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| 28 | |
| It seemed there was a woman and she was sitting near a lamp, which was where she belonged, in a good light. Another light shone hard on my face, so I closed my eyes again and tried to look at her through the lashes. She was so platinumed that her hair shone like a silver fruit bowl. She wore a green knitted dress with a broad white collar turned over it. There was a sharp-angled glossy bag at her feet. She was smoking and a glass of amber fluid was tall and pale at her elbow. | Činilo se da je tamo neka žena i da sjedi pokraj svjetiljke, gdje je i pripadala, u dobrom osvjetljenju. Drugo mi je svjetlo snažno blještalo u lice, i zato sam ponovno zatvorio oči i pokušao je gledati kroz trepavice. Bila je tako platini-rana da joj je kosa blistala poput srebrne zdjele za voće. Nosila je zelenu pletenu haljinu s posuvraćenim širokim bijelim ovratnikom. Kraj nogu joj je bila sjajna torbica oštrih uglova. Pušila je, a čaša jantarne tekućine pokraj njenog lakta bila je visoka i mutna. |
| I moved my head a little, carefully. It hurt, but not more than I expected. I was trussed like a turkey ready for the oven. Handcuffs held my wrists behind me and a rope went from them to my ankles and then over the end of the brown davenport on which I was sprawled. The rope dropped out of sight over the davenport. I moved enough to make sure it was tied down. | Mrvicu sam pomaknuo glavu, oprezno. Boljelo je, ali ne više no što sam očekivao. Bio sam podvezan kao puran spreman za pećnicu. Lisičine su mi držale zglavke za leđima, a od njih je išao konopac do gležnjeva, pa zatim preko kraja smeđe sofe na kojoj sam se rasprostro. Izvan nje, konopac je ispao iz vida. Pomakao sam se dovoljno da bih se uvjerio da je privezan. |
| I stopped these furtive movements and opened my eyes again and said: “Hello.” | Prestao sam s tim jalovim pokretima, ponovno otvorio oči i rekao: — Hej. |
| The woman withdrew her gaze from some distant mountain peak. Her small firm chin turned slowly. Her eyes were the blue of mountain lakes. Overhead the rain still pounded, with a remote sound, as if it was somebody else’s rain. | Žena je makla pogled s nekog udaljenog planinskog vrhunca. Njena se čvrsta mala bradica polako zakrenula. Oči su joj imale plavetnilo gorskih jezera. Iznad naših glava kiša je još i sad tukla, uz daleke zvukove, kao da je to nečija tuđa kiša. |
| “How do you feel?” It was a smooth silvery voice that matched her hair. It had a tiny tinkle in it, like bells in a doll’s house. I thought that was silly as soon as I thought of it. | — Kako se osjećate? — Bio je to tečan srebrni glas koji se slagao s njenom kosom. U njemu je bio sitni zvon, nalik na zvuk zvona iz kuće lutaka. Pomislio sam kako je to blesava misao istog trenutka kad sam je smislio. |
| “Great,” I said. “Somebody built a filling station on my jaw.” | — Izvanredno — rekoh. — Netko mi je sagradio pumpnu stanicu na čeljusti. |
| “What did you expect, Mr. Marlowe—orchids?” | — A što ste očekivali, mister Marlowe, orhideje? |
| “Just a plain pine box,” I said. “Don’t bother with bronze or silver handles. And don’t scatter my ashes over the blue Pacific. I like the worms better. Did you know that worms are of both sexes and that any worm can love any other worm?” | — Naprosto jednostavni jelov sanduk — rekoh. — Nemojte se gnjaviti brončanim ili srebrnim ručkama. I ne rasipajte mi pepeo po plavom Pacifiku. Više mi se dopadaju crvi. Znate li da su crvi oba spola i da svaki od njih može voljeti svakoga drugoga? |
| “You’re a little light-headed,” she said, with a grave stare. | — Pomalo ste lakomisleni — rekla je sa smrtno ozbiljnim pogledom. |
| “Would you mind moving this light?” She got up and went behind the davenport. The light went off. The dimness was a benison. | — Imate li što protiv da maknete to svjetlo? Ustala je i pošla iza sofe. Svjetlo se ugasilo. Polumrak je bio blagoslov. |
