Breakfast at Tiffany’s

CHAPTER TWO

A Late-Night Visitor

“Do you think I’m very bad? Or crazy?” she askedAsked - запитав.

She didn’t ring Mr. Yunioshi’s bell againAgain - знову. In the following days, she rang mine, sometimes at two in the morning, or three, or four o’clock. I alwaysAlways - завжди knew that it was her. I didn’t have many friends, andAnd - та no visitors at that time of night.

The first time the bell rang, I was scared. Was someone bringing bad news? Then Miss Golightly shouted up the stairs, “Sorry, darling – I forgot my key.” We never met. I saw her on the stairs andAnd - та in the street but she didn’t see me. She alwaysAlways - завжди wore dark glasses andAnd - та she was alwaysAlways - завжди well dressed. Maybe she was anAn - невизначений артикль actressActress - актриса, but she stayed out so late. Did she have time to work?

Sometimes I saw her outside our neighborhood. Once she was in anAn - невизначений артикль expensive restaurant, sitting with four men. She looked very bored. AnotherAnother - інший, ще night, in the middle of summer, I was so hot that I left my room. I walked down to Fifty-first Street. There was a store there that I liked, with anAn - невизначений артикль old bird cage in the window. It was a beautiful bird cage, but it cost three hundred andAnd - та fifty dollars. AsAs - як I went home, I saw a crowd of taxi-drivers outside a bar. They were watching a group of AustralianAustralian - австралієць soldiers. The Australians were singing andAnd - та dancing in the street with a girl. It was Miss Golightly.

Miss Golightly never seemed to notice me but I learned a lot about her. I looked in the trash can outside her door. She liked magazines andAnd - та cigarettes, she didn’t eat much food, andAnd - та she colored her hair. She received a lot of letters from soldiers that she cut into small pieces. Sometimes I read them. Remember andAnd - та miss you andAnd - та please write were words that were written on many of the pieces of paper. AndAnd - та lonely andAnd - та love.

She had a cat andAnd - та she played the guitar. On sunny days, she washed her hair andAnd - та sat on the fire escape with the cat. When I heard her guitar, I went to my window. She played well, andAnd - та sometimes sang, too. “I don’t want to sleep, I don’t want to die. I just want to travel through the sky.” That was her favorite song.

I didn’t speak to her until September. One evening I went to a movie, then came home andAnd - та went to bed. I read my book but I felt uncomfortable. Was someone watching me?

Then I heard a knock at the window. I opened it.

“What do you want?” I askedAsked - запитав Miss Golightly.

“There’s a terrible man in my apartmentApartment - апартаменти, квартира,” she said. She stepped off the fire escape into the room. “He’s very kind when he’s not drunk. But now… I hate men who bite.” She pulled her gray dress off her shoulder andAnd - та showed me the bite. “Did I wake you? I’m sorry. But I climbed out of the window. He thinks I’m in the bathroom. He’ll get tired soon andAnd - та fall asleepAsleep - сплячий, млявий. It was icy on the fire escape andAnd - та you looked so warm. I saw you andAnd - та thought about my brother, Fred. Four of us slept in the bed at home, andAnd - та he kept me warm on cold nights. Can I call you Fred?”

She was in the room now, looking at me. She wasn’t wearing dark glasses, andAnd - та her large eyes were blue, green, andAnd - та brown. They were happy, friendly eyes.

“Do you think I’m very bad? Or crazy?” she askedAsked - запитав.

“No,” I said.

“Yes, you do. Everybody thinks I’m bad. It’s OK. Men like crazy, bad women. They think we’re interesting.”

She sat down on one of the old red chairs andAnd - та looked aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... the room.

“This place is terrible. How can you live here?”

“I like it,” I said. I wasn’t pleased because I was proud of my room.

“I couldn’t live here. What do you do here allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... day?”

I pointed at a table covered in books andAnd - та paper. “I write.”

“Aren’t writers usually old? Is Hemingway old?”

“I think he’s about forty.”

“That’s not old. A man doesn’t excite me until he’s forty-two. I taught myself to like older men. I’ve never slept with a writer. No, wait. Do you know Benny Shacklett?”

“No,” I said.

