"Richard Wadholm - Orange Groves Out to the Horizon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wadholm Richard)

Reliant Pharmaceuticals, thinking to work his way up, and then found
himself stuck there.
I said, тАЬWhen did you start smoking?тАЭ
тАЬYou sort of have to in here. Cigarettes are like the medium of
exchange. Either that or some things IтАЩm not about to give up.тАЭ
I couldnтАЩt help wondering what he had to do just to use the toilet. Jesus.
тАЬIsnтАЩt there anything you can do?тАЭ
тАЬDoesnтАЩt look like it. Federal sentencing guidelines say 136 months. I
like to think about it as 136 months. DoesnтАЩt sound so bad that way, does
it.тАЭ
It didnтАЩt until I added it up. Then I raged for awhile. I think Ken was
amused. Or, maybe he just appreciated the pity.
My mouth got ahead of me. I heard myself talking bullshit. How IтАЩd talk
to his family, weтАЩd file an appeal. WeтАЩd do more than thatтАФwe would sue
the government for malicious prosecution. Anti-terrorism laws, my ass.
Some ambitious prosecutor saw the word тАШricinтАЩ in KenтАЩs arrest report and
got all stage struck.
тАЬBad enough that the government steals thirteen years of your life. But
they stole your last year with Katy, and thatтАЩs unforgiveable.тАЭ
Did I cross the line, talking about Katy? I liked her. Ken had always
been a sport about it. She was one of those girls you donтАЩt notice till you


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 ORANGE GROVES OUT TO THE HORIZON


notice her, and then you canтАЩt look away.
So maybe my rhetoric got a little over-heated. Maybe I said more than I
intended.
тАЬThey did give me bail,тАЭ Ken pointed out.
тАЬThe judge did.тАЭ
тАЬCan I tell you the truth? Just me and you?тАЭ
I imagined a CD burning on some machine somewhere, a technician
gently jiggling a microphone.
тАЬMe and you,тАЭ I said. тАЬSure.тАЭ
тАЬThat last year with Katy was the best year of our marriage. I know how
it can be for some people. I know with your father it was unexpected, and
shocking. And IтАЩm real sorry about that. But for Katy and me, it was magic
time. Every moment was cast in this sweet light of mortality. Every day
mattered. Even the days in court. Even the days when she was really sick.
And the rest of the timeтАФif we wanted to go some place, we went. If we
wanted to spend money, we spent it. It was the end of the world, Hoss! All
the rules were lifted.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt mean to intrude here.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre like your dad.тАЭ He said it like I was supposed to laugh.
тАЬReally? Like my dad, huh?тАЭ
тАЬYour dad, man. He would make people fidget. He had that gift.
Remember when we lost your rat? That funeral?тАЭ