"David G. Hartwell - Year's Best SF 8" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hartwell David G)

тАЬHelp you out with that phone, maтАЩam?тАЭ
She gave him the paralyzed look of a coed stuck with a dripping tap. тАЬNo English?тАЭ he concluded.
тАЬHabla espa├▒ol, senorita?тАЭ No such luck.
He offered her his own phone. No, she didnтАЩt care to use it. Surprised and even a little hurt by this
rejection, Felix took his first good look at her, and realized with a lurch that she was pretty. What eyes!
They were whirlpools. The line of her lips was like the tapered edge of a rose leaf.
тАЬItтАЩs your battery,тАЭ he told her. Though she had not a word of English, she obviously got it about
phone batteries. After some gestured persuasion, she was willing to trade her dead battery for his. There
was a fine and delicate little moment when his fingertips extracted her power supply, and he inserted his
own unit into that golden-lined copper cavity. Her display leaped to life with an eager flash of numerals.
Felix pressed a button or two, smiled winningly, and handed her phone back.
She dialed in a hurry, and bearded Evil Dad lifted his phone to answer, and life became much easier
on the nerves. Then, with a groaning buzz, the scanner came back on. Dad and Uncle waved a command
at her, like lifers turned to trusty prison guards, and she scampered through the metal gate and never
looked back.
She had taken his battery. Well, no problem. He would treasure the one she had given him.
Felix gallantly let the little crowd through before he himself cleared security. The geeks always went
nuts about his plumbing tools, but then again, they had to. He found the assignment: a chi-chi place that
sold fake antiques and potpourri. The managerтАЩs office had a clogged drain. As he worked, Felix
recharged the phone. Then he socked them for a sum that made them wince.
On his leisurely way outтАФwhoa, there was Miss Cell phone, that looker, that little goddess,
browsing in a jewelry store over Korean gold chains and tiaras. Dad and Uncle were there, with a couple
of off-duty cops.
Felix retired to a bench beside the fountain, in the potted plastic plants. He had another bracing shot
of Scotch, then put his feet up on his toolbox and punched her number.
He saw her straighten at the ring, and open her purse, and place the phone to the kerchiefed side of
her head. She didnтАЩt know where he was, or who he was. That was why the words came pouring out of
him.
тАЬMy God youтАЩre pretty,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou are wasting your time with that jewelry. Because your eyes
are like two black diamonds.тАЭ
She jumped a little, poked at the phoneтАЩs buttons with disbelief, and put it back to her head.
Felix choked back the urge to laugh and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. тАЬA string of pearls
around your throat would look like peanuts,тАЭ he told the phone. тАЬI am totally smitten with you. What are
you like under that big baggy coat? Do I dare to wonder? I would give a million dollars just to see your
knees!тАЭ
тАЬWhy are you telling me that?тАЭ said the phone.
тАЬBecause IтАЩm looking at you right now. And after one look at you, believe me, I was a lost soul.тАЭ
Felix felt a chill. тАЬHey, wait a minuteтАФyou donтАЩt speak English, do you?тАЭ
тАЬNo, I donтАЩt speak EnglishтАФbut my telephone does.тАЭ
тАЬIt does?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs a very new telephone. ItтАЩs from Finland,тАЭ the telephone said. тАЬI need it because IтАЩm stuck in a
foreign country. Do you really have a million dollars for my knees?тАЭ
тАЬThat was a figure of speech,тАЭ said Felix, though his bank account was, in point of fact, looking
considerably healthier since his girlfriend Lola had dumped him. тАЬNever mind the million dollars,тАЭ he said.
тАЬIтАЩm dying of love out here. IтАЩd sell my blood just to buy you petunias.тАЭ
тАЬYou must be a famous poet,тАЭ the phone said dreamily, тАЬfor you speak such wonderful Farsi.тАЭ
Felix had no idea what Farsi wasтАФbut he was way beyond such fretting now. The rusty gates of his
soul were shuddering on their hinges. тАЬIтАЩm drunk,тАЭ he realized. тАЬI am drunk on your smile.тАЭ
тАЬIn my family, the women never smile.тАЭ
Felix had no idea what to say to that, so there was a hissing silence.