All The Names - Jose Saramago

friendships, that she didn't want us to get close, those tears must have been a moment of weakness and
nothing more, it happens often enough, there are times in our lives when we just let go, when we're
capable of telling the first stranger we meet about our pain and sorrow, do you remember, when you were
here, Of course I remember, and I never thanked you properly for the trust you placed in me, It wasn't a
question of trust, it was despair, Whatever it was, I promise you will never regret it, you can trust me, I'm
very discreet, Yes, I'm sure I won't regret it, Thank you, But the reason I know I won't regret it is because
nothing really matters to me anymore, Ah. It wasn't easy passing from a disconsolate interjection like that
to a direct question of the type, So, then what did you do, it required time and tact, so Senhor José fell
silent, waiting for what would happen next. As if she were aware of that too, the woman asked, Would
you like some more tea, he accepted, Yes, please, and held out his cup. Then the woman said, A few days
ago I telephoned her house, And what happened, No one answered, I got the answering machine, You only
phoned once, On the first day, yes, but the following days I tried several times and at different hours, I
phoned in the morning, I phoned in the afternoon, I phoned after supper, I even phoned at midnight, And
nothing, Nothing, I thought perhaps she'd gone away, Did she tell you where she worked, No. The
conversation could not continue to roll around the black hole hiding the truth, the moment was
approaching when Senhor José would say Your goddaughter is dead, in fact, he should have told her as
soon as he arrived, that's what the woman will say to him shortly, Why didn't you tell me straightaway,
why did you ask all those questions if you knew she was already dead, and he will be unable to lie
alleging that he remained silent because he didn't want to spring the painful news on her, without
preparation, without due respect, in truth, the only reason for this long, slow dialogue had been the words
she had said at the start, I've got something to tell you too, at that point, Senhor José lost the resigned
serenity that would have made him reject the temptation of knowing about that tiny, useless thing,
whatever it was, he lacked the serene resignation necessary to say, It doesn't matter, she's dead. It was as
if what the lady in the ground-floor apartment had to tell him might still, who knows how, make time run
backwards and, at the very last moment, steal the unknown woman back from death. Weary, with no other
desire now than to delay the inevitable for a few more seconds, Senhor José asked, You didn't consider
going to her house, asking the neighbours if they'd seen her, Of course I did, but I didn't go, Why, Because
it would look as if I was interfering, she might not like that, But you phoned, That's different. There was a
silence, then the expression on the woman's face began to change, it became interrogative, and Senhor
José realised that she was going to ask, at last, what questions relating to the matter of her goddaughter
had brought him there today, had he managed to speak to her and when, was the problem with the Central
Registry resolved and how, I regret to tell you that your goddaughter is dead, said Senhor José. The
woman opened her eyes very wide, raised her hands from her lap and covered her mouth, What, Your
goddaughter has died, How do you know, asked the woman without thinking, That's what the Central
Registry is there for, said Senhor José, and he shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if to say, It's not my fault,
When did she die, I've got the card here, if you want to see it. The woman reached out her hand, held the
card close to her eyes then moved it farther off, mumbling, My glasses, but she didn't go and look for
them, she knew they wouldn't help, even if she wanted to she wouldn't be able to read what was written
there, her tears were blurring the words. Senhor José said, I'm very sorry. The woman left the room and
was gone for a few brief moments, when she came back she was drying her eyes with a handkerchief. She
sat down, poured herself some more tea, then asked, Did you come here just to tell me that my
goddaughter had died, Yes, That was very kind of you, I thought it was my duty really, Why, Because I felt
I was in your debt, Why, Because of the nice way you received me and helped me, the way you answered
my questions, Now that force of circumstances has brought the job they gave you to an end, you won't
have to wear yourself out any more looking for my poor goddaughter, No, I won't, Perhaps the Central
Registry has already instructed you to start looking for another person, No, no, cases like this are very
rare, That's the good thing about death, it brings everything to a close, Its not always like that, that's when