"It all started long before that, but now I might as well say it all began the night I got out of the nick." "I'd already blown the money they gave me." "And the north wind was colder than hell." "Schummertal." "November." "And my heart was as heavy as an old wet floorcloth." "This is where I grew up." "It was all I knew." "That's why it felt good." "I loved playing footie all afternoon with my mates." "Ueli and I were forwards, perfectly in sync." "A dream team." "I'LL BE THE GOALIE" "From the novel Much of a Talker by Pedro Lenz." "I did time for drug stuff." "I screwed up." "As a go-between." "I got fucked over and nicked." "I'd never messed with the dealers in Schummertal." "Where everybody knows you and begrudges you everything except maybe the flu or a rash." "I always helped myself to what I needed." "Except for that one time." "It was about a year ago." " Don't you have anything better to do?" " I gotta take it in for inspection." "Forget it." "That rust bucket will never pass the inspection." "Could you turn off the engine?" "It stinks!" "Stuck-up git!" "They fired me." "On the spot." " On the spot?" " I was smoking heroin on the loo." "The boss caught on and lost it." "It's not funny." "Sorry." "I'll give you a hand." "All that's missing now is a lawn mower, huh?" "What do you want a lawn mower for?" "Just look around!" "It's Saturday afternoon." "First you wash the car, then you mow the lawn, and later you'll barbecue a pork chop." "Like life in some corny old movie." "This fucking contraption just died on me!" "Damn it!" "Say, could you do me a favour?" "Pick up a package in Pontarlier?" "Why don't you get it yourself?" "My old man's birthday." "Big party." "Can't miss it." " Are you two still using the hoover?" " No." "Okay." "Routine care, and your car will last forever!" "Is there anything fishy about it?" "Five thousand." "Cash." "What?" "Five grand?" "Five grand." "That's a lot." "Especially when you've just lost your job." "So much that you'd better not ask too many questions." "So I drove to France." "Daft bastard that I am." "Hi." " I'm Goalie." " I don't speak German." "I was introducing myself:" "Goalie." " Everything okay?" " Everything okay." "Here." " Christ, what is this?" " Just what I was going to ask you." "Get out!" "Bloody hell!" "How often have you worked as a mule?" "This was my first and last time." " How do you know that Frenchman?" " I don't even know if he's French." "I only know he spoke French." "But most people speak French nowadays." "If somebody speaks English, it doesn't mean they're English." "You didn't answer my question." "How do you know the Frenchman?" "I don't know him." "I was doing a favour for somebody who doesn't know the Frenchman either." "And who is that "somebody"" "who let you walk into an offside trap?" "Why would he want to fuck me over?" "Maybe he was looking for a patsy to do time for him." "That's rubbish." "It doesn't make any sense." "Right." "Once more, from the top:" "Who gave you the job?" "If you have anything to say, say it!" "It'll help you in court." "If I blab now you'll just go after the little fish." "What good is that?" "Prison will stick to you for the rest of your life." "Is that what you want?" "You're really beyond help." "That's how it was with my little outing to France." "One day's driving and a year in the nick." "On balance, a pretty lousy result, if I'm honest." "There's no way to talk that up now." "If I'd blabbed I'd have gotten a suspended sentence." "But I kept mum." "You can blame me for all kinds of things, but ratting someone out in court?" "No way." "Especially not my oldest mate." "That's when you need to keep your trap shut." "No question." "Hey there." " Look who it is:" "Goalie." "Back again?" " As you see." "What can I get you?" " Please get me a coffee with schnapps." " Got any cash?" "Just bring it over, we'll take it from there." " I didn't put it through." " Thanks, love." "If Pesche finds out all hell will break loose." "Regi, could you slip me a fifty until Monday?" "A cash-flow problem with my imagined earnings, you know?" "Hard to believe you were inside nearly a year." "You're still full of the same old shit." "It's up to you:" "Either you give me the fifty or I'll ask someone else." "You're a darling." "Thanks." "I'd love to take you home, for keeps." "I'd make you happy, Regi." "I swear." "Quitting time, Goalie." "Tomorrow's another