"Carol Emshwiller - Mrs Jones" - читать интересную книгу автора (Emshwiller Carol)

coal room and goes up to her bedroom, but sheтАЩs too excited to sleep. She reads a
chapter in ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR SEX LIFE?, the one on тАЬHow to Turn
Your Man into a Lusting Animal.тАЭ (тАЬThe feet of both sexes are exquisitely sensitive,тАЭ
and, тАЬLet your eyes speak, but first make sure heтАЩs looking at you.тАЭ тАЬSurrender.
When he thinks heтАЩs leading, your man feels strong in every way.тАЭ) Janice thinks she
will have to be the one to take the initiative, though sheтАЩll try to make him feel that
heтАЩs the boss--even though heтАЩll be wearing the choke collar.
For a change, Janice wakes up just as early as Cora does. Earlier, in fact, and
she lies in bed making plans until it is late enough to get up. She gets a lot of good
ideas. She comes downstairs whistling Vivaldi--off key, as usual, but sheтАЩs not
doing it to make Cora angry this time. She really canтАЩt whistle on key. Cora knows
that Janice knows Cora hates the way she whistles. Cora thinks that if Janice really
tried, she could be just as in tune as Cora always is. Cora thinks Janice got up early
just so she could spoil CoraтАЩs breakfast by sitting across from her and looking just
like Mother used to look when she disapproved of FatherтАЩs table manners. And
Cora notices, even before she makes her omelet, that one can of tunafish is missing,
and that her loaf of rye bread has gone down by several slices. She takes a quart of
strawberries from JaniceтАЩs side of the refrigerator and eats them all, not even
bothering to wash them.
Janice doesnтАЩt say a word, or even do anything. She doesnтАЩt care, except that
Jonesy might have wanted some. Janice is feeling magnanimous and powerful. She
feels so good she even offers Cora some of her herb tea. Cora takes the offer as
ironic, especially since she knows that Janice knows she never drinks herb tea. She
retaliates by saying that, since theyтАЩre both up so early, they should take advantage
of it and go out to the beach to get more lakeweed for the garden.
Janice knows that Cora decided this just to make her pay for the tunafish and
mayonnaise and such, but she still feels magnanimous--kindly to the whole world.
She doesnтАЩt even say that theyтАЩd already done that twice in the spring, and that what
they needed now ere hay bales to put around the foundations of the house for the
winter. All she says is, тАЬNo.тАЭ
ItтАЩs never been their way to shirk their duties no matter how angry they might
be with each other. When it comes to work, theyтАЩve always made a good team. But
now Janice is adamant. She says she has something important to do. SheтАЩs not ever
said this before, nor has she ever had something important to do. Cora has always
been the one who did important things. This time Cora canтАЩt persuade Janice to
change her mind, nor can she persuade her that thereтАЩs nothing important to be
done--or nothing more important than lakeweed.
Finally Cora gives up and goes off alone. She hadnтАЩt meant to go. SheтАЩs never
gone off to get lakeweed by herself, but she goes anyway, hoping to make Janice
feel guilty. Except Cora knows something is going on. SheтАЩs not sure what, but
sheтАЩs going to be on her guard.
As soon as Janice hears the old pickup crunch away on the gravel drive, she
goes down in the basement, bringing along FatherтАЩs old straight razor (freshly
sharpened), rubbing alcohol and bandages. Also, to make it easier on him, a bottle
of sherry.
 Cora comes back, tired and sandy, around six-thirty. Her face is red and she
has big, dried, sweat marks on her blue farmerтАЩs shirt, across the back and under the
arms. She smells fishy. SheтАЩs so tired she staggers as she climbs the porch steps.
Even before she gets inside, she knows odd things are still going on. ThereтАЩs the
smells ... of beef stew or some such, onions, maybe a mince pie, and there, on the