Breakfast at Tiffany’s

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Holly Leaves New York

The sky was red on Friday night andAnd - та there was a bad storm. On Saturday it was raining heavily. Saturday, the day Holly was leaving New York.

“This weather is only good for fish,” I said to her. “Your airplaneAirplane - літак can’t fly today.”

But Holly wasn’t listening to me. She continued to prepare for her trip to Brazil.

I did most of the work. Holly didn’t want to come to the apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира building. She was right, too. People were watching the building allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... the time. Sometimes one man, sometimes more, stood aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... on the sidewalk. Maybe they were police, or reporters; maybe they were just other interested people. It was impossible to tell.

So Holly left the hospital andAnd - та went to a bank. Then she went immediately to Joe Bell’s bar.

Later that day, Joe came to my apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира. “Nobody followed her, she thinks,” he said. “She wants to meet you at the bar in about half anAn - невизначений артикль hour. AndAnd - та bring some things for her. Her jewelry. Her guitar. Her shoes andAnd - та her lipsticks. AndAnd - та a bottle of hundred-year-old brandy. She says you’ll find it under her dirty clothes. Oh, andAnd - та the cat. She wants the cat.”

He stopped talking for a minute. Then he said, “But maybe it’s wrong to help her. She does some crazy things. She’ll get into more trouble. Maybe we should stop her andAnd - та tell the police. They’ll keep her here. I’ll go back to the bar andAnd - та give her a few drinks. Maybe she’ll decide not to take the flight.”

I ran up andAnd - та down the fire escape between Holly’s apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира andAnd - та mine.

It was very windy andAnd - та my clothes were soon wet from the rain. AndAnd - та the cat attackedAttacked - напав, атакував, здійснив н... me. He bit me until my hands were covered in blood. He didn’t want to leave the warm apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира in bad weather.

Quickly, I found the things she wanted. I even found the jewelry from Tiffany’s. Everything was piled on the floor of my room. Dresses andAnd - та underclothes andAnd - та dancing shoes andAnd - та pretty things. I felt very sad asAs - як I packed them in Holly’s suitcase. There were too many things for one suitcase, so I put some of her clothes in paper grocery bags.

Then there was the cat. He was still fighting me. I couldn’t carry him andAnd - та the suitcase andAnd - та the bags. Finally, I found anAn - невизначений артикль old cloth bag, put him inside, andAnd - та tied the top.

Many years agoAgo - тому, I walked from New Orleans to Nancy’s Landing, Mississippi, almostAlmost - майже five hundred miles. The reason isn’t important. But that long walk was easier than the short walk to Joe Bell’s bar.

The guitar filled with rain. Rain softened the paper bags, andAnd - та some of Holly’s clothes andAnd - та jewelry fell through them onto the sidewalk. The wind pushed me, andAnd - та the cat attackedAttacked - напав, атакував, здійснив н... its bag andAnd - та screamed at me.

AndAnd - та I was frightened. Now I understood Jose, because I was frightened in the same way asAs - як him. Were people watching me? I was helping someone run away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from the police. I was a criminal, too.

In the bar, Holly said, “You’re late. Did you bring the brandy?”

The cat climbed out of its bag andAnd - та jumped onto her shoulder. Holly was laughing, excited. She opened the bottle. “This brandy was for me andAnd - та Jose. ‘We’ll drink this,’ I told him, ‘every year, on the same day asAs - як our wedding.’ But that’s finished now. Mr. Bell, sir, give me three glasses.”

“You only need two,” Joe Bell told her. “I refuse to drink with you. You’re crazy to leave New York.”

“Please, Mr. Bell,” she said. “A lady doesn’t disappear every day. Have a drink with her.”

“No,” he replied angrilyAngrily - сердито, гнівно. “I’m not going to drink with you. This isn’t a party andAnd - та I’m not going to help you.”

That was a lie. A few minutes later, a large car andAnd - та driver stopped outside the bar. Holly noticed it first. She put down her brandy glass.

“Well, darling,” she said, “is this the judge? Has he come to get me?”

I saw Joe Bell’s red face. Did he really call the police? But Joe said, “It’s nothing. Just a car that I paid for. It will take you to the airportAirport - аеропорт.”

He turned away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from us andAnd - та started washing some glasses.