day." "We've known each other for ages and..." "Sleep tight!" "You, too." " Hi, Budi!" " Honey." "Can you turn it down a bit?" "I'm totally wasted." "Come off it and listen to the song!" " Goalie's out." " Who?" "Goalie." "So what?" "I gave him a free coffee with schnapps." " How come?" " He's broke." "Why does he go to a pub if he's broke?" " Maybe he needs some company." " You aren't the Salvation Army." "He isn't such a bad sort." "He's a die-hard junkie who drinks like a fish, always borrowing money and out of work." "Still strikes me as a good bloke." "That makes one of you." " Goalie, are you home?" " Yeah, come on in." "And shut the door, you tit." "You're letting the cold in!" "Hey, Ueli!" " Want a beer, or shall I make coffee?" " A beer wouldn't be bad." "I didn't think you'd ever show your face again." "Hey, what's wrong with you?" "Are you ill?" " A bit of a cold, that's all." " You're kidding, right?" "First you're nowhere to be found, and then you turn up like this." " You got jaundice?" " I got nothing." "Just look at yourself!" "Ueli, you got jaundice." "I got nothing." "Just a cold, like I said." "Here Sorry, it took a bit longer." " Count it!" " It's all right." "I'll count it later." "Five grand, that's a lot of money." "A year in the nick is no joke, either." "Why did you never come to see me inside?" "Do we have to talk about that now?" "It was just a question." "The nick's too much of a downer for me." "For you?" "Don't you have any junk?" "Half a sachet, maybe?" "I got nothing." "This place is as clean as a nursery." "I'm starting over." "Gonna find a job." "Straight up." "Get up early, a beer or two in the evening, be in bed at a decent hour and no more stress or hassle." "Well done." "Bravo, Goalie!" "Are you kidding?" "Come on, give me something." "Anything!" "Here." "Hey, man, you leaving?" "Tell me what's been going on in the meantime." "Some other time." "Gotta go." "Wow, Ueli!" "You got two Netzers." "Hold on!" "I can trade you Neeskens." "I already got him." " But I've got Tomaszewski." " I've got him, too." "You've got almost every card." "All right, you can have him." "Honest?" "In exchange for who?" "Just like that." "Five, seven, eight, nine, five thousand." " Hello, Mr Siegrist." " Hello, Mr Amstutz." "We'll make it easy." "This is the payment slip." "Have the money in my account by the end of the month, or you can call a moving van." "Four thousand five hundred?" "Jesus Christ on a bike!" "If I'd wanted to be mean, I'd have charged interest." " As I said" " I'll pay in cash." "Gimme a second." "Four, five." "Four thousand five hundred." "Count it." " I'll put the receipt in your mailbox." " Yeah, fine." " Hey there!" " Hi, Goalie." "Paule." "Hi, Pesche." "Café au lait, hold the milk, and an almond croissant." "Say, isn't Regula in today?" " Only in the afternoon." "Why?" " Can't I ask?" "I didn't say anything." "Just: only in the afternoon." "Maybe you could say it more normally." "Friendly, like." "Wasn't that normal enough for you?" "Are you coming to my pub to tell me how to say who's here and who isn't?" "If I were you I'd cool it, what with your record." "Got out of the wrong side of bed today." "Sorry, Pesche." "You know, sometimes you're in a good mood and sometimes you're not." "It all depends." "We're out of almond croissants." "Is that right, Goalie?" "You were in the nick?" "How long's your lunch break been, Paule?" "Look out or you might do time for laziness and dumb questions." "You could be the jail mailman, a popular position, but you'd have to get your arse in gear." "You start at 5 a.m. and you load the van by yourself." "You knock off at 1:30." "And remember:" "Friendliness and cleanliness are essential." "And my salary?" "Considering your history, I think 12.50 per hour is appropriate." "But you have most of the afternoon off." "For activities, like sports, that's great." " Do you do any sports?" " Just a bit, like." "What a pity!" "Sport is good for exercise." "Not only physically." "I know." "Sport's done me a lot of good." "Really a lot." "Okay." "I don't believe it." "Look who it is." "Balsiger!" " Hi, Goalie." " Hello." " Hi." " Hi." "May I introduce you two?" "Karin, my wife." "This is Goalie." "You used to be the goalie?" "No way." "I was a forward." "I scored goals." "You told me you were the goalgetter." "Sure, he was the goalgetter." "All those goals you