"Steven Gould - Wildside" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gould Stephen Jay)

We stood still and faced the lightning in groups and pairs. Then I took a shot of the two couples
with Mr. and Mrs. Prentice.

In the car Clara said, "What took you so long, Charlie? I thought I'd die!"

I was surprised and pleased when Joey said, "My fault. Trouble with the tux." He didn't mention
Mr. Nguyen.

Next stop was the Texan, perhaps the best restaurant in town. I dropped them and went home
to wait for their call. They'd offered to treat me, collectively, as payment, but I'd said I'd take payment
another way.

I also didn't want to see Joey and Marie together any more than I could help it.

I'd eaten earlier though I wouldn't have minded something more. Mom and I were on a diet
together and it seemed my stomach never stopped rumbling.

I spent the time reviewing the FAA Instrument Flight Rules. Mom was watching another nature
documentary on TV, so I read in my room, as far from the refrigerator as possible. The phone call
came after an hour and forty minutes.

"We just asked for the check," Marie said.

"What did you have?"

"Lobster. Heart-of-palm salad. Raspberry mousse for dessert."

"Aaaaaggghh. Okay, okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"You should've been here, Charlie. It wasn't as fun without you."

"Um. See you in a few."

In the living room, Mom was looking at the screen with the perpetually surprised and intent
expression with which she watched all things. "I'm going now—I'll be back late, so don't wait up."

She put down her notepad on a stack of wildlife journals and walked across to me. "Drive
carefully. Mrs. Paige tells me that prom night is a time of increased consumption of alcoholic
beverages by underage drivers." She reached out and adjusted my tie. "Don't let one of them crash
into you."
 "Okay, Mom." I kissed her on the cheek. "Don't fry your brains on too much TV."

She laughed, then sobered. "After this, it's a Nova on extinctions."

"Oh, goody."

I picked the guys up two at a time, so I could walk around, open the door, and hand them out in
front of the Hilton, where the prom was. Marie protested, but I said, "Let's do it right." Most of the
kids had driven themselves and were walking in from the parking lot, so both couples had a decent
audience when I did the act.