Читать книгу The Last Town on Earth - Thomas Mullen - Страница 15
VIII
Оглавление“You know what I heard?”
What’s that?”
“I heard that maybe the reason Mr. Worthy wanted us to close off the town is to stop workers from moving on to other jobs.”
“What other jobs?”
“I hear they got lotsa jobs on the coast, on account of the war. Hear they’ll pay fucking shipbuilders more than we’re making here.”
“Nobody’s making more than we’re making here. They give you your own goddamn house at the shipyards?”
“How do we know they don’t?”
“I’m just saying I heard—”
“And we heard you just fine. Hell, didn’t we all vote on this? I didn’t see you raising any ruckus that night.”
“Just ‘cause I voted for something doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind. Ain’t a man free to do that?”
“Ain’t much free right now.”
“That’s my point. We ain’t free to move around and look for—”
“Goddammit, enough. If that’s the way you’re thinking, then as soon as the fucking quarantine’s over, you can take your goddamn self out to those shipyards and see how much those military folk’ll pay you. I for one don’t buy any of that.”
“I wasn’t saying I’m buying it. I just said I heard.”
“Elton’s been coughin’ a lot lately.”
“Elton’s always been coughin’.”
“But how do we know it ain’t from the flu?”
“Because he was coughing last year and there wasn’t any flu, and the year before that, and the year before that.”
“But how come that—”
“It ain’t the flu. He’s just a sick bastard.”
“Hey, Yolen. You been by the gen’ral store this week?”
“No. Jeanine’s fixing to go today, though.”
“Well, get this—there ain’t no alcohol left.”
“What?”
“The store’s all out.”
“Hell Jesus. You sure?”
“Otto said they’d just bought as much food an’ supplies as they thought they could handle before the quarantine, but they mustn’t’ve ordered much hooch.”
“Shit, Leonard. I only got one fucking bottle left at home.”
“I got less’n that.”
“Shit. You really sure there’s none left?”
“You ever have the flu?”
“Yeah, when I was ten. Kept me in bed more ‘n a month.”
“Damn. It killed all four of my grandparents in the same winter.”
“Kills everybody’s grandparents, if they’re lucky. Better’n wasting away slow with something else.”
“Don’t think flu is lucky.”
“How do you think that girl a yours in Timber Falls is doing?”
“Wasn’t sick last time I saw her. But some of her friends were.”
“Sure she’ll be fine.”
“You’re a lucky man, with your girl already here in town. This quarantine lasts much longer, I’m gonna go outta my goddamn head.”
“Can’t last much longer.”
“What the hell kind of man does this make me look like to her, hiding away because I’m scared of getting sick?”
“Don’t worry about that. She ain’t thinking down on you—she’s probably worried enough trying to stay healthy herself.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Sorry … She’ll be fine.”
“Yeah … I get tired of waiting sometimes, you know?”