| “I don’t think you’re so dangerous,” she said. She was tall rather than short, but no bean-pole. She was slim, but not a dried crust. She went back to her chair. | — Ne mislim da ste tako opasni — rekla je. Bila je prije visoka no niska, ali ipak ne nalik na kolac za grah. Bila je tanka, ali ipak nije podsjećala na koricu kruha. Vratila se u svoju stolicu. |
| “So you know my name.” | — I tako, znate kako se zovem. |
| “You slept well. They had plenty of time to go through your pockets. They did everything but embalm you. So you’re a detective.” | — Dobro ste spavali. Bilo je prilično vremena da vam prođu kroz džepove. Učinili su s vama sve osim balzamira-nja. I tako, vi ste detektiv. |
| “Is that all they have on me?” | — Je li to sve što imaju o meni? |
| She was silent. Smoke floated dimly from the cigarette. She moved it in the air. Her hand was small and had shape, not the usual bony garden tool you see on women nowadays. | Tišina. Dim se mutno lelujao od cigarete. Pomaknula ju je kroz zrak. Ruka joj je bila mala i imala je oblik, nije bila uobičajena vrtna alatka kakvu u današnje vrijeme viđate u žena. |
| “What time is it?” I asked. | — Koliko je sati? — upitah. |
| She looked sideways at her wrist, beyond the spiral of smoke, at the edge of the grave luster of the lamplight. “Ten-seventeen. You have a date?” | Pogledala je postrance na zapešće, što je bilo s druge strane spirale dima, na rubu dostojanstvenog bljeska svjetla svjetiljke. — Deset i sedamnaest. Imate sudar? |
| “I wouldn’t be surprised. Is this the house next to Art Huck’s garage?” | — Ne bih se iznenadio. Je li ova kuća odmah do garaže Arta Hucka? |
| “Yes.” | — Da. |
| “What are the boys doing—digging a grave?” | — Što dečki rade? Kopaju grob? |
| “They had to go somewhere.” | — Morali su nekamo otići. |
| “You mean they left you here alone?” Her head turned slowly again. She smiled. “You don’t look dangerous.” | — Hoćete reći da su vas ostavili samu? Glava joj se ponovno polako okrenula. Nasmiješila se. — Ne izgledate opasno. |
| “I thought they were keeping you a prisoner.” | — Mislio sam da vas drže kao zatočenika. |
| It didn’t seem to startle her. It even slightly amused her. “What made you think that?” | Nije se činilo kao da ju je to zaprepastilo. Čak se činilo da ju je to malkice zabavljalo. — Što vas je navelo na takvu misao? |
| “I know who you are.” | — Znam tko ste vi. |
| Her very blue eyes flashed so sharply that I could almost see the sweep of their glance, like the sweep of a sword. Her mouth tightened. But her voice didn’t change. | Njene su vrlo plave oči bljesnule tako oštro, da sam gotovo mogao vidjeti zamah pogleda, kao što bih vidio zamah mača. Usta su joj se stisla. Ali joj se glas nije izmijenio. |
| “Then I’m afraid you’re in a bad spot. And I hate killing.” | — Onda se bojim da ste na gadnome mjestu. A mrzim ubijanje. |
| “And you Eddie Mars’ wife? Shame on you.” | — A Eddijeva ste žena? Sram vas bilo. |
| She didn’t like that. She glared at me. I grinned. “Unless you can unlock these bracelets, which I’d advise you not to do, you might spare me a little of that drink you’re neglecting.” | To joj se nije dopalo. Zapiljila se u mene. Ja sam se nacerio. — Ukoliko mi već ne možete otključati te narukvice, što bih vam preporučio da ne učinite, mogli biste mi ustupiti malo tog pića što ga zanemarujete. |
| She brought the glass over. Bubbles rose in it like false hopes. She bent over me. Her breath was as delicate as the eyes of a fawn. I gulped from the glass. She took it away from my mouth and watched some of the liquid run down my neck. | Donijela mi je čašu. Mjehurićisu se iskrili u njoj poputlažnijinadania. Nagnula se~na51mene. Dah joj je" bio profinjen Eao oči laneta. Gutnuo sam iz čaše. Odmakla mi ju je od usta gledajući kako mi se dio tekućine slijeva niz vrat. |
| She bent over me again. Blood began to move around in me, like a prospective tenant looking over a house. | Ponovno se nadvila nad mene. Krv mi se počela šet-kati kroz tijelo, nalik na potencijalnog stanara kad obilazi kuću. |
| “Your face looks like a collision mat,” she said. | — Lice vam izgleda kao cerada za šuperenje — rekla Je- |
| “Make the most of it. It won’t last long even this good.” | — Nagledajte ga se koliko možete. Čak ni takvo neće dugo trajati. |
