"Betty Miles - The Trouble With Thirteen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miles Betty)

Annie. Denny and Clay's marriage wasn't a waste! They had a lot of good years and a lot of love. And they had Rachel. It's sad that they're breaking up. It's hard on all of them. But it's not a waste."
I thought of all the good times I'd had with the Weisses. In spite of everything, they did get a lot of love out of it. "It's a risk, though," I said.
"Sure. Life's pretty risky, when you get down to it."
I suddenly remembered Nora. "Nora died," I said.
"Oh, Annie!" Aunt Sylvia came over and hugged me. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She held me quietly for a minute. "I only saw her a couple of times when I was out, but I thought she was one of the most beautiful dogs I'd ever seen. She looked like a deer when she bounced through the snow after you."
"I miss her a lot," I said.
"Oh, you must."
"What's the matter?" Rachel came in wearing a towel, with her hair dripping over her face. She blinked. She always looks naked without her glasses.
"I told her about Nora," I said.
"Oh," said Rachel. "I forgot you didn't know, Syl."
"No. It's sad." For a minute no one said anything. Then Aunt Sylvia gave me a little shove. "You'd better get your shower, Annie."
The cool water felt wonderful. I let it splash over me, thinking about the day. It seemed like a very long time since Rachel and I had started out in Madison. So many things had happened-the museum and the
subways and that crazy fight and the dresses. Talking with Aunt Sylvia. Somehow, I felt very calm and peaceful with her. I wished we could just hang around at her place, and not have to meet Bruce and Erica. All the time I was dressing I got more and more nervous about it. I just knew they'd put me down or ignore me or talk with Rachel about things I didn't understand. I'm so stupid. I always think the worst like that. The one thing that never occurred to me was that they would be nice. But they were.
They were both tall and good-looking. Erica's blond hair was beautiful. They were wearing jeans and T-shirts, and the minute I saw them I felt overdressed. But then Erica started complimenting us on the dresses and asking where we got them, and Bruce said he recognized me from Rachel's description, and Aunt Sylvia sort of pushed us out the door, saying she wished she was going to a restaurant instead of eating deli food at home while she studied, and before I had time to feel uncomfortable we were out on the street.
We began to walk four across, but some kids with transistor radios shoved between us. Somehow Rachel and Erica got in front, and I was walking alone with Bruce. I didn't know what to talk about, but the sidewalk was full of people and music was blaring out of a record store so we didn't really have to say anything. It was sort of pleasant walking along like that.
Then all of a sudden Bruce grabbed my arm and
pulled me toward a store window. "You have to see these," he said. Three black and white puppies were rolling around on the sawdust in the window. They were small and pudgy with little bare pink stomachs. They were so cute I wanted to cry.
"That black-eared one is best," Bruce said. "He has the most spirit."
"Yeah." I was afraid to say anything more.
"Do you have a dog?" he asked, just as I knew he would.
"No." I watched the black-eared puppy slide off another one's back.
"I'd have one, if I lived in the country. That's the first thing I'd do, is get a dog."
It was getting worse and worse. I had to tell him. "I had a dog," I said. "Her name was Nora. She was really beautiful." I stopped a minute to make sure I wouldn't cry. "She died," I said. "About two weeks ago."
"Hey, I'm sorry!" Bruce turned away from the window abruptly, looking embarrassed.
"It's O.K.," I said. "It was neat to see the puppies. They're awfully cute." I wondered if they'd grow up to be as big as Nora. They wouldn't be as beautiful as Nora. No dog could be. They'd be nice in a different way.
We walked along for a while without saying anything. A woman in a sari walked by, holding a little Indian boy in a Ronald McDonald shirt by the hand.
"Anyway," I said suddenly, surprising myself as the words came out, "some day I'll probably get another dog." I paused. "Not for a long time, though. But some time." It was strange how happy I felt saying it. I guess I'd been wanting to say it all along, but I hadn't been ready until then.
