"Brian Plante - Papa Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Plante Brian)

Kevin sat slumped in one of the day room's graffiti-covered plastic chairs, and Dennis sat next to him
rather than across the table so he could catch the boy if he tipped over. Even though the boy was eleven,
he still had not mastered as basic a skill as sitting up properly. While Dennis talked, he fed Kevin
spoonfuls of ice cream purchased from a vending machine. It was Kevin's favorite, and even when
money was tight Dennis could always afford enough change for the machine and give his only child some
tiny bit of pleasure in his otherwise miserable existence.

"We've got a new pet back home," Dennis said, putting the cup of ice cream down on the table. "It's a
rat. One of the really smart ones. I caught him at work today. I call him Papa Rat."
Kevin's vacant eyes met his father's briefly, then he directed his gaze back at the cup of ice cream. He
opened his mouth and moaned an animal sound, pleading for the next spoonful.

"Not all rats are smart," Dennis said. "Did you know that? Most are just regular rats, and they're easy to
catch. But the smart ones make it a lot tougher. Even the dumb ones are harder to catch when a smart
one is around, 'cause the smart ones look out for the dumb ones. One smart one is all a rat family needs."

Dennis dished up some more ice cream and Kevin reached out with a shaky arm and knocked the
spoonful into his lap. Dennis put the spoon down and dabbed at the mess with a paper napkin.

"Oh Kevin. We should be playing ball and going to the circus. You have no idea what I'm saying, do
you? If I could find a way to make things better...Your mother's right. This really is no way to live."

Kevin stared at the ice cream.

"It's all my fault," Dennis continued. "All that bug spray I used to use back in the old days. I'll probably
pay for it down the road with some kind of cancer or something, but it's just not fair for you to have to
suffer, to be in a place like this. I just want to make things better for you and your Mom, that's all."

Kevin finished the last of the ice cream, and Dennis wiped the drips from his mouth. The boy barely
responded when Kevin hugged him. Soon, visiting time was over and Dennis was chased out by the staff
and went back home.

***

Another long week went by and Dennis kept hard at work. Billy had been out sick for three days in a
row and Dennis kept the exterminating business going all by himself until Billy finally came back to work.

"How you feeling, Billy?" Dennis asked, eyeing Billy suspiciously.

"Okay. How's that rat you been keeping? No sign of rabies or nothing yet?"

"To tell you the truth, I haven't seen the rat much for a couple of days. It's the craziest thing. Papa Rat
just grabbed all the newspapers I put under the cage and covered the inside of the cage with it. Kind of
like wallpaper."

"Weird."

"I rip it down to check on the little guy once in a while, but Papa Rat just puts it right back up again when
I'm gone."