[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Beckie probably would have agreed with Justin had he said that. After all, she
was nostalgic for even the weak United States of the Articles of
Confederation. But he changed the subject instead. He didn't want her to start
wondering how he knew some of the things he was saying. What he did say was,
"I hope Mrs. Snodgrass pulls through. She seems like good people."
"She can be snippy sometimes, but she's a lot nicer than Gran that's for
sure," Beckie said. "I wonder what her chances are."
"Don't know," Justin said. That sounded better than not very good. Mrs.
Snodgrass wasn't young, and, if she had the military virus, it was specially
designed to kill people. This alternate's bioengineering was thirty or forty
years behind what they could do in the home timeline, but the viruses the home
timeline was able to cook up thirty or forty years ago were plenty nasty. He
went on, "I'm sure they're doing everything they can."
She could have taken that the wrong way she might have thought he was sneering
at this alternate's medicine. But she said, "Yeah, but how much do they know
in Parkersburg? She might die there even if she'd get better in Los Angeles."
People from the home timeline often thought of each alternate as a unit. That
was only natural. Compared to the people who'd lived in an alternate since
birth, Crosstime Traffic workers couldn't help being superficial. But every
alternate was as complicated as the home timeline. The locals understood that.
People like Justin had to pick it up as they went along. This California was
richer than this Virginia, and likely ahead of it in a lot of ways.
Or is that so? Justin wondered. Beckie thought it was, but she came from
California. She wasn't. . . what was the term? An objective witness, that was
it. What would Ted Snodgrass say about the quality of medicine in Parkersburg?
Would he know better than she did? He wasn't objective, either.
The more you looked at things, the more complicated they got. That was one of
the first really adult thoughts Justin had ever had, but he didn't even know
it.
He said, "They could probably do better in Charleston or Richmond than in
Parkersburg, too." Chances were that was true. Charleston was a real city, and
Richmond was the state capital. Anybody who was anybody went there.
"Sure." Beckie nodded quickly. "I didn't mean to say Virginia was backward or
anything, Justin."
"Okay," he said. Chances were she'd meant exactly that. This Virginia was
backward in some ways. Only somebody who lived here would say anything
different. Since Justin was supposed to live here, he had to act as if he did.
He felt like a hypocrite a lot of the time.
But Beckie worried about hurting his feelings. That was worth knowing.
"I hope we don't get it," she said.
"Yeah. Me, too," Justin said. "Every time I sneeze or I itch or I... do
anything, I guess, I start to wonder Is this it? Am I coming down with it?"
"Oh, good!" Beckie said.
"Good?"
"Good," she said firmly, and nodded again. "Because I feel the same way. It's
... a little scary." She paused, then added, "More than a little," and nodded
one more time. That took nerve, admitting how scared you really were.
Justin gave her a hug. She hugged him back, but she still looked relieved when
he didn't hold on real tight or get too grabby. "It'll be all right," he said
as he let her go. Then, since she'd been honest, he felt he had to do the
same: "I hope it'll be all right, anyway."
Every time Mr. Snodgrass' phone rang, Beckie jumped, afraid it would be the
hospital in Parkersburg with bad news. Mr. Snodgrass flinched, afraid of the
same thing. Gran didn't seem to act any different from the way she always had.
Maybe that meant she was holding things inside. Maybe it meant she didn't feel
anything much. Maybe it just meant she didn't hear the telephone ring. You
never could tell with Gran.
So far, the hospital hadn't called with the worst news. Mrs. Snodgrass was
still alive. But everybody in Elizabeth seemed to be calling to find out how
Page 59
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
she was. People from Palestine telephoned, too. Mr. Snodgrass seemed to think
that was a wonder. "Most of the time, the folks down in Palestine don't care
if we live or die, and we feel the same way about them," he said. "It's only a
couple of miles, but it might as well be the other side of the moon."
