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120
then I understand, I can feel it in my whole body – the pain
in my back and thighs after having lain lopsidedly and in an
arch over the chamber pot. It’s a relief when Ragna removes
the pot, but at the same time it causes me violent pain as
my back sinks down into the mattress. I’ve been lying there
for several hours, at least.
The pot sloshes and splashes, Ragna makes a face and holds
her nose.
‘What a stench,’ she says, and quickly spreads the duvet out
over me.
*
The days come and go. From my inert life on the pillows I
have plenty of time to study the married couple’s rhythm of
daily activities.
Every morning starts like this: Ragna puts the coffee on. As
soon as it’s ready, Johan comes to the kitchen table and
they drink cup after cup together while they natter away
and laugh. And after having drunk a whole pot, they boil
another one that they also immediately drink. Along with
these cups of pitch-black gritty coffee they eat large slices
of bread that Ragna has baked. Or rather, Ragna prods a
few crumbs into her mouth, while Johan wolfs down
whatever is going from her full plate. After that they
sometimes go back to bed, and when they get up an hour