Geistergrab einer buddhistischen Pagode

Kapitel 74

Beryl pondered whether he should ask. I amplified his impulse with a fierce urging. He immediately stood up, and I applauded my friend in the air.

He ran to find Heinrich, but there were only servants at the docks. “Telephone—” he said with excessive clarity, making a gesture for a telephone receiver that everyone in the world could understand.

But all he got in return was a shrug of regret. Last night's drinking had left him with a splitting headache; how had he ended up in a country without telephones?

Back at his cabin, he threw himself into his work. He carried with him a manuscript he was working on, titled *Come, Sit, Stay*, a book about the relationship between humans and dogs—not a book he had written voluntarily, but one that an editor had approached him after he won his third Emmy Award. She said the book had a huge market and he would receive a payment. He did the math—enough to prepay a ski lodge in Women's Valley. Encouraged by his Emmy win, he replied, "Easy peasy."

Now he felt that agreeing to an impossible task was madness. He read some advice his editor gave him: "What happens when you put a quiet lab dog with an active person? Or a tense, anxious sheepdog with a relaxed person? Or a decisive hunting dog with an indecisive person? Who will influence whom?"

What an idiot! He began to make some rough notes: explaining the scientific principles behind it, from early humans like the Orecchis to modern paleoanthropology. And, of course, the addition of racial diversity in biology—a metaphor from Darwin—gives the whole book a compelling foundation.

Berhali created two headings: "Man" and "Dog". In the "Man" heading, he wrote: "The problems of social hierarchy and lineage; the evolution of language producing shared social information; public consciousness, morality, ethics; goal setting; the ability to discern and judge; and therefore, the need for meaning."

In the "Dogs" section, he wrote: "Social hierarchy begins in the blind infancy stage; the changeable temperament (and personality!!) of puppies; social behavior is formed through environmental influences at four months old; motor learning; food incentives; a submissive personality that seeks to please humans..."

These two columns are not exactly equivalent, but they are essentially harmless and still serve as an excellent premise: species differences within a framework of social adaptation.

He continued to indulge in his fantasies, explaining these arguments in detail to his ideal reader—Jumarin. He imagined her utterly adoring expression as she listened. His words entangled her ears, stinging her soul and igniting a tremendous, immense…

How boring, God, this is all bullshit!

He imagined Marlene again—she seemed so incomprehensible and unattainable. What use is human adaptability if people are unwilling to change themselves? For example, there is no system in the world that can effectively prevent crime.

Why do people visit therapists year after year, yet remain uninterested in overcoming their delusions or repressions? Humans have a peculiar fondness for their own faults. This is why you can't turn a Republican into a Democrat, or vice versa.

This is why there are so many divorces and wars. Because humans refuse to accept and adapt to others, even when it's for their own benefit! That hits the nail on the head! When it comes to their own needs, humans, especially women, have a stronger sense of self-preservation—what people call "needs"—than a dog guarding its bone.

This is the most fundamental question for every woman who has ever been in love.

At first, she was incredibly adaptable, telling him which restaurant to go to or which movie to see was no big deal. But soon after she moved in—guess what—she started to hate sushi or spaghetti, and while she was always late for dates, she would call him even if he was a minute late.

"What the hell is a cell phone?" she finally snapped. "If you don't even turn it on?"

Good heavens, no woman knows how to encourage, they only know how to criticize. It's all about "her" needs, "her" understanding. If she thinks he's insensitive, then by the facts, he is. If he argues that he isn't, then he must be arbitrary, and the evidence lies in his protest.

The woman must always come first. No matter how busy he is with his show, everything becomes a testing ground for her to see "who is the most important?"—of course, it's her.

For Beryl's ex-girlfriend, going skiing with Murphy on the weekend was a "negative declaration" of their relationship.

He started imagining again: Jumarin's expression when she first saw his kitchen. "Beautiful," she would undoubtedly say, "absolutely beautiful." She would run her fingers across the marble countertop, sit down on the cool surface, and beckon him...

Regardless of what happened last night, she's still perfectly suited to be the object of his daytime fantasies. His ex-girlfriend said he was abnormal and disgusting, and he admits it—it's the effect of an overdose of martinis. He won't make that mistake with Jumarin again. Maintaining mystery is more conducive to romance, at least for the mature Jumarin; having a few more children wouldn't be a problem.

END