"Mike Resnick - Song of a Dry River" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

 тАЬI am tired of people telling me what I am not permitted to do,тАЭ she said. Suddenly she pointed to a fish
eagle that was lazily riding the thermals over the river. тАЬWhy should I not be as free as that bird? I will live
here on this hill.тАЭ

тАЬWho else has told you what you cannot do?тАЭ I asked.

тАЬIt is not important.тАЭ

тАЬIt must be important,тАЭ I said, тАЬor you would not be here.тАЭ

She stared at me for a moment, then shrugged. тАЬWambu has said I may not help her cook the meals,
and Kibo no longer lets me grind the maize or brew thepombe .тАЭ She glared at me defiantly. тАЬI am the
mother of the paramount chief of the village! I will not be treated like a helpless baby.тАЭ

тАЬThey are treating you as a respected elder,тАЭ I explained. тАЬYou no longer have to work. You have
raised your family, and now you have reached the point where they will care for you.тАЭ

тАЬI do notwant to be cared for!тАЭ she snapped. тАЬAll my life I have run myshamba , and I have run it well.
I am not ready to stop.тАЭ

тАЬDid not your own mother stop when her husband died and she moved into her son'sshamba ?тАЭ I
asked, slapping at my cheek as one of the flies finally settled on it.

тАЬMy mother no longer had the strength to run hershamba ,тАЭ said Mumbi defensively. тАЬThat is not the
case with me.тАЭ

тАЬIf you do not step aside, how are Koinnage's wives ever to learn to run hisshamba ?тАЭ

тАЬI will teach them,тАЭ replied Mumbi. тАЬThey still have much to learn. Wambu does not cook the banana
mash as good as I do, and as for Kibo, well...тАЭ She shrugged her shoulders, to indicate that Koinnage's
youngest wife was beyond redemption.

тАЬBut Wambu is the mother of three sons and is soon to become a grandmother herself,тАЭ I noted. тАЬIf she
is not ready to run her husband'sshamba by now, then she never will be.тАЭ

A satisfied smile crossed Mumbi's leathery face. тАЬSo you agree with me.тАЭ

тАЬYou misunderstand me,тАЭ I said. тАЬThere comes a time when the old must make way for the young.тАЭ

тАЬYouhave not made way for anyone,тАЭ she said accusingly.

тАЬI am themundumugu ,тАЭ I answered. тАЬIt is not my physical strength that I offer to the village, but my
wisdom, and wisdom is the province of age.тАЭ

тАЬAnd I offermy wisdom to my son's wives,тАЭ she said stubbornly.

тАЬIt is not the same thing,тАЭ I said.

тАЬIt is precisely the same thing,тАЭ she replied. тАЬWhen we still lived in Kenya, I fought for Kirinyaga's
charter as fiercely as you yourself did, Koriba. I came here in the same spaceship that brought you, and I