"Robert A. Heinlein - Farmer In The Sky" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

тАЬIтАФтАЭ I started to say that I was going to slap the twerp loose from his teeth, but I thought better of it

Mr. Kinski turned to the twerp. тАЬWhat happened, Jones?тАЭ

тАЬI didn't do anything! Ask anybody.тАЭ

I was about to say that he could tell that to the Pilots' Board. Insubordination in the air is a serious
matter. But that тАЬAsk anybodyтАЭ stopped me. Nobody else had seen or heard anything.

Mr. Kinski looked at each of us, then said, тАЬMuster your patrol and dismiss them, Bill.тАЭ So I did and
went on home.

All in all, I was tired and jumpy by the time I got home. I had listened to the news on the way home; it
wasn't good. The ration had been cut another ten caloriesтАФwhich made me still hungrier and reminded
me that I hadn't been home to get Dad's supper. The newscaster went on to say that the Spaceship
Mayflower had finally been commissioned and that the rolls were now opened for emigrants. Pretty
lucky for them, I thought. No short rations. No twerps like Jones.

And a brand new planet.

GeorgeтАФmy father, that isтАФwas sitting in the apartment, looking over some papers. тАЬHowdy, George,тАЭ
I said to him, тАЬeaten yet?тАЭ

тАЬHello, Bill. No.тАЭ

тАЬI'll have supper ready right away.тАЭ I went into the pantry and could see that he hadn't eaten lunch,
either. I decided to fix him a plus meal.

I grabbed two Syntho-Steaks out of the freezer and slapped them in quickthaw, added a big Idaho
baked potato for Dad and a smaller one for me, then dug out a package of salad and let it warm
naturally.

By the time I had poured boiling water over two soup cubes and over coffee powder the steaks were
ready for the broiler. I transferred them, letting it cycle at medium rare, and stepped up the gain on the
quickthaw so that the spuds would be ready when the steaks wereтАФthen back to the freezer for a
couple of icekreem cake slices for dessert.

The spuds were ready. I took a quick look at my ration accounts, decided we could afford it, and set
out a couple of pats of butterine for them. The broiler was ringing; I removed the steaks, set everything
out, and switched on the candles, just as Anne would have done.

тАЬCome and get it!тАЭ I yelled and turned back to enter the calorie and point score on each item from the
wrappers, then shoved the wrappers in the incinerator. That way you never get your accounts fouled up.

Dad sat down as I finished. Elapsed time from scratch, two minutes and twenty secondsтАФthere's
nothing hard about cooking; I don't see why women make such a fuss about it. No system, probably.

Dad sniffed the steaks and grinned. тАЬOh boy! Bill, you'll bankrupt us.тАЭ
тАЬYou let me worry,тАЭ I said. I'n still plus for this quarter.тАЭ Then I frowned. тАЬBut I won't be, next quarter,