The same tired man as used to be laying there entombed in his bed when Gregor came back from his business trips, who would receive him sitting in the armchair in his nightgown when he came back in the evenings; who was hardly even able to stand up but, as a sign of his pleasure, would just raise his arms and who, on the couple of times a year when they went for a walk together on a Sunday or public holiday wrapped up tightly in his overcoat between Gregor and his mother, would always labour his way forward a little more slowly than them, who were already walking slowly for his sake; who would place his stick down carefully and, if he wanted to say something would invariably stop and gather his companions around him.
Ugyanaz, aki fáradtan ágyába temetkezve feküdt reggelenként, amikor Gregor annak idején üzleti útra indult, aki karosszékében ülve hálóköntösben fogadta, amikor esténként hazatért, és nem is volt képes fölállni, hanem az öröm jeléül csak a karját tárta szét, aki ritka, közös sétáikon, egy-két vasárnap évente és a nagyobb ünnepeken, küszködve vánszorgott Gregor és az anya között, bár voltaképpen már ők maguk is lassan mentek, de ő még náluk is lassabban haladt, beburkolózva öreg kabátjába, óvatosan rakosgatva maga elé kampósbotját, és ha mondani akart valamit, szinte mindig megállt, és kíséretét maga köré gyűjtötte?