“Kind, dear Mr. Bell. Look at me, sir,” Holly said.

He couldn’t look at her. He pulled some flowers from behind the bar andAnd - та pushed them toward her. She didn’t catch them in time andAnd - та they fell on the floor.

“Goodbye,” he said. He didn’t want to cry in front of her. He ran to the men’s bathroom andAnd - та we heard the door lock.

The driver of the car was very calm. In his job, he saw many strange things. He didn’t say anythingAnything - що about Holly’s suitcase andAnd - та grocery bags. AndAnd - та his face didn’t change when, in the back of the car, Holly took off her clothes. She was still wearing her riding clothes – the jacket andAnd - та jeans.

“The police came for me so quickly,” she said. “There wasn’t time to change my clothes.” Quickly, she put on her little black dress.

We didn’t talk afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... that. Holly was lost in thought andAnd - та didn’t look at me.

She sang quietly to herself andAnd - та drank brandy from the bottle. She moved to the front of her seat so she could look out of the windows. Was she looking for anAn - невизначений артикль addressAddress - адреса, звернення; адре­сув...? Or taking a last look at New York? But it was neither of these.

Suddenly she spoke. “Stop here,” she ordered the driver.

He stopped the car by a sidewalk in Spanish Harlem. It was a strange neighborhood, colorful but frightening. There were religious pictures next to photos of movie stars on the walls of buildings. The strong wind moved empty cans andAnd - та dirty newspapers up andAnd - та down the sidewalk. But the rain had stopped now andAnd - та the sun was beginning to break through the cloud.

Holly stepped out of the car. She took the cat with her. Holding him in her armsArms - руки, зброя; обхопити рукою, о..., she smoothed his head.

“What do you think?” she askedAsked - запитав. “Is this the right place for you? You’re a fighter andAnd - та this is a hard neighborhood. There areAre - бути, перебувати; ар plenty of trash cans to look in. Lots of gangs of wild cats to join. So go!”

She dropped him onto the sidewalk. He didn’t move, but lifted his face to her andAnd - та questioned her with his yellow eyes.

“Go!” she shouted, angrilyAngrily - сердито, гнівно. He came closer to her legs. “Get away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from me!”

Then she jumped into the car againAgain - знову andAnd - та closed the door.

“Go,” she told the driver. “Go. Go.”

“That was terrible!” I said angrilyAngrily - сердито, гнівно. “You really areAre - бути, перебувати; ар unkind.”

We traveled for a block before she replied. “I told you. We met by the river one day. He doesn’t belong to me. I don’t belong to him. We didn’t make anyAny - який promises. We never -“

She stopped speaking. Her face was very white andAnd - та unhappy.

The car stopped for a traffic light. She opened the door andAnd - та ran down the street, andAnd - та I ran afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... her. She was looking for the cat.

But the cat wasn’t there. There was nobody, nothing on the street except anAn - невизначений артикль old drunk andAnd - та women with a group of children. AsAs - як Holly ran up andAnd - та down the block, more children came out from doorways. Some ladies looked out of their windows. Holly was shouting, “You. Cat. Where areAre - бути, перебувати; ар you? Here, cat.”

She didn’t stop calling until a boy stopped her. He was holding a dirty old cat by the back of its neck. “Do you want a nice cat, miss? Give me a dollar for this one.”

The car was following us. I took Holly’s armArm - twisting andAnd - та walked her toward it. At the door of the car, she stopped. She looked past me, past the boy with his cat. He was still talking. “Half a dollar? Twenty cents? It’s not much for this cat.”

She held my armArm - twisting very tightly. There were tears in her eyes. “Oh, he does belong to me. He was mine,” she said.

Then I made her a promise. “I’ll come back andAnd - та find your cat. I’ll look afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... him, too. I promise.”

She smiled – that sad new smile. “AndAnd - та me?” she askedAsked - запитав quietly. “Who will look afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... me? I’m very scared, darling. For the first time, I’m really scared. This will happen againAgain - знову andAnd - та againAgain - знову. I never know what’s mine. Not until I throw it away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений . The fat woman – she’s not important. Unhappiness – that’s nothing. This is important, though. Not belonging. I’m so very, very scared.”

She stepped in the car, andAnd - та sat down slowly in the seat.

“Sorry, driver,” she said. “Let’s go.”