Travels in the Scriptorium Read Online Free Page A

he opens his eyes and turns to Anna. She is no longer sitting on the edge of the tub but kneeling on the floor in front of him, wiping up the ejaculation with the washcloth. Her head is down, and therefore he cannot see her eyes, but nevertheless he leans forward and touches her left cheek with his right hand. Anna looks up then, and as their eyes meet she gives him another one of her tender and affectionate smiles.

    You’re so good to me, he says.
    I want you to be happy, she answers. This is a hard time for you, and if you can find some moments of pleasure in all this, I’m glad to help.
    I’ve done something terrible to you. I don’t know what it is, but something terrible … unspeakable … beyond forgiveness. And here you are, taking care of me like a saint.
    It wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to do, and I don’t hold it against you.
    But you suffered. I made you suffer, didn’t I?
    Yes, very badly. I almost didn’t make it.
    What did I do?
    You sent me off to a dangerous place, a desperate place, a place of destruction and death.
    What was it? Some kind of mission?
    I guess you could call it that.
    You were young then, weren’t you? The girl in the photo.
    Yes.
    You were very pretty, Anna. You’re older now, but I still find you pretty. Just about perfect, if you know what I mean.
    You don’t have to exaggerate, Mr. Blank.
    I’m not. If someone told me that I had to look at you twenty-four hours a day for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t have any objections.
    Once again, Anna smiles, and once again Mr. Blank touches her left cheek with his right hand.
    How long were you in that place? he asks.
    A few years. Much longer than I was expecting to be.
    But you managed to get out?
    Eventually, yes.

    I feel so ashamed.
    You mustn’t. The fact is, Mr. Blank, without you I wouldn’t be anyone.
    Still …
    No still . You’re not like other men. You’ve sacrificed your life to something bigger than yourself, and whatever you’ve done or haven’t done, it’s never been for selfish reasons.
    Have you ever been in love, Anna?
    Several times.
    Are you married?
    I was.
    Was?
    My husband died three years ago.
    What was his name?
    David. David Zimmer.
    What happened?
    He had a bad heart.
    I’m responsible for that, too, aren’t I?
    Not really … Only indirectly.
    I’m so sorry.
    Don’t be. Without you, I never would have met David in the first place. Believe me, Mr. Blank, it isn’t your fault. You do what you have to do, and then things happen. Good things and bad things both. That’s the way it is. We might be the ones who suffer, but there’s a reason for it, a good reason, and anyone who complains about it doesn’t understand what it means to be alive.

It should be noted that a second camera and a second tape recorder have been planted in the bathroom ceiling, making it possible for all activities in that space to be recorded as well, and because the word all is an absolute term, the transcription of the dialogue between Anna and Mr. Blank can be verified in every one of its details.
    The sponge bath goes on for several more minutes, and when Anna has finished washing and rinsing the remaining areas of Mr. Blank’s body (legs, front and back; ankles, feet, and toes; arms, hands, and fingers; scrotum, buttocks, and anus), she fetches a black terry-cloth robe from a hook on the door and helps Mr. Blank put it on. Then she picks up the blue-and-yellow striped pajamas and walks into the other room, making sure to leave the door open. While Mr. Blank stands in front of the small mirror above the sink, shaving with a battery-operated electric razor (for obvious reasons, traditional razor blades are forbidden), Anna folds the pajamas, makes the bed, and opens the closet to select Mr. Blank’s clothes for the day. She moves quickly and efficiently, as if trying to make up for lost time. So rapid is her completion of these tasks that when Mr. Blank finishes shaving with the electric razor and walks