Чужак в чужой стране

           "Whyonlyone?Therearestillplacesleftintheworldwhereyoucanhavethefullquota."

           "No,myfriend.InthewisewordsoftheProphet,whiletheLegislationspermitfour,itisimpossibleforamantodealjustlywithmorethanone."

           "That’ssomerelief.Whichone?"

           "We’llhavetosee.Maryam,areyoufeelingspiritual?"

           "Yougotohell!‘Houris’indeed!"

           "Jill?"

           "Givemeabreak,"Benprotested."I’mstillworkingonJill."

           "Later,Jill.Anne?"

           "Sorry.I’vegotadate."

           "Dorcas?You’remylastchance."

           "Stinky,"shesaidsoftly,"justhowspiritualdoyouwantmetofeel?"

           WhenMikegotinsidethehouse,hewentstraightupstairstohisroom,closedthedoor,gotonthebed,assumedthefoetalposition,rolleduphiseyes,swallowedhistongue,andslowedhisheartalmosttonothing.HeknewthatJilldidnotlikehimtodothisinthedaytime,butshedidnotobjectaslongashedidnotdoitpublicly.Thereweresomanythingsthathemustnotdopublicly,butonlythisonereallyarousedherire.Hehadbeenwaitingtodothiseversincehehadleftthatroomofterriblewrongness;heneededverybadlytowithdrawandtrytogrokallthathadhappened.ForhehaddonesomethingelsethatJillhadtoldhimnotto.Hefeltaveryhumanurgetotellhimselfthatithadbeenforcedonhim,thatitwasnothisfault;buthisMartiantrainingdidnotpermithimthiseasyescape.Hehadarrivedatacusp,rightactionhadbeenrequired,thechoicehadbeenhis.