| She swung her head sharply and listened. For an instant her face was pale. The sounds were only the rain drifting against the walls. She went back across the room and stood with her side to me, bent forward a little, looking down at the floor. | Oštro je trznula glavom i naćulila uši. Lice joj je na trenutak problijedilo. Zvukovi su bili samo od kiše zanesene na zidove. Vratila se preko sobe i stala mi bočno okrenuta, malo povijena prema naprijed, i zagledala se u pod. |
| “Why did you come here and stick your neck out?” she asked quietly. “Eddie wasn’t doing you any harm. You know perfectly well that if I hadn’t hid out here, the police would have been certain Eddie murdered Rusty Regan.” | — Zašto ste došli amo i stavili glavu na panj ? — tiho je upitala. — Eddie vam nije učinio nikakvo zlo. Znali ste savršeno dobro, da se nisam sakrila amo, onda bi policija bila sigurna da je Eddie ubio Rustvja Regana. |
| “He did,” I said. | — I jest — rekoh. |
| She didn’t move, didn’t change position an inch. Her breath made a harsh quick sound. I looked around the room. Two doors, both in the same wall, one half open. A carpet of red and tan squares, blue curtains at the windows, a wallpaper with bright green pine trees on it. The furniture looked as if it had come from one of those places that advertise on bus benches. Gay, but full of resistance. | Nije se pomakla, nije ni za prst promijenila položaj. Dah joj je proizveo oštar brzi zvuk. Pogledao sam uokolo po sobi. Dvoja vrata, oboja na istome zidu, jedna od njih napola otvorena. Tepih od crvenih i smeđih kvadrata, plave zavjese na prozorima, papirnate tapete sa svijetlozelenim borovima na sebi. Namještaj je izgledao kao da je nabavljen na jednom od onih mjesta koja reklamiraju po auto-busnim platformama. Živahan, ali odbojan. |
| She said softly: “Eddie didn’t do anything to him. I haven’t seen Rusty in months. Eddie’s not that sort of man.” | Rekla je meko: — Eddie mu nije ništa učinio. Nisam vidjela Rustvja mjesecima. Eddie nije takav tip čovjeka. |
| “You left his bed and board. You were living alone. People at the place where you lived identified Regan’s photo.” | — Napustili ste njegov stan i hranu. Živite sami. Ljudi s adrese na kojoj ste živjeli prepoznali su Reganovu fotografiju. |
| “That’s a lie,” she said coldly. | — To je laž — rekla je hladno. |
| I tried to remember whether Captain Gregory had said that or not. My head was too fuzzy. I couldn’t be sure. | Pokušavao sam se prisjetiti je li to kapetan Gregorv rekao ili nije. Glava mi je bila previše zbrkana. Nisam mogao biti siguran. |
| “And it’s none of your business,” she added. | — I sve to skupa nisu vaša posla — dodala je. |
| “The whole thing is my business. I’m hired to find out.” | — Sve to skupa jest moj posao. Unajmili su me da otkrijem. |
| “Eddie’s not that sort of man.” | — Eddie nije takav tip čovjeka. |
| “Oh, you like racketeers.” | — O, dopadaju vam se šverceri. |
| “As long as people will gamble there will be places for them to gamble.” | — Sve dok se ljudi budu kockali, bit će mjesta na kojima će se kockati. |
| “That’s just protective thinking. Once outside the law you’re all the way outside. You think he’s just a gambler. I think he’s a pornographer, a blackmailer, a hot car broker, a killer by remote control, and a suborner of crooked cops. He’s whatever looks good to him, whatever has the cabbage pinned to it. Don’t try to sell me on any high-souled racketeers. They don’t come in that pattern.” | — To je samo obrambeni mehanizam. Kad ste jednom izvan zakona, onda ste sasvim izvan njega. Mislite da je on samo kockar. A ja mislim da je i pornograf, ucjenjivač, trgovac popaljenim automobilima, ubojica pomoću daljinskog upravljanja i podstrekač falšivih zbira. On je sve ono što mu se čini dobrim za njega, sve na što je prikačeno malo šuštavih. Ne pokušavajte mi prodati nekakvu finu dušicu, kad je švercer u pitanju. Ne pojavljuju se takvi brojevi. |
| “He’s not a killer.” Her nostrils flared. | — On nije ubojica. — Nosnice su joj planule. |
