WE WERE SOMEWHERE in the Far East. At least it felt that way because I knew that the flight home was going to be a long one. Getting to the airport was an ordeal. You had to go down to the port and take a ship across the harbor. It was easier to land planes on that side, between the mountains. These were large ferries that made the voyage every 20 minutes. Much of the transport time involved checking and loading passengers. We were late though because on our way to the port, our little dinghy got stuck in the swamps. It was me, two of my daughters, and Kermit Haas, the world famous Estonian cubist painter. When we got to the port, my eldest made it aboard the ship and proceeded to the plane, but the youngest and I stayed behind, in part because I got to talking to Gunna and one of her girlfriends there. They were dressed as if they were about to go out to some nightclub. We agreed to meet again.
If there would ever be an again.
But we missed the next ferry to the airport, and decided not to proceed on our journey. Instead, Kermit drove us around the harbor to his house, where there had been planned for him a surprise birthday party. Somehow this part of the area looked quite like the opposite shore of Viljandi Lake, and there was even snow on the ground. Some farmers were out tending to rusty old machines in their snowy farmers’ fields. The house was full of people. I was surprised to see Linnéa was there. She was a friend of Kermit’s as I understood it. She was dressed in a white blouse and her blonde hair hung about her shoulders. She was filming the entire event with her phone, broadcasting it live via multiple Instagram accounts. As usual, she ignored me. I kept looking in her direction, hoping she might make eye contact, but there was just blackness in those eyes. It was not only that she was ignoring me. It was as if I didn’t exist.
Toward the end of the party, an African fellow who worked at Wolt showed up. He was dressed in his delivery clothes. He went over to Linnéa and put his arm around her, and I realized they were together. The Wolt delivery man and Linnéa left the party together, but at the last moment, she looked in my direction. This time I could see it in her eyes that she recognized me, albeit faintly. The two of them left. The rest of the guests were hoisting Kermit Haas in the air.
There were balloons floating up everywhere.
north! 