He gives her the bamboo screen and she gives him the balcony boxes. “I was told there was a large flat-pack from IKEA in the backseat of your car, should I load it into my car?” he asks helpfully. “You certainly shall not!” answers Britt-Marie, as if he had suggested setting fire to it. “Of course not, of course not,” he says apologetically. Britt-Marie sees the men with the beards and caps leave the pizzeria. They nod at the policeman, he waves back. They seem not to see Britt-Marie at all. The policeman hurries off towards his patrol car with the balcony boxes, then he hurries back to walk alongside Britt-Marie. He doesn’t hold her arm, but he does position his arm a few inches under hers without actually touching her. So he can catch her in case she slips. She holds the bamboo screen like an umbrella over her hair (because in fact bamboo screens work quite brilliantly as umbrellas), and keeps it in a firm grip over her head throughout the journey, so the policeman doesn’t notice that her hairstyle has been ruined.
