"Nancy Kress - Always True to Thee, in My Fashion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

тАЬI have lunch with Jastinder. Or Kittery. Or somebody. Care to
come? No? Well, suit yourself, love.тАЭ
He waved to her and sauntered out.
She couldnтАЩt budge him. He didnтАЩt resist her; he just wasnтАЩt
interested. Careless. Indifferent.
Opening day came. Suzanne stood in the bedroom, biting her
bottom lip. What to do? Everything was ready. SheтАЩd pro-grammed
the room for pale pink walls with white wood molding, filmy
curtains fluttering in the breeze, a view of gar-dens filled with
lavender and June roses and wisteria and any-thing else the
computer said was old-fashioned. The scent simulator was running
overtime. Around Suzanne were the half-unpacked boxes of flouncy
silks and sweet girlish slip-dresses and little kid slippers. Plus, of
course, the white jack-ets and copper-toed boots for Cade. Who had
glanced at the entire thing with amused negligence, and then gone
out some-where for a stroll.
тАЬBut you canтАЩt!тАЭ Suzanne had cried. тАЬItтАЩs opening day! And youтАЩre
still dressed inтАж that. тАЭ
тАЬOh, love, what does it matter?тАЭ Cade had said. тАЬIтАЩm comfortable.
And isnтАЩt all this stuff just a bitтАж twee? IsnтАЩt it, now?тАЭ
тАЬBut CadeтАФтАЭ
тАЬI rather like what IтАЩm used to.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre not used to it!тАЭ Suzanne had cried in anguish. тАЬYou canтАЩt
be! YouтАЩve only had it for a season!тАЭ
тАЬReally? I guess so. Seems longer,тАЭ Cade said. тАЬSee you later, love.
Or not.тАЭ
Now Suzanne scowled at the pills in her hand. There was a real
problem here. If she took them, she would be garbed in the gentle
sweet tremulousness of youth. Gentle, sweet, tremulousтАФand
ineffective. That was the whole point. Ingenues were acted upon,
not actors. But without the whole force of her will, could she
persuade Cade to stop being such an ass?
On the other hand, if she didnтАЩt take the pills, she would be
dressed wrong for the occasion. She pictured showing up at the
Donnison lunch in the Alliani Towers, at the afternoon reception in
the Artificial Islands, at KitteryтАЩs party tonight, dressed badly,
shabbily, in last seasonтАЩs worn-out feelingsтАж no, no. She couldnтАЩt.
She had a repu-tation to maintain. And everyone would think that
she couldnтАЩt afford new feelings, that she had lost all her money in
data-atoll speculation or some other ghastly nouveau thing тАж damn
Cade!
He came back from his stroll a few hours later, whistling
carelessly. The vid was already crammed with тАЬWhere are you?тАЭ
messages from their friends at the Donnison lunch. Breathless,
ingenue messages, from people having a wonder-ful youthful time.
And there was Cade, cool and off-hand in those detestable boring
tweeds, daring to whistleтАж
тАЬWhere have you been?тАЭ Suzanne said. тАЬDonтАЩt you know how late
we are? Come on, get dressed!тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt whine, Suzanne, itтАЩs terribly unattractive.тАЭ