"Wilhelm, Kate - Mrs Bagley Goes to Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

"And give you that satisfaction? You kidding?"
"Where's Joey?"
"Out somewhere."
Mrs. Bagley unpacked her suitcase and put away her things, then she started dinner.
* * * *
On Monday a light drizzle was falling.
"Look, Mom, it ain't fair! I gotta pick up Suzanne and Eddie and take them to the jewelry store for their rings, and we gotta ... "
Somewhere a dragon, breathing heavily, seared a shishkabob for its beloved. Somewhere a butterfly squirmed from its sleeping bag and stretched first one then the other emerald wing, and yawned.
"When you go to the store, get me some shaving cream, will you? And we're out of toothpaste, and my tan suit needs to go to the cleaners. And get that damn toaster fixed." Mr. Bagley spoke with his mouth full and didn't look at her, but marked his place in the newspaper with one finger, then resumed reading. Joey left, slamming the door.
"You got some change? I'm going to be in the Bronx all day, can't get to the bank."
She handed him a ten-dollar bill and he grunted and turned the page to the sports section.
"You better have a talk with Joey when he gets home. Out all night Saturday. To be expected when his old lady stays out all weekend. I don't like it, though, telling you." He scanned the scores, talking, eating, dripping coffee.
Somewhere rainbow-colored clouds swirled gently, thick enough to float on, to ride to earth. Somewhere a new flower opened and stared at the sun wide-eyed. .
" ... the hell you do, but you could let us know."
She went to the living room and started to gather dirty clothes, Joey's sweater and socks, an ashtray filled with candy wrappers, beer cans ....
When she heard the door close, she dropped the dirty clothes and sat on the couch. She picked up the, classified section of the paper and, at first idly, then with more attention, began to read the Help Wanted column.
It was still drizzling when Mrs. Bagley left the apartment and took the bus to the station where she could catch a train to Long Island. Ganymede, she thought, that was the answer. Mars had been too close, too like Earth, but Ganymede was different.
* * * *
On Ganymede they showed her an efficiency that was to be hers, and a native explained her duties to her, wished her luck and left her alone. Here they lived in immense apartments, with plush carpeting and futuristic furniture, and they spoke another language so they could not jabber at her. She was to clean the apartments for them.
She sat down and turned on her own nine-inch television set and leaned back. Somewhere, she thought, dirty clothes were rising to the ceiling, and smoke was curling up from the bottom of the heap. Somewhere dishes were growing strange molds -- gray, green, blue. Somewhere a man in an undershirt was jamming a coffee-soaked doughnut into his ear.
Later, when the building was silent and dark, she went to the street and checked one more time, and it was still there: Ganymede Arms. She went back to her room and to bed knowing they would never find her on Ganymede.

-----------------------

At www.fictionwise.com you can:

* Rate this story

* Find more stories by this author

* Get story recommendations