The Hypnotist

The girl leaves the shop and starts to run. Simone is following her towards the door when she hears a familiar voice come from behind.

“Aida?”

She turns to see that it’s Benjamin.

“Mum, what are you doing here? Where’s Nicky?” he asks.

“Who?”

“Aida’s little brother. He’s retarded. Did you see him out there?”

“No, I—”

“He’s big, and he’s wearing black sunglasses.”

Simone walks slowly back inside the tattoo shop and sits down.

Aida comes back with the boy Simone chased. They stop outside the door, and Simone can see him nodding at everything Aida says, then wiping his nose. The girl comes in, shielding her breasts with one hand, walks past Simone and Benjamin without looking at them, and disappears behind the curtain. Simone just manages to see that her neck is red because she has had a dark red rose tattooed next to a small Star of David.

“What’s going on?” asks Benjamin.

“I was looking for you. Then I saw some boys—they must have been sick; they were holding a little girl over the barrier. Aida’s brother was just standing there and—”

“Did you say anything to them?”

“They stopped when I got to them, but they seemed to find the whole thing funny.”

Benjamin looks very upset; his cheeks flush red, and his eyes dart all over the place, searching, as if he wants to run away.

“I don’t like you hanging around here,” says Simone.

“I can do what I want,” he replies.

“You’re too young to—”

“Just leave it,” he says, his voice low.

“Why? Were you thinking of getting a tattoo as well?”

“No.”

“They’re horrible, these tattoos on necks and faces—”

“Mum.”

“They’re ugly.”

“Aida can hear what you’re saying.”

“I don’t care what—”

“Would you go outside, please?” Benjamin says sharply.

She looks at him. The tone doesn’t sound right coming from him, but she knows that she and Erik sound exactly like that more and more these days.

“You’re coming home with me,” she says calmly.

“I’ll come if you go outside first,” he says.

Simone leaves the shop and sees Nicky standing by the dark window, his arms folded over his chest. She goes over to him, tries to look pleasant, and points to his Pokémon cards.

“Everybody likes Pikachu best,” she says.

He nods to himself.

“Although I prefer Mew,” she goes on.

“Mew learns things,” he says carefully.

“Sorry I yelled at you.”

“They can’t do anything about Wailord, nobody can deal with him, he’s the biggest,” he goes on.

“Is he the biggest of all?”

“Yes,” the boy says seriously.

She picks up a card he’s dropped. “Who’s this?”

Benjamin comes out, his eyes shining.

“Arceus,” replies Nicky, placing the card on top of the pack.

“He looks nice,” says Simone.

Nicky beams at her.

“Let’s go,” Benjamin says, his voice muted.

“’Bye then,” says Simone, with a smile.

“Byebyetakecare,” Nicky replies mechanically.

Benjamin walks alongside his mother in silence.

“We’ll take a taxi,” she announces as they approach the underground station. “I’m sick of the underground.”

“Okay,” says Benjamin, turning away.