Swimming in the Dark

As the weeks go by, Ludwik and Janusz go swimming at the university pool. Ludwik finds it freeing but also finds that it stirs up memories. After his father leaves, Ludwik’s mother brings him to the local pool to teach him to swim. Eventually, doctors find something in her lungs, and Ludwik comes home one day from school to find her gone. He never returns to the pool, not seeing a reason to swim without her. One night, after a swim, Ludwik and Janusz walk home and Janusz tells Ludwik that his boss likes him. Ludwik says nothing, and when Janusz questions why he is not happy for him, Ludwik tells Janusz that he will never truly approve of his job or the system and criticizes both harshly. Janusz assures Ludwik that he will find a way for them to live a good life and asks for Ludwik’s trust.

Hania, a friend of Janusz’s from their summer trip, runs into them on her way to see their mutual friend Rafał. She invites Janusz to join her, but he declines. After she leaves, Janusz is tense, worried that she saw him and Ludwik arguing too closely, and he suggests that they part for the night.