‘You’re very quiet, Jan,’ said the old man. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘No, no.’ said Jan quickly. ‘Nothing’s wrong. It’s just…
I want to ask you a question, but I… I… it’s difficult.’
Jan stopped. His father smiled.
‘Difficult? Why is it difficult? Are you afraid of an old man?’
‘Of course not,’ said Jan. ‘But I am afraid of your answer. You see, Carol wants to go very much. She loves playing her harp, but it’s Christmas time and—‘
‘Stop!’ said Josef. ‘What are you talking about? Where does Carol want to go at Christmas?’
‘To Prague,’ said Jan. ‘And I would like to go with her. We want you to come too.’
‘Ah!’ said the old man. ‘To Prague. I understand now.’
The room was suddenly very quiet. Jan drank his cold coffee and waited.
The old man took something out of his pocket. It was a photograph of his dead wife, Jan’s mother. He spoke very quietly – not to Jan, but to the photograph in his hand.
‘Perhaps now … before I die … just once I can go back again ..’
Carol came back with some hot coffee. She looked at Josef, then at Jan.
‘Shhh … He’s thinking about Prague,’ Jan said quietly.
Carol put the coffee on the table and sat down. The hands on the clock slowly moved through two long minutes. Then the old man put the photograph back in his pocket.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘Let’s all go to Prague for Christmas. It’s beautiful there when it snows. I remember it so well … so very well.’