"What-Compatibility" - читать интересную книгу автора (What Leslie)

"No problemo," he said. "MacOuterface reads all systems. Virtually intuitive.
Only your hairdresser knows for sure."

"That's what they said at the store."

"Ready or not, here you come. Just say 'Glow' when you want to come out." He
held the door open and I entered.

I hadn't expected such a vast space, and I stood for a moment, looking around.
There were hundreds of men and boys sword-fighting on different levels of
reality, lions and tigers crouched in comers, rocket ships zipping above me.
There were three women dressed as princesses. I simply could not understand what
my husband saw here, or had this reality changed once I entered it, become a
tedious existence, like our marriage?

I saw my target then, the fat little man with the merry eyes and the white beard
made of clouds. He appeared as Merlin for the D&D game he'd come to role-play
with a friend who called himself NESSIE. They had played the game daily for the
past six months; it had reached the point where my husband could no longer
fulfill either his marital or contractual obligations.

"Honey," I said softly. When he didn't answer, I flipped on my assertiveness
program. I screamed, a bloodcurdling roar that sent shocks across the field.
Action stopped as my husband turned toward me.

"Who are you?" he asked. The sparkle in his eyes melted to fear. I loved him so
this way.

"Dear," I said in a wicked, throaty grunt. "Did you forget? We talked about
having a nice supper before you left for work."

His shoulders slumped. "That's right," he said. "Be there in a second."

I caught the look he gave NESSIE, caught NESSIE mouth back, "Wives."

"Just let me save my game," he said, "and I'll come right out."

"Fine, but I mean business." To make my point, I plucked a bird from the Net and
stuffed it into my mouth. I let the blood drool down my chin, and laughed,
snorting out red feathers through my nose.

"Glow," I said, and I was out of the Net. I pulled out the trodes and walked
into the dining room to wait.

He trudged in from the general direction of the workshop.

"Hi," he said. "What's for dinner?"

"Did you forget what day it was?"