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

hall table, a glass of sherry is set out for her. Or seems to be for her. Or looks like
sherry. Though the day was hot, these fall evenings are cool, and Janice has laid a
fire in the fireplace, and not badly done. Cora always knew Janice could do it
properly if she really tried. Cora takes the sherry and sits on the footstool of
FatherтАЩs big chair. ItтАЩs one of the ones Janice had covered in a flowery
pattern--looks like pinkish-blue hydrangea. Cora turns away from it and looks at the
fire. Thinks: All this has got to be because of something else. Or maybe itтАЩs going to
be a practical joke. If she lets down her guard sheтАЩll be in for big trouble. But even if
itтАЩs a joke, might as well take advantage of it for as long as she can. The sherry
relaxes her. SheтАЩll go up and shower--if, that is, Janice has left her any hot water.
For several days, Mr. Jones is in pain. Janice is glad of it. She knows how a
wild thing--or even a not so wild thing--appreciates being nursed back to health. She
hopes Mr. Jones was too drunk to remember about the ... removal ... amputation ...
whatever youтАЩd call it. (Funny, he only has four fingers on each hand. SheтАЩd not
noticed that at first.)
As soon as heтАЩs better, she hopes to bond him to her in a different way.
Cora is still suspicious, but doesnтАЩt know what to be suspicious about. The
good food is going on and on. After supper Janice cleans up and doesnтАЩt ask Cora
for help even though Janice has done all the cooking. And Janice disappears for
hours at a time. Goes up to take her nap--or so she says, but Cora knows for a fact
that sheтАЩs not in her bedroom. After the dishes are cleaned up in the evenings, Janice
sews or knits. ItтАЩs not hard to see that sheтАЩs knitting a child-sized sweater, sewing a
child-sized pair of trousers. At the same time, sheтАЩs working on a white dress, lacy
and low necked. Cora thinks much too low necked for someone JaniceтАЩs age. But
perhaps its not for Janice. Maybe Janice has some news sheтАЩs keeping from Cora.
That would be just like her. Someone is getting married or coming for a visit. Or
maybe both: someone getting married and a child is coming to visit.
Mr. Jones is getting better, eating soups, nuts and seeds and keeping
everything down, finally. Janice is happy to see that his skin has faded some. He
might pass for a gnarled, little Mexican, or maybe a fairly light India Indian. And heтАЩs
beginning to understand some words. SheтАЩs been talking to him a lot, more or less
as she used to talk to old Jonesy. He knows: good boy and bad boy, and sit, lie
down, be quiet.... She thinks he even has the concept of, тАЬI love you.тАЭ SheтАЩd never
said that to any other creature ever before, not even to the pony theyтАЩd had when
they were little. SheтАЩs been doing a lot of patting, back rubbing, scratching under the
chin and behind the ears. Though heтАЩs always wearing a pair of her underpants tied
up around his waist, every now and then she notices his penis swelling up even larger
than it already is, though she hasnтАЩt even tried the stroking of the exquisitely sensitive
feet yet.
One night, after reading over again the chapter, тАЬHow to Turn Your Man into
a Lusting Animal,тАЭ she puts on her flowery summer nightgown (even though the
nights are colder than ever and they havenтАЩt started up the furnace yet). She puts on
lipstick, eyeshadow, perfume, combs her hair out and lets it hang over her
shoulders.... (SheтАЩs only graying a little bit at the temples. Thank God not like Cora;
sheтАЩs almost completely gray.) She goes down into the cellar with a glass of sherry
for each of them. Not too much, though. SheтАЩs read about alcohol and sex. She tells
him she loves him several times, kisses him on the cheeks and then on the neck, just
below the choke collar. Finally she kisses his lips. They are thin and closed tight.
She can feel the teeth behind them. Then she rolls her nightgown up to her chin. She
hopes he likes what he sees even though sheтАЩs not young anymore. (If anything, he