"Martha Soukup - Over the Long Haul" - читать интересную книгу автора (Soukup Martha)

that got us here. We all know it. These are the same people who got
abortion made illegal, and whittled down sex ed next to nothing. (Though
from what my mama told me once before she moved on, people hardly
used birth control even when they had teachers telling them about it.)
TheyтАЩre punishing us, all right.
I never saw a guy trucking. As far as I ever knew, they didnтАЩt even let
guys choose trucking.
Avis was staring. тАЬJesus, itтАЩs a man!тАЭ she whispered.
тАЬReal good,тАЭ I said. тАЬYou remember what they look like.тАЭ
Maybe I hadnтАЩt, though. Oh, he was tall and he was fine. White, like
CileheтАЩs daddy, but dark tan skin. Maybe Latin. His hair came down in a
braid over one shoulder, thick and brown and shiny. Cheekbones cut high
like a TV IndianтАЩs. He had tight old jeans on. The way they hugged his hips
close you could imagine doing yourself.
Man, it had been too long since IтАЩd seen a guy.
He walked over to an empty table across the room and a dozen pairs of
eyes followed him. Nobody said a word.
One skinny girl with a baby on her hip went over and stared down at
him. тАЬTruckers only in this room,тАЭ she said in a mean voice.
That broke the silence. Everyone started up with catcalls, hisses, and
тАЬWho cares?тАЭ The girl glared back at all of us. Some of them, when they
get put in the trucks, actually buy the crap about our Evil Ways and get
worse than any taxpayer.
The guy just smiled up at her so nice your toes curled. тАЬYouтАЩre right,тАЭ he
said. His voice was like caramel candy. He pulled out his truckerтАЩs card.
The girlтАЩs lips went white. She grabbed the kid up in her arm, pulled
another off her chair, and left the room.
тАЬThis is mine,тАЭ Avis said, to me or maybe just to the universe.
тАЬWhat are you talking about?тАЭ Her eyes looked like a catтАЩs fixing to go
after a mouse. Squintier than a catтАЩs, though, in her pasty pimply face. No
way a man so fine-looking would go for her.
Not that I was after him.
тАЬSeventeen months,тАЭ Avis said. No need to ask seventeen months since
what.
I fluffed my hair up around my forehead. I knew it looked like hell.
Avis was already moving, plowing through a crowd of women all trying
to look like they had some casual reason for happening to go over by that
particular table at that particular time. It sure wasnтАЩt worth it to join the
mob.
тАЬLook after your sister,тАЭ I told Tomi. I put him in the pen with the other
kids. тАЬIтАЩll be back in five minutes. Need some fresh air.тАЭ
тАЬMe too, Mama?тАЭ he asked, but heтАЩs a good kid. He didnтАЩt complain. I
didnтАЩt want fresh air, I wanted to get out of the room so my eyes wouldnтАЩt
be all over that guy. Something got you in this fix, I told myself. You think
youтАЩd learn someday.
Even the place outside for truckers to walk around is separate from the
place car drivers go to let their poodles piddle. Same sky, though, high and
gray, the wind whipping around pretty good. I took a deep breath of windy
air. I told myself I wasnтАЩt a kid anymore, fourteen and stupid like when
TomiтАЩs daddy got him on me. When that didnтАЩt work, I tried telling myself