Bergman reaches for the buttermilk.
Bergman has indigestion.
Minna has a burnt taste in her mouth.
Bergman whispers, I contain too much humanity.
The days are long, large, light.
They’re as substantial as cows, as some sort of bloody big animal.
Minna snuggles up to Bergman.
Dad strokes Minna’s cheek.
Dad settles himself on his rock.
Dad understands.
Dad isn’t scared.
Minna’s read Bergman for a couple days.
Minna’s tired of lying in bed.
Minna checks her email.
Minna’s gotten a lot of email.
Mom and Jette have written.
Elisabeth’s written, and look here:
Karin’s written.
That was expected.
Minna doesn’t know if she’ll read Karin’s missive.
The street clatters with bikes and cars.
The sun’s risen over Amager Strandpark.
Baresso’s opened.
The coffees to go are warming palms.
The coffees to go are out walking.
The cell phones, the blankies, the coffees to go.
People trickle toward City Hall Square.
People resemble shoals of shiny herring.
People press on with sand and sleep in their eyes.
Minna eats a cracker.
Karin’s missive awaits.
Karin wants to be nasty.
Karin wants to upset her applecart, but
Minna’s cart has no apples.
The damage has been done.
Lars has disappeared.
Linda’s getting laid.
Karin has a dog.
Karin takes walks with her dog on the beach.
The dog’ll fetch a stick for Karin.
The dog whips back and forth.
Karin throws farther and farther.
The dog doesn’t hold back.
Karin casts the stick in the ocean.
The dog throws itself in.
Karin keeps casting the stick.
The dog keeps bounding.
It could continue this way forever, but
Minna’s got to get to it.
Minna reads:
Karin’s discovered that she’s been unfriended.
Karin’s hurt.
Karin repeats the gist from last time.
Karin just spices up the gist a bit:
Jutlandic women can fuck!!!
Music should be popular!!!
Music shouldn’t be deep!!!
KARIN LOVES BRYAN ADAMS!!!
Minna swallows her cracker.
Karin keeps going: I feel bad for you!!!
Karin can say more: You’ll come to regret it!!!
Minna’s counted Karin’s exclamation points.
The email contains fifty-six exclamation points.
That’s plenty, but
Minna doesn’t even feel like crying.
Minna’s anesthetized to blows.
Minna looks out the window.
Minna looks down upon the transport tsunami.
The network people whiz away.
The network people have business cards.
A chink suffices.
The darkness yields willingly, but
Network hearts don’t have the time.
Minna considers her hands.
Minna thinks her hands resemble thimbles.
Minna’s hands are thimbles.
Thimbles can’t grab.
The world around is laid with tile.
Network people are highly polished.
Minna shakes herself.
Minna tests her grasping power on her hair.
Her fingers can still grab herself hard.
Better than nothing, thinks Minna, and sits down.
Paper sonatas don’t write themselves.
Minna bikes to the Royal Library.
The city’s blazing hot from the sun.
The cell’s blazing hot from messages.
Elisabeth’s after her.
Elisabeth’s ten years older than Minna.
Elisabeth’s married to a successful optician.
Elisabeth lives in Potato Row.
The optician’s skinny and dry.
Minna understands him.
The optician’s a guest in his own home.
Guests have it rough at Elisabeth’s.
Shoes have to be taken off in the hall.
Shoes must never cross the threshold.
The guest has to pee.
The guest really has to pee.
The john lies on the far side of the utility room.
The shoes have to be removed anyway.
The shoes have to be put on and taken off without leaning on the walls.
The walls in the hallway must not get any grimy spots.
The bench in the hallway must not have any bottoms upon it.
The bench is not to sit on.
The bench is there to create harmony in the hallway.
The guest is barefoot and entering a house full of rules.
Elisabeth makes the rules.
No one else has permission to make rules in the house.
Cutlery must not clink against the service.
The table must not be wiped with a wet rag.
Books must be bound in dust jackets.
Fingers must not touch the pictures.
The coffee mugs must not stand without coasters underneath.
The coffee mugs must not contain coffee.
Coffee is forbidden at Elisabeth’s.
Everyone must drink tea.
The optician gets the trots from tea, but
The optician must remove his shoes before he runs out to the john.
The optician struggles with his suede shoes in the hallway.
The optician is afraid to place his fingers anywhere.
The optician just reaches the toilet in his stocking feet.
The shit runs out of him like green tea.
Elisabeth shouts, Is that you, honey?
The shit runs and runs.
The optician considers whether he dares to shit any more.
Elisabeth shouts, Is that you who came home, honey?
The optician reaches for the toilet paper.
The optician remembers to tear it off in a straight line.
The optician is lonesome, completely without allies.
Elisabeth and the optician have neither dog nor kids.
It’s sad, but
One thing is certain:
Kids set their bottoms everywhere.
Elisabeth is turning fifty besides.
Elisabeth is still pretty.
Elisabeth’s hair is light like Minna’s, but
Elisabeth’s hair doesn’t dare curl.
Elisabeth is illuminated.
Elisabeth is an act of will.
Elisabeth’s sent Minna a stream of messages.
Minna sits on her bike and reads them.
Minna approaches Knippel Bridge.
Minna has one hand on the handlebars.
Minna has one eye on the display.
Elisabeth wants her to phone.
Elisabeth wants her to drop by.
Minna passes the Stock Exchange.
Minna holds for a bus.
Minna MUST ring between two and four.
Minna MUST NOT ring at any other time.
Elisabeth practices yoga and meditates.
The day is scheduled.
Elisabeth says it’s about respecting others’ needs.
Minna understands:
Lars has a need to screw a celebrity.
Jette has a need to share her sex life.
Karin has a need to take up space in the countryside.
Linda Lund has a need for an audience.
Minna has to get up to stand on the pedals.
Minna is honked at.
Minna bikes out into the intersection by the Stock Exchange.
Elisabeth pursues her.
Elisabeth was an only child for ten years.
Elisabeth’s still an only child.
Elisabeth is no healthier than Karin.
Karin requires a host animal.
Elisabeth requires weak creatures.