San Salvador [1]
Peter Bichsel [2]
Translated by xia23
He had bought himself a fountain pen.
He wrote his signatures several times, then his initials, his address, several wavy lines, then his parents’ address of on a sheet of paper. He took a new sheet, folded it carefully and wrote: “It is too cold for me here”, then, “I’m going to south America”, then he paused, twisted the cap on the fountain pen, looked at the sheet and saw how the ink dried and became dark (the stationery store guaranteed that it would turn black), then he took his fountain pen again and wrote his name in larger letters underneath.
Then he sat there.
Later he cleared the newspapers from the table, glanced at the advertisement insertion in newspaper, thought about something, pushed the ash tray aside, tore the slip of paper with wavy lines, emptied his fountain pen and refilled it. It was too late for the show.
The rehearsal of the church chorus lasted till 9 o’clock. Hildegard would be back at 9:30. He waited for Hildegard. All of these were accompanied by the music from the radio. Now he turned the radio off.
In the middle of the table, a folded sheet was lying there, his name Paul was written in gray-black ink.
“I’m too cold for me here”, was also there.
So Hildegar would come back at 9:30. It was now 9. She would read his message, be fearful of it, believe it had nothing to do with south America, nevertheless still count the shirts in the closet, something had been happening.
She would call the “Löwen” [3].
The “Löwe” [3] is closed on Wednesdays. She would smile, despair and come to resign perhaps.
She would push her hair from her face, run her ring finger of the left hand along both sides of her temples, and then slowly unbutton her coat.
Then he sat there, wondering whom he could write a letter to, read the operating instruction for the fountain pen again – slightly turned to the right – also read the French text, compared the Englich with the German, looked again at his note, thought of palm trees, thought of Hildegard.
Sat there.
And at 9:30 Hildegard came home and asked: “Are kids sleeping?” She pushed her hair from her face.
[1]. p. 48. San Salvador. Mitlesen – Mitteilen. 4th Ed. Rosmarie Thee Morewedge. Heinle Cengage Learning. Australia…United States. 2008
"San Salvador": The most important things are not said. The story: its depth and poignancy. ibid.
San Salvador. The capital of El Salvador. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Salvador
[2]. Peter Bichsel. 3/24/1935- . Swiss writer and journalist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bichsel
[3]. Löwe (lion). Löwen (lions). Inn name in German.
