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Four
"Comeon,"saidRichardtoAnaesthesia,feelingthatthebenchhadstartedtobecomealessdesirableneighborhood.Theygotupandwalkedaway.Anaesthesiapeeredback,curiously,atthecoupleonthebench,whoweregraduallybecomingmorehorizontal.
Richardsaidnothing."Somethingwrong?"askedAnaesthesia.
"Onlyeverything,"saidRichard."Haveyoualwaysliveddownthere?"
"Nah.Iwasbornuphere,"shehesitated."Youdon’twanttohearaboutme."Richardrealized,almostsurprised,thathereallydid.
"Ido.Really."
Shefingeredtheroughquartzbeadsthathunginanecklacearoundherneck,andsheswallowed."Therewasmeandmymotherandthetwins..."shesaid,andthenshestoppedtalking.Hermouthclampedshut.
"Goon,"saidRichard."It’sallright.Reallyitis.Honest."
Thegirlnodded.Shetookadeepbreath,andthenshebegantotalk,withoutlookingathimasshetalked,hereyesfixedonthegroundaheadofher."Well,mymotherhadmean’mysisters,butshegotabitfunnyinthehead.OnedayIgothomefromschool,andshewascryingandcrying,andshedidn’thaveanyclotheson,andshewasbreakingstuff.Platesandstuff.Butsheneverhurtus.Sheneverdid.Theladyfromthesocialservicescameandtookthetwinsaway,an’Ihadtogoandstaywithmyaunt.Shewaslivingwiththisman.Ididn’tlikehim.Andwhenshewasoutofthehouse..."Thegirlpaused;shewasquietforsolongthatRichardwonderedifshehadfinished.Thenshebeganoncemore,"Anyway.
