Breakfast at Tiffany’s

CHAPTER TEN

The End of Holly’s Dreams?

But she wasn’t home. The next morning I went down to feed her cat. She still wasn’t there. I didn’t have a key to the apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира, so I used the fire escape. The cat was in the bedroom andAnd - та he wasn’t aloneAlone - один, самітний; лише. A man was there, standing over a suitcase.

I stepped through the window. The man had a handsome face andAnd - та shiny hair. He was packing Jose’s clothes into the suitcase. I looked at the shoes andAnd - та suits that Holly was alwaysAlways - завжди cleaning.

“Did Mr. Ybarra-Jaegar send you?” I askedAsked - запитав.

“I amAm - бути, перебувати his cousin,” he said, nervously. His English wasn’t good.

“Where is Jose?” I askedAsked - запитав.

He repeated the question slowly. “AhAh - ампер, where is he! He is waiting,” he said. Then he returned to the suitcase.

So Jose was running away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений . I wasn’t surprised, or sorry, but I was angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений .

The cousin closed the suitcase andAnd - та gave me a letter. “My cousin left this for his friend. Please give it to her.”

On the envelope was written: For Miss H. Golightly.

I sat down on Holly’s bed andAnd - та held Holly’s cat. I felt very, very sad.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ll give it to her.

I gave her the letter, though I didn’t want to.

It was two mornings later, andAnd - та I was sitting by her bed in a hospital room. The police took her there on the night afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... her arrestArrest - арешт.

When I arrivedArrived - прибув, приїхав, прийшов, I walked quietly toward her. I was carrying a pack of cigarettes andAnd - та some flowers. “Well, darling,” she greeted me, “I lost the baby.” She looked very young. Her pale hair was pushed back from her face, andAnd - та her eyes without their dark glasses were clear. Was she really so sick?

Yes, she was. “I almostAlmost - майже died,” she said. “The fat woman almostAlmost - майже had me. Have I told you about the fat woman? I didn’t know about her myself until my brother died. Then I saw her – she was there in the room with me. She was holding Fred in her armsArms - руки, зброя; обхопити рукою, о.... She was a terrible, fat old woman in a chair, with Fred on her knee, andAnd - та she was laughing! When you die, you meet her. The fat woman comes andAnd - та takes you. I saw her andAnd - та I went crazy. Then I broke up everything in the apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира. Do you understand?”

Except for O.J. Berman’s lawyer, I was her only visitor. There were three other patients in her room. They looked at me with interest andAnd - та spoke quietly in Italian.

Holly explained. “They think that you’re bad for me, darling. You’re the man who put me in here.”

“But that’s not true,” I said.

“I can’t tell them that. They don’t speak English. AndAnd - та I don’t want to destroy their fun.”

Then she askedAsked - запитав me about Jose. “Have you seen him, darling?”

When she saw the letter, she gave a little smile. Suddenly she seemed much older. “Darling,” she said. “Open that cupboard andAnd - та give me my purse. A girl can’t read a letter without her lipstick.”

Looking in a small mirror, she painted her face. She colored her eyes andAnd - та her mouth, put on her jewelry andAnd - та her dark glasses. Now she wasn’t a twelve-year-old child. She was a woman.

She opened the letter andAnd - та read it quickly. Her small smile grew smaller andAnd - та harder. She askedAsked - запитав for a cigarette andAnd - та started to smoke it. “It tastes terrible. But wonderful.” She threw the letter to me. “You can use this when you write a romance. Read it to me. I’d like to hear it.”

It began: “My dearest little girl -“

Holly stopped me. “What do you think of the writing?”

“It’s OK,” I said. “Tight, ordinary, easy to read.”

“That’s him,” she said. “Tight andAnd - та ordinary. What does he say?”

I know you areAre - бути, перебувати; ар different to other women. “My dearest little girl, I loved you. But Now I find that you areAre - бути, перебувати; ар too different. Imagine my sadness when I discovered your secrets in the newspapers. I have important plans for the future. I cannot marry a woman like you. I feel very sorry for you andAnd - та I amAm - бути, перебувати not angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений  with you. I hope you areAre - бути, перебувати; ар not angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений  with me. I must protect my family andAnd - та my name. Forget me, beautiful child. I have left New York City andAnd - та gone home. But I hope that God is alwaysAlways - завжди with you andAnd - та your child.

Jose.”

“What do you think?” she askedAsked - запитав.

“It seems quite honest. AndAnd - та he sounds sad,” I replied.

“Sad!”