got, right, Balsiger?" " Stofer." " Paule." " Yeah!" " Tinu." " Yeah!" " Stübi." " Küde." "Max." " You can have Balsiger." " What?" "No, he's all yours." " No, we're full up." "You take him." " We're full, too." "He's yours." "We don't want him." "You have him." "Where do I go, Pesche?" "Not to us, for sure!" "All right, come join us." "But don't stand on the pitch like a total pillock." "And otherwise?" "How's it going?" "Are you still with the bank?" "Yes, Ruedi has general power of attorney now." "Power of attorney?" "Oh my!" "The Balsigers reach for the stars!" "What's this darling's name?" "Joel." "Boy or girl?" "I just said:" "Joel." "That's like Simone or Dominique." "You never know if it's a boy or a girl." "Ruedi, I think we have to go." " You heard her:" "We have to go." " Okay, bye." "Take care." " Sutter?" " It's me, Goalie." "What do you want?" " Regula." " You know what time it is?" "I got a really good watch for my confirmation, a Tissot Seastar." "They stopped making them, but it's still a great watch." "So you don't need to tell me what time it is." "Regula's sleeping." "Wake her up, then!" "Are you on something?" "Are you my mother?" "Give me the phone." "Maybe it's important." " Regula!" "Hello?" " Are you crazy?" "He's bombed." "Don't ever call again at this hour, or I'll teach you a lesson!" " What does he want from you now?" " Don't know, I couldn't ask him." "You're not jealous, are you?" "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" " Look who it is:" "Stofer!" " Well, well, look at you!" " Hey there!" " Just out, and you've already got a job." " Congratulations!" " Thanks." " How are you doing?" " Going with the flow." "Hey, where'd you get those?" "Awesome teeth, man!" "These?" "They look terrific, huh?" "Did you win them at a raffle?" " Move it!" " Keep cool, man!" " See you around." " Sure, see you." "Twat!" "Cheers!" " Hey there!" " Hi, Goalie." "Hey..." "Sorry about the phone call." "Budi was awake anyway." " So what was he raging about?" " You'd better ask him." "You're far too good for Budi, trust me." " You deserve better." " Knock it off, Goalie." "What'll you have?" "A glass of Navarra when you have a minute." "And this is yours." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Thank you." "What did you want to tell me anyway?" "I don't remember." "I was out of my tree." "Come on, you know why you called me in the middle of the night." "The bill, please!" "2.30, please." " Keep the change." " Thanks." "You really don't remember what you wanted to tell me?" "Regula, we have other clients, too." "Keep your hands off Regi!" "First, she has somebody, and second, she's not your sort." "Isn't it strange?" "You've known a woman for years and never given her much thought, and suddenly she's got something." "Suddenly you like her, suddenly you're in love." "Somebody explain that to me." " Are you talking about yourself?" " She's lovely" " She's smart, kind, generous" " Don't keep me guessing." " Who is it?" " Regula." "Budi will beat the shit out of you if he hears that." "Don't mess about." "Find another girl." "Hey, if he's only in love, nobody's gonna mind." "Why should Regula fancy Goalie, all of a sudden?" "Regula is a better match than his last girl." "What was her name?" " Helen." " Yeah, right." "Women like her really get on my tits." "They want to give the fucked-up types a go but keep the back door open." "Regula isn't all that different." "Her little world is perfect." "This is Goalie." "No money and no nothing." "And he falls for women who are well off and can look after him." "What are you staring at?" "I need a light." "Hey, Ueli, this poison is killing you." "This crap would do anyone in." "Are you going evangelical on me?" "Damn!" "Damn!" "Damn!" "Oh no!" "Watch what you're doing!" "You stupid twat!" "I don't believe it!" "Goal!" "A dream goal!" "The goal of the month!" "It hit the post." "Hit the post and went in." "And went out!" "It'd never go in from that angle." "The surest goal in the world!" "Screw you!" " How's he doing?" " Poorly." "Obviously." "I need some coffee." "Hi there." "You need to talk to the doctors." "Get him on some programme." " I know." " He needs to go to rehab." " I know." " You're his girlfriend." "They'd never listen to a guy like me." "Excuse me!" "This is a non-smoking zone." "You've got it wrong." "This is not a non-smoking zone." "This is a smoking zone." "Over where you are is