All of a sudden the evening felt wonderful. Bruce and I ran to the corner to catch up to Rachel and Erica, and then we all ran down the street to the Greek restaurant they had picked out and crowded in the door, laughing. Erica led us through the front room and past the kitchen to a little outdoor garden, where strings of colored lights were hanging above tables with checked cloths on them. It was so neat! We found a table and sat down and the waiter gave us all menus. I couldn't understand a word on mine.
"It's all Greek to me," I said, and everyone laughed. Rachel looked at me in a pleased way, and I smiled back at her. There was a candle burning on our table, and Greek music was playing somewhere. I sat back in my chair with my dress falling around my ankles while they talked about Barclay. It sounded like a neat school, really. It was good Rachel would already have friends when she went there. They'd probably get to be my friends, too. I could see that her moving wasn't going to be the end of the world. It was the beginning of a lot of new stuff, and I'd be part of some of it.
But I still dreaded her actual move.
Rachel's moving day was the most beautiful day of June. I sat on the porch steps waiting for her to come over, feeling the hot sun on my legs and breathing in the mock-orange smell that reminded me of all our other summers. This summer would be so different. No Nora to run after us, panting, when we took off on our bikes. And no Rachel to go off with. There would be lots of things to do-I had signed up for ceramics classes in the summer program with Sue and Janie, and Angela was having a sleep-over party, and Debbie was probably going to have a swimming party with boys if her mother said yes. It would be fun, but it would all be different. I would miss Rachel so much. "Hi, Annie!" Peter James had come up the driveway without my even noticing. He was wearing a T-shirt and cutoffs. "Waiting for something?"
"For Rachel. She's moving to the city today." Saying it made it seem more real.
"I didn't know she was going so soon." Peter came up the steps. He already had a tan. I think boys who are blond look especially good with tans. "Maybe some day this summer you and Ken and I could bike out to Blue Lake," he said. "If you wanted to."
I was surprised. He must have noticed I was getting older. "Sure, neat," I said, too pleased to try to act cool.
Kenny came down to let Peter in, and I leaned back against the steps. It was strange to think about doing things without Rachel. And to know she'd be doing stuff in the city without me. I wondered how long it would take before I'd stop feeling either guilty or jealous. Maybe not that long, once she actually moved. Maybe waiting for it to happen was the worst part.
A car honked and came up the driveway. It was starting to happen! Suddenly I felt scared. I didn't want it to.
"Close your eyes!" Rachel shouted, climbing out of the car.
I closed them. She sounded so natural I felt better. I heard the other car door open and Mr. Weiss say, "Easy, easy." Rachel said, "I've got it," and Mr. Weiss said, "Don't let it drop. Hold your side up a little bit." I couldn't figure out what was going on.
"Don't open your eyes till we tell you," Rachel warned, coming closer. They came slowly up the steps
and set something down on the porch. "Now!" Rachel said.
I opened my eyes. The doll house! With all the furniture and everything. "Oh, Rach!" I jumped up and hugged her. "Thanks!" Then I realized. "But you'll miss it so much!"
Rachel's face clouded for a second. "There wouldn't be room in the apartment," she said. Her mother had found a pretty good one near Aunt Sylvia's, but it was small. "It's better for you to have it here."
"This way," Mr. Weiss said, "the house will have a good home!" I could tell he was trying hard to be cheery. He held out his arms to me. "Well, Annie-"
I hugged him. He felt so nice and solid. I would miss him. "I'll miss you," I said.
"Thanks." He kissed the top of my head. "Well, girls." He tried to smile. "Mom's going to pick you up, Rachel. In about an hour."
An hour! We watched him get into the car and drive away.
"What do you want to do?" I asked. There wasn't time to do anything.
"I don't know. There's no time," Rachel said.
We stood there looking at the doll house. The little plants in the attic window were bright in the sun. I could see the fourposter bed behind them. "You know what I always wanted to do?" I said. "Make a patchwork quilt for the fourposter."
"That would take days!"