"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - For Richer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

brown-walled cube. I waited a moment to see if Rich would punch the fifth
floor
button. He glanced at me, at the buttons, at me, and shrugged. I reached past
him and punched the correct button. The elevator started with its
characteristic
jerk. When I was alone, I waited for the right-hand elevator; I was always
sure
the left-hand one would stall. I had heard stories from our neighbors about
people trapped overnight, trapped until they ran out of air, trapped forever
in
the left-hand elevator. Even if it ran all right, how could it help being
haunted? Rich had heard all the same stories, and all he ever did was sneer at
them.

We rode upward in silence. I peeked at him. Was he Rich? Was this all a
charade?
If it was, Gretchen was right; he was very devious. This didn't feel like our
last ride in an elevator together, right after the breakup. The tension then
had
been so strong I felt like I was walking through a snow storm all the time,
fighting wind and flying flakes. I had had problems sleeping -- my mind racing
a
million miles an hour, not settling anywhere. We had stood at opposite comers
of
the elevator, like fighters, as we rode down, his suitcases between us. I was
overwhelmed with the feeling that I had no right to ask him to leave, that I
was
imagining he was being mean to me when really he wasn't, that it was a big
mistake to try to change anything this early -- why couldn't I try a little
longer? Rich was always talking about compromise. Hadn't he given up all those
evenings with the boys to stay home with me? And here I was objecting to his
attentions. Didn't I love him?

I loved him, I loved him. I wasn't sure I loved him. How did anybody ever
know?
"Do you like this building?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I got used to it."

"I don't think it suits you. You'd be better off in a place with more Colors."

"What have you been studying since you left? Underground drug culture? Rich,
you're color-blind, remember? I had to safety-pin your ties to your suits so
you
wouldn't clash."

"Even I can tell this place is too dull," he said after a moment.

The elevator jerked and stopped. I looked at the buttons. Both the four and
the