It turned into a wild party. Alain was in top form, and at three in the morning Elly had to come in with an ice pack for the commander of the destroyer, Captain Botev, who’d had so much to drink that he was hallucinating. Caroline was flirting with a navigation officer who looked like Clark Gable, the actor who was the love of Elly’s life (other than Alain, of course, her one and only flesh-and-blood sheik), whose picture was plastered all over the walls of her room. The minister made a speech and went on at length about friendship among nations. He said everything and nothing, just as a diplomat should. But toward the end of the speech he brought up a sensitive subjectwas this from sheer thoughtlessness?and proposed to the assembly, ‘Let us drink a toast to the future. A new time is coming, an epoch of order and honor. To the south, you have a neighbor where this era has already arrived!’
The room was silent. The minister continued, ‘I’m referring, of course, to Germany. Opinions may differ about Hitler’s methods, but one thing is clear: his goals are well-defined and admirable. Let us drink a toast to Germany, to order, peace, and progress!’
The minister stood up and raised his glass. The officers jumped to their feet and clicked their heels. Alain remained seated in the sofa, staring into space. He thought he was dreaming. He didn’t see where Caroline had been standing; he didn’t see her at all, scarcely knew what happened. It all went so fast, took only a second. Everything was over before the minister had finished the toast. ‘A toast, then,’ he proclaimed, ‘a toast for Germ’
In the middle of the word, at the letter ‘m,’ he was cut off by a wad of spit in the face. Caroline, the spoiled, difficult one, rushed right out and spat at him! She was beside herself, screaming, ‘Get out of here, you fat Nazi swine! See to it that you clear out before I tear the eyes out of your pug-ugly goddamned face!’ If the officers hadn’t intervened, no doubt she would have started in on him with her long red nails.
Naturally there was a commotion and everyone was scandalized, and Alain’s high spirits vanished. The minister wiped off his face, looking as if he might take a pistol out of an inner pocket. On his way out, he hissed, ‘I’d planned to nominate you for Consul General, Mr. Simon …” Followed by all the Bulgarians, including the deflated Clark Gable, and ready to slam the door, he issued a threat: ‘You can’t be Consul General, Simon, but I’m sure we’ll manage to find something else for you, for your kind. Remember Germany I’m warning you, remember how your kind are treated there …’
Alain himself slammed the door while the minister was still raving on. Then, without a word, he took Caroline in his arms, and both of them burst out laughing as they stood there holding each otherfor the first time in many yearsand laughed until they shook.
Translated by Rochelle Wright.