"Steven Gould - Blind Waves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gould Stephen Jay)

breathed deeply, trying to settle her stomach. She smelled salt water, sunscreen, the
barest hint of diesel exhaust, and her own sweat.
Toni looked sideways at her new boss. тАЬYou okay, Patricia? You look a little
green.тАЭ
Thanks so much for the reminder. Patricia shook her head, irritated. тАЬNot your
problem. Mind the helm.тАЭ
Toni shrugged and her face closed up a little.
Patricia was pleased Toni didnтАЩt get seasickтАФthe topside hand needed to ride
out rough weather sometimesтАФbut she could keep it to herself. ToniтАЩd learn,
hopefully.
Toni was sixteen years younger than Patricia, a sun-browned blonde with big
breasts and a small nose, unlined face, and a long and lean body that was a head
taller than PatriciaтАФhell, Toni was everything Patricia wasnтАЩt. She seemed to live in
Speedo suits and T-shirts. Her parents were from peninsular Florida, but sheтАЩd been
born during the Deluge and, as a cash-poor Displaced American, she really didnтАЩt
have a chance of getting land outside the wet-foot ghettos or a homestead in the
Nevada тАЬDisplaced CitizenтАЭ projects.
ToniтАЩs sailing experience was extensive, since sheтАЩd lived all her life on a
forty-five-foot ketch, and, though she didnтАЩt have any experience with multi-hulls,
she was doing all right.
тАЬWe gonna hit them in the ass,тАЭ Toni said.
Patricia looked forward again. TheyтАЩd picked up a knot of speed on the new
heading, and the distance between them and the workboat was dropping. тАЬPass them
to port.тАЭ
тАЬPassing to port, aye, MothтАФCaptain.тАЭ
Patricia laughed. тАЬDo I really remind you of your mother?тАЭ ToniтАЩs mother was in
her early fifties, twenty years older than Patricia. Patricia had met the woman briefly
the week before and thought she looked a lot like ToniтАФthe same build, and the
same face if you accounted for the difference in mileage. Certainly she looked
nothing like Patricia. тАЬYouтАЩll make me feel my age, child.тАЭ
Toni shook her head. тАЬNo. ItтАЩs habit. Mom would skipper. Dad did maintenance.
I was crew. Our boat was already forty years old before the Deluge, so itтАЩs over
sixty, now. Everything was jury-rigged.тАЭ She shrugged. тАЬKeeping it afloat was a
full-time job for Dad. Parts.тАЭ
She didnтАЩt need to say anything more. Most yacht and marine supply warehouses
and manufacturers went underwater that year.
тАЬThatтАЩs pretty cool about your mom,тАЭ Patricia said. тАЬMy mother gets seasick
driving across bridges.тАЭ
тАЬShe does? How does she handle the storm surge on the Strand?тАЭ
тАЬShe doesnтАЩt. She lives in Austin. WonтАЩt go near water.тАЭ The old familiar guilt
rose up inside Patricia. тАЬWe used to call her the тАШRuler of the QueenтАЩs Navy.тАЩ тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt get it,тАЭ Toni said.
тАЬHMS Pinafore.тАЭ Toni still looked blank, so Patricia explained further. тАЬThe
song is about the Lord High Admiral who is appointed to the post after an extremely
successful legal and political career landside. He sings, тАШStick close to your desks
and never go to sea, And you all may be rulers of the QueenтАЩs Navee.тАЩ тАЭ
 тАЬOh, they said you spouted Shakespeare.тАЭ
Patricia froze and counted to ten before saying calmly, тАЬWell, yes, but that
wasnтАЩt William ShakespeareтАФthat was William Gilbert. Anyway, when my parents
divorced, my mother stayed in Austin, and I came out here with my dad.тАЭ