"Bowes-ShadowAndGunman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bowes Richard)

Then they were gone. I heard their shouts as they turned the showers on a fully
clothed kid who wouldn't strip. He saved me. Slipping, gasping, shinnying wet
into pants, shoving on loafers, I grabbed my jacket, abandoned everything else
and got away.

Coming home frozen and half drowned, I felt I could fall no lower. I was wrong.
Uncle Jim stood in the kitchen washing dust off his hands. "Here he is," Gramny
said brightly. I was glad she wouldn't notice how messed up I'd gotten.

But Jim did. "Enjoy your swim?" he asked. All I wanted was to get to my room and
lick my wounds. But sensing my weakness, he followed me into the hall. "Your
Uncle Mike tells me they got a vice sweep on." He saw me wince.

His breath was boozy as he said, "We got some matters to discuss. Like your
future." Noticing I was still damp, he added, "Maybe you should go in the navy,
you like water so much."

The navy sounded like three years worth of what had just happened to me. I was
still shaking. "Let's talk later, Jim."

Angry, he always got quiet. But he never lost the smile. "Is it the dope that
makes you not understand me? We're going to have a little walk and talk." As
with the man at the Y, I saw he meant me harm. And again, I folded.

My uncle shoved me out the back door. His Caddy was parked at the end of the
driveway. "You look like shit. I see you wasting your time in school. I want you
to pre-enlist before graduation, not wait for the draft. I want it settled
today."

"My college boards are good enough. My mother said there was the money her
father left." I sounded pathetic.

We paused next to the fence at the end of the street and he said, "Like we've
been trying to tell you, there is no money. It got used up. On your mother. On
other stuff. Understand?"

Not knowing what to say, I just stared at him. Fast as a snake, the back of his
hand caught the side of my face. My head bounced on the chain links. He hit me
again. Far below, Boston Harbor spun. I tasted blood.

"Understand?" he repeated. This time I managed to nod. "You stupid bastard, it's
about time someone took you down a few pegs." He hit me again. My head jerked
back.

"You think I don't know about your personal habits? The goof balls? About how
you earn pocket money? I look at you and I know." With each question, he shook
me. "Understand?"

Instead of nodding I dodged. He hit me left-handed on the side of the head. My