| “Not personally. He has Canino. Canino killed a man tonight, a harmless little guy who was trying to help somebody out. I almost saw him killed.” | — Nije osobno. On ima Canina. Canino je noćas ubio čovjeka, bezazlenog malog momka koji je pokušavao pomoći nekome da se izvuče. Gotovo sam vidio kako ga ubija. |
| She laughed wearily. | Umorno se nasmijala. |
| “All right,” I growled. “Don’t believe it. If Eddie is such a nice guy, I’d like to get to talk to him without Canino around. You know what Canino will do—beat my teeth out and then kick me in the stomach for mumbling.” | — U redu — zarežao sam. — Nemojte u to povjerovati. Ako je Eddie tako krasan momak, volio bih govoriti s njim bez Canina u blizini. Vi znate što će Canino učiniti: izbit će mi zube i onda me ritnuti u trbuh zato što frfljam. |
| She put her head back and stood there thoughtful and withdrawn, thinking something out. | Zabacila je glavu i zastala zamišljena i daleka, domišljajući se nečemu. |
| “I thought platinum hair was out of style,” I bored on, just to keep sound alive in the room, just to keep from listening. | — Mislio sam da platinasta kosa nije više u stilu — nastavio sam kljucati, naprosto da održim živu dušu u toj sobi, samo da ne moram slušati. |
| “It’s a wig, silly. While mine grows out.” She reached up and yanked it off. Her own hair was clipped short all over, like a boy’s. She put the wig back on. | — To je vlasulja, ludo. Dok moja ne izraste. — Posegnula je i otrgla je. Njena je kosa bila kratko oštrigana po čitavoj glavi, nalik na dječačku. Vratila je periku. |
| “Who did that to you?” | — Tko vam je to učinio? |
| She looked surprised. “I had it done. Why?” | Djelovala je iznenađeno. — Ja sam to učinila. Zašto? |
| “Yes. Why?” | — Da. Zašto? |
| “Why, to show Eddie I was willing to do what he wanted me to do—hide out. That he didn’t need to have me guarded. I wouldn’t let him down. I love him.” | — Zašto, zato da pokažem Eddiju da sam voljna učiniti sve što želi da učinim, da se sklonim. Da me ne mora držati pod stražom. Ne bih ga iznevjerila. Ja ga volim. |
| “Good grief,” I groaned. “And you have me right here in the room with you.” | — Sto mu jada — prostenjao sam. •— A tu me držite usred ove sobe sa sobom. |
| She turned a hand over and stared at it. Then abruptly she walked out of the room. She came back with a kitchen knife. She bent and sawed at my rope. | Preokrenula je dlan i zagledala se u nj. Tada je naglo otišla iz sobe. Vratila se s kuhinjskim nožem. Nagnula se i prerezala mi konopac. |
| “Canino has the key to the handcuffs,” she breathed. “I can’t do anything about those.” | — Canino ima ključ lisičina — dahnula je. — Tu ne mogu ništa učiniti. |
| She stepped back, breathing rapidly. She had cut the rope at every knot. | Otkoračila je, brzo dišući. Prerezala je konopac u svakome čvoru. |
| “You’re a kick,” she said. “Kidding with every breath—the spot you’re in.” | — Laćarni ste — rekla je. — Zezate se kod svakog udisaja, a na kakvom ste mjestu. |
| “I thought Eddie wasn’t a killer.” | — Mislio sam da Eddie nije ubojica. |
| She turned away quickly and went back to her chair by the lamp and sat down and put her face in her hands. I swung my feet to the floor and stood up. I tottered around, stiff legged. The nerve on the left side of my face was jumping in all its branches. I took a step. I could still walk. I could run, if I had to. | Brzo se okrenula i vratila u stolicu kraj svjetiljke, sjela i zabila lice u dlanove. Zamahom sam spustio noge na pod i ustao. Zateturao sam, još ukočen. Živac mi je na lijevoj strani lica skakutao u svim ograncima. Napravio sam korak. Još sam mogao hodati. Mogao sam i potrčati, da je ustrebalo. |
| “I guess you mean me to go,” I said. She nodded without lifting her head. | — Pretpostavljam da ste mislili da odem. Kimnula je ne podigavši glavu. |
| “You’d better go with me—if you want to keep on living.” | — Bolje vam je da pođete sa mnom ... ako želite nastaviti živjeti. |
| “Don’t waste time. He’ll be back any minute.” | — Ne rasipajte vrijeme. Može se vratiti svakog časa. |
| “Light a cigarette for me.” | — Zapalite mi cigaretu. |
