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“I’m going to sign the contract. I’m going to call Peter today. I’m going to tell Tobík it was a poor decision.”
“Damián.”
“What?”
“That’s the program talking. The program says reasonable things in reasonable sentences and the reasonable sentences add up to a life you’re not actually living. You’re about to do it again.”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“I can’t tell you that. I’m only telling you what I’m hearing right now is what everyone else wants you to do.”
Mid-sentence, a knock at the door. Three sharp raps.
We look at each other.
“It’s Tomáš,” I say.
“How do you know?”
“Because Tomáš knocks like a man who’s already decided what he’s going to say before the door opens. He’s been doing it for ten years.”
I get up and open the door.
Tomáš. His face is the face of a man who has been awake for hours putting pieces together. He looks past me and sees Šíma.
“We need to talk,” he says.
I look back at Šíma. He stands and picks up his coffee. “I’ll get more coffee.”
He walks toward the door. He passes Tomáš and stops. His hand finds Tomáš‘s shoulder and stays there for two seconds. Tomáš‘s hand comes up briefly and covers Šíma’s. Then Šíma is past him and the door closes.
Tomáš walks into the room. He doesn’t sit down. He stands in the middle of the room between the two beds with his arms at his sides and looks at me.
“How long?”
“Tomáš...”
“How long? Damián. I’m asking.”
“I don’t know what—“
“Stop. I watched you last night. I watched you follow him out. I watched your face when you came back to the table. I’ve been awake since four this morning going through every dinner and every visit and every time you’ve asked about him and I need you to tell me how long.”
“One week.” I catch myself because that’s not true. “Actually, three years. Since the draft party.”
“What happened three years ago?”
“We almost kissed.”
“You almost kissed my brother? In my house?” He is glaring at me as he spits the words out.
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“And then nothing. For three years. We didn’t speak about it. Then he came to Atlanta and now I'm here in Atlanta and we’ve been….”
“What? You’ve been WHAT?”
