"Geoff Ryman - Was" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ryman Geoff)

bench. Etta told Dorothy about Indian names, Wichita and Topeka. Topeka
meant "A Good Place to Find Potatoes." That made Dorothy laugh.

"But any place is what you make it," said Etta. "You've got to make it
home. You've got to do that for yourself. Do you understand what I'm
saying?"

Dorothy began to play with the bows on Etta's dress. Etta put her arms
around her and rested her head against Dorothy's. They were nearly the
same height.

"It's difficult, because everybody wants to be loved. And you think you can't
have a home unless you are loved by somebody, anybody. But it's not true.
Sometimes you can learn to live without being loved. It's terrible hard, but
you can do it."

Then she kissed Dorothy on the forehead.

"The trick is," said Etta, pulling Dorothy's long black hair from her face, "to
remember what it's like to be loved."
Dorothy fell asleep. She dreamed of knitting and the black piano and her
paint box and picture books and all the things that had been left behind.

"Dorothy. Dorothy, darling, wake up." Someone was speaking. Doro-thy
opened her eyes to see a woman's face. Her skin was brown; the lips
looked bruised; the flesh around the eyes was dark. "Hello, Doro-thy. I'm
your Aunty Em."

Toto gave one fierce bark of alarm and wriggled his way back onto
Dorothy's lap. Dorothy was confused and rubbed her eyes.

"She's tired," said another woman. Dorothy remembered who Etta was.

"Of course, it must have been a terrible odyssey for her. I was so sure she
would be on the number five! Dorothy, are you all right?"

Dorothy nodded yes and slipped down from the bench. Aunty Em moved
away from her. "Etta give me some chicken," explained Dorothy.

"And a great kindness that was! Why, Etta, you must have been here for
hours!" Aunty Em had a face like a horse, strong and full of bone. She had
huge gray teeth. She stood still, her attention fastened on Etta. Bloated
with sleep, Dorothy was confused. Were they supposed to be going?

"It was no trouble," said Etta. "Johnson Langrishe told me she was here,
and I remembered how I felt once upon a time." Etta glanced at Dorothy.

"All the way from College Hill," said Aunty Em, grabbing Etta's hand, her
face crossed with concern. "In your condition."