Cuba Libre

Number 9

That's beautiful

I've seen you before

That's possible

I commute. I'm on my way home.

I've an hour, let's go to a hotel.

You know

At home my yard wants digging up

Kids with braces

A wife, a non-alcoholic beer

And a dinner table

Bread with sesame

Margarine, lowfat ham

I'm hungry

You can eat as much as you want. Later. Let's go

What's your name?

Tell me

Tina?

How many do you see?

Two

And now, how many?

Four

What's today's date?

I don't know

- Where are you from? - Don't touch me

Gerd, can you come upstairs?

That's alright, I'll take care of this man

I'd dump him in the gutter if I were you

Well you aren't

Come

I follow my own philosophy

These are hard times

One ought to preserve one's strength, no undue strains

I can see where your philosophy got you.

Do you need to see a doctor?

Where do you live?

Nowhere

I tell you what, you can stay at my place for now

My name is Jimmy.

Tom

They call this the Honeymoon Suite

Well

I like it

Who did that?

Tina

A woman

Tina

Your girlfriend?

I don't want to talk about it

Did you hurt her?

I told you, don't want to talk about it

What are you, crazy?

Quite right, it's my heart.

A girl broke it

At some stage these stabs began

And then one time I woke up suddenly

With a tingling in my arm

The nurses whispered and walked

up and down on their toes

You see, I've money, quite a bit, but

Are you sleeping?

Shit

In the car she used to snuggle up in the fur coat

What kind of car was it?

Mercedes

Convertible

A white one with read seats

Leather seats?

Exactly

And when we used to come down from Montpellier

And our house was just ahead

I'd get such a homely feeling

Do you know the sound when you drive off the tarmac

And into the driveway

And the gravel crunches beneath the tires

Of course I know it

What kind of a house was it?

A villa

White villa

With one of those

Flat red roofs and a little tower on top?

Exactly

Life

is strange

This means we used to be neighbours

You owned the house with that

incredible marble verandah?

Exactly

And down below was the sea

Yes, the sea

There's no ocean at Montpellier

So?

Are you going to Cuba now?

Come visit us in Montpellier

We can go swimming

You followed me

No

What are you doing here?

Was checking

the timetables

Going somewhere?

Yes

To Nice

Nice

There's work there

Hotel caretaker during the winter

Or what they call winter

But you don't know any French

And the food there

And it's warm there, too

And the sea

Cigarettes are cheaper there, too

Shit

Yes?

Nevermind

There's an ocean there!

Hurry up

The hotel is behind that parking garage

I've to go to my car first

What car?

You said you commute

You see now

This is a big town

And in such a big town

A certain law exists

There are those who are responsible for the water supply

Others

maintain parks and public spaces

And yet others

are responsible for public water management

And I

You know

I'm responsible for this train station

And who's in charge of the fire brigade?

Thanks

Pig!

I hate you

Not as firm as the last one

I want my money

Did you waste it all? My money?

Do you think I've more?

Dammit, I don't have any more.

I'm a wreck

A total wreck

Where do you live?

I've a locker at the station

I want to sleep

Sleep a long time

Let's go to a hotel

You're the second to say that today

What did you do?

Back then?

After you took it all

And left me lying there

Did you look at me once more

While I slept?

Did you think of me after you took the money?

When did you forget about me?

Cuba, at the beach?

Or in Germany already?

Cuba is beautiful

What are you, a travel agency?

I didn't make it to Cuba

One morning I woke up in the port of Vera Cruz

I was alone

The sea was calm

Empty bottles everywhere

My room had been cleaned out

My money gone

My friends gone

They abandoned me

The visa had expired

In the end they deported me

Deported to Germany

I thought

I'd work one or two years in Germany

And go back

That should do it

But it got worse

Homeless

Lingering

No jobs

No strength

What do you want to do now?

Come crying to me?

Sleep with me?

Make me turn tricks?

I want to pay back everything

Why?

Contrition

Poor boy

I'm about to start crying

I'm leaving for the seaside

When?

Now. Soon.

Why?

I've to get to the south

I can't manage another winter here

And where exactly?

Nice