"John Kessel - The Juniper Tree" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kessel John)

understand and whose practical benefits he could not picture. But a relationship that had started as a
mercenary opportunity had, to Jack's surprise, turned to something like love.

As Jack sat on the edge of the fountain, hoping he might find Eva in the crowd, instead he spotted Roz.
Her face was clouded; her dark brown eyes large with some trouble. “Roz?” he called.

She heard his voice, looked up, saw him. She hesitated a moment, then walked over.

“What's the matter, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She sat down next to him. She was bothered by something.
Across the plaza, two of the acrobats juggled three children in the low gravity the way someone on earth
might juggle bean bags. The kids, tucked into balls, squealed in delight as they rose and fell like the
waters of the fountain. “Isn't this amazing?” Jack asked.

“'Amazing,’ Dad—that's very perceptive.”

“What?”

“This place is disgusting. Look at that old creep there feeling up that girl.”

“We talked about this, Roz. The Cousins do things differently. But they don't do anything against
anyone's will.”

“It's all okay with you, just as long as you're getting laid every night.”

He put his hand on her leg. “What's going on?”

She pulled away. “Nothing's going on! I'm just tired of watching you take advantage of people. Mom
would never have brought me here.”

Roz never mentioned her mother. Jack tried to focus. “I don't know, girl. Your mom had her own
problems fitting in.”

“The only reason we came here is that you couldn't get a job back on earth.”

He tried to get Roz to look at him, but she was fixed on her outsized plastic shoes. “Aren't we hostile
tonight,” he said. She didn't answer. He saw for the first time how much her profile had become that of a
grown woman. “I'll admit it. The job had something to do with it. But Roz, you've got a chance to
become someone here you could never be on earth—if you'll make an effort. Women are important here.
Hell, women run the place! Do you think I like the idea of being a second-class citizen? I gave up a lot to
bring you here.”

“All you care about is getting into Eva's bed,” Roz told the shoes. “She's using you, and she'll just dump
you after she's had enough, like all these other cousins.”

“You think that little of my choices?”

That made her look at him. Her face was screwed into a furious scowl. The music of the drum band
stopped suddenly, and the people applauded. “How do you know Eva's not going to try to get me into