"Phyllis Eisenstein - No Refunds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eisenstein Phyllis)

the papery skin of his face, the cheeks deeply hollowed above a short straggling
beard, the sunken eyes rimmed with dark circles. Multiple layers of clothing partly
camouflaged his frailty, hanging slack at shoulder and hip, so that he looked a little
like a child trying on an older brotherтАЩs discards; but above his shirt and sweater
collars, every cord of his neck was visible, and his AdamтАЩs apple stood out like a
half-swallowed peach pit. And he stank of sweat and rotten teeth, with a sharp
overtone of bleach.
He had cleaned a needle with that bleach an hour ago, she knew. Volunteers
from the local settlement house had been showing the junkies how to do it, to
protect themselves from AIDS. Too late for Steven, of courseтАФshe saw that the
doctors had told him so weeks agoтАФbut there was kindness in his doing it for
others. He had not lost his humanity on the street, along with everything else.
She brushed a twinge of pity aside. Her business had nothing to do with pity
or kindness. The kindly and the pitying died along with the wicked when the plagues
came; that had always been the way of the world. Only the careful and the lucky
survived. And Catherine.
When he had sat in the chair for a minute without speaking, she said, тАЬWhat
brings you to me, Steven?тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt you know that, too?тАЭ he muttered.
She made a sweeping gesture with her open palm. тАЬI read events, not
thoughts, Steven. There is a difference. You must tell me what you want.тАЭ
He looked up at her then, and there was despair in his bloodshot eyes. тАЬIтАЩm
ill, Madame Catherine. IтАЩve been down to County Hospital, in and out, lately. They
say there isnтАЩt much they can do for me.тАЭ
She waited for him to go on.
 He sighed again. тАЬIтАЩve heardтАж that you can do things.тАЭ
She stroked the pitted surface of the crystal ball. тАЬI canтАЩt cure you,тАЭ she said
quietly. тАЬI give people advice about their lives, nothing more.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩve heardтАж that you tell people how to get money.тАЭ
She inclined her head slightly. тАЬSometimes.тАЭ
He took a deep breath, as if gathering courage to speak, then suddenly
pressed his elbow against his side. He made tight fists of both his hands, and then
slowly, slowly opened them, over the course of a long exhalation.
тАЬPerhaps you should be back at the hospital,тАЭ she said.
He shook his head. тАЬIтАЩve heard about the price for the money. IтАЩm willing to
pay it.тАЭ
She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and steepling her fingers
under her chin. тАЬAnd what do you think the price is, Steven?тАЭ
тАЬTime,тАЭ he said.
She said nothing.
тАЬItтАЩs pretty obvious that if you can tell other people how to get money, you
can get it for yourself, too. You donтАЩt need to collect it from your customers. But
time ... that makes sense. You take years of life and give money in return. ItтАЩs a
bargain a lot of people would jump at.тАЭ
тАЬIt is,тАЭ Catherine said softly.
тАЬThen you must be very old.тАЭ
тАЬI am.тАЭ She watched him search her face for signs of that age, but she knew
all he would see was a woman in her early forties, with crowтАЩs-feet crinkling her eyes
and a touch of gray in her dark hair. A woman not much older than himself. She had
looked that way for a very long time.