non-smoking." "But your smoke's in our faces." "Yes, I know." "Smoke is terrible." "I'm aware of that." "Smoke doesn't know the Public Health rules and does what it wants." "It's freer than all of us." "People like you, who are addicted to cigarettes, will eventually be shunned by their fellow men." "They stand out on the margins of life." "Some day you'll remember me." "It's still my life." "What's she like?" "How's it going with your new love?" "It's growing." "Is it mutual?" "You've got something there." " They said it's your birthday." " Rubbish!" "It certainly isn't my birthday." "Who told you that?" " A rumour's doing the rounds." " A rumour?" "Somebody must have said it." "A rumour won't spread itself." " Want me to leave?" " No, by no means." "Come in." "What's it like in jail?" "I've never known anybody" " who's been." " Is that why you came?" "No, I was just wondering." "During the day you work on a farm." "In the evening you wait until it gets dark." "Some of the guys there are all right." "Others are right bastards." "Why did you have to go?" " Because I was convicted." " Yeah, sure." "But they must have told you why they convicted you." "For having impure thoughts." "You're a strange one." "Is Budi not as strange?" "Budi is different." "It's nice that you're here." "Hey there." "Take a hike!" "You're barred!" "Barred?" "Why?" "Are you nuts?" "I told you:" "No drugs in here." "You're lucky I didn't report you!" "I've had nothing to do with that crap." "Honest!" "You sit here every damn day." "Who else would stash junk here?" " Piss off before I call the police." " Call them." "At least they won't act like such twats." "That's it!" "Get outta here!" "So, back in business, Goalie?" "That didn't take you long." "If we compare my payday with yours, Mr Gross, we'll see which of us is really in business and who isn't." "If I were you I would keep my big mouth in check." "You know something about that drug stash at the pub." "I know I feel like a coffee and a cigarette." "If you tell me what you know I'll bring you coffee and make an exception and let you smoke in my office." "I don't know anything, honest." " Where does the stuff come from?" " I already told you." "I don't have the slightest idea." "Okay." "So let's talk a bit about the old days." "Who sent you to France?" "Mr Gross, do I look like a rat?" "I spent nearly a year in jail because I refused to betray someone." "Well?" "Was it worth it?" "Can I go now?" "Sign this." " Very smooth." " Yep!" "Cool, huh?" " How long did you work on it?" " Six weeks." " Every evening." " Ha." "How's it going with Regula?" "I owe you a favor." "Your idea with the junk stash was brilliant." "Knock her up." "That'll settle things once and for all." "Budi, I gotta go." " Ritter speaking." " Hi, Regi." " Is Budi at the airfield?" " Yes, Why?" "Can I see you for a bit?" "I have visitors." "My sister's here with her kids." "What did Pesche tell you, anyway?" "That you did time for drug stuff and hadn't changed your ways." "That's rubbish!" "I'm as clean as a mountain lake." "And jail was about something else." "I have to go." "My sister's waiting." " Hey, you, don't cheat on me!" " What?" " Two and four is still six." " Yeah, yeah." "But was that really a four?" "Ueli, are you looking at the dice or not?" "What do you think?" " Do I have a hope in hell?" " A hope in hell of what?" "Yeah, well, getting out of the drugs." "I don't think so." "Why don't you say, you managed to do it, so I can manage, too?" "Because I don't know." "Get well first, and then we'll see." " But you did it." " I haven't done anything." "I haven't got anywhere yet." "And you know what the worst part is?" "In this dump of a town you don't stand a chance." "Did you see that?" "It likes me." " At least something likes me." " Your self-pity is really cloying." "Everything's sticky with it." "If I were a woman you wouldn't stand a chance with me." "What makes you say that?" "You have good karma but you're swilling it away." "Look who's talking!" "I drink because I enjoy it." "But you drink so you can wallow in your weltschmerz instead of pulling your head out of your arse." "Where did you get the cash for those teeth?" "I took a bit of a risk and won." "Piece of shit!" "My turn, then." "Ritter, Sutter." "That's it." "Hey, Budi, is Regula in?" "If you don't leave at once, I'll come down!" "The fucking idiot's wasted." " What are you doing