Max reaches for the book. ‘“Sun/Decrease,”’ he reads: ‘“above, KEN-KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN; below, TUI — THE JOYOUS, LAKE.”’
‘Ah!’ says Lola, THE JUDGMENT:
‘Decrease combined with sincerity
Brings about supreme good fortune
Without blame.
One may be persevering in this.
It furthers one to undertake something.
How is this to be carried out?
One may use two small bowls for the sacrifice.’
‘Our luck is changing for the better,’ says Max.
‘I like the text,’ says Lola:
‘Decrease does not under all circumstances mean something
bad. Increase and decrease come in their own time.
What matters here is to understand the time and not to
try to cover up poverty with empty pretense.’
‘And so on. Good, eh?’
‘I promise to stop covering up my poverty,’ says Max, feeling irrationally that this line in the text might be a comment on the size of his member.
‘You know that’s not what it means,’ says Lola, following his gaze. ‘Here’s THE IMAGE’:
‘At the foot of the mountain, the lake:
The image of DECREASE.
Thus the superior man controls his anger
And restrains his instincts.’
She reads on:
‘The mountain stands as the symbol of a stubborn strength
that can harden into anger. The lake is the symbol of
unchecked gaiety that can develop into passionate drives
at the expense of the life forces. Therefore decrease is
necessary; anger must be decreased by keeping still, the
instincts must be curbed by restriction. By this decrease
of the lower powers of the psyche, the higher aspects of
the soul are enriched.’
‘I wish my soul had better higher aspects,’ says Max.
‘I do too,’ says Lola, ‘but I guess we’ll have to make do with whatever aspects come to hand.’
‘You’re very gracious,’ says Max. ‘And for the rest of my life I’ll remember how you looked at me when you took off your jumper.’
‘I’m glad you appreciated that,’ says Lola. ‘I didn’t take it off lightly. And bear in mind that we’ve now been warned about unchecked gaiety and passionate drives.’
‘Right,’ says Max. ‘Will you stay here tonight?’
‘OK,’ says Lola. ‘But first I’ll have to check your gaiety.’
‘I think you’ll find it in good working order,’ says Max.
18 The Worst That Could Happen
February 1997. ‘All this with two women is going to end in tears,’ says Max’s mind.
‘I know,’ says Max. ‘I’ll have to sort myself out. I’ve been wondering, if I were writing about a guy in this situation, what would be the worst that could happen?’
‘Well, he could lose his Lola, couldn’t he. What could be worse than that?’
‘Lola isn’t with him every moment,’ says Max. ‘Much of her presence, her belovedness, is in his memory. And out of his memory comes his anticipation of the next time with her. If Lola leaves him he can still remember her. But if he loses his memory he loses her completely. So that’s even worse. Maybe I could use that in a novel.’
‘There might be some mileage in it,’ says his mind.
‘In Hindu mythology,’ says Max, ‘there’s a dwarf demon of Forgetfulness called Apasmara Purusha. If this guy’s Lola gets really pissed off she might find a way of putting Apasmara on to him to wipe out the memory of her.’
‘That’s really nasty,’ says his mind. ‘I like it. But what would get her that pissed off? Would sleeping with another woman one time do it?’
‘I don’t know,’ says Max. ‘It was just a passing thought. I doubt that I’ll do anything with it — I’m not sure I like this guy well enough to write about him.’
19 A Short Time With Basil
February 1997. ‘What is it with you and Max Lesser?’ says Basil to Lola. They’re having lunch at The Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street. Lots of newspaper people there, upholding pints and their reputation for alcohol consumption while analysing the latest scandals, sports, and political news. Cheerful noises all around.
‘Basil,’ says Lola, ‘I’ll try to put this as gently as I can.’
‘Put what?’ says Basil.
‘If,’ says Lola, ‘I were to ask my boyfriend to stand up, you’d have to remain seated.’
‘It’s like that, is it?’
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘This is a very sudden dismissal.’
‘Not really. You and I have not been an item for quite a long time. What we had was more of a lifestyle thing than a romance.’
‘And you’re serious about Lesser, are you?’
‘That’s nothing you need concern yourself with.’
‘I think it is. I’ll always care about what happens to you.’
‘That’s sweet of you but try not to care too much.’
‘Do you think you’ll be happy with him?’
‘Can we talk about something else? Have you had any interesting new cases?’
‘I think this Jewish-intellectual fling of yours is a delayed adolescent revolt,’ says Basil. ‘This guy is no one for you to give your heart to. Let alone other parts. There’ll come a time when you’ll wish you still had good old suitable Baz.’
‘When that happens,’ says Lola, ‘you’ll be the second to know.’
‘Have you read his books?’ says Basil.
‘I’ve read the most recent one.’
‘Any That You Can Not Put Downe came out almost four years ago,’ says Basil. ‘He seems to be having a dry spell.’
‘Three and a half years don’t make a dry spell.’
‘Have you read Ten Thousand Several Doors and Turn Down An Empty Glass?’
‘No.’
‘You should. They’re long since out of print but I borrowed them from one of our clerks. Lesser always writes about the same thing: himself.’
‘Lots of writers do that,’ says Lola.
‘But they don’t all stick to a pattern the way Lesser does. In all three novels the protagonist betrays the woman who loves him and then she goes out of his life and he tries to win her back. In this last novel she’s topped herself and put a curse on him and he’s trying to get her ghost to lift the curse. I doubt that Ladbroke’s would give very good odds on Lesser in the Fidelity Stakes.’
‘You’ve really done your homework,’ says Lola, ‘but then you always do. It’s nice to see you so excited about something. I’m sure that one of these days you’ll find a woman who appreciates you.’
‘I think you’re going to be sorry about the choice you’re making.’
‘Maybe,’ says Lola. ‘But I won’t be bored.’
20 Girl Talk
February 1997. While Lola and Basil are at The Cheshire Cheese Lula Mae is at The Garibaldi in High Holborn with Irma Lustig of Everest Technology Accounts. Like Lula Mae, Irma, originally from Stuttgart, is a head-turner of noble proportions. Herbert Wise, Personnel Manager at Everest, is known in the organisation as Herbie the Eye. He denies discrimination and claims that he rarely receives job applications from plain women.