"Richard Brautigan - in_watermelon_sugar" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brautigan Richard)

kind of important."
"Don't feel as if you should rush off," I said. "Join us for a
while. Sit down."
"No, no, no. Thank you, anyway," Fred said. "There's something
I have to do up at my shack."
"OK," I said.
"Good-bye."
"Thanks again for doing the dishes," Pauline said.
"Think nothing of it."

23

A Lot of Good Nights

it was now getting late and Pauline and I went down to say
good night to Charley. We could barely see him sitting down on
his couch, near the statues that he likes and the place where he
builds a small fire to warm himself on cold nights.
Bill had joined him and they were sitting there together, talking
with great interest about something. Bill was waving his
arms in the air to show a part of the conversation.
"We came down to say good night," I said, interrupting them.
"Oh, hi," Charley said. "Yeah, good night. I mean, how are
you people doing?"
"OK," I said.
"That was a wonderful dinner," Bill said.
"Yeah, that was really fine," Charley said. "Good stew."
"Thank you."
"See you tomorrow," I said.
"Are you going to spend the night here at ideath?" Charley
said.
"No," I said. "I'm going to spend the night with Pauline."
"That's good," Charley said.
"Good night."
"Good night."
"Good night."
"Good night."

24

Vegetables

pauline's shack was about a mile from ideath. She doesn't
spend much time there. It's beyond the town. There are about
375 of us here in watermelon sugar.
A lot of people live in the town, but some live in shacks at
other places, and there are of course we who live at ideath.
There were just a few lights on in the town, other than the
street lamps. Doc Edwards' light was on. He always has a lot of
trouble sleeping at night. The schoolteacher's light was on, too.