二十三章 、Maker(2/93)
"ButIdid．Y🙹oug⛘avemeshrim🀫psandsteak．"
"Thatwasthedaybeforeyesterday．Aren’tyouhungry?"
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowthatyo🚰🖿😚umentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitriandheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Maria🕾🏒nnahandedhi🖰macupofhotchocote．
"There🏉isfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．Why’tyoustayawakeandfindsomeworktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveade🎙👟troofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’m😴🅨🉇usedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthingistokeepupmyvita🌸🝃lity．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"saidMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwash♕mydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryingtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”saidtheoldma📂😄ntohiswife，”Sonnyboywr⛢🜇otetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Dimitricouldseelove，happiranquillity🏝🛄andasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Therewassom🃴⚝ethingworthwhileinth⛨🜼islifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdtur🍢nin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoD🔹🅢imitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduphisstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedthispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouchedsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayounggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curl🄠⚡💽edupinaheapontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherf🁋🄋ace．Sh🏛ewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"AreyouOK?"heaskedbendingo☊verher．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevoice．Dimitrikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”ItwasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippl🖚📊edandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadou🐷thissleepingbagandpre🀻🁻paredtosleep．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnor🗝🜥🄔malnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymorem🏌oney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．Ih🈵🂫emone📞y.”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tkno🙹w．Fifteen📂😄tosixteen，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoaskmore，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouw🅧antme?"
"Thatwasthedaybeforeyesterday．Aren’tyouhungry?"
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowthatyo🚰🖿😚umentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitriandheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Maria🕾🏒nnahandedhi🖰macupofhotchocote．
"There🏉isfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．Why’tyoustayawakeandfindsomeworktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveade🎙👟troofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’m😴🅨🉇usedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthingistokeepupmyvita🌸🝃lity．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"saidMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwash♕mydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryingtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”saidtheoldma📂😄ntohiswife，”Sonnyboywr⛢🜇otetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Dimitricouldseelove，happiranquillity🏝🛄andasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Therewassom🃴⚝ethingworthwhileinth⛨🜼islifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdtur🍢nin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoD🔹🅢imitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduphisstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedthispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouchedsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayounggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curl🄠⚡💽edupinaheapontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherf🁋🄋ace．Sh🏛ewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"AreyouOK?"heaskedbendingo☊verher．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevoice．Dimitrikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”ItwasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippl🖚📊edandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadou🐷thissleepingbagandpre🀻🁻paredtosleep．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnor🗝🜥🄔malnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymorem🏌oney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．Ih🈵🂫emone📞y.”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tkno🙹w．Fifteen📂😄tosixteen，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoaskmore，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouw🅧antme?"