| I stood beside her, touching her knees. She came to her feet with a sudden lurch. Our eyes were only inches apart. | Stao sam kraj nje, dodirujući joj koljena. Našla se na nogama naglo se nagnuvši naprijed. Oči su nam bile samo desetak centimetara daleko. |
| “Hello, Silver-Wig,” I said softly. | — Zdravo, Srebrna Periko — rekao sam nježno. |
| She stepped back, around the chair, and swept a package of cigarettes up off the table. She jabbed one loose and pushed it roughly into my mouth. Her hand was shaking. She snapped a small green leather lighter and held it to the cigarette. I drew in the smoke, staring into her lake-blue eyes. While she was still close to me I said: | Otkoračila je, pa obišla oko stolice i pomela kutiju cigareta sa stola. Izbila je jednu i grubo mi je gurnula u usta. Ruka joj se tresla. Škljocnula je malim zelenim kožnim upaljačem i pridržala ga kod cigarete. Povukao sam dim, zureći u njene jezerski plave oči. Dok mi je još bila blizu, rekao sam joj: |
| “A little bird named Harry Jones led me to you. A little bird that used to hop in and out of cocktail bars picking up horse bets for crumbs. Picking up information too. This little bird picked up an idea about Canino. One way and another he and his friends found out where you were. He came to me to sell the information because he knew—how he knew is a long story—that I was working for General Sternwood. I got his information, but Canino got the little bird. He’s a dead little bird now, with his feathers ruffled and his neck limp and a pearl of blood on his beak. Canino killed him. But Eddie Mars wouldn’t do that, would he, Silver-Wig? He never killed anybody. He just hires it done.” | — Mala me ptičica imenom Harry Jones dovela do vas. Mala ptičica što je običavala skakati nutra-van po koktel--barovima skupljajući uloge na konje za mrvice. Skupljaju- ci također i informacije. I tako je ta mala ptičica pokupila ideju o Caninu. Ovako ili onako, on i njegovi prijatelji otkrili su gdje se nalazite. Došao mi je prodati informaciju zato što je doznao — a kako je doznao to je duga priča — da radim za generala Sternwooda. Ja sam dobio svoju informaciju, no Canino je dobio malu ptičicu. On je sad mrtva ptičica, s perjem raščupanim, vratom omlitavjelim i biserom krvi na kljunu. Canino ga je ubio. Ali Eddie Mars to ne bi učinio, je li da ne bi, Srebrna Periko? Nikad on nije ubio nikoga. On samo plaća da se to učini. |
| “Get out,” she said harshly. “Get out of here quick.” | — Idite — rekla je hrapavo. — Idite brzo odavle. |
| Her hand clutched in midair on the green lighter. The fingers strained. The knuckles were as white as snow. | Ruka joj je, podignuta, grčevito stiskala zeleni upaljač. Prsti su joj se napeli. Zglobovi su joj bili bijeli kao snijeg. |
| “But Canino doesn’t know I know that,” I said. “About the little bird. All he knows is I’m nosing around.” | — Ali Canino ne zna da ja to znam — rekoh. — To o maloj ptičici. Sve što zna jest da guram nos uokolo. |
| Then she laughed. It was almost a racking laugh. It shook her as the wind shakes a tree. I thought there was puzzlement in it, not exactly surprise, but as if a new idea had been added to something already known and it didn’t fit. Then I thought that was too much to get out of a laugh. | Tada se nasmijala. Bio je to gotovo mučenički smijeh. Zatresao ju je kao što vjetar trese drvo. Učinilo mi se da je u njemu zabuna, ne baš točno iznenađenost, već kao da je nova misao bila dodana nečemu što je već znala, no što se nikako nije slagalo. A onda sam pomislio, previše je toga a da bi se moglo izvući iz smijeha. |
| “It’s very funny,” she said breathlessly. “Very funny, because, you see—I still love him. Women—” She began to laugh again. | — To je jako smiješno — rekla je bez daha. — Jako smiješno jer, vidite, još ga volim. Žene... — Ponovno se počela smijati. |
| I listened hard, my head throbbing. Just the rain still. “Let’s go,” I said. “Fast.” | Napeto sam slušao, dok mi je vi glavi tuklo. Uvijek samo kiša. — Idemo — rekoh. — Brzo. |
