"Nicola Griffith - Yaguara" - читать интересную книгу автора (Griffith Nicola)

Caribbean wove about her its scents of wide open space and hot
driftwood, she did not throw back her head and laugh; she did not
take off her sandals and squeeze the seaweed between her toes.
When a beautiful woman in the market smiled at her, she did not
smile back, did not allow herself to blush, to feel the heat building
in her belly.
Alone in her room, it was another matter.
After three weeks she no longer felt vulnerable: she could
walk outside in the sun without fainting; she knew how much water
she needed to drink every day to remain hydrated; and her skin was
dark enough to protect her from sunburn. Armor in place, she left
for the Maya Mountains in the far south and west of Belize. Dr.
Cleis Fernandez and the ruins of Kuchil Balum were waiting.
тАЬWhy do you want to take pictures of me?тАЭ the epigrapher
had asked when Jane had phoned the University of New Mexico a
month earlier, at the beginning of March.
тАЬBecause IтАЩm putting together a book on women at the top of
their professions.тАЭ Because you made it, against the odds. Because you
havenтАЩt let them consume you, yet, тАЬYouтАЩreтАФтАЭ
тАЬGet someone else.тАЭ And the phone had gone dead in JaneтАЩs
hand.
Jane redialed. тАЬDr. Fernandez, itтАЩs Jane Holford againтАФтАЭ
 тАЬHolford? Wait a minute. Holford who did that series last
year on the Lascaux paintings? The ones in Life?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ тАЬAnd I might excerpt a similar photo-essay from the
book in one of the glossiesтАФтАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not interested in that.тАЭ Her voice was hot and rough, like
black glass. тАЬBut I do have one condition.тАЭ
тАЬGo on.тАЭ
тАЬI want you to photograph the glyphs at Kuchil Balum.тАЭ
тАЬTell me about them.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs classified as a minor ceremonial site in Belize but itтАЩs
anything but minor. As for the restтАж well, youтАЩll come or you
wonтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll call you back.тАЭ
She had checked. Kuchil Balum was in the Maya Mountains,
first excavated two years before. Nothing there that could not be
found in dozens of other, more accessible ruins in Belize or
Guatemala. And yetтАж Apparently Fernandez had been applying
for grants all over the place, for money and time to go study these
ruins and their glyphs. She had been turned down. Jane read and
reread FernandezтАЩs articles in the journals, and The Long Count, her
single book. The passion and dedication, the need to know, came
across loud and clear. Why was Kuchil Balum so important?
She called back four days after their original conversation.
тАЬIтАЩll do it.тАЭ
тАЬYou will?тАЭ Fernandez sounded challenging. тАЬThe jungle isnтАЩt
a good place just before the rainy season.тАЭ
тАЬI understand that. Now, my scheduleтАФтАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm going there next week and wonтАЩt be coming out again