"Harry Adam Knight - Fungus" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knight Harry Adam)

woman but that would have been too obvious in such a sparsely populated cinema. So instead, as the film
progressed, she kept giving the woman long, lingering glances in the hope that she would catch a
reciprocal one. She could still feel the touch of the womanтАЩs strong fingers on her upper arm where sheтАЩd
briefly held her. . . .

But to BarbaraтАЩs intense disappointment the womanтАЩs attention remained fixed firmly on the screen for
the whole time. And when the lights came on she was up and gone before Barbara could even think.

Barbara watched her disappear through an exit and sighed. Then, smiling sadly to herself, she got up and
slowly left the theater. The eveningтАЩs fun and fantasies, she realized, were over. She now faced the
prospect of going back to Shirley . Normally that would be bad enough but tonight it would be doubly
worse because not only was she late but she was also wearing ShirleyтАЩs red silk blouse without
permission.

Shirley was absolutely impossible when it came to things like that. She was so possessive about her
clothes and her belongings. And about Barbara, too.

BarbaraтАЩs steps slowed as she pictured the scene when she got home. Oh shit, she thought, itтАЩs almost as
bad as living with a man.




When she tried to open the front door to their Chiswick flat it stopped at the end of the safety chain.
Damn, she thought, but then shouted as pleasantly as she could, тАЬShirley, darling! ItтАЩs me!тАЭ

ShirleyтАЩs voice came out of the hall. тАЬWhoтАЩs that?тАЭ

тАЬMe, of course!тАЭ answered Barbara, letting just a little irritation creep in.

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тАЬWhoтАЩs me?тАЭ

Barbara took a deep breath and forced herself to keep her tone light. тАЬCome on, Shirl, stop playing games
and let me in.

Shirley came to the door and peered at her through the gap with an expression of mock surprise. тАЬIt is
you. I could have sworn you were in bed. ItтАЩs where you should be.тАЭ

тАЬOpen the bloody door, Shirley.тАЭ

тАЬYou canтАЩt imagine how concerned I was when I got back late and found you werenтАЩt here. I almost
called the police.тАЭ She gave a laugh that was brittle around the edges. Then she unchained the door.

тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Shirl,тАЭ said Barbara as she stepped inside. тАЬI went to the movies . . .тАЬ