Intimacies

The narrator thanks Eline for dinner via email, and Eline responds by saying she is glad she made it home safely. The narrator interprets this as an oblique reference to Anton’s actions. Later, when Amina goes on leave, Robert becomes the narrator’s partner in the interpreter booth, and he warns her that the trial could go on for months. As the trial drags on, the narrator’s stamina increases, and she becomes more confident in her skills. The president behaves much differently in the courtroom than in the private meetings she attended earlier, and the narrator describes him as “a star debater on a university team, somebody who was looking for openings, who took note of everything, a man who conceded nothing and had nothing to conceal” (174). He doesn’t testify on the witness stand, yet he still plays to his many supporters in the gallery by using grand gestures. He also deliberately makes eye contact with the narrator daily, an action that Kees notices. This personal action affects the narrator significantly, and she begins to feel that she knows the president too well and is starting to sympathize with him during parts of the trial. She feels that this intimacy has been forced upon her, and she cannot resist the emotional effect that he has on her.

Robert warns the narrator that the prosecution has called several victims to testify against the accused president, and states that their testimony will be disturbing. Since testifying against the president puts them in danger, the victims’ identities are hidden from the gallery. Their testimony requires the work of three layers of translation; they speak Dyula, which must be translated into French and then into English. When the first victim enters the courtroom, the narrator notes that her presence shifts the entire tone of the proceedings. The victim appears young and nervous at first. Still, as soon as she begins speaking, she emerges as a brave, confident young woman, and her presence unnerves the usually unflappable president. As she begins speaking, the clarity and precision of her speech makes the translation easy, and all the interpreters appear entranced by her confidence and courage. The young woman relates the story of the brutal murder of 32 children in the school in her village. The same operatives murdered her two brothers and father in their home and then ransacked the house, stealing the family’s food and possessions. She says they didn’t kill her because they saw her as valueless. The interpreters are so enrapt by her compelling testimony that they stumble over one another, forgetting to allow time for the translation. The narrator feels that she is connected to the young girl through her words. When the prosecutor asks the witness to identify the president as the person who ordered the killings, Kees objects, but before the judge can respond, she confirms this to be true. Her words engender a physical response from the president as he stares at her intently.

While at a lunch meeting with Bettina, the narrator sees Anton enter the café, although he doesn’t see her. Bettina has called the meeting to discuss the narrator's opportunity to remain in a full-time position at the court. Still, the narrator is so distracted by Anton’s presence that she struggles to concentrate on Bettina’s words. Bettina praises the narrator’s work, especially considering the negative attention that the court has been getting recently. An attractive woman enters the café and joins Anton. The two are physically attracted to one another, and the narrator cannot stop watching them. They leave briefly and return later a bit disheveled, and the narrator presumes that they had sex in the bathroom. She realizes that Anton is having an affair with this woman and that she is the reason he was in Jana’s neighborhood on the night he was attacked. Although she isn’t shocked by his unfaithfulness to Miriam, she is shocked to think that Eline is complicit in the deception.

Bettina notices the narrator’s distraction and tries to learn more about her life. The narrator explains that she is originally from New York and came to The Hague after her father died. Bettina has lived in the Netherlands for a decade and says that even though she acknowledges that “a certain rootlessness seems almost to be a precondition for the work (194), she has managed to make The Hague her home. She says that the Court will provide resources for the narrator to obtain a more permanent residence. The mention of a home makes the narrator think about Adriaan and the complexities of her feelings for him. She would wholeheartedly accept the offer if he returned from Lisbon, still wanting to be with her. However, watching Anton with his lover reminds her that there is a major part of Adriaan’s life that she doesn’t understand, and she fully expects that Kees is right, and that Adriaan went to Lisbon to win back his wife and reunite his family. The narrator begins crying and asks Bettina for some time to consider the decision.

