I told him he would be welcome, naturally.
As he left, with a twinkle in his eye, he said, ‘Will there be any games?’
‘I’m not sure; the chairman.’
‘Who cares about the chairman, boss! Party games, we’ll get along famously.’
That evening, the man who called me ‘boss’ arrived with a pale, serious youth, whom he introduced to us as Gabriel.
‘But he goes by “Malec”. He’s a student too, poor chap. Law.’
He laughed familiarly. Then, to Gabriel, who did not dare cross the threshold:
‘Come on, Malec! Come on! Student-like!’
An awkward silence at once descended on the attic. The girls gathered by the stove and waited. The committee was embarrassed. I smiled and offered chairs to the newcomers. Nonora gave them a defiant look. ‘Boss’ forgot to take off his galoshes, and stared at her.
‘Is the young lady a student?’
‘No.’
‘A pity. We would have been classmates.’
The girls laughed. Gaideroff interjected, ‘Are you unable to pay visits without your galoshes?’
‘Boss’ laughed boisterously.
‘You’re good! What do you say, Malec?’
Malec, pale-faced and serious, stared at Nonora. He was helped out of his overcoat. He took a chair without saying thank you. Again, silence.
‘My name is Gabriel.’
‘Yes, we know, that’s what Mr … mentioned earlier.’
‘Elefterescu, Elefterescu. What do you think, Malec?’
They had forgotten my name.
‘Like in Cluj, with all those Hungarians. Forgive me, I almost said a swearword, but that’s just me, what with me being a patriot. My father was the terror of the Jews – are you all anti-Semites?’
Mr Elefterescu’s vigour made us all uncomfortable. In the ensuing silence I looked around the room and hazarded a ‘yes, yes.’
‘Boss’ told us stories of the battles he and his sidekicks had fought in Cluj.
‘It was getting out of hand. And you’re only a student once! To one I only had to shout, “Hey, you!” And the fool ran off.’ He laughed. Pleased with himself.
‘I’m not one to back down when patriotism is on the line!’
We nodded. ‘Malec’ was staring at Nonora, steadily, resignedly, pale-faced. He was beginning to annoy her. She avoided his gaze, changed chairs, and pretended to be bored. But ‘Malec’ calmly continued to stare.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
The question burst out furiously. Gabriel gave a start and then looked away, with dignity, making no reply. The ‘Boss’ made light of it.
‘He’s funny, isn’t he? I told him that we’d have a party, just like students! We heard there’d be champagne. But not until midnight. On no account is it allowed before then. You know, I like to have a couple of glasses myself. But then again you don’t know me – what do you think, Malec?’
You might say that ‘Malec’ was attempting a smile. But all he managed was to squint his eyes and make his lips look thinner.
‘Oh, that’s just the way he is. The silent type. He’s a bit more talkative than usual today – you should see him when he argues with his wife. What a commotion!’
‘He’s married?’
‘Yes, since high school. He has a beautiful wife – Parla d’italiano con me e con altri.’
The attic burst into life in a single moment. The girls found it difficult to disguise the interest with which they looked at Mr Gabriel. The chairman brightened up. Gaidaroff went over to him and offered him a cigarette. Mr Gabriel turned pale, almost cadaverous. The situation was strange, grotesque, tragic, and full of comic tension.
‘A wife – and it’s a good thing too: he’s got a house, meals, everything he needs. He works, his wife’s at the university: a happy couple.’
Mr Gabriel once again attempted to smile. He did not succeed. Sitting icily, he once more stared at Nonora. An irritating, disturbing look, hinting at nightmarish horrors, depression, danger. Nonora got up from her chair.
‘I’m leaving.’
Mr Gabriel reacted in a way no one ever would have predicted, given his glacial serenity. He convulsed, threw on his coat, and ran out of the door. We didn’t even have time to turn on the light to the wooden flight of stairs. In fright, we heard him stumbling, stamping down the stairs.
‘What’s up with you, Malec? Where are you going? Why don’t you stay, to party with these students? Champagne, games!’
The ‘Boss’ came back smiling.
‘That’s just the way he is – but he’s a good chap.’
He started to speak. We all listened to him in bewilderment. Radu smoked heavily, Nonora was annoyed. Whispers:
‘They’ve ruined our party!’
Then we heard soft snowballs hitting the windows. Peering out of the window, I could see ‘Malec’ down below. Mr Elefterescu waved to him. We all looked at each other in bafflement.
‘He’s crying, poor chap. I best be going.’
Right then it seemed to me that the attic had grown cold. I put some more wood in the stove. The ‘Boss’ shook a few hands, smiling regretfully.
‘Too bad about the champagne.’
After we heard the gate close in the courtyard down below, we took a deep breath. The chairman was furious.
‘Who invited them?’
‘Savages!’
‘Malec is in the preliminary stages of mental debility.’
The deputy chairman proffered his clear and objective opinion: ‘It is, I believe, the result of inbreeding.’
We were unable to forget the episode until close to midnight. The bizarre, grotesque atmosphere left by the stares and attitude of ‘Malec’ and the suspicious effrontery of Mr Elefterescu the polytechnic student vanished. We ate, and filled our glasses with red wine. Gaidaroff positioned himself next to Măriuca, Radu next to Nonora, and the medical student girls next to members of the committee, ‘Florenţa’ between the two law students, Bibi between Andrei and myself. Bibi was the most disturbed by the visit and the harsh verdict of the deputy chairman. She was sullen, and stared at Andrei and him alone.
After the champagne,