here?" " I gotta talk to you." "Five minutes!" "Not in the middle of the night." "Are you mad?" "I miss you, Regi." "Go find a whore if you're horny, but leave Regula alone!" " Siegrist speaking." " Wednesday at two, ice rink." "Well, Regi?" "Are you coming?" "Let's have it, Goalie, why were you in jail?" "I really don't like to talk about it." "But I need to know." " Know what a scapegoat is?" " Yeah, sure." " The one we blame for everything." " But he's innocent." "People just piled all their burdens on his back and chased him into the wilderness." "There he found nothing to drink and died of thirst." "People rejoiced and called, "Good on you, scapegoat!" "At last we're liberated!" "Thank you!"" "It was roughly the same with me, but nobody cried "Good on you!"" "and nobody said "Thank you."" "You did time for somebody else?" "How come?" "Who for?" "Those are the questions that nobody is interested in." "That's why I don't talk about it." "Why don't you fight back?" "Nobody was out to harm me." "I was doing a friend a favour and got fucked over." "That's all." "And now you're barred from Pesche's pub." "Once a scapegoat, always a scapegoat." "Ever thought about that?" "Then you rise up into what I call "the space."" "I picture it like a wardrobe." "And you take out a new robe, and that's your karma." "Ok, you've been burdened with a little too much matter." "But since you have good karma, it doesn't matter what happened in the past." "That's all been wiped out." "All that counts is the path into your centre..." "Since you're busy talking, order some more beer." "You aren't listening." "I keep getting reincarnated, in this very life right here." "Nothing's been wiped out." "No karma or anything." "I've inherited a house." "Down in Spain." "In a village by the sea." "We could go there together some time." " You've inherited a house?" " Like I said." " Who from?" " From an uncle." "An old manor house." "An uncle?" "Are you dense, like?" " And you can live in it?" " Yeah, sure." "There's some furniture, but it wants some finishing touches." "And it's yours?" "I'm trying to tell you." "Aren't you listening?" " Paco, can we have another round?" " Yeah, I'm coming." "Spain." "The sun, the sea, the wind, the ham." "And a dry sherry." "And a nice panama hat on your head." "What do you say, Ueli?" "Get away from this fucking little town here." "I got other things on my mind than holidays." "Sure." "First you gotta get well." "But then" "I'm going to rehab." "That's brilliant." "Then we can finally shoot the shit again." "No stress." "Or watch a match at the stadium, like we've been wanting to do for ages." "And from there it's a short trip to Paris and on to Spain!" "And there we'll spend all our time hanging out." "Like we used to." "I had a fight with Budi about his parents coming to stay." "He said I should make an effort, get my act together." "I told him his parents did my head in with their talk of marriage." "And he told me to watch what I said about his parents." "And I said I couldn't give a toss about his parents." "Then he said, "Say that again." Said it over and over." ""Say that again."" "And I had to laugh because it sounded so stupid." "And then he twisted my arm." "Bastard!" "Come on." "Come on, have a drink." "It'll do you good." "Take a real swig so it'll reach down to your feet." "Something very special for" "Can you spare one for me?" "Thank you." "You should eat something." "How about some soup?" " Can I stay the night?" " Sure." "Hey, Stofer." "It's me, Goalie." "I'm whispering 'cause it's night." "Hey, you still got that house in Spain?" "You told me all about it, remember?" "Can I go there on vacation?" "I don't care if there's no heating." "I can't." "Pesche said I'm barred from the pub, that twat!" "Got it." "Dear Goalie," "I didn't want to wake you." "Can I sleep at your place again tonight?" "Thanks for everything." "A kiss." "Regula." "No vacations until three months after your first day." "It's in your contract." "And you need to apply for leave in due time." " You can't go from one day to the next." " It's an emergency." "If you don't show up tomorrow you're fired!" " Hey, I need the job." " Then you know what to do." "And now I'm busy." "Good day." "Good day." "Here's a map." "Past the church, straight ahead." "No need to clean." "I got somebody for that." "And here's the address." " Have fun!" " Stofer, I really appreciate