"Andrews, V C - crystal" - читать интересную книгу автора (Andrews V.C)

whites, or he had oatmeal and raisins. Although
he was chubby, he paid attention to nutrition and
wanted me to do the same.
What he didn't do was exercise. He admitted 1
that this was a fault, but he made little effort to|
correct it, the closest thing being his purchase ofa|
treadmill, after what he described as months and
months of comparison shopping. I commented!
that it looked brand new, and he confessed that h
still had to develop a regular schedule for its us<
"Maybe now that you're here to remind me,
he said, "I'll pay more attention to those things.
I didn't think he needed my reminders f<
anything. All of his things were organized a:
inventoried. He knew exactly how many socks
had, how many white shirts, how many pairs
pants and jackets, how many ties. He could e
tell me how much each item had cost. What i
even more impressive was he knew just how ms
times he had worn what and knew when sol
thing had to be cleaned and pressed. He servi
his clothes the way people service their ears,

24

CRYSTAL
when something had been worn, cleaned, or
washed a certain number of times, he retired it to
a bag marked "To be donated."
Kari continued his organized, regimented existence
throughout his day, always eating at the
same hour in the evening, watching his news
program, reading his newspapers and his magazines,
and going to sleep at exactly ten p.m. every
night, even on weekends, unless they had plans for
an evening out.- ^ ;- , ^'/.:' ...Y.;'.,1 ,.,";.
If Thelma indicated she -wanted to see a movie,
Kari would research the reviews and report to her
first, deciding whether or not it was a waste of
money. If there was any doubt, he would suggest
the matinee show because it was discounted and
wasn't as great a risk.
"Balance, Crystal," he explained. "That's what
makes life truly comfortable, maintaining balance.
Assets on one side, liabilities on the other.
Everything you do, everyone you meet has assets
and liabilities. Learn what they are, and you'll
know how to proceed."
He often lectured to me like that, and I listened
respectfully, even though many times I thought he