“Two to one,” Dino said, gesturing at the screen.
“Okay.”
I couldn’t care less.
“You look tired. No shock there, I suppose,” he said. “Here, have a beer.”
The cap hissed and I accepted the cold bottle.
“Do you remember we always said Amina was the book-smart one, and Stella was street-smart?” Dino asked. “They complemented each other so well, both on the court and out in the real world.”
“Mmhmm.”
It was hard to focus when the music was playing and the voice of the commentator was bombarding me even as our wives’ voices crowded in from the kitchen.
“Stella’s a survivor,” said Dino. “A fighter.”
I mumbled a response and went over to the speaker with its docking station.
“Is it okay if I turn this off?”
“Sure,” Dino said, and I stopped the music.
In the kitchen, our wives were talking about Stockholm. Alexandra said it sounded like a good idea to get away for a while.
I glanced toward Amina’s room.
“Is she home?” I asked.
Dino shook his head.
“She’s not?”
“No.”
He scratched the back of his neck and took a few big sips of his beer.
“Is she in her room?” I asked, pointing at the door.
“No, she’s not home.”
I stepped over and placed my hand on the door handle.
The truth had to come out.
“What the fuck are you doing? Stop!”
Dino flew off the sofa and an instant later Alexandra and Ulrika came out of the kitchen.
“Amina?” I said, opening the door.
There she was, across the dimly lit room, reading at her desk. She just had time to turn around.
Dino threw himself forward and grabbed at me. Soon he had me in a lock; his arms around my chest, he yanked me back out of the room.
“Stop it!” cried Ulrika and Alexandra.
But Dino didn’t stop. He twisted my arm up behind my back so roughly that it almost snapped, and hustled me away.
“What are you doing?” Ulrika shouted.
Alexandra ran up and yanked at Dino.
“Stop it!”
“He is out of here,” Dino said, forcing me into the hall, where he jabbed his knee into my tailbone and shoved me up against the wall.
“You’re crazy,” I said.
“Calm down,” Dino hissed.
Through the hubbub I caught a glimpse of Ulrika’s terrified expression.
“What happened?”
I tried to respond, but Dino drowned me out.
“He forced his way into Amina’s room.”
I protested, but it was all in vain.
“What is wrong with you?” said Ulrika.
Dino’s brutal treatment made me whimper. I waited for him to respond to Ulrika’s question, for some sort of explanation to all this utterly pointless violence. Only when I managed to twist around did I realize that Ulrika’s question had been addressed to me.
“You went in her room? Without permission?”
“It wasn’t locked,” I stammered. “Dino said she wasn’t home.”
“What is going on, Adam?”
Ulrika brought her hands to her face. Her cheeks were pale.
I didn’t understand. All I was trying to do was keep my family from falling apart.
“Adam,” Ulrika said. “Please, Adam.”
Dino looked at me, pity in his eyes. As soon as he let go of me I swung around, but I stumbled over a pair of shoes on the runner and fell backwards into the door, then landed on my behind.
“She’s lying,” I managed to say. “Amina knows more than she’s letting on.”
All three of them looked at me the way you look at someone who’s just revealed he is suffering from a fatal illness.
“I feel sorry for you two,” said Dino, turning to Ulrika. “But don’t make Amina suffer because of this.”
Ulrika nodded slowly and Alexandra put her arm around her.
“Of course we’ve spoken with Amina. She doesn’t know anything about what happened.”
“I understand,” said Ulrika. “I hope you can forgive us. We’re not ourselves.”
I got my shoes and jacket on and went out to the stairwell. My mind was unraveling. My thoughts galloped by like runaway horses; my ears were ringing and my vision was tumbling over and over. I don’t know if I said anything on the way out. I don’t remember if I shouted or muttered. It’s like a blank spot in my memory when I think back on it. Temporary derangement. I suspect a skilled defense attorney could even get away with an insanity plea.