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

five were flashing. "Oh, great," I said. "Finally this happens. Now we're
stuck." I pressed the five button again. Nothing happened.

He pressed the stop button.

"What good will that do?" I said. "We're already stopped."

"Thought I'd try some reverse psychology." He pressed the emergency button.
The
elevator dropped an inch. I screamed and grabbed his arm. He frowned. "Aren't
these things supposed to have phones in them?"

"I'll get someone's attention," I said, and screamed again, so loudly Rich
covered his ears; his whole face squinted, as if he had just tasted a really
sour lemon.

"Stop," he said, when I had to breathe. "You'll wake the dead."

We stared at each other, our eyes wide. I felt some situational tenseness
coming
on. I had never liked small closed spaces. And here I was, alone with,
possibly,
my husband, who had taken me closer to death than I cared for on several
occasions.

I gripped his lapels. "You've got to tell me, and tell me now. Are you Rich?
Are
you really Rich?"

"'I'm Richer."

I screamed again. "Make another pun and I'll burst your eardrums!" I yelled.

"It wasn't supposed to be a joke."

"What happened to you? Did you just grow up? Are you playing a trick on me? Or
what?"

"Well, Pix," he said, "somebody realized you deserved better. So here I am."
"What are you saying? That you're God's gift to women?"

"Only to. you, sweetheart," he said, and he looked as though he believed it.

"If you're better, why aren't you doing something about this elevator?"
"What do you want me to do?"

"Fix it."

"Done." He banged the button panel twice and the elevator started upward
again.