Mentally berating herself for being naive, she went to kuh-
nu for a drink.
– I don’t get drunk at all!» A voice answered
as Reana entered the kitchen. «Alcohol just
calms me down. A little bit.
When she returned with a shot glass, she saw that the guest had already
settled into a chair, his feet propped up on the coffee table,
right on the white lace napkins, sipping cognac
from his throat. He took the proffered glass and set
it on the table beside him. Then he patted his chest.
«Holy shit, I lost my phone,» he said, and smiled.
She forced a smile in return:
27
– Can I give you mine? If you need
to make a phone call somewhere…
– Not yet, thank you. I need to think about it,»
the visitor said, and took another swig from the bottle.
28
Birds were singing in the garden. Dawn began to break.
Reana made herself a cheese sandwich and
sat down in the chair opposite. She offered a boo-
terbrod to her guest, who declined and sat lost
in thought.
Deciding not to press him with questions, she simply
watched, hoping that something might become clearer.
Who is sitting in front of her with their booted feet unceremoniously propped up
on her coffee table?
The stranger’s hair was tousled, as if he
had been in a strong wind. His black eyes
were fixed on a single point, and he held his hand thoughtfully
near his cheek, where a light stubble was growing on it.
An expensive watch glinted from under the sleeve of his white shirt, which was torn and stained
in several places.
Probably, dear ones. Reana didn’t know much about it, but the cha-
si caught her eye, and they looked interesting,
inside, there were many mechanisms that
constantly spun, and all this resembled a kaleidoscope
of parts, arrows and gears. On the belt of his trousers, she
noticed a metal buckle with a picture of the head of
an angry bull, which, as it seemed to
her, did not match the classic trousers.
29
The guest had already finished the rest of his brandy. Indeed, it
looked as if he hadn’t been drunk at all. His eyes
remained focused.
He swirled the empty bottle in his hand, set it
on the table, and finally looked at Reana. She had already finished her bread
and was also looking at him in silence.
«I didn’t introduce myself,» he said suddenly. «My name is
Keijigen.
«Nice to meet you, and I’m Reana.»