"David Marusek - The Wedding Album" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marusek David)

hardly touched your plate."

"Wait!" said Anne. The women stopped and turned to look at her, but she didnтАЩt know what to
say. This was all so new. When they began to move again, she stopped them once more. "Are
you going to reset me?"

The pregnant Anne shrugged her shoulders.

"But you canтАЩt," Anne said. "DonтАЩt you remember what my sisters-our sisters-always say?"

The pregnant Anne pressed her palm against her forehead. "If you donтАЩt shut up this moment, IтАЩll
delete you right now. Is that what you want? DonтАЩt imagine that white gown will protect you. Or
that big stupid grin on your face. You think youтАЩre somehow special? Is that what you think?"

The Benjamins were there in an instant. The real Benjamin wrapped an arm around the pregnant
Anne. "Time to go, Annie," he said in a cheerful tone. "I want to show everyone our rondophones."
He hardly glanced at Anne, but when he did, his smile cracked. For an instant he gazed at her,
full of sadness.

"Yes, dear," said the pregnant Anne, "but first I need to straighten out this sim on a few points."

"I understand, darling, but since we have guests, do you suppose you might postpone it till later?"

"YouтАЩre right, of course. IтАЩd forgotten our guests. How silly of me." She allowed him to turn her
toward the wall. Cathy sighed with relief.

"Wait!" said Anne, and again they paused to look at her. But although so much was patently
wrong-the pregnancy, resetting the sims, AnneтАЩs odd behavior-Anne still couldnтАЩt formulate the
right question.

Benjamin, her Benjamin, still wearing his rakish grin, stood next to her and said, "DonтАЩt worry,
Anne, theyтАЩll return."

"Oh, I know that," she said, "but donтАЩt you see? We wonтАЩt know theyтАЩve returned, because in the
meantime theyтАЩll reset us back to default again, and itтАЩll all seem new, like the first time. And
weтАЩll have to figure out weтАЩre the sims all over again!"

"Yeah?" he said. "So?"

"So I canтАЩt live like that."

"But weтАЩre the sims. WeтАЩre not alive." He winked at the other couple.

"Thanks, Ben boy," said the other Benjamin. "Now, if thatтАЩs settled . . ."

"NothingтАЩs settled," said Anne. "DonтАЩt I get a say?"

The other Benjamin laughed. "Does the refrigerator get a say? Or the car? Or my shoes? In a
word-no."