"P. J. Plauger - Child of All Ages" - читать интересную книгу автора (Plauger P J)

тАЬEverybody dies, sooner or later.тАЭ Another pause. I wish Mr. Stuart had hung around a while longer,
though. He was OK.тАЬ

тАЬAnd your mother?тАЭ May prodded delicately.

тАЬMy foster mother canтАЩt wait for me. to grow up and let her off the hook. Jeez, sheтАЩd marry me off next
month if the law allowed.тАЭ She stirred uncomfortably. тАЬShe keeps dragging boys home to take me outтАЭ

тАЬDo you like going out with boys?тАЭ
A calculating glance.

тАЬSome. I mean boys are OK, but Tm not ready to settle down quite yetтАЭ A nervous laugh. тАЬI mean I
donтАЩt hate boys or anything. I mean I've still got lots of time for that sort of stuff when I grow up.тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩre nearly fourteen.тАЭ

IтАЩm small for my age.тАЬ

Another tack.

тАЬDoes Mrs. Stuart feed you well?тАЭ

тАЬSure.тАЭ

тАЬDo you make sure you eat a balanced diet?тАЭ

тАЬOf course. Look, IтАЩm just naturally thin, is all. Mrs. Stuart may be a pain in the neck, but sheтАЩs not trying
to kill me off or anything. If s just thatтАФтАЭ a sly smile Crossed her face. тАЬOh, I get itтАЭ

Melissa shifted to a pedantic false baritone.

тАЬA frequent syndrome in modern urban society is the apparently nutrition-deficient early pubescent
female. Although in an economic environment that speaks against a lack of financial resources or dietary
education, said subject nevertheless exhibits a seeming inability to acquire adequate sustenance for
growth.

тАЬSubject is often found in an environment lacking in one or more vital male supportive roles and, on close
examination, reveals a morbid preoccupation with functional changes incident to the onset of
womanhood. Dietary insufficiency is clearly a tacit vehicle for avoiding responsibilities associated with
such changes.тАЭ .

She took an exaggerated deep breath.

тАЬWhew! That Anderson is a long-winded son of a gun. So they stuck you with his book in Behav. Psych,
too, huh? She smiled sweetly.

тАЬWhy, yes. That is, we read it. How did you know?тАЭ

тАЬSaw it on your bookshelf. Do you have any candy?тАЭ