Requiem Read Online Free PDF Page A

that
     you want to write something, I find a piece of paper and a pen and I give them to you, your
     eyes look dull and you have death written on your face, you make an enormous effort to write,
     using your left hand, and then you give me the note and on it is this really odd sentence,
     Tadeus, what did you mean by it? I don’t know, he said, I can’t remember, I was
     dying, how do you expect me to remember? Besides, he went on, I don’t even know what the
     sentence was, why don’t you tell me? All right, I said, the sentence went like this:
Blame it all on herpes zoster
, honestly, Tadeus, is that any kind of sentence to
     say goodbye with, to leave with a friend when you’re dying? Listen, my fearful friend,
     he said, there are two possibilities: either I was completely out of it and I was writing
     things that have no meaning, or I was just playing a trick on you, I spent my whole life
     playing tricks on people, you know that, I played them on you, on everyone, it was my last
     prank, and thus dies Tadeus, with a final pirouette,
olé!
I don’t know
     why, Tadeus, I said, but I always connected that idiotic phrase with Isabel, that’s
     really why I’m here, it’s her I want to talk about. Later, he said, walking
     on.
    We had reached the restaurant. Senhor Casimiro was
     leaning in the doorway, a white apron covering his enormous belly. Good afternoon, Senhor
     Casimiro, Tadeus said in greeting, I’ve got a surprise for you, do you recognise this
     man?, you don’t remember him, eh? Well he’s an old friend come back from the void
     on this blazing hot day, he’s come to see me again before I go to the devil once and for
     all, and I’ve invited him to eat
sarrabulho.
Senhor Casimiro solicitously
     opened the door for us and let us pass. An excellent idea, excellent, he exclaimed, waddling
     after us into the large empty room, where would you like to sit?, today you have the whole
     restaurant at your disposal. Tadeus chose a table in a corner, beneath the fan. Senhor
     Casimiro’s restaurant was lovely. The floor was laid with black and white slabs of
     marble, the walls lined with blue and white tiles from the early part of the century. In the
     opposite corner of the room, near the kitchen, was a parrot on a perch, who every now and then
     let out a cry: Just as well! Senhor Casimiro arrived bearing bread, butter and olives. With
sarrabulbo
you really ought to drink red wine, he said, but I don’t know if
     your friend would like that, I have a Reguengos in the cellar that I can heartily recommend.
     TheReguengos is fine by me, said Tadeus. I nodded and sighed: All right, but
     it’ll finish me off.
    The
sarrabulho
was served in an earthenware dish, the traditional type, terracotta
     with yellow flowers painted on it in relief. At first glance, it looked revolting. In the
     middle of the dish were the potatoes, roasted in fat, surrounded by chunks of pork and tripe.
     The whole thing was drenched in a brown sauce that was probably made from wine or cooked
     blood, I hadn’t the slightest idea which. It’s the first time I’ve ever
     eaten anything like this, I said, I’ve been coming to Portugal for years and years,
     I’ve travelled the country from north to south and I’ve never felt brave enough to
     eat this, today will be the death of me, I’ll get food poisoning. You won’t regret
     it, Tadeus said, serving me, eat up, my fearful friend, and stop talking nonsense. I stuck a
     fork into a bit of pork, almost closing my eyes to do so, and raised it to my lips. It was
     delicious, it had the subtlest of flavours. Tadeus saw this and looked delighted, his eyes
     shining. It’s wonderful, I said, you’re right, it’s one of the most
     delicious things I’ve eaten in my whole life. Just as well! croaked the parrot. I second
     the parrot, said Tadeus, and poured me a glass of Reguengos. We ate in silence. Now, my
     fearful friend, said Tadeus, why have you come? I’ve already told you,