Читать книгу The City Man - Howard Akler - Страница 20

Mona plants her prat. Chesler pinches the poke.

She sits on her bed, blanket and the front page bunched off to the side, and opens the deck of cards. Cuts them. Taps the edge of them against her open palm and watches the red lines emerge and fade in her flesh. She shuffles. The cards curve under her thumb, a pleasant resistance. Mona deals, a game of Klondike across wrinkled bedsheets. Keeps her hands busy while the mind wanders around Union. A wrong spot for weeks. And Chesler’s offices, his brief clucks and exhalations, now sounding sharper in her ears. Nothing new there. For five years, she has endured his minor frustrations and kept the mob moving, day after screaming day, in the rigidly defined roles of their racket. What else is there? She glances at her options. Four of spades onto five of hearts onto six of clubs. Nothing else. She deals from the top. Ten of spades onto jack of diamonds and then nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. An ace on top and then the deck is done. She peeks at the face-down cards. Finds the nine of hearts and uses it. Another ace too, because she never can play this game without cheating.

Mona plants her prat. Chesler pinches the poke.