Beckie thought that was strange. Back in Los Angeles, a lot of her friends
lived farther from her than Palestine was from Elizabeth. Nobody there thought
anything of it. The city stretched for kilometer after kilometer. Things were [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
Beckie probably would have agreed with Justin had he said that. After all, she
was nostalgic for even the weak United States of the Articles of
Confederation. But he changed the subject instead. He didn't want her to start
wondering how he knew some of the things he was saying. What he did say was,
"I hope Mrs. Snodgrass pulls through. She seems like good people."
"She can be snippy sometimes, but she's a lot nicer than Gran that's for
sure," Beckie said. "I wonder what her chances are."
"Don't know," Justin said. That sounded better than not very good. Mrs.
Snodgrass wasn't young, and, if she had the military virus, it was specially
designed to kill people. This alternate's bioengineering was thirty or forty
years behind what they could do in the home timeline, but the viruses the home
timeline was able to cook up thirty or forty years ago were plenty nasty. He
went on, "I'm sure they're doing everything they can."
She could have taken that the wrong way she might have thought he was sneering
at this alternate's medicine. But she said, "Yeah, but how much do they know
in Parkersburg? She might die there even if she'd get better in Los Angeles."
People from the home timeline often thought of each alternate as a unit. That
was only natural. Compared to the people who'd lived in an alternate since
birth, Crosstime Traffic workers couldn't help being superficial. But every
alternate was as complicated as the home timeline. The locals understood that.
People like Justin had to pick it up as they went along. This California was
richer than this Virginia, and likely ahead of it in a lot of ways.
Or is that so? Justin wondered. Beckie thought it was, but she came from
California. She wasn't. . . what was the term? An objective witness, that was
it. What would Ted Snodgrass say about the quality of medicine in Parkersburg?
Would he know better than she did? He wasn't objective, either.
The more you looked at things, the more complicated they got. That was one of
the first really adult thoughts Justin had ever had, but he didn't even know
it.
He said, "They could probably do better in Charleston or Richmond than in
Parkersburg, too." Chances were that was true. Charleston was a real city, and
Richmond was the state capital. Anybody who was anybody went there.
"Sure." Beckie nodded quickly. "I didn't mean to say Virginia was backward or
anything, Justin."
"Okay," he said. Chances were she'd meant exactly that. This Virginia was
backward in some ways. Only somebody who lived here would say anything
different. Since Justin was supposed to live here, he had to act as if he did.
He felt like a hypocrite a lot of the time.
But Beckie worried about hurting his feelings. That was worth knowing.
"I hope we don't get it," she said.
"Yeah. Me, too," Justin said. "Every time I sneeze or I itch or I... do
anything, I guess, I start to wonder Is this it? Am I coming down with it?"
"Oh, good!" Beckie said.
"Good?"
"Good," she said firmly, and nodded again. "Because I feel the same way. It's
... a little scary." She paused, then added, "More than a little," and nodded
one more time. That took nerve, admitting how scared you really were.
Justin gave her a hug. She hugged him back, but she still looked relieved when
he didn't hold on real tight or get too grabby. "It'll be all right," he said
as he let her go. Then, since she'd been honest, he felt he had to do the
same: "I hope it'll be all right, anyway."
Every time Mr. Snodgrass' phone rang, Beckie jumped, afraid it would be the
hospital in Parkersburg with bad news. Mr. Snodgrass flinched, afraid of the
same thing. Gran didn't seem to act any different from the way she always had.
Maybe that meant she was holding things inside. Maybe it meant she didn't feel
anything much. Maybe it just meant she didn't hear the telephone ring. You
never could tell with Gran.
So far, the hospital hadn't called with the worst news. Mrs. Snodgrass was
still alive. But everybody in Elizabeth seemed to be calling to find out how
Page 59
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
she was. People from Palestine telephoned, too. Mr. Snodgrass seemed to think
that was a wonder. "Most of the time, the folks down in Palestine don't care
if we live or die, and we feel the same way about them," he said. "It's only a
couple of miles, but it might as well be the other side of the moon."
Beckie thought that was strange. Back in Los Angeles, a lot of her friends
lived farther from her than Palestine was from Elizabeth. Nobody there thought
anything of it. The city stretched for kilometer after kilometer. Things were [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]