TE21 Serbian Moments

Nikola Tutek

The Widower

Melch shrugged his shoulders. Egan was again incapable of providing anything more than silence. “And so, I wondered, should I call him? I mean, on the phone? Should I email him?” Melch gave a muffled laugh, “A private message on Facebook? Look Bro, you didn’t do it. It was him. We’re good Bro. No harm done. Smiley emoticon. Erase your life. ”

“Of course she did.”

“How did she live with that?”

“Well, sheplayedalong. Shealwaysplayedalong.Nomatterwhat Gordondid, she forgavehim. Everything. Fromhispathological adultery to the idea to name someone Melchisedek, and then take the child’s eye out and blame it on his brother. Absolutely everything. For he was the king.”

“The good old fashion letter has that power.”

“Personally, I kind of like the name.”

“Nothing in the world has that power, Egan. Nothing.”

“Ask it, Egan.”

Silence. Egan suddenly remembered to check the time. The post office might close before they send the brown envelope. “That’s more or less all I personally care to know about my father,” said Melch. “Now, let’s go down to business. You know why they called him Doctor Five Minutes?”

“Ask what?’

“Ask what almost all the town’s men keep on asking me since the funeral. Did he do it with my wife? As far as I’m concerned, you can use the f-word as well.” Egan hesitated for a fewvery nervous seconds. Then he calmed down and his presence drowned in the reflection of grayish light that lazily ricocheted from the metallic surface of the post office wardrobe.

“Well, I’d lie if I’d say I haven’t heard of that.”

“Every day of his life was a hunt. His female friends, accidental acquaintances, shop assistants, and, more importantly, his patients, all of them were the prey. He did it with almost all the women in the town.”

“I’d never ask something like that. Never,” he said finally.

“Did your mother know?”

“Of course,” Melch sighed and looked down genuinely sad, “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m really sorry, Egan. I’m sure you

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