“That’s strange. He’s written a lot of things for the radio. AreAre - бути, перебувати; ар you a real writer? Does anyoneAnyone - хто buy your work?”

“No, not yet.”

“I’m going to help you,” she said. “I know lots of people andAnd - та they know other people. I’ll help you because of my brother Fred. But you’re smaller than him.

I last saw him when I was fourteen years old. That’s when I left home. He was alreadyAlready - вже, раніше six foot two inches tall. My other brothers were small but Fred ateAte - їсти, поглинати, поїдати a lot. Poor Fred – he was very nice, but he was a slow thinker. He’s a soldier now. I hope they give him plenty of food. Talking of food, I’m very hungry.”

I pointed at some apples. Then I said, “You were very young when you left home. Why did you leave?”

She looked at me but she didn’t reply. I realized later that she didn’t like questions about her past. She bit the appleApple - tree, andAnd - та said, “Tell me about your stories.”

“That’s not easy. Maybe I’ll read one to you one day.”

“Pour me a drink, darling. Then you can read me a story.”

AllAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... writers want to read their work to someone. I poured her a drink andAnd - та sat opposite her. Then I began to read.

The story was about two women, schoolteachers, who live together in a house. One of the women decides to marry. The other woman writes terrible things about her to other people in unsigned notes, andAnd - та her future husband walks away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from the marriage.

AsAs - як I read, I looked at Holly. She didn’t seem interested. She was playing with her cigarettes. She looked at her hands. What was she thinking about?

“Is that the end?” she askedAsked - запитав, when I finished. “Of course, I like lesbians. I’m not scared of them. But I’m bored with stories about them. Your story is about lesbians, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answerAnswer - відповідь, вирішення, розв’.... It was a mistake to read the story. I didn’t want to have to explain it, too. She was stupid. A silly girl.

“Do you know anyAny - який nice lesbians?” she askedAsked - запитав. “I need someone to live with me. Lesbians areAre - бути, перебувати; ар good home-makers. They love to do allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... the work aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... the house. I lived with a woman in Hollywood who actedActed - діяв, поводився, грав, зіграв... in movies. She was better than a man in the house. People think I’m a lesbian, too. Of course I amAm - бути, перебувати, a little. Everyone is. But that’s not a problem. Men like lesbians. The actressActress - актриса in Hollywood was married twice. Usually lesbians only marry once, to get a man’s name. They want to be Mrs. because it sounds better than Miss.”

Suddenly she stopped talking andAnd - та opened her eyes very wide. Then she said, “That’s not true!” She was looking at the clock on the table. “Is it really four-thirty?” she said.

Outside the window, it was alreadyAlready - вже, раніше morning.

“What is today?” she askedAsked - запитав.

“Thursday.”

“Thursday” She stood up. “Oh, no.” She sat down againAgain - знову. “That’s terrible.”

I was very tired. I sat on the bed andAnd - та closed my eyes. “What’s wrong with Thursdays?” I askedAsked - запитав.

“Nothing, but I must catch the eight forty-five train. They’re very careful about visiting hours. If you arriveArrive - прибувати, приїжджати, прих... at ten o’clock, you can spend anAn - невизначений артикль hour with the men before lunch. The poor men – they eat lunch at eleven! You can go at two but he likes a morning visit. I must stay awakeAwake - прокидатися, прокинутися. There isn’t time to sleep. I want to be awakeAwake - прокидатися, прокинутися andAnd - та healthy. A girl can’t go to Sing Sing looking terrible.”

“No,” I said. I wasn’t angry[ˈæŋgrɪ] сердитий, розлючений  now because she interested me againAgain - знову.

“AllAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... the visitors dress well, andAnd - та the women wear their prettiest clothes. Even the old women andAnd - та the poor women look nice. I love the kids that come with the wives. You don’t want to see kids there, but it isn’t sad. They have clean hair andAnd - та shiny shoes, andAnd - та it’s like a party in the visitors’ room. In the movies prison is terrible, but Sing Sing is OK. There’s a table between you andAnd - та the prisoners. The kids stand on it andAnd - та their fathers can hold them. The kids areAre - бути, перебувати; ар alwaysAlways - завжди so happy to be there. It’s different later when I see them on the train. They sit very quietly, looking at the river.”