this." " Cheers." " Cheers." "And about your trouble at the pub." "I'll settle that with Pesche." "Hello." "Regi?" "We're going to the seaside." "Who is?" "Just us." "You and me." "Are you mad?" "Take sick leave." "You have plenty of reason to do so." " Are you expecting someone?" " Not really." "What if it's Budi?" " Is Regi here?" " No." "Meaning: yes, she's here." " So go get her." " She doesn't want to talk to you." "Let her tell me herself." "If she doesn't want to talk to you she can't tell you." "Get it?" "Regi's mine." "Is that clear?" "It isn't really all that clear to me now." "You'll see how soon she'll come running back to me." "Let's wait and see." "Let me in or I'll break your face!" "Please, I ask you" "I didn't mean to hurt you." "Come home with me." "I'm staying here." "But Why?" "Don't you get it?" " But me and you" " Go!" "Go paint your model planes or iron your shirts." "Just piss off!" "Feel like a drink?" "This is so nice!" "Thank you." "You choose." "I'll take this one." "I'll nip down to the village, buy us a nice dinner." "Will you wake me when you get back?" " Cheers!" " Cheers!" "Hey, Regi!" "It's so nice that you found me." "I just wanted a quick pint and lingered into a bit of a drunk." " This is my Regula." " My pleasure." " Aniseed brandy?" " No, thank you." "I'm hungry." "Can we leave?" " Okay." "Goodbye, amigo." " Bye." "See you soon." " Yeah." " Bye." " Goodbye, guys!" " Bye." "All that's missing is music." "Dinner's ready!" "Sorry about yesterday." "You're not mad about yesterday, are you?" "I'll have to think about it." "Now we're almost like a couple, right?" " Where did you get that idea?" " You and me, the house, the sea." "I could imagine living like this with you for 100 years, as husband and wife." " Can't you?" " Don't start with that stuff." "So you are a bit mad?" "I'm not mad." "I just can't imagine having a husband who'd rather be out drinking than with me." "Anyway, officially I'm still with Budi." "Sorry, Regi, no offense, but that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say." ""Officially."" "Why say that now?" "I just don't fall in love in a hurry." "And I don't want you to start imagining things that aren't true." "Just take your time." "I'll ask you again in five minutes." "Want some coffee?" "Isn't this lovely?" "You." "You are extremely lovely." "Oh, damn it!" "Quick, Regi, my hat!" "The water's warm!" "Now we've come close to swimming in the sea, Regi." "What's your real name anyway?" "Ernst." "Ernst doesn't suit you at all." "And Goalie?" "Does that suit me better?" "It does." " Did you always play in goal?" " Not at all." "Goal was the place for the guys we had no use for." "And I was always useful." "I scored more goals than the others put together." "Isn't the goalie the most important man on the pitch?" "When boys play football nobody wants to be the goalie." "Real boys want to score goals, not stop them." "That's how it is." " Get in the goal." " I don't want to!" "Shut up." "You're the goalie, Balsiger!" " But I'm not good in goal." " You're worse on the pitch." "Move it!" " Come on, guys!" " Yeah." "Hey!" "Idiot!" "Can't you even stop a weak shot like that one?" "You should have stopped it!" "What are you doing, you twat?" " Balsiger is such a wimp." " You can say that again." "Retard!" "With a better goalie we'd have beaten the Eye-ties." " Let's give Balsiger a hiding." " Right." "We need to teach him a lesson." "If you want to give someone a hammering, take me on, you cowards!" " Come on, you yellow-bellies!" " What's going on?" "You want a goalie?" "I'll be the goalie!" " Twat!" " You pansies!" " Are you mad?" " Let him have it, Pesche." " Nice!" "Finish him off!" "I'll be the goalie!" "I'll be the goalie." "Me." "Bon appétit." "Tell me." "Who did you do time for?" "For Ueli." "Why?" "Because he wouldn't have stuck it out in the nick." "But you're friends." "He couldn't just let you go to jail." "They'd have locked up both of us." "And what good is that?" "Did he at least say thank you?" "He's your best friend!" "He has enough problems of his own, you know?" "Why do you always stand up for Ueli?" "Honestly, nobody knows why." "The village is dead." "Everybody's leaving, selling their home and moving to the city." "Your house, like, was bought by a Swiss guy." "No, Stofer didn't buy it." "He inherited it from his uncle." "No, no uncle." "The house belonged to