Читать «Райский сад (The Garden of Eden)» онлайн - страница 8

"Do you like it? Feel it how smooth. Feel it in back," she said.

He felt it in back.

"Feel on my cheek and feel in front of my ear. Run your fingers up at the sides."

"You see," she said. "That's the surprise. I'm a girl. But now I'm a boy too and I can do anything and anything and anything."

"Sit here by me," he said. "What do you want, brother."

"Oh thank you," she said. "I'll take what you're having. You see why it's dangerous, don't you?"

"Yes. I see.

"But wasn't I good to do it?"

"Maybe."

"Not maybe. No. I thought about it. I've thought all about it. Why do we have to go by everyone else's rules? We're us.

"We were having a good time and I didn't feel any rules."

"Would you please just put your hand over it again."

He did and he kissed her.

"Oh you're sweet," she said. "And you do like it. I can feel and I can tell. You don't have to love it. Just like it at first."

"I like it," he said. "And you have such a beautifully shaped head that it is very beautiful with the lovely bones of your face."

"Don't you like it at the sides?" she asked. "It isn't faked or phony. It's a true boy's haircut and not from any beauty shop."

"Who cut it?"

"The coiffeur at Aigues Mortes. The one who cut your hair a week ago. You told him how you wanted yours cut then and I told him to cut mine just the same as yours. He was very nice and wasn't at all surprised. He wasn't worried at all. He said exactly like yours? And I said exactly. Doesn't it do anything to you, David?"

"Yes," he said.

"Stupid people will think it is strange. But we must be proud. I love to be proud."

"So do I," he said. "We'll start being proud now.

They sat there in the cafe and watched the reflection of the setting sun over the water and watched the dusk come to the town and they drank the fine l'eau. People came by the cafe without being rude to see the girl because they had been the only foreigners in the village and had been there now nearly three weeks and she was a great beauty and they liked her. Then there had been the big fish today and ordinarily there would have been much talk about that but this other was a big thing in the village too. No decent girls had ever had their hair cut short like that in this part of the country and even in Paris it was rare and strange and could be beautiful or could be very bad. It could mean too much or it could only mean showing the beautiful shape of a head that could never be shown as well.

They ate a steak for dinner, rare, with mashed potatoes and flageolets and a salad and the girl asked if they might drink Tavel. "It is a great wine for people that are in love," she said.

She had always looked, he thought, exactly her age which was now twenty-one. He had been very proud of her for that. But tonight she did not look it. The lines of her cheekbones showed clear as he had never seen them before and she smiled and her face was heartbreaking.

In the room it was dark with only a little light from outside. It was cool now with the breeze and the top sheet was gone from the bed.