| She took two steps back and her face set hard. “Get out, you! Get out! You can walk to Realito. You can make it—and you can keep your mouth shut—for an hour or two at least. You owe me that much.” | Odstupila je dva koraka a lice joj se stvrdnulo. —r Idite vi! Idite! Možete pješice do Realita. Možete uspjeti, i držati usta zatvorena, sat ili dva, u najmanju ruku. Toliko mi dugujete. |
| “Let’s go,” I said. “Got a gun, Silver-Wig?” | — Idemo — rekoh. — Imate pištolj, Srebrna Periko? |
| “You know I’m not going. You know that. Please, please get out of here quickly.” | — Znate da ne idem. Znate to. Molim vas, molim, idite brzo odavde. |
| I stepped up close to her, almost pressing against her. “You’re going to stay here after turning me loose? Wait for that killer to come back so you can say so sorry? A man who kills like swatting a fly. Not much. You’re going with me, Silver-Wig.” | Zakoračio sam joj bliže, gotovo je pritisnuvši. — Ostat ćete ovdje nakon što ste me oslobodili? Čekati tog ubojicu da se vrati pa da mu možete kazati jako mi je žao? Čovjeku koji ubija kao da mlati muhe. Ne više. Idete sa mnom, Srebrna Periko. |
| “No.” | — Ne. |
| “Suppose,” I said thinly. “Your handsome husband did kill Regan? Or suppose Canino did, without Eddie’s knowing it. Just suppose. How long will you last, after turning me loose?” | — Pretpostavite — rekao sam tankim glasom. — Recimo da vaš lijepi mužić jest ubio Regana. Ili pretpostavite da je to učinio Canino, bez Eddijeva znanja. Samo pretpostavite. Koliko ćete potrajati, nakon što ste me oslobodili? |
| “I’m not afraid of Canino. I’m still his boss’s wife.” | — Ne bojim se Canina. Još sam žena njegova gazde. |
| “Eddie’s a handful of mush,” I snarled. “Canino would take him with a teaspoon. He’ll take him the way the cat took the canary. A handful of mush. The only time a girl like you goes for a wrong gee is when he’s a handful of mush.” | — Eddie je pregršt pljeve — zarežao sam. — Canino će ga skupiti čajnom žličicom. Sredit će ga kao mačka kanarinca. Pregršt pljeve. Jedini put kad cura poput vas ode za krivog čilea, to je kad je on pregršt pljeve. |
| “Get out!” she almost spit at me. | — Van! — Gotovo je pljunula na mene. |
| “Okay.” I turned away from her and moved out through the half-open door into a dark hallway. Then she rushed after me and pushed past to the front door and opened it. She peered out into the wet blackness and listened. She motioned me forward. | — Okej. — Okrenuo sam se od nje i otišao kroz napola otvorena vrata u mračno predvorje. Tad je poletjela za mnom, progurala se kraj mene do ulaznih vrata i otvorila ih. Zirnula je van u mokru crninu i oslušnula. Dala mi je znak da produžim. |
| “Goodbye,” she said under her breath. “Good luck in everything but one thing. Eddie didn’t kill Rusty Regan. You’ll find him alive and well somewhere, when he wants to be found.” | — Zbogom — rekla je ispod glasa. — I sretno u svemu osim u jednoj stvari. Eddie nije ubio Rustvja Regana. Naći ćete ga živog i zdravog negdje, kad poželi da ga nađete. |
| I leaned against her and pressed her against the wall with my body. I pushed my mouth against her face. I talked to her that way. | Nagnuo sam se prema njoj i tijelom je pritisnuo na zid. Pružio sam usta prema njenom licu. Govorio sam joj na takav način. |
| “There’s no hurry. All this was arranged in advance, rehearsed to the last detail, timed to the split second. Just like a radio program. No hurry at all. Kiss me, Silver-Wig.” | — Nema žurbe. Sve je to bilo unaprijed pripremljeno, uvježbano do posljednjeg detalja, tempirano do djelića sekunde. Baš kao radio-program. Nema žurbe uopće. Poljubi me, Srebrna Periko. |
| Her face under my mouth was like ice. She put her hands up and took hold of my head and kissed me hard on the lips. Her lips were like ice, too. | Njeno je lice pod mojim usnama bilo poput leda. Podigla je ruke, uhvatila mi glavu i čvrsto me poljubila u usta. I usne su joj bile poput leda. |
| I went out through the door and it closed behind me, without sound, and the rain blew in under the porch, not as cold as her lips. | Izišao sam kroz vrata i ona su se za mnom zatvorila, bez zvuka, a kišu je zapuhalo pod trijem, kišu hladnu kao njezine usne. |