"Sheri S. Tepper - The Family Tree" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tepper Sherri)

There was a frothy bubble, no bigger than a pea, an assembly of mist or spiderweb or something equally
tenuous. As they watched, the wind broke the tiny sphere to send its particles flying, silken shreds
glinting with an almost metallic light as they spun and twisted, borne upward and outward on the soft
breeze. Now that she was looking, Dora could see other seed heads all over the vine, and the next puff of
wind surrounded them with glittering floss.
Dora sneezed. "Cut that out," she exclaimed.
The weed just flirted its tendrils and went on shedding seeds into the wind.
"I'd be glad to stay with you," said Polly, who had already extended her visit to be with Dora through all
the fuss. "I don't want you to be alone here."
"I'm not going to be here for long," she said, surprising herself. "You've sort of focused my mind, Polly,

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and I'm thankful for that. Now that you've done it, I'm going to get a divorce."
Polly rubbed her head as though it hurt. "Well, I'm not going to talk you out of it. You deserve a lot
more than this."
Dora shook her head, torn between annoyance at herself and irritation at Polly's taking it so calmly.
"Everything dropped into place when you told me about Mrs. Gerber asking if I was a reliable cook and
housekeeper. I've really known all along that's what Jared wanted, just someone to cook and keep house,
so he could move into his own place without sacrificing any of the comforts of home. I've known it, but
I haven't dealt with it. I've been acting as though I'd been hypnotized." She giggled helplessly. "Maybe
he put some kind of spell on me."
"Be thankful it didn't last. I don't suppose there's any possibility you're pregnant? It could foul things up
if you are."
She would never have confessed it to anyone but Polly. "Giving Jared CPR the other night was as close
as I've ever come to kissing him. There's no possibility I'm pregnant. The very idea scares me. I don't
want to end up like Mother."
Polly hugged her. "Well, for heaven's sake, Dora, nobody has to have nine children, one right after the
other. Mother did that because it was easier than thinking, that's all. If Mama and Daddy had been able
to think, they'd have known it was selfish and wrong and they wouldn't have done it!"
"I know that. Intellectually I know it. Emotionally, though, what I remember is the mess and the
confusion and nothing ever getting done. The clothes piled on the floor because no one put them away.
The messy beds. The dirt in the corners, the cobwebs. The dirty plates all over the house. The smell of
rotten food in the refrigerator. The cat poop in the back hall. The lawn that died because nobody watered
it. The dead houseplants. I used to try, when I was there, but I couldn't do it. I remember how Mama and
Dad looked at each other, that steamy look. And then the noises from the bedroomтАж" She laughed,
embarrassed. "And then afterward, all that luxuriating, mindless lethargy." She shook her head, amazed
at herself.
"So, when you leave Jared, where are you going? An apartment, maybe?"
She thought about it. "I don't want an apartment. I need more privacy than that. I think a house. I've
worked since I was eighteen, and I've saved some every year. Then I've got my share of the money we
got for the farm when we sold it. I've got almost enough for a house of my own."
"You want me to stay and help you look?"
Dora came back to herself and considered the offer. "Polly, sweetie, I think you've hung around here

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