my friends, the Alvarezes." "They sold it to a Swiss guy." "I know." "But Stofer is as poor as a church mouse." " He doesn't have any money." " Maybe his uncle left him his fortune and not the house." "That's not what he said." "Does it matter where the money comes from?" "Somehow it does." "I wouldn't believe what Stofer says anyway." "Why not?" "Hey, Alberto?" "Did the guy who bought this house have special teeth?" "Nice." "Gold." "Let's just enjoy our stay here." "Consider it a gift!" "Stofer lied to me." "Stupid git!" "So what?" "So he lied." "The question is:" "Why did he lie to me?" "Regi couldn't see why the thing with the house and Stofer was doing my head in." "I drank too much, and we had an argument." "And the next day we went home." "But I just couldn't stop brooding about it." "I mean, why did Stofer give me all that bullshit?" "About an uncle and his inheritance?" "I suddenly had the feeling that the house and Stofer had something to do with my time in the nick." "And I'm sorry to have to say it:" "Regi suddenly started to get on my tits." "And vice versa, I believe." "But right then I had other things on my mind." "Where have you been?" "Some friend you are!" "Just going off on holiday without a word." "Did you go on vacation with Regula?" "Want some tea?" " Where's Ueli anyway?" " At rehab." "You don't say!" "At a sort of farm near here." " Ueli milking cows." "Can you picture it?" " Not really." "The work does him good." "At night he goes to bed exhausted." "We all need something to do in life." "Otherwise we forget why we're here at all." "Come on, say something!" "Stofer is a wheeler-dealer." "Maybe he got lucky." " That's the business." " You call that business?" "He has golden teeth and a house in Spain." "So what?" "While I was doing time he earned a pile of money." " Don't tell me that's a coincidence." " Why not?" "Hey man, are you deliberately being thick?" " Or don't you get it?" " What exactly is your problem?" "I don't know how he did it, but Stofer earned himself a fortune while I was in the nick." "You have too much imagination." "If I hadn't done that drive for you, they'd have nicked you." "Yeah, sure, that might have happened." "So, who gave you the five grand?" "Our contact in Olten." "I can't help you with this." "I was doped up." "I don't remember a thing." "My memory is just a gray blot in my head." "Can I count on you?" "I mean, can I trust you like you trusted me?" "Sure thing!" "Hey, no question about it." "Come on, let's go for a smoke." "I hardly recognize you." "Hey, Mr Broody!" "Got a light?" " Okay." " Hi there." "Goalie, what are you doing here?" "Were you waiting for me?" "You gotta help me, Balsiger." "Hey, I'm already late." "Lunch will be ready in five minutes." " I gotta eat." "Can't we postpone this?" " No, it's urgent." "Did Stofer buy a house in Spain through your bank?" "I got fucked over so badly You still owe me a favour!" "Sorry." " Was everything okay?" " Yes, thank you." " Hi, Regi." " What can I get you?" "Lime blossom tea." "Are you joking?" "Drinking lime blossom tea seems funny to me, too." "It would do you good anyhow." "So, what do you want?" "I told you." "Lime blossom tea." "I thought you were barred from this pub." "The ban has been lifted." "I'm on probation now." "Right, Pesche?" "Come join me." " Your lime blossom tea." " Are you ill?" " Decaf with sweetener, please." "Say, Paule," "Stofer used to work for the post office, right?" "Yeah, trained as a clerk." "So I bet you know where he got his gold teeth?" "Stofer was always into crooked deals." "He cooked some transactions at the post office and was kicked out." "Together with Pesche." "They were both fired on the spot." "Pesche?" "So I'm wondering whether the whole thing wasn't a setup." "What do you mean by "setup"?" "Between you, Stofer, Pesche and that Frenchman." "What do Stofer and Pesche have to do with it?" "Why do you answer every question with another question?" " Do I?" " Yes." "So, why didn't you drive yourself?" "Dammit, because I was scared shitless!" "So much cash, something was bound to be fishy." " Why are you sweating?" " You're stressing me out." "If you keep up this pace we'll soon be in Bern!" " Did you let me walk into a trap?" " Of course not." "And you don't own a share in that villa in Spain?" "I do own a share in the villa." "What do you want?" "Money?" "How long have we known each other?" "Forever." "That's