"Charles L. Grant - Secrets of the Heart" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Charles L)

sitting in the car, you know.тАЭ He smiled at me standing by the
stove. тАЬAnd at least Miriam here is a gracious hostess. We certainly
wonтАЩt freeze to death.тАЭ
I wanted to say something then, but I didnтАЩt. Instead I just
smiled and brushed my hair away from my face. The woman called
Helen shrugged and looked like sheтАЩd decided it wasnтАЩt so bad in
here after all, and the other woman, who was a lot older, like
George, took a pack of cigarettes from her purse and lit one. When
she saw that there werenтАЩt any ash trays, she dropped her match on
the saucer I gave her.
тАЬWhereтАЩs your mother, Miriam?тАЭ one of the other men said.
тАЬDonтАЩt tell me youтАЩre all alone in this big old house.тАЭ
 тАЬBill, for PeteтАЩs sake, donтАЩt start,тАЭ said Helen, taking a
cigarette from the older ladyтАЩs pack and tapping it on the back of
her hand.
тАЬWhy donтАЩt you leave him alone,тАЭ the white-haired lady said.
Then she turned around in her chair and looked at me. She didnтАЩt
like children. тАЬIтАЩm Mrs. Braddock. Are you alone, dear?тАЭ
тАЬYes, maтАЩam,тАЭ I said. Always be polite: thatтАЩs the first rule.
тАЬShe must work,тАЭ said Bill, and the other man nodded. Bill
was HelenтАЩs husband. The other man was a friend. Nobody liked
anybody very much. I knew that.
The kettle started to whistle then, and I picked it up and
poured the water into the cups. Mrs. George said that she wanted
to help me, but I said that I could do it all right; and, besides, it
wouldnтАЩt be good for her arm to hold the kettle because it was
heavy.
тАЬWhatever are you talking about, child?тАЭ Mrs. George said,
though her smile really wasnтАЩt very nice.
тАЬItтАЩs the way you hold it,тАЭ Bill said, pointing. тАЬAnyone can tell
your shoulderтАЩs bothering you again.тАЭ
тАЬNonsense,тАЭ she said, but she put her hand in her lap and
gave me a funny look.
They talked a lot after that, and I kind of walked around the
kitchen listening and not listening, and then I went out to the front
where I looked through the windows at the road, waiting for the
tow truck that was supposed to be coming in a couple of hours.
They were very polite people, I guess, but they werenтАЩt very nice. I
knew that. And I donтАЩt like people who arenтАЩt very nice.
Then I touched a finger to the windowpaneтАФit was cold and
slippery, like iceтАФand knew that someone was standing behind me.
I turned around and it was Bill. He had a funny look on his face
and he bent down to push my hair back behind my ear. It felt
funny. I shook my head, and it fell back where it belonged. тАЬYou
should have a barrette,тАЭ he said, real soft. I stepped away from him
and he followed me, grinning now and rubbing one hand over his
stomach. тАЬYouтАЩre afraid of me, huh? I donтАЩt see why. I guess itтАЩs
because weтАЩre strangers, right? You donтАЩt know me and I donтАЩt
know you.тАЭ
тАЬI know you,тАЭ I said.