Tomorrow Berlin Read Online Free Page A

longer the maid’s son, he had his diploma, he’d come second at the Institute in Hannover; he was wearing his uniform like a blazon over his heart.
    A grey, unsmiling woman opened the door.
    ‘How may I help, sir?’
    ‘I’m Franz.’
    ‘Franz? We’re not expecting any Franz. What do you want? Are you here for the wedding?’
    ‘What wedding? No, I’ve come to see the Kienzels.’
    ‘Come in for a moment, please. I’ll call Madam.’
    Madam appeared.
    ‘Franz! How handsome you are. And that uniform! You’re a man now.’
    ‘You’re very elegant too, madam.’
    ‘You’ve come for Katherine’s wedding. That’s lovely. I’ll have a room made up for you. We’ll get you a suit too. Tomorrow will be a day of celebration. Come along with me. My husband will be so pleased to see you. Ah, who would have thought that you’d turn out so handsome! It’s wonderful, Franz, you’re a man!’
    With Sir, he talked about the Institute, his diploma, Aristotle, plans for a career. But where could Katherine be? Was she really getting married? Yes, she was. How could she no longer love him?
    The conversation with Sir dragged on. He had contacts, in Munich, Berlin, Hannover. Franz could take his pick. They would find him a job.But where was Katherine? That was all Franz could think about.
     
    He found himself alone in a room that wasn’t his. He still hadn’t seen Katherine. He tried on the suit that he would wear in honour of her love, in honour of her love for someone else. Hadn’t she read his letters? God, he loved her, he’d told her so. All those nights they’d spent together! It wasn’t possible that she loved someone else. He felt something in his gut; a growing sense of injustice within him, crushing his entrails, then his ribcage. It welled up in his gorge. He threw up all the tears in his body. But the bad feeling was still there. The melancholy bile seemed to keep on coming endlessly. Throwing up or yelling would do no good. This bad feeling would always be there. He wanted to write about it, but he couldn’t. Soon it would be time for dinner; he would see Katherine.
     
    The groom was as expected. Short, rather dim. No light in his eyes; no refinement in his features. So that’s the sort of man she likes, Franz thought. Rather empty, kind, with a job, comfortably off. He, a maid’s son, could not compete on that terrain, even if he did come second at the Institute.
    Then Katherine appeared. Something in her eyes had changed. She looked nice, her hair shone as before, but she had lost her distinctive beauty. Katherine loved a little fool; she was no longer what she had been, there was no nobility in her features. She had found her place, in the bed of the petty bourgeoisie. And now Franz wanted nothing to do with that place for anything in the world; he was alone.
    At dinner they talked about the financial crisis and safeguarding interests. The changing world, all that stuff, property prices and petrochemicals. The industrialists’ equivalent of peasants discussing the weather.
    Katherine tried to catch Franz’s eye as if to seek forgiveness. But she couldn’t, he’d already moved on.

IV
    Tobias walked on for a short time, dazed by what he’d just experienced. Day was breaking. He needed somewhere to sleep. Going to his sister’s was out of the question – imagine Stéphane’s face if he showed up there! That left Victor. He could ask him that much, after all.
    Tobias was cold; he kept walking. He needed to find a phone box, and hope Victor was at home and would pick up. The boulevard Saint-Germain was deserted, a few workers, like well-dressed tramps emerging from a hard night, and Tobias, alone again, searching for a telephone, searching for a bed.
    He went into a café. He was struck by the noise of the coffee machine, beans being ground, milk heated. At the counter there were just men on their own, lost amid the mechanical noise, like workers who have left machines running while they come