where you're wrong, Ueli." "You don't know me, not really." "And I'm just getting to know you." "A pretty good deal, Stofer." "We're closed." "I said we're closed." "What are we ordering?" "I feel like a little Spanish red wine." " Are the drinks on you, Pesche?" " Say what you want or piss off." "I said: some red wine." " Everything okay with you, Goalie?" " Cool house you got there." "Congrats." "Hey, Stofer!" "You invited him down to Spain?" "He needed to unwind, like." "Thanks again for your hospitality." "And you, too, little Pesche, you would-be drug baron!" "Go on:" "Squeeze a bit harder and I'll die of fear." "Can't you just shut up, you fucking idiot!" "What with you throttling me I have to keep my mouth open." "Look who it is!" "The gang's all here." "You fuckers" "You not only didn't go to jail." "You even made a big pile of dough." "For you, a house by the sea, and for me, pocket money and a year behind bars." "But what I still don't get:" "Why couldn't you pull your shit off without sending me to slaughter?" "Out With it." "You'd set up a big deal with that Frenchman and needed some idiot as a decoy for the cops." "But if the idiot had squealed your plan would have gone pear-shaped." "You knew very well that I'd never rat you out, right?" "You're just too nice a guy." "That's why you're sick in the head, Goalie." "And that's why you always get fucked over." "So you're reasoning that it's my own fault I went to jail?" "Come on, Goalie." "It's toothpaste out of the tube." "Say how much you want." " It can all be worked out." " Yeah." "I want fuck-all from you." "I've got my pride still." "Honestly." "I want fuck-all." "Watch what you say to people, I'm warning you!" "Sometimes walking around helps you think." "But I didn't even want to think anymore." "Just walk." "Without thinking." "Without letting anything get to me." "Except for the wind." "That fucker, that freezing, clammy wind that gets under your skin and goes straight for your lungs." "Was I raging?" "Was I out for revenge?" "Did I feel anything at all?" "Nothing." "Just the miserable cold." "And an empty feeling in my belly." " Look who it is!" "Goalie." " Good evening, Mr Gross." "This is not bad as surprises go." "Do you have any friends, Mr Gross?" "Why do you ask?" "Because I don't have any left." "Go ahead, talk!" "Tell me what you know." "That's not why I came." "Why did you come?" "For goodness' sake, Goalie!" "You spent a year in jail although you were innocent." " That can't be undone now." " No" "But we can make sure that the guilty parties are punished, too." "I don't think that'll do any good now." "So why did you come to see me?" "I don't really know." "I needed someone to talk to." "And I found myself standing at your door." "You're like some kind of a friend to me." "Do you know what I mean?" "We're two old dinosaurs, Goalie." "We don't belong in this world." "You know what?" "You've convinced me." "I'll close your case." "You were right." "I have the wrong sort of friends." "I let you down in Spain." "I drink too much and I'm too much of a talker." "But I want to become a different person." "I'm going to find a job in Bern." "And then you can come and join me." "How can you be so sure that I'll come?" "I still believe in true love." "This is all just going too fast." "I'll give you time." "You have as much time as you want." "I won't fall in love with anyone else." "No need to worry about that." "You're the love of my life." "Have I ever told you that?" "I never saw Regula again after that night." "She would have been good for me." "Very good." "But when a woman has to choose between a junkie like me and a violent nutter like Budi she doesn't exactly have the best options, has she?" "But she chose Budi." "And when I think about her moving back in with him the memory of her beauty loses its shine a bit." "Now and then on weekends I do some drugs." "I'm not gagging for the smack." "I just take it for that warm feeling." "All in all I can't complain." "Or rather:" "I could complain a whole lot." "Especially if I think about the future." "But you've got a past for a reason." "It wasn't always good, but at least I can tell it whatever way I want to." " You're the goalie!" " You're a wimp on the pitch!" "Get in goal!" "Come on, you play outside!" "I'll be the goalie!" "Come on!" "And who knows?" "Maybe one day, after all, a good ball will fly my way."