Battle of the Rhine

Strange to think, it is so much harder to commit a crime than to speak of it.Perhaps this means that Michael is not hopeless. The Bible says, "For I know my transgressions, and my sins are ever before me." Holding the burning cigarette, his fingers trembling slightly, he repeated in a low voice, "23 times."

Roshua didn't speak.He may be in total shock, or he may be plotting how to give the rapist another real beating.Finally, when the cigarette was exhausted, the Frenchman said, in that annoying "elegant" tone, "During the war—"

"War is not an excuse." Michael said bitterly, "If it were you, would you do the same?"

"It's hard to say. After all, I haven't experienced much war." Roshua spread his hands, "My parents sent me to the United States before the war broke out, but I have finally seen the tail of the war-people are not like people, everyone Crazy. What would I be like if I stayed in France? It's hard to say. We can't assume that it never happened. However, Karl did not mention your crimes, he only told me that you saved him, Twice, he was very grateful for it."

"I saved him?" Michael held the extinguished cigarette butt, "I gave him $[-], a few pairs of socks and candy bars." He remembered the leather bag, the hard-smelling cheese and fruit Sugar, "The money made him hysterical."

"Typical American solution, do you really think you can buy everything with money?"

Of course not, money can't buy precious innocence.Michael threw away the cigarette butt and slowly adjusted the sleeves of his pajamas.He's like a bloated bear. "I killed him." He muttered, "I can't help it... At that time, I only had so much money, more than 100 yuan, and I had to keep a few yuan to go home... I repented, I should give it to him Buy some Camel cigarettes..."

Roshua made a subtle expression, half a sneer, half a sympathy. "Let me talk about myself," he said, his black eyes gleaming. "The first time I saw him, Liked him quite a bit—it's a stroke of luck that you go to the theater and there's a beauty sitting next to you. But he's not in the mood for the theater, frowning and distracted."

This well-educated fellow talked with a lot of hype and a lot of words.He told of the scene, Salome, the beautiful curtain and lighting in the opening, the superb performance of the actors.He also vividly described the spring scenery by the Rhine River, flowers, small towns and surging waves.Michael couldn't grasp the point of this speech, what he wanted to hear was definitely not opera and snow mountains, "——you took care of him, didn't you?"

"Yes." Roshua narrowed his eyes. "He suffered from aphasia at that time—do you know why?"

"do not know."

"Karl was very stressed and irritated. He kept things on his mind and wouldn't even tell his sister. Maybe he didn't know the source of the stress himself. Medication didn't help him, and neither did I. Would like to see such a beautiful man turned into a walking dead-I guess you must not be aware of the sequelae of frontal lobotomy?"

Michael shook his head, he really didn't know anything about medicine.

"Forget it," Roshua smiled, "Anyway, Carl said, I also saved him twice: once by the Rhine, and the second time during the operation. He is grateful to me, but he doesn't love me—that's exactly what he said. Tried to fall in love with me but failed. I guess it's 50.00% right and the other half-"

"One hundred percent," Michael couldn't help retorting, "he doesn't love you, I—"

"He loved me." Roshua's smile disappeared, "At least, he thought about living with me 'really'. You were afraid of the laws in Germany, so you left him and ran away, but France doesn't have such laws. To be precise, there was originally, and it was canceled in 1946. Although it is still impossible for us to marry, we have no problem living together. My family also met Carl, and they liked him."

Michael remembered the dream, fifty years later, when Roshua and Quincy, and him, met, at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II.That dream offered the possibility that Quincy could have a comfortable and fulfilling life without Michael "involving."He unconsciously scratched his lips, and let out a muffled guttural sound, until Roshua said regretfully, "It's all your fault, Michael Fiennes. If you don't run out, I will almost succeed this year."

"No," Michael said, "he just doesn't love you."

"I don't care if Karl loves me [-]% or not," Roshua looked at him, "he just has to agree to be with me. I can accompany him, provide material and spiritual support. He can do anything in France, we will Had a good time. After a long time, he can always fall in love with me, even if he has a corner in his heart for you... Well, what does it matter?"

"Who knew you ran back and made him uneasy. In my imagination, you should be tall and handsome, with a good sense of humor... the kind of person Karl likes. To be honest, I am very disappointed to see you. I think I'll win—I'm really not bragging," Roshua stroked his hair, "Will I lose to a farmer who can't even comb his hair?"

Michael stared, but couldn't say a word of rebuttal.He was a farmer, that's right, he couldn't compare to this kind of shiny, rich guy who looked like he went to an aristocratic school and lived in a castle since he was a child. "But I lost," Roshua shrugged self-mockingly, "a fiasco. When you came, he didn't see me anymore. He didn't sleep at night, sad over a stupid piggy bank, that pain It was heartbreaking to see. You gave him insomnia, loss of appetite, headaches, depression, disorientation. You wrote him letters, didn't you? He drank too much on those papers... He said he couldn't take it, he couldn't Lie to me; he can't be with you, and he can't be with me. He wants to part with me, and wish me a bright future. By the way, you're a Christian, aren't you?"

"Yes." Michael moved his lips, "That's right."

"Give up your ridiculous beliefs." Roshua moved his fingers, "Why did I come to you? Not because of your God's guidance, but out of love. I love Karl, but unfortunately he doesn't love me, I showed up too late - I gotta beat you up, let it out, please understand, then, when you get up, go find him in Munich. Don't make him talk to a bunch of stupid words with grammatical errors Sad, he needs you, a living, breathing idiot. Ready?"

Roshua beat Michael up, except for the old Michael, Michael really never suffered this kind of beating.However, Roshua showed the level of a medical student, and the beating was painful without breaking any bones. After "letting air out", he left, not forgetting to tell Michael considerately to drink more vitamin tablets.Michael collapsed on the floor. It was almost sunset before he gathered enough strength to get up and lie back on the bed.

Quincy's reply was pressed under the pillow.Michael pulled out a page with sore fingers, and gently stroked the red corrections.He thought of many things: the fluff around Quincy's ears, the clean jaw, the unbuttoned shirt collar, the soft lips, the cuckoo clock, the Black Forest cake, the sausage cut into triangles... It is said that before death, people will put A lifetime of experience went back and the daylight faded. Michael put down the page and closed his eyes.

He might be dying—

Someone was knocking on the door, very hard, "Mike!" a voice yelled, "Mike!"

The sound brought Michael back to his senses, and he got up, convinced that he was just dizzy from a combination of beating, cold, and hunger.Moving slowly, he unlocked the door amid frantic knocks.Quincy stood in the pale light of the corridor like a ghost, his cheeks pale.