"Joyce Carol Oates - The Gravedigger's Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Oates Joyce Carol)

he had not been ashamed, either.

Bitch was tryin to leave me, he said.

Wantin to take my son.

Such a nasty story, Rebecca wished sheтАЩd never read it. The worst thing was, every guy who read it,
including Niles Tignor, shook his head, made a sniggering noise with his mouth.

Rebecca asked Tignor what the hell that meant: laughing?

тАЬYou make your bed, now lay in it.тАЭ

ThatтАЩs what Tignor said.

Rebecca had a theory, every female in the Chautauqua Valley knew that story, or one like it. What to do
if a man throws you into the canal. (Could be the river, too. Same difference.) So when sheтАЩd started
working in town, hiking the towpath, Rebecca dreamt up a way of saving herself if/when the time came.

Her thoughts were so bright and vivid sheтАЩd soon come to imagine it had already happened to her, or
almost. Somebody (no face, no name, a guy bigger than she was) shoved her into the muddy-looking
water, and she had to struggle to save her life. Right away pry off your left shoe with the toe of your
right shoe then the other quick! And thenтАФSheтАЩd have only a few seconds, the heavy work shoes
would sink her like anvils. Once the shoes were off sheтАЩd have a chance at least, tearing at her jacket,
getting it off before it was soaked through. Damn work pants would be hard to get off, with a fly front,
and buttons, and the legs kind of tight at the thighs, Oh shit sheтАЩd have to be swimming, too, in the
direction the opposite of her murdererтАж

Christ! Rebecca was beginning to scare herself. This guy behind her, guy in a panama hat, probably it
was just coincidence. He wasnтАЩt following her only just behind her.

Not deliberate only just accident.

Yet: the bastard had to know she was conscious of him, he was scaring her. A man following a woman, a
lonely place like this.

God damn she hated to be followed! Hated any man following her with his eyes, even.

Ma had put the fear of the Lord in her, years ago. You would not want anything to happen to you,
Rebecca! A girl by herself, men will follow. Even boys you know, you canтАЩt trust.

Even RebeccaтАЩs big brother Herschel, Ma had worried he might do something to her. Poor Ma!

Nothing had happened to Rebecca, for all MaтАЩs worrying.

At least, nothing she could remember.

Ma had been wrong about so many damn thingsтАж

Rebecca smiled to think of that old life of hers when sheтАЩd been a girl in Milburn. Not yet a married