"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - The World Within" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

"Yes?" said Mrs. Bridge. Somehow she sounded a shade less friendly than she had
a moment before.

"She's doing well in school, isn't she? She doesn't tell me much about her
days," Mother said.

Aria sipped tea and watched one of her library books slide slowly toward the
edge of its shelf.

"I think that's a matter for you to discuss with Aria," said Mrs. Bridge.

"But --" said Mother. "She really doesn't say much."

Mrs. Bridge looked at Aria. She smiled. "What do you think, Ari? Are you doing
well in school?"

The book jumped out of the shelf and thumped on the floor.

Mrs. Bridge, seated with her back to the windows, glanced over her shoulder at
the fallen book.

"Ari," said Mother, her voice fading.

"I'm doing fine," Aria said loudly as the book stood on its end, then opened
with a flutter of pages.

"That's right," said Mrs. Bridge, watching the book. "She's doing fine."

The book thumped over, playing dead.

"And your hopes?" Mrs. Bridge asked.

"Pardon me?" said Mother.

"You mentioned something about your hopes for your daughter," said Mrs. Bridge.

"Did I? I -- I -- well, I..."

"Do you have hopes, Ari?" Mrs. Bridge asked, staring into Aria's eyes.

"No," said Aria. She looked at her cookie. It was one of the pretzel-shaped
ones. Maybe she would lick the sugar crystals from it one at a time. There were
a lot of them.

"What do you think about your mother's hopes for you? Do you know what they
are?"
"She wants me to be an opera singer," Aria said. She glanced at the record
player on the bookshelf. Some of the opera records were so old and scratched
Mother didn't even try to play them anymore. The skips interrupted the singers
too often."What do you want, Aria?"