"Lisa Tuttle - Jamie's Grave" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tuttle Lisa)

In the morning Jamie was subdued, so quiet that Mary worried he might be getting ill, and kept feeling his
face for some evidence of a fever. His skin was cool, though, and he showed no other signs of disease.
He said nothing more about wanting to dig, nothing about graves or skeletonsтАФthat craze appeared to
have vanished as suddenly and inexplicably as it had arrived.

It was a wet and windy day, and Mary was glad Jamie didnтАЩt want to play in the garden. He seemed
worried about something, though, following her around the house and demanding her attention. Mary
didnтАЩt mind. In fact, she cherished this evidence that she was still needed.

When she asked what he wanted for his tea, the answer came promptly. тАЬTwo beefburgers. Please.тАЭ

тАЬTwo!тАЭ

тАЬYes. Two, please.тАЭ

тАЬI think one will be enough, really, Jamie. You never have two. If you are very hungry, I could make
extra chips.тАЭ

He had that stubborn look on his face, the look that reminded her of his father. тАЬExtra chips, too. But
please may I have two beefburgers.тАЭ
She was certain he wouldnтАЩt be able to eat them both. тАЬVery well,тАЭ she said. тАЬAfter youтАЩve eaten your
first beefburger, if you still want another one, IтАЩll make it then.тАЭ

тАЬI want twoтАФI know I want two! I want two now!тАЭ

тАЬCalm down, Jamie,тАЭ she said quietly. тАЬYou shall have two. But one at a time. ThatтАЩs the way weтАЩll do
it.тАЭ

He sulked, and he played with his food when she served it, but he did manage to eat all the beefburger,
and then immediately demanded a second, forgetting, this time, to say тАЬplease.тАЭ

тАЬYou havenтАЩt eaten all your chips,тАЭ she pointed out.

He glared. тАЬYou didnтАЩt say I had to eat all my chips first. You said if I ate one burger I could have
anotherтАФyou said.тАЭ

тАЬI know I said it, lovey, but the chips are part of your dinner, too, and if youтАЩre really hungryтАФтАЭ

тАЬYou said!тАЭ

His lower lip trembled, and there were tears in his eyes. How could she deny him? She couldnтАЩt bear his
unhappiness, even though she was quite certain that he wasnтАЩt hungry and wouldnтАЩt be able to eat any
more meat.

тАЬAll right, my darling,тАЭ she said, and left her own unfinished meal to grow cold while she went back to the
cooker. Clive would have been firm with him, she thought, and wondered if she had been wrong to give
in. Maybe Jamie had wanted her to say no. The thought wearied her. It was too complicated. He had
asked for food, and she would give it to him.