"Lisa Goldstein - Tourists" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldstein Lisa)

Dr. TamirтАЩs House
^┬╗
Dr. Mitchell Parmenter stood in the middle of a room in Amaz
and looked around him. Why in GodтАЩs name was it so huge?
Was it supposed to be a living room? Did Dr. Tamir, with
whom he had arranged to trade houses for a year, do a lot of
entertaining? If so he was going to be disappointed with the
size of the ParmentersтАЩ living room, that was certain.
The big room was crowded. Tall oak bookshelves, some with
glass fronts, stood straight against two walls, the shelves
stuffed with books, manuscripts, geodes, carved and crudely
painted animals, an African thumb piano, a nest with two
perfect blue eggs. Mitchell recognized a double birdcage from
Indonesia made of jackfruit; the two halves, originally
intended for the male and female birds, were being used as
bookends. Against the other two walls and in the center of the
room were long wooden benches, and on the walls hung
swords, silk-screen tapestries and wooden masks.
Mitchell ran his hand absently over the back of one of the
benches. He was a tall, large man with the heavy grace of a
sea mammal, with thick brown hair, gray eyes, a fleshy nose,
heavy lips.
The young man who had brought Mitchell to the house
moved a little, and the polished wooden floor creaked beneath
him. Mitchell turned suddenly; he had forgotten the man was
there. тАЬWell, тАЭ Mitchell said. The word echoed a little in the
vaulted ceiling. тАЬI didnтАЩt really expectтАФhow many bedrooms
did you say it has?тАЭ
тАЬThree, Dr. Parmenter,тАЭ the young man said.
Three, good. One for him and Claire, one for Casey and one
for Angela. He wouldnтАЩt have to worry about Casey, but what
would Angie make of this strange country, this strange house?
The young man led him through a door at the far end of the
room and down a long corridor. тАЬThe bedrooms, Doctor,тАЭ he
said. In contrast to the living room the bedrooms were small
and plain, the hardwood floor scuffed, the white paint peeling
in places. And they were too close together, two right next to
each other and one across the narrow corridor. Angie was
always talking to herself or laughing or screaming, and it
would be hard to concentrate. Maybe he could do his work at
the collegeтАФheтАЩd have to see what kind of office theyтАЩd give
him. And Casey could have the room next to AngieтАЩsтАФshe
didnтАЩt seem to mind her as much as he did.
The young man showed him the kitchen and the
bathroomтАФone bathroom for the four of them, but at least all
the fixtures and appliances looked newтАФand they went back
to the living room. Now he noticed that the walls were made
of massive gray stones, fitted carefully one on top of the other.