She looked at me. “I’m keeping you awakeAwake - прокидатися, прокинутися,” she said. “Go to sleep.”

“I’m interested.”

“I know you areAre - бути, перебувати; ар. But I mustn’t tell you about Sally.” She was quiet for a minute. Then she said, “But it is funny. You can write about it in a story if you use different names.”

She took anotherAnother - інший, ще appleApple - tree. “Listen, Fred,” she said. “Promise me you’ll keep this story secret.”

I promised.

“You probably know his name. He’s often in the newspapers,” she said.

“His name is Sally Tomato, andAnd - та he’s a darling old man. He’s very serious about religion. Of course he was never my lover. I didn’t know him until he was alreadyAlready - вже, раніше in prison. But I love him now. I see him every Thursday. He pays me but I like to see him. This appleApple - tree is bad,” she said. She threw it out of the window. “I did see Sally sometimes in the past because he went to Joe Bell’s bar, the one aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... the corner. He never talked to anybodyAnybody - хто but he was looking at me. Then he went to prison for five years. Joe Bell showed me his photo in the newspaper. Then I received a message from a lawyer. It said: ‘Call me immediately. I have good news for you.”

“You thought that somebody wanted to give you a million dollars?”

“No. I thought that somebody probably wanted money from me. But I went to see the lawyer. He says he’s a lawyer. He doesn’t have anAn - невизначений артикль office – just a telephone answeringAnswering - відповідь; відповідати, ре... service. He alwaysAlways - завжди wants to meet in a cafe. He’s fat – he can eat ten hamburgers in one meal. He offered me a hundred dollars a week to make a lonely old man happy. ‘You’ve got the wrong Miss Golightly,’ I told him. ‘I don’t sell myself to old men.’ AndAnd - та a hundred dollars isn’t a lot of money. Men give me fifty dollars when I go to the ladies’ bathroom. AndAnd - та I alwaysAlways - завжди askAsk - запитати, запитувати for money for a taxi, too – that’s anotherAnother - інший, ще fifty dollars. ‘But the man is Sally Tomato,’ he said. ‘Old Sally has liked you for a long time. Be kind andAnd - та visit him once a week.’ What a romantic idea! So I agreedAgreed - узгоджений, вирішений; пого....”

“It’s a strange story,” I said.

She smiled. “Do you think it’s untrue?”

“Complete strangers can’t visit prisoners.”

“They don’t know I’m a stranger. They think I’m his niece.”

“AndAnd - та he gives you a hundred dollars for anAn - невизначений артикль hour’s conversation?”

“He doesn’t. The lawyer, Mr. O’Shaughnessy, mails it to me afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... I leave the weather report from Sally on his answeringAnswering - відповідь; відповідати, ре... service.”

“You’re going to get into a lot of trouble,” I said.

I switched off the light. We didn’t need it now because it was morning. Birds were singing on the fire escape.

“Why?” she said seriously.

“You’re not his niece. AndAnd - та what’s this weather report?”

She gave a tired smile. “It’s nothing. Sally tells me what to say. ‘There areAre - бути, перебувати; ар strong winds in Cuba’ or ‘It’s snowing in Palermo’. Don’t worry, darling,” she said to me. “I can look afterAfter - після, потім, після того як, п... myself”

She moved to the bed andAnd - та pulled the bed covers over my shoulders. Then she lay down next to me. “Is this OK?” she askedAsked - запитав. “I only want to rest for a few minutes. Don’t say anotherAnother - інший, ще word. Go to sleep.”

I didn’t sleep. It was six o’clock when she put her hand softly on my armArm - twisting. “Poor Fred,” she said softly. She wasn’t talking to me. “Where areAre - бути, перебувати; ар you, Fred? I know it’s cold. There’s snow in the wind.” She rested her head on my shoulder. Her face was warm andAnd - та wet.

“Why areAre - бути, перебувати; ар you crying?” I askedAsked - запитав.

She moved away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from me andAnd - та sat up. “Oh,” she said angrilyAngrily - сердито, гнівно. She ran toward the window andAnd - та the fire escape. “I hate people who askAsk - запитати, запитувати a lot of questions.”