JК
Bag of Bones :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 184 из 425And she was, by God andSonny Jesus, completely unaware that what she was saying might have another meaning—I would have bet on it. I closed my eyes for a moment, smiling.
Why not smile? Everything she was saying sounded absolutely great, especially once you cleared the confines of Michael Noonan’s dirty mind.
It sounded like we might have the expected fairy-tale ending, if we could keep our courage and hold our course. And if I could restrain myself from making a pass at a girl young enough to be my daughter… outside of my dreams, that was. If I couldn’t, I probably deserved whatever I got. But Kyra wouldn’t. She was the hood ornament in all this, doomed to go wherever the car took her. If I got any of the wrong ideas, I’d do well to remember that. “If the judge sends Devore home empty-handed, I’ll take you out to Renoir Nights in Portland and buy you nine courses of French chow,” I said. “Storrow, too. I’ll even spring for the legal beagle I’m dating on Friday. So who’s better than me, huh?”
“No one I know,” she said, sounding serious. “I’ll pay you back for this, Mike. I’m down now, but I won’t always be down. If it takes me the rest of my life, I’ll pay you back.”
“Mattie, you don’t have to—”
“I do,” she said with quiet vehemence. “I do. And I have to do something else today, too.”
“What’s that?” I loved hearing her sound the way she did this morn-ing—so happy and free, like a prisoner who has just been pardoned and let out of jail—but already I was looking longingly at the door to my office. I couldn’t do much more today, I’d end up baked like an apple if I tried, but I wanted another page or two, at least. Do what you want, both women had said in my dreams. Do what you want. “I have to buy Kyra the big teddybear they have at the Castle Rock Wal-Mart,” she said. “I’ll tell her it’s for being a good girl because I can’t tell her it’s for walking in the middle of the road when you were coming the other way.”
“Just not a black one,” I said. The words were out of my mouth before I knew they were even in my head. “Huh?” Sounding startled and doubtful. “I said bring me back one,” I said, the words once again out and down the wire before I even knew they were there. “Maybe I will,” she said, sounding amused. Then her tone grew serious again. “And if I said anything last night that made you unhappy, even for a minute, I’m sorry. I never for the world—”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m not unhappy. A little confused, that’s all.
Why not smile? Everything she was saying sounded absolutely great, especially once you cleared the confines of Michael Noonan’s dirty mind.
It sounded like we might have the expected fairy-tale ending, if we could keep our courage and hold our course. And if I could restrain myself from making a pass at a girl young enough to be my daughter… outside of my dreams, that was. If I couldn’t, I probably deserved whatever I got. But Kyra wouldn’t. She was the hood ornament in all this, doomed to go wherever the car took her. If I got any of the wrong ideas, I’d do well to remember that. “If the judge sends Devore home empty-handed, I’ll take you out to Renoir Nights in Portland and buy you nine courses of French chow,” I said. “Storrow, too. I’ll even spring for the legal beagle I’m dating on Friday. So who’s better than me, huh?”
“No one I know,” she said, sounding serious. “I’ll pay you back for this, Mike. I’m down now, but I won’t always be down. If it takes me the rest of my life, I’ll pay you back.”
“Mattie, you don’t have to—”
“I do,” she said with quiet vehemence. “I do. And I have to do something else today, too.”
“What’s that?” I loved hearing her sound the way she did this morn-ing—so happy and free, like a prisoner who has just been pardoned and let out of jail—but already I was looking longingly at the door to my office. I couldn’t do much more today, I’d end up baked like an apple if I tried, but I wanted another page or two, at least. Do what you want, both women had said in my dreams. Do what you want. “I have to buy Kyra the big teddybear they have at the Castle Rock Wal-Mart,” she said. “I’ll tell her it’s for being a good girl because I can’t tell her it’s for walking in the middle of the road when you were coming the other way.”
“Just not a black one,” I said. The words were out of my mouth before I knew they were even in my head. “Huh?” Sounding startled and doubtful. “I said bring me back one,” I said, the words once again out and down the wire before I even knew they were there. “Maybe I will,” she said, sounding amused. Then her tone grew serious again. “And if I said anything last night that made you unhappy, even for a minute, I’m sorry. I never for the world—”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m not unhappy. A little confused, that’s all.