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Tea and bagel with jelly (no butter). Daddy has his huge Tom Clancy book and I have Bowie - Hunky Dory. Ah, vacation tomorrow. And today's a short day. Aunt Jane comes and sits next to me. Oh, no. She has the Wall Street Journal, so she's quiet for a while as I eat. "How's the cat?" she finally asks in Russian. "Fine," I reply in English. "Is he going to school?" she asks in Russian. "No," I say in English again. "Why?" she asks in English now. "Because cats don't go to school." I roll my eyes and she's quiet. Soon, she's gone. I've just realized: people don't even look at each other on the train. There's a dark man and an Asian woman facing each other, holding on to a pole. When he looks up, she looks down. Even when they look straight ahead, their vision never meets. She adjusts her scarf and he keeps his hand in his pocket. She has ugly black shoes, and he has new-looking white sneakers. It's like an art, avoiding eye contact. Outside, it's a cold and soggy day. Even the trees are cold and soggy. They'll be selling tulips in school today. I think I'll buy one for myself. It's really spring, and there's Chambers. Bye. |