The narrator returns to Adriaan’s apartment to retrieve the book she bought at Anton’s store. While she is there, Gaby returns alone. Though the meeting is tense and full of subtext, Gaby conducts herself as if she knew about Adriaan’s relationship with the narrator. Struck by Gaby’s beauty and commanding personality, the narrator says little during the exchange. Gaby says, “Everyone will be coming back in a week […] Adriaan, the children as well” (203), but Gaby doesn’t specify if that includes her. Feeling emboldened, the narrator asks if Gaby is also returning, but the woman only gives an unintelligible nod as she abruptly leaves. The narrator asks what she should do with the key, and Gaby says she doesn’t care.

The encounter leaves the narrator feeling overwhelmed with questions, and she wonders why Adriaan hasn’t informed her that he is coming home. She keeps the apartment key and leaves to have lunch with Eline. Since they haven’t seen each other or spoken since the dinner, the tone is awkward, and the narrator senses that Eline believes that she and Anton are having an affair. Eline says that Anton mentioned seeing the narrator the previous day, and the narrator says that he was with another woman. The entire tone of the conversation shifts as Eline realizes her mistake and probes the narrator with questions about the woman. Though the narrator doesn’t provide much information, Eline defends Anton, claiming that even though he has been with other women before, including sex workers, he truly loves Miriam. Eline says she always doubted Anton’s story about his amnesia, and the story continues to baffle the police as the CCTV footage shows no evidence of an attack in that area that night. The narrator senses that the exchange has altered something in their friendship and that Eline won’t call her again. Not having spoken to Jana for weeks, the narrator feels profoundly alone. 

The judge places the deposed president’s case on hold, and the defense team calls a meeting and asks the narrator to attend and interpret. As they review the details of the case, the president dismisses them, claiming that none of it matters since he will likely be freed. He speaks directly to the narrator and asks what is wrong with her. Turning against her, he accuses her of judging him for his crimes. He claims that when he first met her, he thought that she wasn’t “truly from the West” (211), but he now sees that she is just an extension of the Court, which he feels isn’t capable of meting out impartial justice. The president accuses the narrator of being from a country that is guilty of far worse crimes than his and states that her “race” also has a “terrible history” (211). He then tells her to leave. Without responding, the narrator gathers her things and leaves the room. A junior legal associate follows her and begs her to ignore his manipulative nature, but the narrator responds that the president’s words are true. She immediately leaves the Court and runs to the beach. The narrator calls her mother in Singapore, who is worried that something is wrong since they haven’t spoken in a while. The narrator’s mother tells her a story about the time they visited The Hague as a family, and her father took them to that beach, though the narrator has no memory of the trip.

After the prosecution’s case falls apart, the court dismisses it, which cascades into a flurry of activity. Journalists descend on the Court, and the narrator watches as Kees victoriously speaks to reporters. They briefly make eye contact, and she perceives that he is saying goodbye. The president makes a public statement and declares his release a victory against “the Court as a tool of Western imperialism” (216). The narrator officially declines Bettina’s offer to stay, claiming that she does not have the emotional capacity to withstand the intensity of the work. Working on the president’s case has caused her to realize that the people involved must put aside their personal beliefs to do the job, and she isn’t capable of that kind of compartmentalization. She also fears the long-term effects of becoming desensitized. After leaving the Court, the narrator goes for Chinese food, and the person who takes her order speaks Mandarin. When she gestures that she doesn’t speak Mandarin, she feels that the person judges her, and the encounter makes her long for a permanent place to call home.

Adriaan returns to The Hague and asks to meet her for dinner. He explains that the children will live with him so that they can attend school; they will visit Gaby in Lisbon on the holidays. This is not an ideal arrangement, but it is the best they could manage. He notices the narrator’s cool detachment and apologizes for not communicating with her during his absence. He explains that dealing with Gaby and the children was far more complicated than he envisioned. His confession softens her, and she empathizes with his plight, realizing that they could still go forward in their relationship despite this obstacle. The narrator explains that she declined the permanent position at the Court, and Adriaan wonders if that means she is leaving The Hague. He asks if she would consider staying so that they can be together. She shares her experience of going to the dunes and calling her mother. For her, that moment felt like the beginning of something new and gave her the hope that life could progress. Adriaan offers to walk with her to the dunes, and she says yes.