"Kate Wilhelm - Mrs Bagley Goes To Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

Mrs. Bagley Goes To Mars

by Kate Wilhelm

Copyright 1978

ON A DREARY Tuesday in March, Mrs. Bagley told her family she was going to Mars. It was a day
exactly like all others -- she always got up first, shook her husband, put on her robe, went to the kitchen
to make coffee, pounded on Joey's door until he grunted, and then went to shower and dress, passing
her husband who by then was finished with the bathroom. While she dressed and did her hair, Mr.
Bagley and Joey had breakfast: cold cereal, juice she had made the night before, toast.

When she returned to the kitchen the air was smoky; a piece of burned toast lay soaking up spilled milk
on the counter.

"Better take that toaster to the shop," her husband said, not looking up.

"Mom, " Joey said, "you got that ten dollars?"

"What ten dollars?"

Mr. Bagley didn't look up.

"I told you. After school we get measured for caps and gowns. I gotta put ten down..."

Somewhere water was falling. A silver trickle kissed mossy rocks, a thundering cascade ripped
house-sized boulders loose from the cliffs, crashed them down....

"... by six, I hope. Oh, yeah, can you spare a couple of bucks for gas?"

That was when she said, "I'm going to Mars."

Mr. Bagley, like a well-bred visitor who didn't overhear family matters, didn't look up.

Somewhere a star was going nova, a black hole was vacuuming space, a comet was combing its hair.

Mr. Bagley finished his cereal and pushed his bowl back. He had been talking "... seven calls, at least.
You won't be late if we leave now. Come on. You can eat at the cafeteria, can't you?"

"I haven't even had coffee yet!"

"You can drink it on the way to the bus. Come on or we'll both be late."

****

Her supervisor, Bentsen, said, "Mrs. Bagley, this is the third time in two weeks. Why?"

"It's rained three times these two weeks."

"We don't want to have to let you go, Mrs. Bagley, but... "