"Ed Howdershelt - Anne" - читать интересную книгу автора (Howdershelt Ed)

the vapors at the mention of him."
We moved into the living room. Mrs.B. still wore the big shirt and had
added denim cutoffs and sneakers. She sat crosslegged on the floor near a box
of books and found a flat spot for the coffee cup. The Siamese had sprawled
out where he could see everybody at once.
"I see you've all met Kelly," she said, indicating the cat. "Are you sure
you guys don't mind being drafted this way?" She stretched and yawned as she
spoke. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"No problem," said Jim, "We do this or we do something else today." Judy
grunted in what may have been agreement.
"And you, Ed?" she asked, taking a seat on the couch. "You couldn't think
of anything better to do on a Saturday?"
A geology book in one of the piles had caught my attention. Leafing
through it, I almost missed her question. I answered distractedly, "Not a
thing."
I opened another book and looked through it. It was a college text. There
were two more; I brought them to my lap and spent several moments leafing
through them all. I wrote their titles on a piece of scrap paper and returned
them to the stack, feeling as if I were being watched, and I was right. My
interest in her books hadn't gone unnoticed.
When I looked up Mrs. B was looking back at me. Our eyes met and her gaze
held mine in such a manner that I very much didn't want to lose that contact,
but I suddenly felt uncomfortably warm in an air-conditioned apartment.
She closed her eyes while she sipped coffee; when she opened them a few
seconds later, it was as if she had softly placed a spell on me. I became lost
in her eyes as the moment continued. The room around us seemed to fade away
and I have no idea how long I wandered in her gaze before a sharp sound broke
the spell.
Judy and Jim were staring at us; Jim picked up the spoon he'd dropped on
the table. Mrs. Barnell rose quickly and went to the kitchen.
Jim and Judy shot me questioning glances, but said nothing. I gave them my
best 'damned if I know' look and finished my coffee. The moving soon began in
earnest. We packed boxes while talking about school, the Vietnam war, protest
marches, and the world in general. Talk of the war led Jim to ask about Anne's
husband.
Mrs. Barnell told us a little about Frank's Navy job as a jet pilot
stationed on an aircraft carrier. She spoke of his flying and the Navy as if
they were another woman he'd been seeing, and I wondered if she ever realized
how her feelings came through with her words. Then she told us he had been
shot down over Vietnam.
 Packing proceeded quickly. Her car and Jim's truck were almost full before
noon and lunch seemed like a good idea. Judy and I had carried a box down
between us. After heaving it onto the truck, she put her hand on my arm as I
started to tie things down.
"What HAPPENED up there?" she asked. I looked at her a moment before
answering.
"Can't say exactly," I said, tossing ropes over the load on the truck.
Judy looked at me a moment more before heading for the stairs. I finished
tying the load and followed her.
For a while there had been a rush like being on a carnival ride, just from