"Lisa Tuttle - Pathology" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tuttle Lisa)

тАЬLizard LustтАЭ: First published inInterzone , September 1990.

тАЬBits and PiecesтАЭ: First published inPulphouse No. 9, November 1990.

тАЬHoney, IтАЩm Home!тАЭ: First published inIn Dreams , ed. Kim Newman and Paul McAuley, Gollancz
1992.

тАЬIn TranslationтАЭ: First published inZenith , ed. David Garnett, Sphere Books (UK) 1989.

тАЬReplacementsтАЭ: First published inMetahorror , ed. Dennis Etchison, Dell 1992.


My Pathology
It may not be a truth universally acknowledged, but people value more that which is not easily won.
Challenge and difficulty add to the appeal. As I once said to Saskia, unavailable men are always more
attractive. IтАЩd never known Saskia to fall for a man who wasnтАЩt already committed elsewhereтАФbut she
just said, тАЬIfthatтАЩs your pathology.тАЭ
Certainly it was hers. The way she ignored perfectly nice men in favor of bastards belonging to someone
else . . .

But love is a basic human need. Does it make sense to call it a disease?
***


Daniel and I were attracted to each other from the start, and there didnтАЩt seem to be anything difficult or
inherently unavailable about him. The one slight little hitchтАФthat the woman he described as his
ex-girlfriend hadnтАЩtquite let him goтАФprobably added to his attraction; I was touched by his tender
concern for her feelings.
As he explained it: тАЬWe were together for nearly three years. At one time I thought weтАЩd get married.
But . . . We had a major disagreement, one of those things where there can be no compromise. I wonтАЩt
go into the details. Anyway, she knows itтАЩs over, knows we donтАЩt have a future together, and weтАЩre
not . . . not sleeping together, you know, but sheтАЩs afraid of being alone. She needs to know that IтАЩm still
her friend. I donтАЩt love her anymore, but I feel responsible. SheтАЩs had a hard time lately.тАЭ

He told me about her (Michele, her name was) before weтАЩd actually become lovers, on an evening when
the possibility was quivering between us, so I knew his intentions toward me must be serious.

тАЬAre you going to tell her about me?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩve already told her IтАЩve met someone.тАЭ

My heart leapt and I went to kiss him, this unknown womanтАЩs man who was now mine.
***


Daniel worked in an office in central London, as did I, but he lived out in MetrolandтАФnearest station,
RaynerтАЩs LaneтАФwhere the dear old London underground emerges above ground, transformed into a
suburban commuter train. The rails ran behind his house, so we were treated to a view of his back
garden a good quarter hour before we could expect to arrive at the front door, on foot, from the station.
Once, on his way home, Daniel had seen someone entering by the back door, and even though he