59 / 208
59
In the evening, the phone rang and father informed us,
with a voice like a TV newscaster, that the army truck
would be in front of the shop in ten minutes, and we
should begin carrying things outside. At that same
moment, my mother burst into tears. Father tried to hug
her and lean her head on his shoulder, like he had the
time they informed her that her cousin, Gregor, had been
killed in a car crash. But now she just pushed him away,
grabbed the largest suitcase in the hall, and started
dragging it toward the door, all by herself. Father tried to
rip it out of her hands, and kept saying that it was too
heavy, and that she shouldn’t be so stubborn, but mother
carried it down the stairs and out to the front of the
apartment building, and even to the parking lot in front
of the shop, where she finally dropped it, exhausted, so
that it struck the ground with a loud thud. Then she sat
on it and cried some more, while my slightly confused
father carried the remaining things out by himself, telling
me to stay with mother in case she needed anything.
It wasn’t too long before our neighbour, Enisa, appeared
in front of the shop. Whatever the hour, she kept
constant watch for what was happening in front of her
house. This time, she ran out to say goodbye to us,
wearing only a bathrobe and her husband’s shoes. My
father tried to tell her that we’d be back soon, but Enisa
just nodded and repeated, ‘May luck travel with you, stay
healthy and happy wherever you may be!’ Then she
kissed me on both cheeks and my forehead, told me to be