“But you must understand that it’s hard for him -“

Holly didn’t want to understand anythingAnything - що. But she wasn’t angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений . “AllAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... right, he’s not totally bad. He has his reasons to leave. But I did love him.” She started to cry.

The Italian women looked angrilyAngrily - сердито, гнівно at me. I was pleased. They thought Holly loved me. I felt proud.

I offered her anotherAnother - інший, ще cigarette andAnd - та she stopped crying. “Thanks, darling. AndAnd - та thanks for being a bad rider. AllAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... that exercise did it. Thanks to you, I’m not going into a home for single mothers. The food in those places is terrible. But I’ve scared the police. ‘I lost the baby because your lesbian officer hit me!’ I told them. They’re going to pay me a lot of money to stay quiet! I’ll make sure they do.”

She was making jokes. She didn’t want to think about serious matters, about her arrestArrest - арешт andAnd - та the newspapers. She didn’t understand the reality of her position. “Holly,” I said, seriously. “This isn’t a joke. We have to make plans.”

“You’re too young to be serious. Too small. My problems areAre - бути, перебувати; ар my problems. You don’t need to think about them.”

“You’re my friend andAnd - та I’m worried. What areAre - бути, перебувати; ар you going to do?”

She looked out of the window. “Today’s Wednesday, isn’t it?” she said. “I’ll sleep until Saturday-get a good sleep. On Saturday morning, I’ll run out to the bank. Then I’ll go to the apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира andAnd - та pick up one or two nightdresses. Then I’ll go to Idlewild AirportAirport - аеропорт. AsAs - як you know, I have a ticket for a seat on anAn - невизначений артикль airplaneAirplane - літак. Because you’re my good friend, you can come to the airportAirport - аеропорт with me. You can wave goodbye to me.”

“Holly. Holly. You can’t do that.”

“Why not? Please stop disagreeing with me. I’m not running afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... Jose. Jose is history, I can’t remember him. But I have a good airplaneAirplane - літак ticket. I’m not going to throw it away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений . It’s alreadyAlready - вже, раніше paid for. AndAnd - та I’ve never been to Brazil.”

“You’re crazy! What medicine areAre - бути, перебувати; ар they giving you in here? Don’t you understand, you’re a criminal. If you leave the country, they’ll put you in prison. They’ll throw away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  the key to the prison door. If you go to Brazil, you can never come home againAgain - знову.”

“That’s not important. Home is where you’re happy. I’m still looking for my home.”

“No, Holly, it’s stupid. You’re not a criminal. You haven’t done anythingAnything - що wrong. The police will understand. You must stay here.”

She laughed andAnd - та blew cigarette smoke in my face. But she was listening to me. I looked into her eyes. She was thinking about prison rooms, andAnd - та doors that closed slowly…

“No!” she said. She put out her cigarette. “I’m going. Maybe the police won’t catch me. Don’t tell them anythingAnything - що about me. Don’t be angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений  with me, darling.”

She put her hand over mine. Suddenly she was speaking seriously. “I talked to the lawyer. Oh, I didn’t tell him anythingAnything - що about Rio. If I run away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений , O.J. has to pay ten thousand dollars. The lawyer doesn’t want to lose O.J.’s money. He’ll try to stop me. O.J.’s good to me, but I’ve helped him, too, in the past. I helped him win more than ten thousand dollars in a single game of cards.”

“No, this is the real problem: The police want me to speak in court againstAgainst - проти, всупереч, від Sally. They won’t put me in prison – they can’t prove anythingAnything - що againstAgainst - проти, всупереч, від me. But I refuse to hurt Sally. I’m not a good person, but I will never help send a friend to prison. Never. Not even a friend who’s clearly a criminal. Old Sally wasn’t alwaysAlways - завжди totally honest with me, but he’s OK. I’ll die before I help the police.”

She looked in her mirror andAnd - та smoothed her lipstick with her finger. “AndAnd - та there’s something more. Some places aren’t good for a girl. If I help the police, I can’t stay here. This neighborhood won’t be good for me. AndAnd - та that’s not good for a girl who does my kind of work, darling. I don’t want to be poor andAnd - та sad. I don’t want to watch Mrs. Rusty Trawler go in andAnd - та out of Tiffany’s. I can’t do that.”

A nurse came quietly into the room. It was time for visitors to leave the hospital.

Holly said one more thing before I left. “Do something for me, darling. Call one of the newspapers andAnd - та get a list of the fifty richest men in Brazil. This isn’t a joke. The fifty richest men – anyAny - який color, from anyAny - який family. AndAnd - та look aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... my apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира. Find that jewelry you gave me from Tiffany’s. I’ll need it in Brazil.”