fight back then, come to think of it. She accused me of not having offered her anything for her help. I really didn’t understand at the time.”
    “There’s no way you could have understood. What she wanted was your husband.”
    Marleen took a cigarette, even though she didn’t smoke.
    “In any case, it didn’t stay on ice for long. It seems that things kept happening between them, and last summer she went in for the kill.”
    “I didn’t notice anything.”
    “Then in December she started to put pressure on him. Apparently she really flipped out when you both went to your parents’ place over Christmas and then stayed there for New Year’s too.”
    “How did Adrian know that?”
    “Bernd told him everything almost as soon as it happened. She was in a foul mood all through January and threatened Bernd that if he didn’t tell you about the affair, she would. Then you went to your neighbor’s birthday party, and it all came to a head. You went to stay with Ines on Monday morning. Antje came to see Bernd that evening and wanted to know how you’d taken the news. That was, it seems, the deadline. That’s why he phoned you.”
    I felt both hot and cold at the same time. I searched for words. Marleen looked at me sadly.
    “I’ve known for six weeks. I kept going back and forth and thought that it would tear the whole world out from under your feet if you found out now. I wanted to wait until you were settled in your new apartment and wouldn’t have to see either of them anymore.”
    “She wanted to help me with the move. Just imagine, the old Jezebel wanted to help me with the move, and…” My tears started to fall.
    “She probably wanted to make sure that you didn’t take everything.” Marleen shook her head. “The next day, when you were back with Ines, I drove to see Bernd. I had such a go at him that he was as white as a sheet. I told him that if that backstabbing woman so much as set foot on the property before the fifteenth, I’d see to it that the whole house was completely emptied. After all, you paid for everything.”
    “I just can’t believe it. It’s like a bad movie. I look after her children, and she’s out fucking my husband. Shit, twenty-five years of friendship—what kind of person is she? I could kill her, the little rat.”
    “Just make sure you don’t leave too many things for them.”
    “I don’t want any of it. It’s all just false memories.”
    Marleen pressed my hand.
    “I understand, but don’t leave everything. Take what you want to take.”
    We were both exhausted and fell silent for a while.
    “Marleen, I feel awful. I’m going to go and pack everything now and put yellow labels on the furniture that I want to take. Would you be able to go over on the fifteenth and make sure that everything gets brought along?”
    “Of course. Shall I come and give you a hand now?”
    “No, I have to do it myself. I’ll write a list of which pieces of furniture and how many boxes and so on.”
    We finished smoking our cigarettes in silence and drank the rest of the coffee, and then I stood up. Marleen took me in her arms and pulled me close.
    “In half a year’s time we’ll be laughing about it. Keep your head high.”
     
     
    Just as I was about to open the front door, it was flung open from the inside. Bernd stood in the hallway with a sheepish grin. I went silently past him. I couldn’t look him in the face.
    “So, how did it go with the kids?” he asked.
    I swallowed, pressing my fingernails into the palms of my hand.
    “I’m sure you’ve already been on the phone with her. I left