"Greg Egan - Oceanic" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

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every burden of marriage -- equally?"
"We solemnly declare."




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My mind wandered; I thought of Lena's parents. Maybe one of the family's children was
adopted. Lena and I had managed to sneak away to the boat three times so far, early in the
evenings while my parents were still out. We'd done things I'd never done with anyone else, but I
still hadn't had the courage to ask her anything so personal.
Suddenly the priest was saying, "In the eyes of God, you are one now." My father started
weeping softly. As Daniel and Agnes kissed, I felt a surge of contradictory emotions. I'd miss
Daniel, but I was glad that I'd finally have a chance to live apart from him. And I wanted him to
be happy -- I was jealous of his happiness already -- but at the same time, the thought of
marrying someone like Agnes filled me with claustrophobia. She was kind, devout, and generous. She
and Daniel would treat each other, and their children, well. But neither of them would present the
slightest challenge to the other's most cherished beliefs.
This recipe for harmony terrified me. Not least because I was afraid that Beatrice approved,
and wanted me to follow it myself.

****

Lena put her hand over mine and pushed my fingers deeper into her, gasping. We were sitting
on my bunk, face to face, my legs stretched out flat, hers arching over them.
She slid the palm of her other hand over my penis. I bent forward and kissed her, moving my
thumb over the place she'd shown me, and her shudder ran through both of us.
"Martin?"
"What?"




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She stroked me with one fingertip; somehow it was far better than having her whole hand
wrapped around me.
"Do you want to come inside me?"
I shook my head.
"Why not?"
She kept moving her finger, tracing the same line; I could barely think. Why not? "You might
get pregnant."
She laughed. "Don't be stupid. I can control that. You'll learn, too. It's just a matter of
experience."