KAZUO ISHIGURO

Never Let Me Go - fragments
 

I didn’t want to look at Tommy. I felt surprisingly calm, and even though Miss Emily’s words should have crushed us, there was an aspect to them that implied something further, something being held back, that suggested we hadn’t yet got to the bottom of things. There was even the possibility she wasn’t telling the truth. So I asked:
“Is it the case, then, that deferrals don’t exist? There’s nothing you can do?”
She shook her head slowly from side to side. “There’s no truth in the rumour. I’m sorry. I truly am.”
Suddenly Tommy asked: “Was it true once though? Before Hailsham closed?”
Miss Emily went on shaking her head. “It was never true. Even before the Morningdale scandal, even back when Hailsham was considered a shining beacon, an example of how we might move to a more humane and better way of doing things, even then, it wasn’t true. It’s best to be clear about this. A wishful rumour. That’s all it ever was. Oh dear, is that the men come for the cabinet?”
The doorbell had gone, and footsteps came down the stairs to answer it. There were men’s voices out in the narrow hall, and Madame came out of the darkness behind us, crossed the room and went out. Miss Emily leaned forward in the wheelchair, listening intently. Then she said:
“It’s not them. It’s that awful man from the decorating com-pany again. Marie-Claude will see to it. So, my dears, we have a few minutes more. Was there something else you wished to talk to me about? This is all strictly against regulations, of course, and Marie-Claude should never have asked you in. And naturally, I should have turned you out the second I knew you were here. But Marie-Claude doesn’t care much for their regulations these days, and I must say, neither do I. So if you wish to stay a little longer, you’re very welcome.”
“If the rumour was never true,” Tommy said, “then why did you take all our art stuff away? Didn’t the Gallery exist either?”

 

Lavinia Palita

Kazuo Ishiguro
 

Nu am indraznit sa ma uit la Tommy. Ma simteam surprinzator de calma, si cu toate ca vorbele lui Miss Emily ar fi trebui sa ne zdrobeasca, tonul ei lasa de inteles ca mai exista ceva dincolo de ele, ca mai exista un lucru pe care inca nu il stim, ca inca nu am ajuns la miezul problemei. Exista chiar si posibilitatea ca ea sa nu spuna adevarul. Asa ca am intrebat:
“ Este posibil ca acele amanari sa nu existe? Si nu puteti face nimic?”
A clatinat incet din cap, dintr-o parte in alta.
“Nu exista nici o umbra de adevar in acest zvon. Imi pare rau. Sincer.”
Atunci, dintr-o data Tommy a intrebat:
“Dar a fost adevarat vreodata? Inainte de inchiderea Hailshamului?
Miss Emily a clatinat din nou din cap.
“N-a fost adevarat niciodata. Nici macar inaintea scandalului Morningdale. Nici macar pe vremea cand Hailshamul era considerat un simbol al avangardei, un exemplu al modului in care am putea sa ne indreptam catre o metoda mai umana si mai buna de a face lucrurile, nici macar atunci nu a fost adevarat. A fost doar un zvon creat din nevoia de speranta. Asa a fost mereu. Ia stai! Se poate sa fie cei de la firma de transport?”
Tocmai se auzise soneria, urmata de niste pasi ce coborau pe scari pentru a raspunde. In holul ingust de la intrare s-au auzit voci de barbate, iar Madame a iesit din bezna de dincolo de noi, a traversat camera si a iesit. Miss Emily s-a aplecat in fata in scaun, tragand cu urechea. Dupa aceea a spus:
“Nu sunt ei. Iar a venit tipul insuportabil de la firma de decoratiuni interioare. Se ocupa Marie-Claude de el. Deci dragii mei, ne-au mai ramas cateva minute. Mai voiati sa ma intrebati si altceva? Evident este absolute impotriva regulamentului, iar Marie-Claude n-ar fi trebuit sa va invite in casa. Si, bineinteles si eu ar fi trebuit sa va dau afara imediat ce am aflat ca sunteti aici. Dar de la un timp lui Marie-Claude nu prea-I mai pasa de regulamente, si sincera sa fiu, nici mie.
Asa ca daca vreti sa mai ramaneti sunteti bineveniti.”
“Daca zvonul nu a fpst niciodata adevarat, a spus Tommy, atunci de ce ne luati toate lucrarile artistice? Nici Galeria nu a existat?”.