Part 17

The escape

„Jenny Schecter! Hello?… helloooo… Who’s there?” Suddenly the courage left Marina and she hung up hastily. With trembling hands and trembling knees she sat down on a chair at the long dining table. The telephone still in her hand she started to cry. ‘What have I just thought?’ Bette… I should call Bette.’

It was about 10 at night when my telephone rang. Marina was completely fluttering, their voice trembled and the sentences were confused and without sense and connection. „What happened, Marina?” “I called her.” “You called whom?” “Jenny, I called Jenny.” “Why?” “I do not know. I know nothing at all any more.” “Why don’t you just come over and we talk about it?” “Yeah, I’d like to. Would it really be okay for you?” “O course it is, I open up a beautiful bottle of wine for us, we order something to eat and talk. Do you like Mexican?” “I love Mexican, Mexican would be great. I could stop by at Pedro’s and bring something along.” Marina’s voice calmed down continually the more she was distracted by our phone call and concentrated on our meeting. “Yes, do that.” “A special desire?” “A salad perhaps with corn and turkey breast and beans.” “Okay, I’ll get that. I am there in about half an hour. Bye!” “Bye!” “Bette? Bette?” I had nearly already hung up. „Yes?” “Thanks!” “For what?” “You know that, see you later.”, then she hung up.

Half an hour later it rang at the door. Marina held out the merrily multicolored bag of Pedro’s at the long stretched arm. Her eyes were a little swollen, she tried to avoid my look. „Come in.” I took the bag from her, because I had the impression that she hardly still had enough strength to keep herself on her feet, let alone this bag. I put it on the kitchen table and gave her a glass of red wine into her hand. Marina hastily took a sip, sighed quietly and took a deep breath. I had already placed the plates there and began to arrange the salad evenly on them. Marina stood, with the head leaned to the column, next to me and watched me wordlessly. When I had finished, I took both plates in waiter’s manner, into the other hand my glass of wine, looked her deeply into her eyes and pointed with a short wink to the terrace door. I went ahead and Marina silently followed me. ‚Good, she had understood and me too.’ I thought.