Читать книгу The Future Homemakers of America - Laurie Graham - Страница 28

Lois went from never being home to never being any place else. I went round to see her all the time. Her quarters were messy, unless Herb had been home and had a field day, and she just grouched around, watching The Roy Rodgers Show and feeding Sandie on cookies.

I said, ‘You still feeling rough?’

‘I could sleep round the clock,’ she said. ‘Was I like this with Sandie?’

I said, ‘I don’t recall. But I think your temper was a little sweeter.’

She said, ‘You and Vern gonna have any more?’

I said, ‘Nope.’

She said ‘You seem very sure.’

I said, ‘I am. I have my Dutch cap. House catches fire, after Crystal it’ll be the first thing I grab.’

‘I can’t stand those things,’ she said. ‘By the time you’ve remembered where you left it. Then it has life of its own. Springs outta your fingers, goes flying across the bathroom and it always lands in that skronk behind the WC. I’d sooner take my chances.’

I said, ‘Well, there y’are then. And now you have one of those little chances on the way.’ I said, ‘You could always clean up the skronk behind the john. You could always wear your Dutch cap every night.’

‘Hm,’ she said. ‘How come you’re so damned smart?’ She just sat there, stains down her sweatshirt.

I said, ‘You just tired?’

‘Sick and,’ she said.

‘Nothing else wrong?’ I said.

She looked at me. ‘No,’ she said, ‘nothing else. Why? Ain’t that enough?’

I couldn’t read her.

I said, ‘Kath’s knitting for you. You have a preference for lemon or blue?’

‘Couldn’t care less,’ she said. ‘How about grey?’

I still couldn’t read her.

‘Well, you’re good fun,’ I said. ‘You wanna come on a trip, next week? To the beach? The girls are all coming. Two cars.’

‘I dunno,’ she said. ‘What beach? Does it have surf and everything?’

I said, ‘All I know is, it’s called Cromer and it probably beats staying home.’

She said she’d think about it.

I said, ‘You do that. If you’d rather sit here, sniffing jet fuel, we’ll understand.’

By the time I walked through my door, she was on the phone.

‘I’ll come,’ she said. ‘On one condition. Can Sandie ride in a different car than me? I can’t stand her climbing all over my belly.’

I said, ‘Fair enough. Course, you might be trading for Deana or Sherry.’

‘No problem,’ she said. ‘One look from me and those Gillis girls turn to stone. Is there a funfair at Cromer?’