"Blackwater - 04 - The War" - читать интересную книгу автора (McDowell Michael)

At the moment this information was delivered, there was the sound of a door slamming, and Frances, Elinor, and Ivey turned in time to see Miriam with two suitcases marching out the front door and down the sidewalk toward her roadster. Frances, bewildered, called out to her sister, "I guess we're not going to Pensacola this morning."
"I guess we're not," returned Miriam. "Do I look like I'm dressed for the beach?" She wore a white dress buttoned up the front and low-heeled red shoes. "Do I usually carry suitcases to Santa Rosa?"
"No," said Frances. "Where are you going?"
Miriam had already turned back toward the house. She spoke over her shoulder: "I'm going to college!"
No one had anticipated it. Not even Sister had an inkling of Miriam's plans. Sister stood nervously on the front porch with a cup of coffee, watching as Miriam, now being assisted by Bray, carried bags and packages out to the car. James Caskey came out onto his porch, having sensed that something was up. Sister called over to him, "Miriam's going off to college this morning!"
"No!" cried James Caskey. "Where's she going?"
At that moment Miriam emerged with three hat-boxes.
Sister replied to James pointedly, "I don't know. She hasn't told us yet where she's going."
All three Caskey households watched Miriam's
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roadster fill up with boxes and suitcases. Frances had gone to her room and changed out of her bathing suit and was now once again on the porch. Danjo phoned Queenie, who arrived in haste. When finally the roadster would hold no more, Miriam turned at the end of the sidewalk and faced her assembled family.
"If y'all must know, I'm enrolling this morning at Sacred Heart in Mobile."
"But that's a Catholic school," ejaculated Queenie.
"I'm converting," snapped Miriam, climbing into the roadster. She started the engine, put the car in gear, and without further word pulled away from the curb. As she was turning the corner, she waved her hand once in an offhanded and general farewell to the open-mouthed Caskeys.
Everyone was stunned, particularly Sister. They had become so accustomed to Miriam's daily trips to the beach and to her ever-deepening tan that they had forgotten all about the question of whether or not she was to go to college. Now, however, they agreed that it had been very much in character for Miriam to have done it the way she did.
"That girl," said Elinor, "had rather slit her throat than tell you the time of day."
"Here are the keys to the car," said Oscar to his daughter. "You go on down to the beach alone."
Frances shook her head. "It wouldn't be the same."
Though the dust raised by Miriam's roadster still lingered in the air above the road, Frances already missed her sister. The weeks of driving together to and from Pensacola Beach had convinced Frances that her sister's taciturnity, her impatience, her curt manner of speaking were only part of Miriam's essential character.
After breakfast, Oscar went over and visited Sister. They sat on the side porch in the swing. "I sup-
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pose this was as much of a surprise to you as it was to the rest of us," Oscar said.
"It was," said Sister desolately. "I always wondered why Miriam would never let me pick up the mail at the post office, why she always insisted on going by herself. It must have been because she didn't want me to see any letters that were coming to her from Sacred Heart."
"I don't think I know anybody who ever went there," said Oscar. "Why you suppose she picked that school?"
Sister shrugged. "Oscar, I long time ago gave up trying to figure out why Miriam said or did anything at all. I love her, but I don't understand her."
"She sure is like Mama," said Oscar, shaking his head.
"Except she's young," Sister pointed out, "so it's worse."
"What are you gone do?"
Sister glanced quickly at her brother. "What do you mean?"
"Now that Miriam's gone. Now that you don't have to stay here and take care of her anymore—not that Miriam ever needed much taking care of. You going back to Early? Where is he these days, anyway?"
"Ohio," said Sister vaguely. "Or Kentucky. Or somewhere."
"You going back up to Nashville?"
"Oh, I thought I'd stay around here for a little while. I'm sure Miriam forgot something or other and is gone want it sent down. I guess I better wait around to see what it is."
"Elinor could do that if you wanted to get on back to Early."
Sister didn't reply.
"Well?" said Oscar after a few moments.
"Oscar," said Sister, rising in haste, "you stop going on about this, you hear? You let me do what I want!"
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"All right," said Oscar, confused and abashed by his sister's vehemence. "I just thought—"
"You thought wrong," said Sister in a low voice. "This house belongs to Miriam, and she said I could stay on as long as I wanted. I would appreciate it if you would not come over here early in the morning and try to sweep me out of it!"
"Sit down, Sister. I didn't mean to get you upset."
Sister sat down again, but crossed her legs, put her elbow on her knee, and cradled one cheek in her turned-up hand. She was the very picture of a southern spinster of the patrician variety—tall, slender, with prematurely wrinkling parchment skin that was powdered with the scent of roses. When not pinched in a scowl, the intrinsically fine features of her face drooped. Although her expression lacked both robustness and determination, she very much resembled her dead mother. Mary-Love would have been proud. This lack of strength was the result of all the years of Mary-Love's taunts and slights and domination.
"Sister," said Oscar softly, "see, I just didn't know you were having trouble with Early..."
Sister sighed. "It's not trouble, Oscar. It's just that I don't particularly care to go back to him right now." Oscar said nothing, and Sister continued tentatively, "Early travels, he's always on the road. So many places are raising up levees, you'd think the whole world was in danger of flooding. Or maybe it's just that there's somebody up in the CCC that likes Early a whole lot, and gives him work. I don't want to go with him to all those old places."
"What about your house in Nashville?"
"I'd be all alone there! That's not my home—this is my home. If I'm gone be all alone, then I might as well be here in Perdido. You and Elinor hate having me next door, is that it?"
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"That is not it and you know it. We just want you to be happy."
"Then I'm happy right here, and I'd appreciate it if you would speak one word to everybody concerned, Oscar. Say I do not want to leave this house unoccupied. Say I don't know what would become of Ivey if I went away. Say lam providing a place for Miriam to come home to on her holidays. Say anything you want. Just don't let people keep coming up to me the way you just did, and saying, 'Sister, I know Early's gone be glad to see you...'"
Oscar promised to ease his sister's way.