A Brief Interaction, by Britt Hallquist
Gothenburg, Sweden, Monday, May 15, 2023
A few days after arriving in Sweden I had an appointment at The Police House to renew my passport. I had been informed that it would be necessary to bring a family member to prove that I am whom I set out to be, that I really was born in Sweden and still am a Swedish citizen, therefore my sister Kathe came with me.
Afterwards we caught a tram to get back to Kathe’s apartment. It was rush hour. Kathe sat down next to a man just as the seats in front of him became vacant. I sat down and asked Kathe if she wanted to move up to sit next to me. No, she replied, I’ll stay here…
I sat there thinking that I didn’t see Kathe pay as I had, when entering the tram… Pondering this for a while I turned and asked her if that was so. The man next to her answered that she didn’t need to pay, she travels free, and so do I…
Soon, an interesting conversation began between the man and Kathe… The man started, we have been married for fifty five years, and she (he meant me) is our daughter? Yes, Kathe answered, and fell with ease into the conversation…. How many children do we have, he asked, five said Kathe, and fifteen grandchildren, he continued, yes, said Kathe. I used to work, yes, and I never had the dinners ready, that doesn’t matter, he replied…
I turned around and looked at them both. I wish I was recording this conversation, I said. He didn’t say anything, had no body language at all, simply sat there and conversed with Kathe as if he knew her, as if everything he said was the way it was and Kathe went along as if it actually was so…
Shall we go on vacation, he continued, yes, answered Kathe, where, Thailand, no, there are too many Thai people there, that’s true, where then, Australia he said, that’s sounds good answered Kathe. Is she coming along he asked (meaning me). No, said Kathe, she will only mess things up… That is true, all the guys will chase after her, and I will have to say, “darling, he is not good for you…!”
You must write a book Kathe said (I agreed), I already have he responded, but you and I should write a book and it should be translated into twelve different languages…
Is the tram turning here, Kathe asked? I don’t know, he said, if not, perhaps you can go up and scare the driver with your cane…
We got off the following tram stop and with that, out of his life…
He was at least sixty five years old, he was wearing small dark sunglasses that sat tight around his face and that hid his eyes. He had an earring in his left ear that looked like it could be a key or something similar… He had short blond hair. Around his neck he wore a silver chain that had rather large rings and that was tied into a knot. On his fingers he had several silver rings and on his left arm was a large watch. During the conversation, he maintained a serious expression, smiled slightly once in a while, leaned a bit towards Kathe as he spoke. Their upper arms were somewhat touching. He wasn’t Swedish, possibly from Holland, he spoke perfect Swedish. He said nothing as we got up from our seats to leave the tram.
I said, it was fun meeting you, likewise he simply answered…
