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.What had happened to me? What had he done?I felt like screaming.Panic seized my feet, froze me in place.I stood there embracing myself, my mouth open in a silent cry, trembling.And that was how Ami found me, nearlytwenty minutes later.17All Orphans."What's the matter with you, Celeste?" Ann asked, her face twisting before me as if it were made of rubber.I wavered as if I was standing on a ship at sea, tossed about in a small storm."I don't.I think.did Basil come back last night?""Basil? No, of course not.He went to the hospital.Remember? The accident at the warehouse?What's this all about? Why ask about Basil?"Yes, why ask about Basil? I wondered and then remembered."Smell my bed, my sheets, my blanket," I said."Why? Did Mrs.Cukor put garlic in them again?""No, it's something worse.It has nothing to do with Mrs.Cukor."She pulled in the corners of her lips andlowered her chin."Are you still drunk?""Smell them!" I cried."I will not.That's the stupidest request.Go take your shower and come down to breakfast and stop this nonsense immediately," she ordered, and then she smiled."Later, we'll do something together, take a nice ride, maybe to the discount shopping center they just built.""Look at my neck, my breasts.Look at my thighs!" I demanded."So?""I have blotches, black and blue marks," I said, pointing them out to her."Oh, I get that often myself," she said."It's nothing.Maybe you're allergic to something.I'll take you to see the doctor if it continues.""It's not an allergy.I was."What was I? Why couldn't I remember exactly what had happened? Had it been a dream? How could it have been?"You were what, Celeste?""Why was I naked when I woke up?""How would I know? You probably had a hot spell or something from drinking and tossed your nightgown off.Then you hallucinated, and now you're just confused.It's nothing.It happens to people when they drink too much.You're not used to wine and cognac.It's nothing terrible.Take a shower.Get dressed.Eat something, and it will pass.You'll see,"she promised."Hurry up.I'm actually somewhat hungry myself."I shook my head.I wasn't making sense tomyself.How could I make any to her?I nodded and returned to the bathroom toshower.Even afterward, I felt listless and still half-dazed.I ate very little for breakfast and found myself dozing off periodically.I noticed Mrs.Cukor studying me with some interest, but saying or doing nothing.Afterward, Ami went up to dress for our ride and told me to do the same, but when I got back to my bedroom, I lay down for a moment, and the next thing I knew, it was nearly four-thirty.This time, when I woke up, I did feel a little better.I threw some cold water on my face and went to look for Ami.Mrs.McAlister said she had gone, but she'd left a message for me that she had looked in on me, seen I was asleep, and decided to let me rest."She said she'll come to you the moment she's home," Mrs.McAlister added, annoyed that she had to pass messages on to me.Now I felt bad about missing school, so Ireturned to my room and called Trevor."I was afraid to call you again," he said immediately."You sounded so weird this morning.""I know.I mean, I can imagine.I don't remember much about the morning.I thought you and I had spoken, but I wasn't sure it wasn't a dream.""Wow, what did you have to drink last night?""We celebrated my passing my driving test.Basil came to dinner, and I drank too much wine and cognac, guess," I said.Some details began to rush back."But there were two accidents, one involving the plant's manager's wife and one involving an employee.I haven't seen Wade yet, so I don't know how everyone is.""Oh," he said, not sounding very interested."Well, how are you now?""Better, I think.What did I miss at school?""Not much.A surprise quiz in math.Lynette Fire-stone was dying to know why you weren't in school.She wasn't the only one asking after you.You'd think some of these kids didn't have a life.""Maybe they don't," I said."You'll be at school tomorrow?""Yes, of course," I said."Okay.I'm sure it won't take you long to catch up." I heard a knock on my door."I'll call you later," I said."I think Ami's here."Just as I hung up, she entered."How are you?" she asked."Better, I think.I still feel confused.""Oh, you'll be fine," she said."Sorry I left you, but you were so dead asleep, I didn't have the heart to wake you.Guess what? Wade's not coming home for dinner again tonight.There's a big brouhaha at the plant.The accident might not have been an accident.""Why not?""Seems two employees were angry at each other, and one might have caused it to happen to the other.The police have been there all day, investigating.Newspapers heard about it already.Wade's over-wrought.Basil’s been there all day, too.Nothing's ever easy anymore," she said, which came as a surprise out of her mouth.As far as I could tell, everything was easy for Ami."How sad," I said."It's just the two of us again.""Again? Basil was here with us last night, wasn't he?" I asked.She had me wondering even about that."Oh, yes, but I was referring to Wade.Anyway, let's just have a nice dinner and relax until he comes home with his stories."She left, and I concentrated on the homework I hadn't finished the day before.Later, as she said, it was just the two of us for dinner.Mrs.Cukor wasn't there to serve; Mrs.McAlister did it all.I had a little more appetite, but nothing like I normally did, whereas Ami seemed ravenous.Despite all the turmoil around us, she was bubbling with energy and very gabby.Actually, my head spun as she jumped from one topic to another, describing new clothes, a new restaurant, a show we should see in New York City, men who flirted with her in the mall, and a bank teller who had the audacity to wonder aloud why she was withdrawing so much cash.I don't think I got in two words.We went to the den to watch television and wait for Wade's return.Ami said I was dozing on and off again, and it would probably be best for me to get an early night's rest.I thought she was right, so I went up to my bedroom and prepared for sleep.Ten minutes later she came bursting in."Oh, I'm so sorry," she said."I nearly neglected you.""What do you mean?""I've been so selfish all day, shopping, talking to friends, I forgot to see the doctor about your pills.I promise I'll do it tomorrow.""I'm not worried about that," I said."You don't understand, Celeste.It doesn't just work after one pill.You can't take one and stop.You have to be on a regimen.Here," she said, holding out another small white tablet."Take another one of mine until I set you up.Go on.Otherwise, the first one would be a waste."I took it and looked at it."What does this mean?" I asked."What?""Roche?""Oh, that's just the pharmaceutical company.Here," she said, going to the bathroom to get me a glass of water.I hesitated a moment, and then, with herstanding and waiting impatiently, I took the pill."Good.Now get a nice rest," she said, and left.Soon after I got into bed, I began to feel listless again, but it wasn't unpleasant.I felt more like I was floating, more like what people described as having a nice buzz on.Even with my eyes open, I was dreaming, cruising on a cloud.I wasn't sure how much time had passed or if I was actually asleep, but the sounds I heard around me seemed to become more and more distant.I was then suddenly aware of being sexually aroused [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]